Qanta Ahmed

Israel's use of military force is scrutinized, while the U.S.'s use of armed drones in Pakistan barely registers. But these drones and their civilian casualties are strengthening Pakistani and Taliban extreme Islamism and anti-Americanism – this international footprint is how the U.S. is being judged.

So-called 'Muslim' states have submerged Islam’s values of justice and compassion. Taking the example of the Jewish concept of 'teshuvah,' or return, could assist Muslims to recover their own sense of forgiveness, which is innate to Islam - but less evident in its modern-day manifestations - to return to the straight path that was once revealed to us.

Political Islamism is a deadly global challenge to women, to moderate Muslims and to Jews in particular, but it also offers the chance for secular and humanist Muslims to make common cause with Israelis and Jews worldwide to oppose the eclipsing of the liberal vision.

Qanta Ahmed reflects on her visit this spring to the Swat valley, home to Malala Yousafzai, shot in the head by the Taliban for her pro-schooling campaign, where she found a humbling depth of commitment to education and a surprisingly positive role for the much-vilified Pakistani military.

Every patient in the World Trade Center Monitoring Program, a comprehensive health program set up for first responders to the 9/11 terror attacks, has their own story and their own form of suffering. As their doctor, I have the opportunity to understand the effect of the attacks in a way few Muslims do.