… we’d be praying 50 times a day.
Tonight was the night, 1,400 years ago, when God ordained that Muslims pray five times a day. But it didn’t start out that way.
Mummy Would Have Said: "Stop Bragging"
Dearest Mummy,
There are times when I so wish you were here;
There are times when I am grateful that you are not.
What's Faith Got To Do With It?
Immigrants and refugees, that is. I was asked this question at the BBYO teen conference. “As a Muslim, how does the immigrant and refugee experience connect to your faith? How does your experience as a Muslim Pakistani-American inform the way you think about this issue?’
Read moreWhen My Book Club Bombed
What is your #1 worst bookclub experience? I am sure many of you belong to book clubs, some to more than one. I am sure most of you love your book club, or at least like it, or you wouldn’t be in it. We do have freedom of choice. Its not as if your boss requires ‘mandatory enrollment’ in his or her book club. Right? But I am sure there have been times when a book club meeting bombed.
Read moreToday I Am A Jew
Sadly, now it’s our turn. Only three days ago, on a bright sunny Sunday, I had stood in Times Square among thousands, waving posters, “Today I Am A Muslim Too.” Except, that they were not Muslim. That day, they were proclaiming their solidarity with Muslims.
Read more'Make A Muslim Friend' Start-Up
“What can we do to help Muslims?”
This is the one question I am asked every time I do a book reading or give a talk on Islam.
I was in a church talking to a group of, oh, maybe 70+ people.
My Life On The Streets
Its not what it sounds like. By street life I mean: protests, marches, and rallies. And I have only just begun. First they came for the Mexicans. ‘Put up a wall, keep ‘em out.’ I wasn’t a Mexican,
Read moreLost and Found
This is not about the election. Lets get that out of the way. Last month I lost someone. And yesterday I found someone. Boring? Not election-ee? You may swipe out. But if I may share my grief and joy, read on.
Read moreLets Get Uncomfortable
Please don’t delete me from your digital world while reading this. Give me a chance to explain myself. Let me tell you my problem, and then I’ll share what I feel may be the solution.
I Am An Ostrich
Never again do I want to be surprised by the results of a presidential election.
TO-DO LIST: 2017
Never once in my life did I meet my New Year resolutions—until 2016. Either I set the bar too high, got discouraged at no instant gratification, or simply ran out of steam. What was the one resolution you made year after year, and never met? I will tell you mine: lose weight. Until 2016. No, it wasn’t losing weight—though I actually did—but that wasn’t my resolution. It was the summer of 2014, and I was reading books on how to write a book.
Read more