We, as Americans pride ourselves on the freedoms and liberties that we have. We live in a country that was founded on the principle of religious freedom. We live in a society that ideally is color and faith blind. That is what is the beauty of America, its ideals. Do we often fall short of our ideals? Sure. But, as Americans we are allowed to express our frustrations with government (after all that’s what the Revolutionary War was all about), and we’re allowed to believe things that are unpopular. I know this may sound kinda crazy, but Muslims are Americans too. We stand and pledge allegiance to the same flag. Many of us grew up here and English is our primary language. We serve in the military, are in pop culture and continue to make valuable contributions to society.

Get the picture? Here’s what we’re not talking about; what about the kid? (I’m purposely not mentioning his name)

Many are calling him a hypocrite. I think we should be careful throwing out the hypocrite word. Did the kid do something reprehensible, yes; but we don’t know what was in his heart. He has since exposed what the NYPD did and though he was involved in something that undermines our community, now that he has left it we should be ready to forgive, understand, and move on. I was very angry recently and a line that really helped me put things in context is what would the prophet (S) do? Ultimately, he is our example, and we should look towards the seerah (the life of the Prophet(s)) to see how we can/should handle situations like this.

We should be careful in labeling things in such definite strokes. He is likely confused right now and doesn’t really know where he can turn. On one hand, he broke the trust of the Muslim community and likely thinks that there is no place for him in the community; on the other, he likely doesn’t want to continue with the spying. People very seldom in situations like this have definite feelings, and we in the community should be cautious of isolating him to the point where he feels that there is no place in Islam for him.

Why must we be so quick to label or judge someone in the first place. His belief, or lack thereof is between him and Allah (God); why are we trying to impose some sort of label on the guy? He was a Muslim and went through an obviously very crappy situation, give him a chance to figure things out. We should be the reason he comes back to Islam, not the reason he left it.

What do we get out of labeling this guy a hypocrite anyway? Nothing.

Allow me to introduce my self, my name is Amira and I am the newest writer for MuslimInAmerica. I was invited to write for this blog because Br.Subhan felt he needed a bit of a feminine touch to his blog. Well-no, that’s not why, but that is what I shall provide insha’Allah.

I am no ordinary American-Muslimah writer, no. I own a number of blogs hosted on different websites that are mainly geared towards what I think women do best, nurturing, consoling, and comforting the soul. Because Allah knows that is exactly what we need living in this world, especially in America. I’m just here to compliment the wonderful posts that are already on this site with my perspective.

“Those who believe, and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah, Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.“-Qur’an 13:28

“What actions are most excellent? To gladden the heart of human beings, to feed the hungry, to help the afflicted, to lighten the sorrow of the sorrowful, and to remove the sufferings of the injured.” – The Prophet Muhammad (saw)[Bukhari]

The ayaat and hadith above are the reasons I started my blogs in the first place to to gladden the hearts of human beings and remove the sufferings of the injured by keeping them in the remembrance of Allah. When their hearts have found rest, mine does as well.  Right now, I am more than thankful that Allah has given me another outlet to do “actions that are most excellent” with MuslimInAmerica.

In Japanese culture, when working with someone new,  people usually say (roughly translated), “Please take care of me”. As in, “Bare with me. I’m new and trying  my best” insha’Allah!

To whom it may concern,

Law students and lawyers have a stereotype of being super competitive, cut-throat type A personalities. I’m not really like that. I am an incredibly personable person who loves to talk about everything from sports to politics. While I enjoy the casual conversation, I know when to turn on the serious mode and do work. Reading through the job description, I think I would be a perfect fit for [firm omitted].

I don’t consider myself to be super formal; quite the contrary, I think often times people take themselves too seriously and need to relax a bit to enjoy life and their profession. Practicing law is a passion of mine, and while that may sound kind of cliché, it’s true. From when I was a child watching The Practice on TV, I knew I wanted to be an attorney; not for the money, but for the rush of doing substantive work.

Along with my passion for the law, I’m very involved in my local community and helping young folks be good people. I’m the social media team lead for Young Muslims, the largest locally focused Muslim youth organization in the United States. There are so many negative stereotypes out there about young Muslim males, and I want to be the example that destroys those stereotypes. I am just as American as apple pie (though I prefer my pies to be in pizza form) and hamburgers. I’m a die-hard Mets and Giants fan, and could play poker forever without getting tired.

If there’s one thing I would be if I wasn’t a lawyer, it would have to be a chef. I love cooking (and eating too), and it’s a great way to take your mind off a stressful day of law school. If there was one place I went for dinner in NYC it would have to be the gyro cart on 53rd and 6th. The cart represents one of the true essences of living in New York City – great food, cheap prices and a quality product. The cart on 53rd and 6th, or the “Gyro Guy,” is so embedded in the city that no matter what time you go, day or night, there is always a line for the food. Beyond the food, the memories of standing on line for food in the city, during rain, snow, summer heat, shows the commitment that people have for the food, and the overall experience of the place. Even beyond the commitment, the gyro cart has become a melting pot of sorts in New York. People from every walk of life, the executive who works in the buildings around it, to the cabby who is worried about getting a ticket stands in line; everyone, Black, White, Chinese, Pakistani, rich, poor, each equal for food.

I’m available immediately for an interview, and available May 15th to start.

I would be great with client intake or research. I’m a very personable person who has a very business oriented mind so I would be able to help clients with things they may not have thought of. I’m also great at logistics; the UPS commercial about the person who loves logistics – that’s me. I can manage a bunch of different things at the same time, as well as balance very complicated ideas in my mind at one.

I look forward to speaking to you about the possibility of working as a summer position at [firm omitted].

Go ahead,
Be what you want to be

Be the crazy one who stalks everyone on Facebook
Or the creepy one who knows where everyone is at all times
Be the loud one who talks over everyone else
Or the stubborn one who always wants his way
But be yourself and not who everyone else wants you to be

Be the quiet one who sits back and observes
Or the smart one with all the answers
Be the wise one that everyone goes to for advice
Or the friend everyone wants
But be yourself and not who everyone else wants you to be

Be the doctor that parents want for their daughters
Or the lawyer that seek to represent them
Be the leader the community always wanted
Or the child your parents always dreamed of
But be yourself and not who everyone else wants you to be

God said “Be”
and it was
So why are you
Having such a hard time
Being you?

Untitled
By Hina Jaffer

This is not a poem meant for the purposes of rhyme
I am just a poet writing of the injustices of our time
I am the starved of Somalia
The poor of India
I am the wounded of Syria
Oh Lord, Just free Gaza
Assad’s regime
Much too similar to the conditions of Falastene
You say Israel
With my fists in the air I scream Palestine
CNN and BBC
All tuned in just to see
What the verdict is in the trial of Conrad Murray
Or how NASA plans their next trip to Mars
But what goes unnoticed, is bloody Bashar
Stabbing his sword into innocent souls
This play of his, is getting much too old
We see mankind scatter
Heritages and cultures cluster
But this isn’t about whose flag is raised higher
This is about the innocent lives being robbed from families abroad
Throwing families without their fathers, husbands, or sons out on the road
No, we must come together as mankind
And do what is right
No innocent should be killed
No child should sleep hungry
So the starved girl in Pakistan
The orphan in Kurdistan
The oppressed woman in Gaza
And the widow in Syria
Join hands and chant as one
Free Free Pakistan
Free Free Kurdistan
Free Free Palestine
Free Free Syria
Free Free our beautiful world