What we can learn from the debate over the blue black dress   The dress as it was originally posted on line. What colors do you see? Charlotte Observer BY ROSE HAMID Guest column Lately it seems that folks are in constant conflict over a variety of issues and the default attitude is to vilify people with differing opinions. What can the global debate that ensued last year over the color of a particular dress teach us about how to navigate these contentious times? ...

BY ROSE HAMID Guest column In March, terrorist attacks in Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Turkey, Brussels, Pakistan, Iraq and others continued to horrify the world. According to Merriam-Webster, terrorism is: “The use of violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal.” Terrorism is used by groups with sociopolitical motives to try to force their agenda or bring attention to their cause. Terrorism keeps people in a heightened sense of fear, wondering w...

Charlotte Observer 3/5/2016 Elections offer a time for us to seek justice, not people just like us BY ROSE HAMID Guest column Muslims voting in Tunisia 2011. The ink on the fingers is used to indicate the person has voted and prevents them from voting again. Photo courtesy of Mariem Masmoudi As North Carolina enters the primary season folks may wonder if Islamic ideals are in keeping with American democratic ideals. The answer is yes. One should look at the example of the Constitut...

Published in Huffington Post 2/24/2016 By Rose Hamid Last month some friends and I stood in silent protest at a Trump rally in Rock Hill SC and were unceremoniously escorted out. As a hijab-wearing Muslim woman, I garnered a lot of media attention. The coverage and response was overwhelmingly supportive and encouraging. However, there was some vile chatter that attempted to paint me as a possible terrorist. I ignored the ridiculous accusations made against me because I thought anyone wh...

BY ROSE HAMID Guest column My uncle, Nitham Hasan, passed away recently. He was 88, the eldest of my father’s seven siblings and the first to pass away. As a leader of the Islamic center of South Florida for 30 years he was well loved and respected. He spent his life educating people about Islam and building bridges of understanding with people of all faiths. It was said of him, “He leaves a void that is hard to fill and a legacy that is hard to match.” My father (3rd from the left) and h...

Why I had to stand up to Trump CNN: By Rose Hamid Editor's note: Rose Hamid is the American Muslim woman who stood in silent protest at the Trump rally in Rock Hill, South Carolina. She was born in Buffalo, New York, and now lives in Charlotte North Carolina. She's been a flight attendant for 30 years, is married and has three grown children. The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author. (CNN)I went to the Donald Trump rally in Rock Hill, South Carolina, on January 8 wi...

BY ROSE HAMID Correspondent, Charlotte Observer I’m having a hard time believing people who professed to follow the faith I follow were capable of perpetrating the shootings in San Bernardino. I want there to be some other explanation. So many details of the shooting just don’t make sense. How can a seemingly well-adjusted person, who didn’t have any record of problems in the workplace, and his wife, the mother of an infant, have committed such atrocities? How could they have hidden such ...