My Faith Community Must Speak Out Against Domestic Violence

Jul 10

My Faith Community Must Speak Out Against Domestic Violence by Parvez Ahmed First published in the Florida Times Union, July 10, 2022 It was a cold winter night in Jacksonville. A woman with only a phone in her hand darted out from a riverfront home. Fearing for her life, she hid behind the bushes next to a dark street nearby. In a panic she called her sister and...

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Misinformation about Critical Race Theory Bears Resemblance to the Past

Nov 29

Misinformation about Critical Race Theory Bears Resemblance to the Past by Parvez Ahmed Republished in Yahoo!, Nov 21, 2021 Although the election results in Virginia were hardly a surprise given that the party not in the White House usually wins the gubernatorial elections in that state, pundits were too eager to declare Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a major...

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A glimmer of hope as democracies falter at home and abroad

Aug 19

Florida Times Union, Aug 13, 2021 Concerned about the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19’s Delta variant across our region, on Aug. 3, I joined a group of parents and doctors at a rally to demand that the Duval County Public School Board mandate masks in schools. This small exercise in democracy was instrumental in forcing the School Board to mandate masks, albeit...

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Poor leadership dooms India during pandemic

May 10

Poor leadership dooms India during pandemic Published in the Florida Times Union, May 9, 2021. by Parvez Ahmed About a year ago, I received the devastating news about my Mom’s terminal cancer. As she took her last breaths, I could not visit her in Kolkata, India. The first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic was underway. Global travel had come to a virtual standstill...

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Taxpayer subsidies for pro sports teams make little economic sense

Apr 15

Florida Times Union, Dec 12, 2020 Pro sports provide the ultimate test for meritocracy, but the owners of major league sports teams, particularly in the U.S., make money regardless of success on the field. Despite this reality, many of those owners shamelessly coerce taxpayers to subsidize their enterprise. Ironically, some of the biggest cheerleaders against...

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Social responsibility of businesses contrasts sedition of Republicans

Apr 15

Florida Times Union, Jan 17, 2021 With due apologies to Sound of Music, how do you solve a problem like sedition? How do you catch the perpetrators and pin them down? How do you decide if to aid it, ignore it, or squash it? The answer should be obvious. The business sector understands this. Unfortunately, too many Republicans do not. They want to skip the first step...

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The business case for democracy

Apr 15

Florida Times Union, April 11, 2021 On the heels of a record-setting election turnout and an election free of any substantive voter fraud, Republicans in Georgia enacted new legislation that can be best described as voter suppression. That the bill was premised on the big lie of a stolen election, makes its passage all the more insidious. Republicans did not like the...

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The hypocrisy of terrorism needs accountability

Feb 09

Guest column: The hypocrisy of terrorism needs accountability Published in the Florida Times Union, Feb 7, 2021. by Parvez Ahmed When terrorists claiming to act in the name of my faith attacked the homeland on Sept. 11, 2001, Muslims in America were not only targeted for surveillance, they were also repeatedly asked to condemn terrorism even when the only thing they...

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A Convergence of Crises

Aug 18

Trump faces three historic crises at once Published in the Florida Times Union, Aug 9, 2020. by Parvez Ahmed To mitigate the health and economic impact of COVID-19, besides a national testing and contact tracing program, President Donald Trump had to do three things: mandate masks nationwide, institute a near nationwide extended lockdown and provide stimulus money to...

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Rising to meet the moment

Jul 27

An abbreviated version of this appeared as the lead letter in the Florida Times Union, Jun 12, 2020 After acts of racist violence, from the gunning down of worshipers at a Black church by a White Supremacist to the murder of a helpless Black man by police, there have been protests, vigils and marches. And yet no meaningful change came about. But this time could be...

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GOP convention will have minimal economic impact in Jacksonville

Jul 27

Published in the Florida Times Union, Jul 12, 2020. The Texas Medical Association has put out a chart about which activities are most risky during COVID-19 pandemic. The following four were classified as having the highest risk: Attending a large music concert, going to a sports stadium, attending an event (religious) with more than 500 people and going to a bar. If...

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India burns while Trump hugs its president

Mar 28

Guest column: Trump hugs president of India as the nation burns with sectarian violence. Florida Times Union, Mar 8, 2020 An American president visits a foreign capital. During the visit, violence breaks out in the capital city. People die. The White House utters barely a word of concern. This is the new normal in American foreign policy. President Donald Trump has...

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Trump’s Racist Tweets Undermines Historical Progress

Jul 23

A shortened version of this article appeared in the Florida Times Union, July 23, 2019 President Trump’s contention that members of the so called “The Squad”, who are all women of color, with three of them born in the US and the fourth a naturalized citizen, should go back to where they came from is nothing new in the history of America’s racist past. People...

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Repeal Evil with Good

Nov 04

Abbreviated version was published in the Florida Times Union, November 4, 2018 The terrorist attacks in Pittsburgh, which witnessed an anti-Semite mercilessly gunning down 11 Jewish worshippers at the Tree of Life Synagogue has brought renewed anxiety not only to Jews but all minority faith communities. The Muslim community, which like the Jewish community, has been...

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It’s Time to Boycott Saudi Arabia

Oct 16

Patheos altMuslm, October 15, 2018 For Muslims, Makkah, where the Ka’ba is located, is the epicenter of their faith and Madinah, home of the Prophet’s mosque, their sanctuary for spiritual bliss. These two cities happen to be in Saudi Arabia, which is once again in the news for the most chilling of reasons, presenting Muslims with a difficult decision to...

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