Count me as one of many Republicans offended by President Obama – however, my complaint today is not targeted at healthcare or economic stimulus. Instead, I’m offended by the idea of a “teachable moment,” as remarked by President Obama.

In the fallout of arguments between Harvard Professor Henry Gates and Cambridge Sergeant James Crowley, as well as President Obama’s own mistake of referring to the Cambridge Police as “stupid,” the three parties will now be sharing beer together and commencing upon what President Obama is referring to as a “teachable moment,” in which, minorities will learn to harbor better relations with law enforcement – in addition, the underlying point here is that Obama clearly thinks that we are a nation of bigots, thus watching two African-American men share a beer with a Caucasian police officer is, somehow, supposed to have a more positive effect upon all of us, as racist Americans.

Yes, I’m putting words in the mouth of President Obama – but can you blame me? What lessons does our good country need, exactly, in terms of better acceptance of race? Here in Colorado’s House District 56, where I ran for office in 2008 as a brown-skinned, American Muslim man, my campaign enjoyed its highest percentage of votes from areas that are mostly composed of Caucasian voters. In addition, not only did House District 56 overwhelmingly vote an African-American into our Presidential office, but the entire nation also followed our District’s lead, in turning Senator Obama into President Obama.

Again, begging the question – what “teachable moment” is needed exactly?

Having worked as a public school tyro-teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District, I would believe that I am very well versed in minority tension aimed towards law enforcement. Incidents that have caused minority suspicion would include the beating of Rodney King, the countless acts of crime committed by police officers out of the Los Angeles Police Department’... [Read More]

NOTE: It is said that Michael Jackson passed away as a Muslim. As an American Muslim, I offer the following tribute:

I will always believe that Michael Jackson was innocent of all molestation charges pursued against him. Cases were pursued, evidence presented, and all ended in abrupt settlements or innocent verdicts. However, let my tribute be one of love, not legal defense. 

Michael Jackson was one of the most extraordinary men to ever live. In his brief life, he invented both a new genre of music, as well as a new form of dance. Yet, his artistic accomplishments were far exceeded by his love for this good world.

It was in the 1980’s that Michael Jackson helped place global hunger on the map. Before any celebrity made such overtures towards victims of poverty, it was Michael who sent millions to Africa, doing everything he could to prevent people from starving. And outside of hunger, it was at his Never Neverland Ranch that Michael purchased millions in medical equipment, believing that he could heal children who hospitals deemed doomed.

Many criticized him for his whimsical fantasies, but how could you fault a man who believed he could heal the unhealable and feed the ever starving?

It was always fitting that Michael’s best tribute would come from a fellow American hero, President Ronald Reagan. While President Reagan fought to end the Evil Empire, despite international paranoia that our good country would eventually succumb to the USSR’s nuclear invasion, it was Michael that never let us fear. Most of us spent the 1980’s glued to televisions, moonwalking to the music videos of ‘Billy Jean’ and ‘Rock With You,’ celebrating like a country that had no enemy. How could President Reagan not be thankful to a man that always made us feel better? Despite the absurd attraction we have for bad news, songs like ‘Thriller’ were just too attractive not to pay more attention to.

And remember those who said “never?” Those who sai... [Read More]

I want to start this article by praising our good President, Barack Obama. As a loyal Republican, I voted for Senator McCain in 2008 – a vote that I do not regret. However, President Obama’s outreach to Muslims, should he fulfill all promises, is a move that will eventually place him as one of America’s best Presidents. However, for the same reasons of outreaching to the Muslim World, I also believe that George W Bush will be celebrated as one of our best American Presidents.

George W Bush? Great American President? Allow one to explain – 

There are 57 Muslim countries in the world. On September 10th of 2001, America claimed a very small handful of those countries as allies. Many countries, like Syria, Iran, and Iraq, suffered from the devastating sanctions imposed upon them by the Clinton Administration, which deprived millions from receiving humanitarian aid, medical supplies, food, and of course, any kind of economic trade and investment. I particularly recall President Clinton sending American Ambassadors to the United Nations, with the specific purpose of convincing the rest of the world to alienate various Muslim countries with multilateral sanctions, which, unfortunately, were adopted globally.

Such sanctions crippled economies in the Muslim World, empowered dictators, and most terribly, eroded middle-class populations to the point that dictators like Saddam Hussein would never face an internal opposition or force – like Fidel Castro, their dictatorship would become an eternal fiefdom.

Sadly, the Senior Bush Administration was also pivotal in reducing our Muslim World allies. Taking over as President in January of 1989, on the heels of the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was Bush Senior’s duty to play custodian over nations like Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as the newly formed Muslim countries that had broken off the Soviet Union, like Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan to name a few, all of which played majo... [Read More]

The Orlando Magic will win the NBA Finals, primarily because Hedo Turkoglu, one of their best players, is a Muslim. Sounds surprising? A look at past history clearly demonstrates that Allah makes a point of helping teams with Muslim players in the NBA Finals.

Since 1980, of the twenty-nine teams that have won the NBA Finals, at least twenty of them have had a Muslim player, around seventy percent of total champions. In addition, the Muslim player on the roster was often the team’s MVP.

The trend started with the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers, who boasted the All Star skills of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, one of the NBA’s best centers. Abdul-Jabbar and the Lakers won five NBA Championships in the 1980’s, with Abdul-Jabbar taking home team MVP honors in 1985.

As matter of fact, one could argue that Los Angeles cannot win an NBA championship without a Muslim player, as the Lakers had to wait until 2000 to win their next championship, with Shaquille O’Neal leading them to three straight championships, winning MVP honors each time – of course, Shaquille O’Neal, as noted by the Los Angeles Times, identifies as a Muslim.

Fortunes would turn sour for Los Angeles, as they have yet to win a championship since trading O’Neal. As history notes, O’Neal went on to star for the Miami Heat, where he won the championship again in 2006, intoning the continuing trend of Muslim-led teams winning the Finals.

However, Muslims have had a large presence outside of the Lakers. The Houston Rockets claimed two championships in the 1990’s, led by Hakeem Olajuwon, All Star center and NBA Finals MVP during both championship runs.

The most recent champions, the Boston Celtics, greatly won on the energetic efforts of point guard Rajon Rondo, [Read More]

I, Muhammad Ali Hasan, am a very proud Republican and champion of the Bush Administration. My reasons for praising President Bush so much are based upon his great work within the War on Terror. It was the Clinton Administration that sanctioned almost the entire Muslim World, alienating us from countries like Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Sudan, and Libya in an attempt to extend ‘toughness’ over the Muslim World; and it was our good President Bush who lifted almost all Clinton Administration sanctions, in addition to giving aid.

Today, we boast many allies in the Muslim World, including Indonesia, Pakistan, India, and Libya, countries that were sanctioned under the Clinton Administration and now communicate with us on a daily basis in providing intelligence and help within the War on Terror. The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) has even identified Indonesia and Jordan as countries where civil liberties and human rights are on the great rise, with the MCC designating Mali as a country that will receive its economic support. The MCC is very meticulous in its selection of partnership and for their organization (MCC) to select Mali, in addition to considering Jordan and Indonesia, is a great sign of progress in the Muslim World. In addition, polling by Terror Free Tomorrow is increasingly showing that the Muslim World is rejecting terrorism and Osama Bin Laden, while accepting America. The Muslim World is on a better track today because of President Bush.

 

However, President Bush’s good policy of outreach could be extended even further.

 

As the Co-Founder of Muslims For America, I deeply supported Speaker Pelosi’s trip to Syria. If good memory serves, America had a stable relationship with Syria before the arrival of the Clinton Administration, as it was the Clinton Administration that accused Syria of ill-will towards Israel in issuing very harsh sanctions. Since those sanctions, Syria ... [Read More]