Islam Today Turns 1 Years Old

Today is the 1 year anniversary that we launched Islam today. I wrote one year ago:

Let me start with a short story.

The first letter to the editor I ever published was shortly after 9/11. It was a piece calling out anti-Muslim and Islamophobic bigotry sweeping the nation in the wake of the Afghan war, the impending invasion of Iraq, and the so-called Patriot Act (used to target and discriminate against Americans who were Muslim). I was heart-warmed by the response. Readers sent me notes of appreciation and gratitude because the short letter helped them better understand Islam and Muslims, and recognize that our enemy wasn’t a faith or 1.6B people, but that our enemy was disinformation and fear.

I understood first hand the true power of the Jihad of the Pen for justice and humanity, against violence, disinformation, hate, and fear.

So I decided, I could not stop my advocacy there.

Over the decades my advocacy led me across the country and across the world. And Islam Today is another step in that journey. In the last year we have accomplished much together. I am truly honored for your support. It has elevated Islam Today to accomplish the following:

• Publish 111 unique pieces on Islam and the modern landscape.

• Earned the trust of 7,100 active subscribers to our platform.

• Read by more than 400,000 readers in just our first year.

Here is a sample of what some of you have so graciously shared about why you subscribed to Islam Today:

These are but a snapshot of the hundreds of notes I receive from you each month. Please know I read and cherish them all, even if bandwidth doesn’t allow me to respond to each one individually.

With you leading the way, we continue to advance our Jihad of the Pen for education and social uplift. This will include launching an Islam Today podcast, traveling to various important parts of the Islamic world, and of course continuing to answer questions on Islam, the Qur’an, Prophet Muhammad (sa), and more.

To do that, I ask you to choose at least 1 of my 3 calls to action to help elevate Islam Today to the next level (especially as the need increases to build against the growing intolerances we see).

1. Jump in. Become a paid subscriber at a cup of coffee ($5) a month or $50 a year. We are not funded by billionaires. We are supported by We the People. For context, if you subscribed at $50/year just 1 year ago, you would have spent a whopping 13 cents per post.

2. Grow our community. Gift a subscription to a friend or loved one. The best way to build our movement is each one reach one. Let’s grow from 7K to 14K.

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1. Maximize our reach. Share this post on your social media, in your family group chat, or simply like and comment. Engage and help boost its visibility.

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As we build into year two and beyond, I’d like to reaffirm these three promises:

1. My writing and content will never sit behind a paywall. It is, and will remain, accessible to all people regardless of whether they are a paid subscriber or free subscriber.

2. My content will always be accurate, and if I get something wrong, I will absolutely follow up with a correction. I do not profess perfection, but you can count on my commitment to hold truth and justice as my North Star.

3. My standard will remain to uphold justice above all else, while elevating calls to action to combat injustice. My writing will not only shed light on the struggles harming our nation, but also on the practical steps we can take to rectify injustice.

Your subscription to Islam Today is an investment to elevate education and build a more compassionate and informed populace. Thank you for your support during this last year. I look forward to another brilliant year of success.

Subscribe, share, and let’s continue to wage the intellectual Jihad of the Pen.

Thank you for your trust.❤️

wasalaam,

Qasim

Islam Today is written by human rights lawyer, author, and podcaster Qasim Rashid. It is free to read and free to share — no paywall, because education should be accessible to everyone. If you’d like to support this work, share this article and consider subscribing.