Ahmed Rehab discusses misconceptions about Islam and American Muslims, specifically addressing the “Ground Zero Mosque” controversy, and reacts to recent Sarah Palin twitter comments about the issue.

Why must a Muslim person’s faith come up the moment that person breaks through the mainstream in any conceivable way – regardless of relevance or context?
And why does it invariably end up linking that person through multiple degrees of separation to terrorism?
The fact that even a Miss USA could not be spared this exercise in [...]

Times Square, New York:
It is clear that this was a terrorist plot,” said US Attorney General Eric Holder of the recent New York Times Square incident in which a young Pakistani-American attempted but failed to detonate a second grade home-made bomb.
Some reports suggest that Faisal Shahzad, a happily married 30-year-old father of two with a [...]

The Illinois State Police Department currently has 37 chaplains or volunteer clergy who provide spiritual support for troopers, other employees and their families. Most are Christian; some are Jewish; and until last December, none was Muslim.

This guy seemed to have left every clue short of raise his hand and proclaim, “arrest me, I am a terrorist!”

2010-01-07-umar_farouk.jpg Can someone explain to me how he managed to purchase a one way ticket, pay for it in cash, board the plane with no luggage, have his own father report him as a radicalized threat to a CIA base in Nigeria, be denied a visa to the UK where he previously lived and worked, and on top of that be on an active US terror watch list for two years, yet still not be flagged by the system as a security threat?

And can someone explain to me how after those six glaring red flags were missed - not to mention the explosive material in his underwear - the debate today is not about why and how they were missed, but about whether he could have been flagged for being of a certain skin color, hair texture, place of birth, faith, or namesake?

The racial profiling argument is lazy and unimaginative; most of all it is irresponsible because it evades the real problem starring us in the face: a fatal breakdown in communication between our intelligence units. Ironically, this is a problem so troubling that an entire new department, the National Homeland Security Department, was created with the sole mission to address it.

Nestle. The United Nations. Rolex. Secure Banking. Toblerone. Yodeling. William Tell. Cowbells. Neutrality. Rousseau. Alpine Skiing. Heidi.

These are a few of the things — mostly pretty — that come to mind when you say “Switzerland.”

But now thanks to a recent popular vote on a controversial referendum, things like “intolerance,” “paranoia,” and “limitations on freedom of religion” have joined the merry list.

I would love the opportunity to talk about my faith proactively when there isn’t something terrible happening. And everyday, good things are going on, but the one day that something bad happens, that’s when people become interested in our faith and that is troublesome.

Say what you will about the recently exposed Bronx Terror Plot, but please, do not go about weaving fantasy scenarios of how Islam is somehow to blame for criminalizing the terror suspects who were already career criminals long before their conversions — and who displayed only a rudimentary understanding of Islam thereafter.

Ahmed Rehab on The Alan Colmes’ Liberaland radio show, a nationally-syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Fox News Radio, to discuss the Bronx case.

What have the Al Zawahiris of the world who claim to fight in defense of Islam actually done for Muslims or Islam? What have they done to educate the illiterate, feed the hungry, heal the diseased, or boost the quality of life anywhere in the Muslim world?

How could a chirpy TV host with such edible title credits as “30 Minute Meals” and “Tasty Travels” one day awaken to find herself in the middle of a terrorism-related media blitz — all because of a Dunkin’ Donuts ad, no less?

Chicago writer and activist Ahmed Rehab feels that while those outside Islam need to think before they generalize, those inside the faith need to reclaim the faith from within.

Ahmed Rehab reacts to the Glasgow airport attack, condemns terrorism and fears backlash against Muslims.

Can Steven Emerson and his ilk be trusted as credible sources of information on Islam and Muslims? Who is Steven Emerson? A self-anointed “terrorism expert” whose rhetoric is characterized by charged terminology and a dislike for open debate, Emerson harbors a longstanding track record of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab bigotry.

Ahmed Rehab responds to the not guilty verdict in the Muhammad Salah Terrorism trial.

Differing views are presented as Rehab joins a panel of experts to discuss the causes, effects and effective ways to counter terrorism. [Video]

Rehab joins a panel of experts to discuss the fifth year anniversary of 9/11 and how its event has changed us as a nation over the years.

Ahmed Rehab was invited by the University of Chicago to review the first Chapter of Prof. Michael Sells’ Jihad and Crusade: Religion and Violence after the Cold War

One must ask, what motivates the likes of Ms.Charen to level blatantly false accusations against Muslim-American leadership? What motivates her to laundry list random acts of violence committed by 7 deranged Muslims – whom she admits are doubtless “mentally borderline types” - as if they were representative of the “Muslim spirit of the day?”

Terrorists should be viewed as members of organized crime, made unique only by their attempts to gain legitimacy through false invocations of faith.

Far from being mutually-exclusive, each of our identities- American and Muslim-works to make the other more complete. The American spirit inspires us with its values of freedom and inclusion. It is that spirit that allows us to practice our beloved faith of peace and compassion without persecution or retribution. The Islamic spirit teaches us that love of one’s nation is part of the love of God.

The true Muslim spirit is not to destroy, but to build. We have an obligation to live this message to our compatriots in the West, and to challenge those fringe Muslims who desecrate it with their deplorable blind anger. In such trying times, as we American Muslims struggle to deal with the dual challenges of post-9/11 life, we are mobilizing with optimism to become more American and more Muslim.