In the Name of God: The Exceedingly and Eternally Loving and Caring I had submitted the comment on the NY Times web page calling for comments on the coverage of the Austin terrorist. They wanted to know what I felt about the coverage, and this is what I submitted: The coverage is ABSOLUTELY different for…

There is nothing “usual” about the attack on a mosque in Egypt.

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 It does not diminish its terror; it does not diminish its horror; it does not diminish its savagery. Still, it is important to know why someone commits a crime. With respect to the horrific shooting in Munich, Germany, it appears that it had…

In the Name of God: The Eternally and Everlastingly Loving and Caring While it really doesn’t make it any better, knowing something about why the monster Omar Mateen did what he did is still important. And as investigators continue their search for answers, one thing seems to be becoming increasingly clear:  …intelligence officials and investigators…

In the Name of God: The Extremely and Eternally Loving and Caring I wanted to – and planned on – writing about the fast of Ramadan, and how it brings freedom to the soul. I wanted to write about the discipline the fast inspires, and the spiritual renewal that Ramadan brings each year we are…

In the Name of God: The Extremely and Eternally Loving and Caring I leave aside the fact that no other community is expected to condemn the actions of its criminal fringe. I leave aside the fact that the perverse logic of assigning blame to the whole for the actions of a few tends to be…

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 Lord A very common, oft-repeated mantra among pundits and “experts” is that Muslims haven’t roundly condemned the extremism committed in Islam’s name. So many times, we hear people saying, “Where are the Muslim voices in condemnation?” “Why aren’t Muslims speaking up against extremists like ISIS?”…

In the Name of God, the Compassionate and Infinitely Merciful The attack at the Boston Marathon is truly personal for me. I was blessed to finish the 2010 Chicago Marathon, in honor of my daughter who died from cancer the year before. I remember the sheer elation, despite being in tremendous pain, of being able…

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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