God, Faith, and a Pen
Hesham A. Hassaballa
- Location
- Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
- Birthday
- July 08
- Bio
- 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. His articles have been distributed world wide by Agence Global as well.
He has been a Beliefnet columnist since 2001, and has written for the Religion News Service. He is also a guest blogger for The Chicago Tribune.
Dr. Hassaballa is author of the essay "Why I Love the Ten Commandments," published in the award-winning book Taking Back Islam (Rodale). He is also co-author of The Beliefnet Guide to Islam (Doubleday). His latest book of poetry about the Prophet Muhammad, Noble Brother, has been published by Faithful Word Press.
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."
MY RECENT POSTS
- Forgiveness, Not Death, For
Saudi Blogger
February 15, 2012 05:51PM - May His Comfort Reign
February 13, 2012 01:51PM - Study: American Muslims Pose
Little Threat
February 08, 2012 09:58PM - A Political Fantasy
February 02, 2012 04:29PM - Rick Santorum and the God of
Abraham
January 27, 2012 06:36PM
MY RECENT COMMENTS
- “All of the ugly things
that Muslims do in the name of
my
faith are an affront
to…”
February 11, 2012 09:51PM - “@Stephen: Peace be with
you, sir.”
September 16, 2011 03:59PM - “@Laura:
I agree
with you wholeheartedly. The
Republican Party's
"social
valu…”
June 23, 2011 02:46PM - “Here is the source of my
stats on Muslim terrorism in
the
US:
http://colleg
e.unc.e…”
March 11, 2011 11:30PM - “All great comments and
points. My problem with this
series of
hearings is that
Ki…”
March 11, 2011 11:27PM
Hesham A. Hassaballa's Links
Forgiveness, Not Death, For Saudi Blogger
This was published on altmuslim.
The ultimate fate of Saudi blogger, poet and writer Hamza Kashgari is still unknown. The 23-year-old, who formerly worked for the Saudi Arabia newspaper Al Bilad, recently tweeted some critical comments about the Prophet Muhammad (saw),/… Read full post »
May His Comfort Reign
I was standing in my mother’s kitchen when I first heard the news: Whitney Houston, a singer to whom I grew up listening, had died at the age of 48. Since then, and in full from at the Grammy Awards, people and celebrities all across the country have sent in their/
… Read full post »Let me start with this: I have never understood and completely abhor those fellow Americans who plot to hurt innocent people in this country. It is a betrayal beyond all measure, and they deserve to be punished severely, if convicted of the allegations made against them. And, definitely, homegrown t
… Read full post »A Political Fantasy
I know that, as the weeks and months pass during this year’s presidential campaign, that the issue of President Obama being a “secret Muslim” will come up again and again. It did so not that long ago at a Rick Santorum event (I swear I am not picking on Rick Santorum) dur/
… Read full post »Rick Santorum and the God of Abraham
It seems that former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum’s presidential run is running out of steam. According to the Huffington Post, Santorum is “taking a pause from Florida campaigning just days before the Tuesday primary that even he expects to deal him a third consecutive loss.&r/… Read full post »
This was published in the Washington Post's "On Faith" blog.
I was walking through my hospital one recent morning, and I looked out the window and beheld the American flag billowing in the breeze. It was truly beautiful, stirring my heart with love of country. When I see that flag, waving so… Read full post »
Election 2012: A Rough Ride for American Muslims
This was published in my Patheos column.
The 2012 election year has finally come, and as already seen in Iowa, the presidential campaign is in full swing. On the Democratic side, there is no contest (but lots of concerns). But the Republican primary process has already given us a chilling… Read full post »
"Never Let Your Hatred Move You to Commit Injustice..."
I am no fan of the Taliban. I hate their barbaric distortion of Islam and their barbaric practices and tactics. They are as much my enemy as they are the enemy of the Afghan people. Also, I – like most Americans – grow weary of the war in Afghanistan, and I… Read full post »
Why I Am a Doctor
This was published in Inside Islam: Dialogues and Debates.
“So, you are going to become a doctor, right?” This question, I am quite certain, has been asked of scores of Muslim children by their parents all across this world. Does Islam, somehow, motivate Muslims to become phys… Read full post »
I Am Dead Without You
The song "Without You," by David Guetta and featuring Usher is truly moving and inspirational. It is probably about a lover talking about his beloved, but what makes great art (and song) is its transcendent nature. If a song can be extrapolated to many instances, it is truly great. Such is… Read full post »
A New Year's Prayer
As the year of 2011 comes to a close, there are so many things over which we can reflect. As I look to the next year, I turn my eyes skyward and beseech the Lord our God for many things, some which I will share here:
Precious Beloved Lord,
… Read full post »Away She'd Fly...
When I first heard Coldplay's song, Paradise, I thought it was interesting, with a nice melody and theme. But, as I always do with the songs I place in my iPod and iPhone, I listened and reflected upon the lyrics of the song. And I found them to be quite profound:
When
… Read full post »
If They Only Knew...
Clearly, those Christian “patriots” who want to silence TLC’s “All-American Muslim” series have no idea what is in our scripture and our faith about Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin. Clearly, these people have no idea about Islam in general. Otherwise, they would not… Read full post »
A Special Day I Don't Celebrate
Today was always a special day for me, ever since my university days. For three years of my life, I would have this day off, in fact. I would do nothing special on this day, but it was still nice not to have to attend any classes. Before I attended
… Read full post »"Er...Happy Holidays"
During these days, many of my patients, as they are leaving, tell me: “Er…Happy Holidays!” I know they mean well: they don’t want to offend me by saying “Merry Christmas.” But, I’m here to tell you: I would not be offended if you say to me: &ldquo
… Read full post »"Change the Voices in Your Head"
… Read full post »You&rsq
Giving Thanks Through Action
Life throws so many curves and gives us anxiety after anxiety. Although challenges are part of the human condition, it is—nevertheless—quite exasperating. Sadly, I hear so many stories of those who are down on their luck, who have lost jobs, who have no economic security, who live in war… Read full post »
In "Them Thar Hills," I See God
I was listening to one of my favorite programs, NPR’s Fresh Air, and the show was about the Nobel Prize in Physics, which was awarded to two teams of scientists who showed that the expansion of the Universe is actually accelerating. It is quite fascinating, and I encourage you to listen
… Read full post »Washington Post: At Hajj, can peace be found?
This was published today in the Washington Post's On Faith blog.
Year after year, holiday after holiday passes with no progress in the Holy Land. In August, Muslims celebrated the end of Ramadan, with no peace in the Holy Land. In October, Jews marked the High Holy Days with Palestinians… Read full post »
This Will Help Nothing At All
I was totally taken aback by this news article:
… Read full post »Crosses in every room at Washingon D.C.’s Catholic University of America are a human rights violation that prevent Muslim students from praying. That’s the complaint to the Washington, D.C. Office of Human Rights filed by a professor f
Chicago Tribune: Religion encourages restraint, not revenge
This first appeared in The Seeker, the Chicago Tribune's religion blog.
It is completely understandable - knowing how horrifically brutal the late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhaffi was - that the people who captured him wanted to brutalize him back. The Libyan people have been te… Read full post »
What Muslims Can Learn From Gilad Shalit
As Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier captured by Hamas more than five years ago, was finally released in a vast prisoner exchange, it made me think about the relentless pursuit of his release by Israel. Such a pursuit by one’s family is both natural and understandable. Yet, not only was his… Read full post »
"I'll Be OK"
I first heard it while waiting for my eye exam in the mall. My eldest daughter and I both liked it, and I used my Shazam App to identify the song: "Go on, girl.", by Ne-Yo. The song begins with a beautiful, serene melody which is quite soothing. The narrator speaks… Read full post »
The Best "Dream Lover" One Could Ever Have
Many years ago, Mariah Carey sang about her “Dream Lover,” the man who will love her forever:
I need a lover to give me
The kind of love that will last always
I need somebody uplifting
To take me away babe…oh yeah yeah
I want a lover who knows me yeah
Who understands how I
… Read full post »
Please See It For What It Is
The sectarian violence that has gripped the land of my ancestors, Egypt, has been truly sickening to watch. The attacks on Christians and Christian churches in the past weeks are horrific, and they must be condemned. Not that my condemnation necessarily means much, but at least I – an American
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