notes

A Day of Thanksgiving and Penitence

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Nov 26, 2017 at 9:07 pm

When in the autumn of 1863 Abraham Lincoln proposed that the last Thursday of November be observed as a national holiday, he had two things in mind. One was for everyone to stop and thank God for His Bounties, Mercy and Grace. The other, in his words: “And I recommend…

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Cities Ablaze…

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Sep 21, 2017 at 9:10 pm

In 1970 the R&B group, The Temptations, sang about “...cities ablaze in the summertime.” The reference was to the race riots that left large swaths of cities like Los Angeles, Newark, Detroit, Philadelphia, Washington DC and others burned to the ground. Racism, America’s seemingly incurable disease, continues to rear its…

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Afghanistan: America’s Vietnam

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Aug 23, 2017 at 1:06 pm

Afghanistan: America’s Vietnam When the Soviet Union became bogged down in Afghanistan during the 1980s, having fallen into the trap devised by President Jimmy Carter’s recently deceased National Security advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski, it was frequently said that Afghanistan was the Soviet Union’s “Vietnam.” The reference was to the lasting damage…

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Not Puzzled or Surprised

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Aug 16, 2017 at 1:58 am

Many people are puzzled that President Donald J Trump did not immediately and strongly condemn the white nationalist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. The situation should not be puzzling. Mr. Trump is presiding over a white nationalist regime. Why would he condemn his own? While the country has been obsessed with…

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The Seat

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Aug 12, 2017 at 8:07 am

A place to contemplate the fate Of mortals trying to be men, A place that time cannot erase, Whose depth defies the pen. A seat of power, a seat of love, Which will we let it be? A seat spanning heavens above, A…

notes

Lady Liberty?

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Aug 05, 2017 at 1:26 am

Liberty is a gift, Handed down by the Constitution, Through time. But have all accepted it, And given it a home In their minds. Are the graces of liberty Truly free, When the disproportionately incarcerated Ask for the key, Given…

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The Massacre

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Jul 09, 2017 at 8:03 pm

The toll was gruesome. Over 100 people shot, 15 fatally. Bloody streets, shattered bones, severed limbs, ruined lives and devaststed families. Baghdad? No. Kabul? No. Mogadishu? No. Paris? No. Al Qaida? No. ISIS? No. Al Shabab? No. Boko Haram? No. This was the July 4th weekend toll of shootings in…

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The Importance of Being a Very Public Muslim

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Jun 12, 2017 at 9:28 pm

In the climate of fear and mistrust of Muslims being carefully cultivated by some elements in this country it is extremely important to be a very public, very visible, very talkative Muslim. Some Muslims would tend to shun this advice thinking that by “laying low” and being almost invisible they…

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Ali’s Islam

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Jun 03, 2017 at 10:50 pm

Once again Muslims are bracing for the possibility that our religion will be sullied by an act of nihilistic violence. It is not the least ironic that the terrible incident occurring yesterday on the iconic London Bridge took place on the date that marks the departure of Muhammad Ali from…

news

The Greatest, At Rest

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Jun 03, 2017 at 4:40 pm

One year ago, a chosen few brought Muhammad Ali home for the last time. This is the story of how they carried out their sacred calling. The sound Muhammad Ali hears as he dies is the sound that babies hear right after they’re born. It is just after…

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