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Istanbul — It concerns me that Islamophobia, an irrational fear of Islam and animosity toward Muslims, is becoming a dominant paradigm through which all Western-Muslim relations are now being explored. A conglomerate of five Universities, led by Yildiz Technical University and...

It concerns me that Islamophobia, an irrational fear of Islam and animosity toward Muslims, is becoming a dominant paradigm through which all Western-Muslim relations are now being explored. A conglomerate of five Universities, led by Yildiz Technical University and the...

A few weeks ago, I had the honor of meeting with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi at the Egyptian mission in New York at a gathering for community and intellectual leaders to talk about the future of U.S.-Egypt relations. I am a Muslim intellectual living my Muslim American dream...

A few weeks ago, I had the honour of meeting with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi at the Egyptian mission in New York at a gathering for community and intellectual leaders to talk about the future of US-Egypt relations. I am a Muslim intellectual living my Muslim American dre...

The two conventions aptly define the crossroads that we are at, at the moment. Do we move forward to embrace the new realities, of a diverse, multicultural and multi-religious America and face the challenges of a declining infrastructure and global competitiveness, or will we...

Paul Ryan’s choice as the vice presidential running mate reveals both the enduring weaknesses in the candidacy of Mitt Romney and the long-term trends that are reshaping the Republican Party. Ryan brings nothing positive to the ticket except that he energizes the core...

There’s hidden sweetness in the stomach’s emptiness. We are lutes, no more, no less. If the soundbox is stuffed full of anything, no music. If the brain and belly are burning clean with fasting, every moment a new song comes out of the fire. —Jalaluddin Rumi on...

These days it seems that all news coming from Pakistan is bad news. Extremism has not abated, violence is recurrent, and US-Pakistan relations seem to be stuck in a downward spiral. But last week I had a fortuitous encounter with good news from Pakistan. I was in Amman, Jordan to...

A few days ago, I was in Ankara having a conversation with a senior advisor to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. As we were talking, I heard a loud bang outside his office window, as if someone had fired a gun nearby. Needless to say, I was startled, but my friend and...

I have received several inquiries on why I have not made any statement regarding the issue of whether a woman can lead both men and women in obligatory prayers and Friday prayers. Here is my brief and general response to them. 1. By habit and purpose I leave matte...