Rahat Husain

HUSAIN: The fake caliph of ‘The Islamic State’

Last week, Baghdadi delivered a sermon where he proclaimed himself to be a humble servant of the people. The speech was broadcast online, and was immediately met with backlash on Twitter, where several users noticed that the "humble caliph" was wearing an $8,000 Rolex watch.

July 9, 2014

HUSAIN: Grand Ayatollah Sistani releases rare statement on Iraq crisis

On Friday, Grand Ayatollah Sistani's representative issued a scathing four part statement, criticizing the Iraqi government's failure to appoint a prime minister and form a new government.

July 7, 2014

HUSAIN: Facebook refuses to take down ISIS terror group fan page

Facebook's Community Standards are allowing a fan page that disparages Shiites and supports Iraqi terrorists to remain on the social network's website.

June 16, 2014

HUSAIN: United States, Iran and Iraq may team up to strike critical blow to ISIS

Political opponents within the United States, and around the world, seem to be reaching a consensus about the need to work to take down the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Leaders from both the Republican and Democratic parties have publicly opened up to the idea of coordinating a response with Iran to the terrorist organization.

June 16, 2014

HUSAIN: Saudi courts give death sentences to Shiite clerics’ relatives

In the past two weeks, courts in Saudi Arabia have sentenced to death the relatives of prominent Shiite scholars known for speaking out against the Salafi-dominated government.

June 3, 2014

HUSAIN: Muslim scholars issue fatwa condemning honor killings

In response to an epidemic of honor killings, Muslim scholars from around the world have issued a series of fatwas denouncing the practice as antithetical to Islam, and directly forbidden.

June 2, 2014

HUSAIN: Glenn Beck defamation suit latest to involve a member of the Muslim community

Former Fox News media personality Glenn Beck has been sued for defamation by a Saudi victim of the Boston Marathon bombings. Muslims have often falsely been accused of terrorism, and after clearing their names, have sued the individuals responsible for unwarranted accusations.

April 24, 2014

HUSAIN: American Airlines Twitter incident sheds light on anti-Muslim attitudes

Many Muslims view the "Muslim airplane tweet” episode as one of the most well-publicized, but least discussed, instances of Islamophobia in recent history.

April 15, 2014

HUSAIN: Muslims challenge the common myth of perpetual Sunni-Shia violence

This year, leaders from the Shia and Sunni Muslim communities have stepped up international efforts to pursue peaceful relationships between their two communities. Contrary to popular belief, Shia and Sunni Muslims mostly co-exist peacefully in most places around the world today.

April 14, 2014

HUSAIN: Attack on Shiite shrines in Syria may result in dramatic rise in tensions

As important figures in Islamic history, the attack in Ragga, Syria on the shrine of Ammar bin Yasser and Owais al-Qarni will likely be viewed as an affront to the Shiite Muslims who typically perform pilgrimages at the memorial.

March 27, 2014

HUSAIN: Christians, Muslims and Hollywood differ on new Noah film

Noah, starring Russell Crowe, is set to hit theaters in just a few weeks, and a plethora of articles comparing the movie to Biblical accounts have begun to spring up. The Hollywood Reporter quoted Director Darren Aronofsky at the world premiere screening of the movie as saying “It's a very, very different movie."

March 11, 2014