Many of us probably spent Sunday of the Memorial Day weekend with friends over a BBQ lunch. That is exactly what I did yesterday, but it was especially exciting. At 10 am on Sunday I was on my way to Building 52 of the Jefferson Barracks VA hospital to meet with friends that make up the heart and muscles of MCS.

MCS stands for the ambitious name Muslim Community of St. Louis. For the second year in a row, that group held gratitude Memorial Day weekend lunch for our veterans who were spending the festive weekend away from home, and in extended care and rehabilitation facilities of the VA hospital.

MCS is the brain child of a group of St. Louis Muslims who wanted to a start community service group that reaches out to whomever may need them in St. Louis, Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

During the early organizational meetings,…

A reader (Centrist) commented on my first posting asking 2 questions. I answered the first question last week. The second question was as follows:

“… why do Muslims vote Democrat. The Democrats support abortion on demand and gay marriage, two things that the Muslim religion is so opposed to.”

I do not know how accurate it is to generalize in absolute terms that Muslims vote Democrat. But judging from my immediate circles, I would say a lot of them vote that way. I am aware of at least few Muslims that are hard-core republicans who are active in the party, and are fund raising for it. I admit, they are in the minority among the Muslims I know. As for those Muslims who vote Democrat, they do it for predominantly the same reasons that non-Muslim vote Democrat.

Social justice and collective social responsibility has been a pillar concept of the Muslim community since the birth…