Last Thursday, I had the privilege of addressing 150 students of my alma mater, DePaul University, in a speaking event organized by UMMA (United Muslims Moving Ahead), the school’s Muslim student club. The topic of the speech was “American Jihad: The Struggles of American Muslims,” followed by a lively Q&A. Kudos to UMMA on their meticulous planning of this event including the beautiful hall, the diverse turnout, and the logistical preparation.
Ahmed Rehab is a civil rights activist, columnist, media commentator, and social entrepreneur. 
Depaul is a BEAUTIFUL School !
It is not improper or inappropriate according to Islamic standards either. So what is the higher criteria you are using to evaluate it then?
I had used Islamic standards to evaluate it.
And speaking of strangeness…
“Islam began as something strange, and it shall return to being something strange, so give glad tidings to the strangers.” [Muslim]
So, thanks for the compliment.
In any case, I had never intended to discuss this topic in this fashion (i.e. by putting people on spot). I tried sending you a private msg thru the contact form but it didn’t work. Tens of blank windows popped up when I clicked on the ‘contact Ahmed’ link. So, I had to get your ‘other’ contact info from somewhere to send the msg (btw, it would be nice if that one is acknowledged so I know it was sent at the right place).
Regardless of our stance on the pic…don’t you think it’s about time. I mean, why should a person wait any longer? It’ll make you a stronger person. I say this from the position of being a fellow Muslim.
Shaykh Abdallah Adhami: “We need to not stigmatize social interaction” http://www.altmuslimah.com/a/b/rsa/4067/