Today’s Zaman, Feb 3, 2011 We are all Egyptians now I am mesmerized by the peaceful popular uprisings calling for the end of three decades of dictatorial rule in Egypt. Often the news from the Muslim world is depressing. Not today. The impact of this is still unknown. But one thing is unmistakably clear: We are all Egyptians now. The young voices from Egypt...

NY Times Photo Gallery on Egypt Protest Huffington Post, Feb 1, 2011 Florida Times Union, Feb 2, 2011 A Sputnik Moment for U.S. Foreign Policy The Jasmine Revolution has led to the ouster of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the autocratic leader of Tunisia and has sparked similar revolutionary fervor from Algeria to Egypt. The success in Tunisia has emboldened protestors...

Professor, father, author, activist, citizen, Muslim. The man who made 2010 a turning point for Northeast Florida. On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Parvez Ahmed slept in. After teaching a late-night investment class at the University of Pennsylvania, and working in his home office until after midnight, he took the rare luxury of sleeping past 8 a.m. His parents,...

On Oct 9, 2010, the Clay County chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State organized a lecture on “Is Islam Compatible with American Values?” I was invited to speak at the Fleming Island Public Library. What happened at the event is well summarized in a letter to the editor by Rev. Harry Parrott, President of the local chapter of AU....

Mr. Obama Goes to India Huffington Post, Nov 5. 2010 Also in Florida Times Union, Nov 12, 2010 On the heels of a bruising election, President Barack Obama is undertaking his longest foreign trip that will take him to several Asian countries including India. Some media accounts of this trip, primarily Fox News and its affiliates, has focused on an un-sourced report...

In AltMuslim. October 27, 2010 Juan Williams is neither a racist nor a bigot. But by perpetuating negative stereotypes he breached the ethics of fairness, crucial ingredients to succeed as a journalist. His firing from NPR, while admittedly handled in a clumsy way, was ultimately the right action. At a time when public discourse has descended to freighting levels of...

In Huffington Post. Let us get one thing correct — Helen Thomas, Rick Sanchez, Octavia Nasr and Juan Williams are neither racists nor bigots. By all accounts they are good journalists. But by expressing negative stereotypes about a racial or religious group they are guilty of breaching the ethics of fairness, crucial ingredients to succeed in journalism. Thus...

I am a signatory to, “A Defense of Free Speech by American and Canadian Muslims.” This statement was released in response to the threats received by ‘Everybody Draw Mohammed Day’ cartoonist Molly Norris. The statement was crafted by Sheila Musaji, Editor, The American Muslim and Shahed Amanullah, Editor-in-Chief, Altmuslim. If you are a...

In Huffington Post. The numbers are sobering. Nearly 1 in 8 Pakistanis are homeless as a result of an epic flood. Besides the staggering human cost of the tragedy the geo-political importance of Pakistan to US security interests cannot be overemphasized. With over 100,000 U.S. troops stationed in nearby Afghanistan and American drones routinely dropping bombs on...

In Huffington Post and the Florida Times Union Nearly two centuries ago, the Jewish poet Heinrich Heine wrote, “Those who begin by burning books will end by burning people.” Quran burning is a tool of provocation and intimidation. Despite admonitions from General David Petraeus, Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville vowed...

What Would Our Founding Fathers Say About the ‘Ground Zero Mosque’? Parvez Ahmed In Huffington Post. Aug 23, 2010 In the debate over the Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero in New York, two competing arguments have emerged. The supporters of the Islamic community center and mosque near Ground Zero (called the Park51 project) have argued that the...

Guest column: What would founders do about New York mosque?Parvez Ahmed Florida Times Union, Aug 18, 2010. The supporters of the mosque near Ground Zero, called the Park51 project, have argued that First Amendment gives American Muslims the right to build a house of worship wherever they wish so long as the project complies with local ordinances. Some proponents also...

Now that the developers of the Muslim community center known as Park51 have secured their legal rights to continue development, what can we do to help heal the tensions that arose in its wake? BY PARVEZ AHMED, AUGUST 9, 2010in AltMuslim.com That most Americans are fearful of Islam and distrustful of Muslims is not new. Most polls show that 1 in 2 Americans have a...

Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 27 July 2010, www.commongroundnews.orgCopyright permission is granted for publication. Published in: Khaleej Times (UAE), July 29, 2010. Published in: Kuwait Times, Aug 4, 2010. Jacksonville, Florida – The proposal for a Muslim community centre called the Cordoba House, two blocks from where the World Trade Centre...

by Parvez AhmedAlso In Huffington Post. A proposed mosque, two blocks from where the World Trade Center twin-towers stood, have unleashed emotions, which the New York Times described as, “vitriolic commentary, pitting Muslims against Christians, Tea Partiers against staunch liberals, and Sept. 11 families against one another.” What began as a well...