Last week, I was honored to present at The Homeland Security and Emergency Management Conference in New Mexico. Set in historic Albuquerque, the conference venue and the audience could not have been more perfect--hundreds of law enforcement officers, emergency managers, and government officials, all working together to keep our country safe. As a keynote speaker, I was invited to talk about … [Read more...]
The Pakistan I Thought I Knew: Part Four
07/11/2016 By
There is an image that lingers on silent nights. The shifting patterns of house lights in play in Azad Kashmir, or Free Kashmir, situated in northern Pakistan in the city of Muzaffarabad. The suffocating closeness of that city to refugee camps and rain-glazed trees where leaves sagged toward another winter leave an indelible mark.The city is the strangest place I have ever visited. To many, it is … [Read more...]
The Pakistan I Thought I Knew: Part Two
06/27/2016 By
The Pakistan I thought I knew is almost gone. As a child, I didn't see political chaos and military coups but cousins racing to the rooftop to fly and cut down kites in the clear blue sky of Lahore, my birth city. Of memories jumping in the rain because we could; boys and girls playing together on rooftops. An innocence lost as we grow older--and as I continue to visit--a country that … [Read more...]
How To Stop Girls From Joining the Islamic State (ISIS)
05/23/2016 By
It’s not that simple. A lesson on the true principles of Islam can help counter some vulnerable girls /women, but it’s not enough. Girls need more than a lecture on Islam. They need love, support, family, and confidence-building measures. As one Muslim mother told me, "We need to empower our daughters.”I have been doing this for a very long time. I began my career in The Counter-Terrorism Center … [Read more...]
Reclaiming the Right to Islam
05/09/2016 By
Who represents Muslims in America? In 2010, I published an op-ed in The Washington Post to look at the question of faith. The truth is that no one represents American Muslims.We are too diverse, different, and determined to practice faith from our own unique personal and cultural lens.The fact is that Muslims in America are too decentralized. And that is a blessing, not a curse. After all, as I … [Read more...]
A Youth Director Tells Me It’s Easy To Join ISIS
01/27/2016 By
Ignorance is not a gift. On a trip to Colorado, in the pristine city of Denver, I discovered a community of Somali youth who did not know (or understand) Islam. One afternoon, I sat down with Mahad, the youth director, to learn about his community, their concerns, and his practice of Islam. It is easy to join ISIS here. I nearly dropped my jaw. But I didn't react. I didn't want to show the … [Read more...]
What We Can Learn From The Sister of ISIS Bomber “Jihadi John”?
01/26/2016 By
In an interview, the sister of the new "Jihadi John" ISIS member said her brother was once compassionate, loving and a family guy. If that's true, how did an ordinary-looking boy named Sid become a fugitive and feared terrorist? Days ago, Konika Dhar told CNN that she didn't want to believe her brother could join ISIS. Because he belonged to a normal Muslim family. He was colorful … [Read more...]
