I love Islam and cream soda

I am going to talk I've been back to prison for parole revocations twice now, because I was upfront, vocal, and honest about why I first went to prison in 2013. Simply put, I went because my ex-wife Dominique made false claims of domestic violence against me. Claims that began falling apart as my case progressed. However, in the middle of my marital turmoil, I made attempts at reconciling with Dominique, despite the fact of being barred from interacting with her by automatic protection order. That love-blind decision came back to bite my behind when, as her hoax began to unravel, the DA salvaged her prosecution by filling 19 cases of misdemeanor violation of protection order. I was literally facing an unprecedented 19 years in the county jail. It seemed improbable, if not absurd, until another local defendant made news being sentenced to an unprecedented county jail sentence of over 10 years. Long story short, I took a deal for an "open" sentence, expecting proba...

When I found myself back in prison, nearly two decades removed from my first bid,  I had to struggle with the humiliation of recidivism. For 3 years, anger, depression, and despair were constant companions that I grappled with behind bars. More formidable they were than any of the concrete, razor wire, inmates, or guards combined. Difficult was the loss of a relationship that I truly thought was going to be my last - and with a person I had considered to be my soulmate. How my then marriage had degenerated into an orgy of insanity and lies is something I've yet to begin to explain.

4 Oct 2012 - Panel discussion on the experience of living as a Muslim in the Rocky Mountains featuring: Tajuddin Ashaheed (at 27:35), Colorado Muslim Council; Dr. Moin Siddiqui, CSU professor emeritus; Zeba Siddiqui, children's book author; Monir Ludin, Chair of the Abrahamic Initiative Steering Committee. Moderator: Nabil Echchaibi, University of Colorado Boulder. This event was presented by the Muslims in the Mountain West Project during the conference, "Muslim Voices in the Heartland", a 3-day event featuring discussion panels with local, regional and national Muslim writers, journalists, scholars, and activists. This event was hosted by the Center for Media, Religion and Culture and the Center for Asian Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Did a radio show today - check the podcast (click link below) Auset Maryam Ali Presents: Guest: Brother Taj

So, I am studying and trying memorize the 57th surah/chapter of the Quran, called al Hadeed , or "Iron"... At the 25th verse, God states He "sent down" (arabic: anzalna ) iron, which man uses for its various benefits. It is interesting that He says this as opposed to other verbs - and while this could be read in a metaphorical sense, I have been chasing the literal meaning. So, I wondered: "sent down" from where...? Dipping into cosmology, I find that nothing in our solar system is h ot enough to create nearly all elements on/in our planet, and that they occur as the result of supernovas elsewhere (from a loooong time ago), its expelled matter streaking across the universe, eventually collecting into the cooling mass that became our solar system and planet. Now, the Quran is not a science manual, nor do I subscribe to the notion that science is supposed to confirm the veracity of the Quran, but I am impressed when there is a confluence of the tw...

My experience can be summed up by that scene in Rio in Furious Five, where The Rock's character tracks down Vin Diesel and his crew. The Rock is full of American puffery, with guns drawn about to arrest everybody, when Vin turns the tables, reminding him, “This is Brazil!” First off, I'm truly and sincerely sorry. And I know I must go beyond a mere apology and give some sort of explanation for my behavior. Truth is, I was being a dick. As a high level athlete representing a lone superpower in the greatest sports competition, I also carried a bit of pride and arrogance. I came to Rio, assuming it to just be a party  town enclosed in a third world country. With It's clogged rivers, corrupt politicians, and tainted mosquitos, it was easy to look at Brazil with disdain. Add to that, I simply had a less than stellar Olympic experience. I won a single gold, as the member of a relay team that featured my biggest nemesis as my teammate. Head to head against Phelps, I was a...

The Chinese say, “May you live in interesting times.” My life right now is an intense struggle of faith and revenance. I've been “here” before. At 19, I was a full -fledged hoodlum and on my way to prison, toting a 16 year sentence for robbery and a high speed police chase. At 26, I was free on parole. I'd converted to Islam, had a wife, a baby, and a house full. My new faith gave me a new direction and improbable and amazing opportunities. I became a market research manager, specializing in political polling, a community activist, and a Muslim advocate and speaker. I also became a writer and editorialist, a Jujitsu and MMA fighter, and even a bouncer. My life was indeed interesting, to say the least.