If only our President knew how much Africa contributed to the history of the world, perhaps he wouldn’t have said what he did.

If Muslims were true to their Scriptures, as they say they are, then President Trump wouldn't have had to do anything about Syria.

In the Name of God: The Extremely and Eternally Loving and Caring It’s about time.  In the wake of the unprecedented election of Donald Trump and his worrying appointments of anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim ideologues, the American Jewish Committee and the Islamic Society of North America have come together.  On November 14, both organizations announced the…

In the Name of God: The Extremely and Eternally Loving and Caring MAKE no mistake about it: the election of Donald Trump has made me fearful. The message sent to me – a born-and-raised American son of Muslim immigrants – by Trump’s victory was that I am not welcome here in my country. This feeling…

In the Name of God: The Eternally and Extremely Loving and Caring I WAS BLESSED to finally see Hamilton this last weekend in Chicago. It was a birthday gift for my eldest daughter who is gaga over everything Hamilton. I must admit, I wasn’t too much into it at first, but as the show went…

In the Name of God: The Extremely and Eternally Loving and Caring THE RIGHT (and privilege, frankly) to vote has not always universal like it is today. When our country was first founded, slaves were not even considered full human beings. Women were only given the right to vote in this country in 1920, less…

In the Name of God: The Extremely and Eternally Loving and Caring I tweeted out my happiness at an interesting happenstance that occurred this year: Kinda cool that the #IslamicNewYear and #RoshHashana are at the same time. May God bring our two communities together in peace. https://twitter.com/godfaithpen/status/782603965129109504 By the grace of our Lord, it was…

In the Name of God: The Extremely and Eternally Loving and Caring I saw a similar article come through on my smartphone, and my disbelief prompted me to look up the story: Iran and Saudi Arabia have failed to resolve a row over the Hajj pilgrimage and Iranian citizens will not travel to Mecca this…

In the Name of the Infinitely Good and Merciful Lord Our God I am an American, whose ancestry hails from Egypt. I have quite a bit of family that still lives there. Both my and my wife’s parents frequently go back and visit, and my mother – in fact – is vacationing in Egypt right…

In the Name of God, the Compassionate and Infinitely Merciful  I am tired of the election season. As I write this, a political campaign ad is playing on the TV. It is the same one I have seen time, after time, after time, after time, after time. I think half of our recycling bin is…

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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