As a member of the community of faith in the Memphis area, what are you thankful for and why – in 50 words or less? As a Muslim community leader, I am grateful that Memphis has a positive record of interfaith dialogue, and that an atmosphere of religious freedom and tolerance prevails in our city. Sadly, [...]

Which translation of the Bible do you use and why? Why King James? Why not King James? How do you decide which translation/version of the Bible or other holy scriptures to use? Special note to our non-Christian panelists: Tell us about the role that translation and/or transliteration of holy scriptures plays in your faith. For Muslims, [...]

In 140 characters or less (Twitter’s limit per Tweet), can you sum up your personal faith? In other words, Tweet your faith to Memphis. Or Tweet your faith message to Memphis. In our souls is a yearning that is only satisfied by worshipping God; in our hearts an emptiness that is only filled by remembering [...]

This weekend will mark the tenth anniversary of the horrific attacks of 9/11. It’s hard to believe that those tragic events, so fresh in our collective memories, occurred ten years ago. So much has happened, good and bad, since that eventful day a decade ago. Here’s a list of five facts that most Americans have [...]

Editor’s note: Yasir Qadhi presented this speech at the 5 th annual Memphis Interfaith Dinner, hosted by the Muslim Society of Memphis. At a recent iftar dinner at the White House, President Obama said, and I quote,

“Ramadan is a reminder that Islam has always been a part of America. The first Muslim ambassador to the United States, from [...]

Osama bin Laden is dead. Some have responded by cheering his death, jumping for jingoistic joy as they thump their chests screaming, ‘USA! USA!’. On the other side of the spectrum, radical websites have mourned his death as the loss of a ‘martyr’. I’m afraid I cannot sympathize with either of these two extremes. The [...]

Should the Bible be taught in our public schools? Should our schools also teach students about the Quran, the Book of Mormon, the Vedas and other sacred texts? When it comes to teaching public school students about religion, what is appropriate and what is not? In our eagerness to separate Church and State, at times, some [...]

Two Tennessee legislators have proposed what amounts to a ban on the Islamic system of ethical, spiritual and legal teachings known as shariah. The authors of the bill incorrectly define shariah as a system of legal, political, military and religious laws that calls its followers to overthrow the United States’ government through brutal force, acts [...]

What tests my faith in Memphis? What gives me faith in Memphis? I’m still relatively new to the Memphis scene, having arrived here last summer. Although I was born and raised in Houston, Texas, I had been living for quite a while in New England during my graduate studies. Neither of those two experiences, however, [...]