Aysha Khan
Aysha Khan is a Boston-based journalist reporting on American Muslims and millennial faith for RNS. Her newsletter, Creeping Sharia, curates news coverage of Muslim communities in the U.S. Previously, she was the social media editor at RNS.
All Stories by Aysha Khan
New social media vetting for visa applicants can hurt American Muslims, advocates say
By Aysha Khan — June 11, 2019
(RNS) — Civil rights advocates say Muslim communities are particularly vulnerable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s newly expanded social media monitoring policies.
Mexican Pentecostal church says leader is innocent, denies sex crimes charges
By Aysha Khan — June 7, 2019
(RNS) — The head of Mexico's largest evangelical church, La Luz del Mundo, has been charged with a string of sex crimes against minors in Los Angeles, including rape, human trafficking and child pornography. Church leaders and followers say he is innocent.
Why a Boston church is stamping Harriet Tubman on all its $20 bills
By Aysha Khan — June 3, 2019
BOSTON (RNS) — Since May, the Jamaica Plain church has been stamping all $20 bills from its offering plates with abolitionist Harriet Tubman’s face. It is, the church's pastor said, a 'worthy replacement.'
During Ramadan, growing Muslim philanthropy enters the spotlight
By Aysha Khan — June 1, 2019
(RNS) — Many Muslim-run charity groups are drawing a connection between their philanthropic causes, the Ramadan fast and the Islamic imperative to give to the poor.
Immigrant-run sewing co-op aims to end fast fashion culture, starting with Muslims
By Aysha Khan — May 29, 2019
CHICAGO (RNS) — One of the country’s first clothing cooperatives run by immigrant and refugee women, Blue Tin Production aims to develop ethical manufacturing for Muslim designers while offering well-paying opportunities for skilled immigrants.
After harassment of Sikh bus driver, Maryland school district agrees to awareness training
By Aysha Khan — May 29, 2019
(RNS) — Since he began working as a school bus driver in suburban Maryland more than a decade ago, Sawinder Singh’s colleagues, supervisors and students taunted him because of his religion and ethnicity.
During Ramadan, virtual spaces help stave off the loneliness for some Muslims
By Aysha Khan — May 23, 2019
(RNS) — More and more Muslims are turning to digital spaces during Ramadan to help bridge the distance between friends, family and religious leaders.
‘Somebody out there wants to hurt us’: Arson in Boston, Chicago rattles local Jews
By Aysha Khan — May 21, 2019
BOSTON (RNS) — A rash of fires that police say were intentionally set at Jewish community centers around Boston and in Chicago last week has left Jewish groups feeling vulnerable.
Report traces anti-Muslim Facebook astroturfing campaign to evangelical activist
By Aysha Khan — May 17, 2019
(RNS) — Evangelical author Kelly Monroe Kullberg has been linked to a network of Facebook pages posting extreme anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant rhetoric and conspiracy theories to some 1.4 million followers.
For many Muslims, Ramadan is a built-in digital detox program
By Aysha Khan — May 15, 2019
(RNS) — For years, Muslims around the world have used the holy month of Ramadan as an opportunity to scale back on social media and smartphone usage.
For houses of worship, interfaith collaboration is the future of security
By Aysha Khan — May 10, 2019
(RNS) — Faith leaders across the country are putting their heads together to help protect their congregations. And to do so, they’re increasingly crossing denominational lines.
Report: Over 1,000 charity groups are helping fund fringe anti-Muslim projects
By Aysha Khan — May 6, 2019
(RNS) — More than 1,000 philanthropic foundations and charitable organizations have knowingly or unknowingly funneled nearly $125 million into dozens of known anti-Muslim groups over three years.
China is punishing Muslims for fasting. So US Muslims are fasting from China.
By Aysha Khan — May 2, 2019
(RNS) — While leaders of Muslim-majority nations have largely been silent on the Uighur persecution, the Fast From China campaign has caught on with U.S. Muslims.
Anti-Muslim hate is driven by politics, not faith — and it’s preventable, study suggests
By Aysha Khan — May 1, 2019
(RNS) — Americans who personally know a Muslim are more than twice as likely to have a favorable opinion toward Muslims than those who do not, a new report finds.
In D.C., a call for restaurants to give fasting Muslims an alternative to IHOP in Ramadan
By Aysha Khan — April 25, 2019
(RNS) — In Dearborn, Mich., and other cities with large Muslim populations, many local restaurants have already realized that there is money to be made in remaining open all night for the suhoor and iftar meals.
