The Qur'an teaches us to struggle on this earth in a life of righteousness, not to end it through a savage suicide attack.

In the Name of God, the Extremely and Eternally Loving and Caring We may never know why this man, Khalid Masood, decided to run over innocent people on Westminster Bridge and then stab a police officer to death. Of course, many – as always – are blaming his Islamic faith, but this is far too…

In the Name of God: The Extremely and Eternally Loving and Caring I QUICKLY PASS OVER the pictures in my Twitter feed. I try not to read the news reports. I even confess at getting a bit annoyed at the constant tweets and posts about what is happening in Syria, about the devastating human tragedy…

In the Name of God: The Extremely and Everlastingly Loving and Caring While the investigation into the motives of the suspected bomber in NYC continues, there is one aspect that gave me pause: Multiple federal law enforcement and intelligence sources said that Rahami’s friends and family were telling investigators that they noticed a transformation when…

In the Name of God: The Extremely and Eternally Loving and Caring I was so very pleased to see “A Girl In The River” win the Oscar for Best Documentary Film (Short Subject). The film tells the story of Saba, an 18-year-old girl who was brutally attacked by her father and uncle because she married…

In the Name of God: The Extremely and Eternally Loving and Caring I could not believe my eyes when I read the headline: “ISIS Militant ‘Kills His Own Mother’ In Public Raqqa Execution.” A member of the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) killed his own mother in a public execution in the city of Raqqa…

In The Name Of God: The Infinitely Merciful And Compassionate Beloved Lord When I heard the news of the horrific attack on the offices of satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo, my heart sank in terrible grief. Two masked gunmen, in a military-style attack, burst into the editorial offices and murdered 12 people in cold blood.…

In the Name of God: The Infinitely Merciful and Compassionate Beloved Lord The barbarians of KIL (aka ISIS) have done it again: the U.S. has confirmed the beheading of Abdul-Rahman Peter Kassig, an American who went to Syria to help the victims of the civil war and was then captured by KIL. Here is some…

In the Name of God: The Infinitely Compassionate and Merciful Lord That I condemn ISIS with every cell of my body goes without saying. Their barbarism knows no bounds, and I pray that the Lord brings to an end their reign of terror and inhumanity. The murder of American photojournalist James Foley, who was exposing…

Hesham A. Hassaballa
about

Hesham A. Hassaballa

Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Chicago doctor and writer. He has written extensively on a freelance basis, being published in newspapers across the country and around the world. He has been a Beliefnet columnist since 2001, and has written for the Religion News Service. He is also a columnist for Patheos. His articles have been distributed worldwide by Agence Global, and he was also a guest blogger for The Chicago Tribune and has blogged on ChicagoNow" . In addition, Dr. Hassaballa has appeared as a guest on WTTW (Channel 11) in Chicago, CNN, Fox News, BBC, and National Public Radio.

Dr. Hassaballa is co-author of The Beliefnet Guide to Islam (Doubleday), and his essay, “Why I Love the Ten Commandments,” was published in the award-winning book Taking Back Islam (Rodale). His latest book, Noble Brother, is the story of the Prophet Muhammad told entirely in poetry, and it is now published in its second edition.

In 2007, his blog "God, Faith, and a Pen" was nominated for a Brass Crescent Award for a blog that is “the most stimulating, insightful, and philosophical, providing the best rebuttals to extremist ideology and making an impact whenever they post.” "God, Faith, and a Pen" has also received an award for being one of the "Top Muslim Blogs for 2010" by Awarding The Web.

In addition to writing, Dr. Hassaballa helped found the Chicago Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations and currently serves on their board of directors. He also co-founded the Bayan H. Hassaballa Charitable Foundation and now serves as its Treasurer.

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