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Americas

US Mosque hosts celebration in honor of Pakistani killer

A U.S. Mosque on Sunday celebrated the death anniversary of a Pakistani man who shot and killed a sitting Governor for criticizing the country’s Blasphemy Laws. Mumtaz Qadri, who was the Governor’s bodyguard, assassinated liberal Pakistani politician and Governor of Punjab province Salman Taseer in 2011 for speaking out against Pakistan’s controversial Blasphemy laws and expressing solidarity with a Christian woman who had been accused of blasphemy. After Qadri was charged with murder by an anti-terrorism court and hanged in …

Trump expected to sign executive orders on refugees & immigration

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to sign several executive orders restricting immigration on Wednesday. According to several congressional aides and immigration experts, President Trump is expected to sign the new immigration orders at the headquarters of the Department of Homeland Security in Washington D.C. According to experts, Trump’s executive orders are expected to affect refugees and visa holders from countries like Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. The order is also expected to include a multi-month ban …

U.S. Muslim cleric Hamza Yusuf calls Trump ‘a servant of God’ during racist rant against Black Lives Matter

A widely respected American Islamic scholar has been caught in a racism row over comments he made against the Black Lives Matter movement. Islamic Scholar Hamza Yusuf made the racist comments while speaking at ‘Reviving the Islamic Spirit’ event in Canada. Yusuf dismissed the Black Lives Matter movement saying “a lot of the problems in the united states with the black community being shot by the police we have about 15,000 to 18,000 homicides a year, 50% are black on …

Pakistani Americans condemn Berlin Christmas Attack

Pakistani Americans have condemned the attack on a Christmas market in the German city of Berlin. Washington D.C. based Pakistani advocacy group AdvoPak called the attack a “senseless act of violence”. At least 12 people were killed and dozens injured after a truck rammed into the crowded Christmas market in central Berlin on Monday night. Authorities are investigating the incident as a possible terrorist attack. “We as Pakistani Americans condemn this violent attack on the Christmas market in Berlin and …

Canadian Jews urge Canada to ‘address’ persecution of Pakistani Ahmadis

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs has condemned the recent attacks on Ahmadis in Pakistan and urged Canada’s Ministry of Foreign affairs to raise the issue of Ahmadiyya persecution with Pakistan. In a statement President of CIJA, Shimon Koffler Fogel said: We are deeply troubled by the recent mob attack on the Ahmadi mosque in Chakwal and raid on their offices in Rabwah. Freedom of religion and the right of minorities to live in security are core values for …

Executive for American Islamic council urges Pakistan to repeal laws against Ahmadi Muslims

An Executive Director for America’s ‘leading Muslim advocacy group’ has called on Pakistan to abolish discriminatory laws against the Ahmadiyya Muslims. In a rare show of intra-faith solidarity, Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of the Chicago chapter of CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations), condemned the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan and called on the State to repeal its laws against the sect. Ahmadis have long been persecuted across much of the ‘Muslim world’ at the hands of Sunni clergy due …

Pakistani-Indian-American girl makes a mark in U.S. Local Elections

Even though the U.S. presidential race has been dominated by anti-Muslim & anti-immigrant, rhetoric, many Muslims and immigrants have emerged victorious in local level elections across America. Raaheela Ahmed, a 23-year-old Pakistani Indian American from Maryland has won the District 5 school board race in Prince George’s county by defeating longtime school system administrator Cheryl Landis, 57 percent to 42 percent. Ahmed, whose father is from India and mother from Pakistan unsuccessfully ran for the same post four years ago …

Former Pakistani President congratulates US President-Elect Donald Trump

Former President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf has issued a statement congratulating Donald Trump on being elected the 45th President of the United States. Musharraf, who also served as the Chief of Pakistan’s Armed Forces issued the statement through his Facebook page. Pervez Musharraf said, “I congratulate President-Elect Donald Trump on his historic election as the President of the United States. I wish him much success in leading the way to renew the ties of United States with her time-tested allies …

Ahmadis who could not vote in Pakistan, vote for the first time in the U.S.

For some Americans heading to the polls is an annual ritual for others a new experience. Hundreds of newly naturalized Americans who have sought refuge in the U.S voted for the first time on Tuesday. Followers of the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam have been unable to participate in the electoral process of Pakistan for over three decades. The intensely persecuted community has been declared “non-Muslim” by the Pakistani constitution, Millions of Ahmadis have been unable to register as Muslim voters, …