Aysha Khan

As Muslim Advocates founder resigns, former staffers allege hostile workplace A group of former Muslim Advocates workers has come forward with allegations of workplace harassment and abuse by the civil rights organization's former management.

July 28, 2021 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) On the day in June when Muslim Advocates announced it had been selected for a high-profile donation from MacKenzie Scott, the philanthropist and former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the nonprofit touted “the tremendous work and accomplishments of our […]

Five states elect first-ever Muslim lawmakers, from Oklahoma to Delaware On Tuesday, voters in Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Oklahoma and Wisconsin all elected their state legislatures’ first-ever Muslim lawmakers.

November 5, 2020 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) Mauree Turner, a 27-year-old member of Oklahoma City’s Muslim community, became Muslim after learning about the faith from her father, who converted while incarcerated. Black and nonbinary, Turner is also a community organizer who’s long been involved in criminal justice […]

As Massachusetts bans female genital cutting, survivors and activists celebrate

August 7, 2020 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) When Mariya Taher moved to Massachusetts five years ago, she was shocked to find out the state had no legislation in place against female genital mutilation and cutting. Taher launched a petition, which earned more than 400,000 signatures, urging the […]

Illinois imam resigns over sexist, racist social media posts

July 28, 2020 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) An imam at a suburban Chicago-area mosque has resigned after circulation of social media posts in which he used derogatory language toward Muslim women and a racial slur. The Muslim Association of Bolingbrook announced Imam Ibraheem Lunat’s resignation on Friday […]

Muslim groups decry ‘excessive’ prosecution of lawyers charged with torching police car

June 29, 2020 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) Dozens of Muslim rights groups have joined a chorus of support for two Brooklyn human rights attorneys facing possible life sentences over charges of torching an empty police vehicle. Lawyers Urooj Rahman and Colinford Mattis stand accused of throwing a […]

Mosques across America dedicate Friday sermons to confronting racism, police brutality

June 5, 2020 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) George Floyd’s killing was a final straw for thousands of Americans protesting against police brutality and systemic police racism. Muslim leaders say it may also, at long last, prove to be a tipping point for non-black Muslim communities. “This has […]

As Ramadan nears, prisons urged to accommodate faith needs during pandemic

April 16, 2020 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) A coalition of 20 faith groups is pressing prison officials across the country to accommodate all prisoners’ religious needs during the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, particularly with Ramadan around the corner. “Prisons remain under an obligation to accommodate religious […]

Top Muslim leaders launch grant initiative to protect imams from layoffs

April 15, 2020 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) With mosques’ biggest fundraisers of the year in jeopardy, a new crowdfunding initiative led by four prominent Muslim American leaders aims to protect the livelihoods of imams and other mosque staff around the country. The initiative has raised about $155,000 […]

‘We’re going beyond identity’: Shiite students head to Harvard for first national conference

February 28, 2020 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) Laila Tauqeer has only been president of the Harvard Islamic Society for three months, but she has been busy. This weekend, she’s hosting the country’s first national conference for Shiite Muslim college students around the country. On Friday (Feb. 28), […]

Muslim advocates demand Bloomberg apologize for NYPD spying program

February 21, 2020 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) Calls are growing for Mayor Mike Bloomberg to apologize for his role in the New York Police Department’s long-running warrantless surveillance of area Muslims, which has seen renewed scrutiny since Bloomberg announced his candidacy for Democratic presidential nominee. A coalition […]

Religious groups applaud new Air Force rules allowing turbans, hijabs, beards

February 13, 2020 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) Muslim and Sikh advocacy groups have welcomed new guidelines issued by the U.S. Air Force last week allowing personnel to request a waiver to wear religious apparel, including turbans and hijabs, and to have unshorn hair or beards for religious […]

Precarious US-Iran relations have Muslim voters eyeing candidates’ records on war

January 17, 2020 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) After the U.S. killed Iran’s top military general this month in an airstrike directed by President Donald Trump, thousands of Americans protested at rallies nationwide, from Times Square to outside the Texas State Capitol. The airstrike served as an unwelcome reminder […]

‘A long time coming’: These Muslims are bringing sex abuse by sheikhs out of the shadows

January 15, 2020 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) For Sidrah Ahmad-Chan, the moment felt surreal. Listening to a Muslim psychologist speaking about patterns of abuse while on stage at the American Islamic College on Saturday (Jan. 11), she pulled up Twitter. “First panel discussion and I am already […]

Federal Bureau of Prisons loosens limits on Muslim inmates’ prayer

December 18, 2019 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) The Federal Bureau of Prisons has issued new national guidelines recommending accommodation of group prayer for Muslim prisoners after an inmate’s lawsuit challenging restrictions at a Kentucky prison. The agency has recommended that all federal prisons should accommodate inmates’ requests […]

Report accuses Arizona imam of misconduct and abuse

November 14, 2019 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) A new report by an advocacy group accuses a Phoenix imam of sexual battery, child abuse, misappropriation of charitable funds and falsely presenting himself as a single man to pursue relationships with female congregants while having two concurrent concealed marriages. […]

Ta’leef Collective cuts ties with founder over alleged misconduct

November 7, 2019 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) Weeks ago, Muslims papered social media with heartfelt tributes and prayers for Usama Canon, a pioneering California-born Islamic scholar, after his family posted a message that he was in “grave condition.” Canon, the celebrated founding director of the Ta’leef Collective […]

Report blames major US corporations for global spread of anti-Muslim violence

November 6, 2019 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) A new report by watchdog groups claims that major technology platforms, Wall Street businesses and right-wing media corporations are complicit in enabling white supremacist and anti-Muslim bigotry across the world. The paper, “Fanning the Flames,” was published Thursday (Oct. 31) […]

A decade after FBI killing of Detroit imam, Muslims still look for answers

October 29, 2019 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) A decade after federal agents shot and killed a leading Detroit-area imam, Muslims in Michigan and around the country say they still have more questions than answers about the influential community leader’s death. Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah led Masjid Al-Haqq […]

Muslim employee claims discrimination by New York DMV over Friday prayers

October 21, 2019 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) A Muslim employee has filed a discrimination complaint against the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles for allegedly denying his repeated requests to attend weekly religious services. “Because I am observing my faith at work, my job is at […]

Meet the imam building a ‘Muslim Village’ in the heart of Vegas

October 11, 2019 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) Imam Fateen Seifullah wants to transform Sin City into the City of Light. The imam, who leads Masjid As-Sabur, the oldest mosque in the Las Vegas area, is quick to clarify: “Not casino lights — I’m talking about noor,” he […]

Tech companies join Muslim groups in support of historic bill to end travel ban

September 23, 2019 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) Ahead of a congressional hearing this week on the Trump administration’s travel ban, more than a dozen leading technology companies, including Twitter and Airbnb, have thrown their support behind a congressional bill to end the controversial measure. “As a platform […]

In San Diego, Muslims question rollout of city’s ‘smart’ streetlights

September 20, 2019 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) When San Diego’s city council voted to install 14,000 LED streetlights in 2016, the move was touted as a major step toward reducing the city’s carbon footprint and transforming the city into a hub for innovation. But since the vote, […]

Report: News coverage of Muslims is more negative than of other minority groups

September 4, 2019 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) A new study of how the media covers minorities in the United States finds that depictions of Muslims in the news remain by far the most frequent and the most negative. “Muslims are just way down there in comparison to […]

At first Muslim presidential forum, Sanders reaps adoration of ISNA attendees

September 1, 2019 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) The Islamic Society of North America attracted some major names to its annual convention in Houston this year, including comedian Trevor Noah, activist Linda Sarsour, Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad and (by video) Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. But the figure […]

Muslim initiative raises $13,000 to release detained migrant parents

August 8, 2019 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) Led by two of the country’s most prominent imams, hundreds of U.S. Muslims have raised more than $13,000 to bail out detained migrant parents. Launched on Monday (Aug. 5) by the Islamic nonprofit CelebrateMercy, the Muslims for Migrants campaign has […]

Muslim activists continue to push against Quebec secularism law

July 26, 2019 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) Quebec’s Superior Court recently rejected civil rights advocates’ legal request to suspend the Canadian province’s controversial new ban on religious symbols for state workers. But activists in Canada and around the world say the fight is not yet over. “We […]

On Prime Day, Muslim workers and activists are organizing against Amazon

July 16, 2019 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) With Amazon’s flagship sale, known as Prime Day, underway, Muslim workers and faith-based activists are leading major strikes and boycotts to protest working conditions during the online retail giant’s biggest event of the year. Joining employee protests in four countries […]

Muslim scholar catches flak for serving on new State Department rights panel

July 10, 2019 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) One of the world’s most prominent Islamic scholars is drawing criticism from some Muslims for participating in the State Department’s newly announced Commission on Unalienable Rights. Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, an influential Sunni leader who co-founded Zaytuna College, America’s first accredited […]

How a controversial Muslim figure helped ignite the controversy over Rep. Ilhan Omar’s 9/11 comments

April 17, 2019 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) Since President Trump tweeted a provocative video juxtaposing clips of Rep. Ilhan Omar and the falling Twin Towers, Omar has faced a surge of criticism along with direct threats of violence, both online and offline. But how did a video […]

US-bound Ahmadi leader models a different kind of Islamic caliphate

October 3, 2018 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) As some 38,000 Ahmadi Muslims from more than 110 countries gathered in the countryside outside London this past August for the fast-growing denomination’s annual convention, thousands of Ahmadis camped out in tents less than a mile from a small house. For the […]

For American Muslims, family border separations are personal

July 18, 2018 Aysha Khan

(Religion News) When Imam Arjan Abu Sa’ad turned on the news to see reports of toddlers being pulled from their families and detained in cages after crossing the U.S. border, he was shocked. “I never thought I would see that in America,” he […]