Kari Ansari
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Kari Ansari, is a writer, editor and social commentator on the American Muslim community. Her commentary has been published in the Chicago Tribune, PBS, and Public Radio International’s Speaking of Faith.

Mrs. Ansari and her husband founded and published America’s Muslim Family Magazine in 2003 to 2008 to help fill the void of Muslim media in America. The magazine offered a positive and refreshing look at life for Muslims in America. Through its pages the magazine dealt with issues pertinent to Muslims living in the United States and encouraged active participation in government, the education system, and all aspects of American life.

In addition to her work in publishing, Mrs. Ansari uses her more than 20 years of experience in direct marketing and advertising as a marketing consultant specializing in the Muslim niche market. She has helped American companies approach the Muslim target market with cultural confidence, while at the same time she works with Muslim organizations to bridge the divide into the mainstream American marketplace.

Mrs. Ansari was born and educated in the United States and is a convert to Islam. She has been an active member of the Muslim community for more than a dozen years, working toward the positive inclusion of Muslims into the mainstream American society. She has four children ranging in age from 22 to 9. She and her husband, Ahmed, a native of India, currently live in Northern Virginia.

Email contact: kari@americasmuslimfamily.com

Blog Entries by Kari Ansari

A New Lowe for Anti-Muslim Bigotry

Posted December 12, 2011 | 12/12/11 12:45 PM ET

Every Sunday night for the past few weeks my husband and I have been watching TLC's "All American Muslim." Neither one of us are in love with this quirky reality show, but still, we're happy that TLC took the risk to feature these families in prime time on...

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A Traditional Muslim Thanksgiving

Posted November 23, 2011 | 11/23/11 07:19 AM ET

The common narrative of Thanksgiving brings to mind scenes from elementary school plays featuring the happy Pilgrims sharing their harvest feast with happy Native Americans. Both groups shared a communal meal and gave thanks for a bountiful first harvest in the New World. This was the harvest that saved the...

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Muslims Rising Above The Ashes Of Misunderstanding

Posted September 9, 2011 | 09/09/11 11:22 AM ET

As the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 approaches, we'll be inundated with reports and recollections of where people were at that moment, what they were doing and how their lives have been changed because of it. This anniversary-keeping activity feels like we have a wound that we know has yet...

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Ramadan Lessons from My Kids

Posted August 20, 2011 | 08/20/11 12:11 PM ET

Every year as I prepare for Ramadan, I try to set goals for our family. A couple of nights before the fasting begins, my family patiently listens to my list of things I want us to accomplish -- many of which are too ambitious, and many others that boil down...

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Ramadan Acts of Worship Connect Us to the Suffering of Others

Posted August 5, 2011 | 08/05/11 12:54 PM ET

For 30 days during the Islamic Holy Month of Ramadan, healthy adult Muslims abstain from drinking a single drop of water or eating a bite of food, from before dawn until after the sun sets in the sky, as a religious obligation to God. Every year Muslims look forward to...

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Open Letter to President Obama from a Muslim Family

Posted May 19, 2011 | 05/19/11 06:39 PM ET

Dear President Barack Obama,

Along with many American Muslims, my family and I listened to your speech today on the Middle East and North Africa. While I appreciate your encouraging statements to the people of the Muslim world -- particularly to those who are currently fighting...

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Telling Muslim Women What Not to Wear

Posted April 12, 2011 | 04/12/11 07:16 PM ET

France has now officially outlawed the Islamic niqab or burqa in public. French President Sarkozy said in 2009, "The issue of the burqa is not a religious issue, it is a question of freedom and of women's dignity ... The burqa is not a religious sign; it is a sign...

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The Muslim Family Response to Hatred

Posted March 7, 2011 | 03/07/11 09:40 PM ET

Last month, an annual fundraiser was held in Yorba Linda, Calif., to raise money for combating homelessness and domestic abuse in the local community. Sounds great, right? It's something that Christians, Jews and other faith groups do frequently, except this event happened to have been organized by Muslims.

Families...

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A Christmas Card From a Muslim Daughter

Posted December 20, 2010 | 12/20/10 07:06 AM ET

When I became a Muslim thirteen years ago this month, I left behind the Christmas traditions my family celebrated every year of my childhood. My mother was able to transform our Southern California home into a Winter Wonderland as soon as we walked in the door; it may have been...

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Muslim and American: Staying True to Faith and Country

Posted October 29, 2010 | 10/29/10 09:42 AM ET

When a journalist takes a job at the Fox News Network, does the agreement state he or she must throw out all objectivity for a paycheck signed by Rupert Murdock? It seems that's what has happened to Juan Williams, a once respected news analyst for NPR and a Fox News...

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Being a Good Neighbor to America's Muslims

Posted August 18, 2010 | 08/18/10 10:19 PM ET

The ninth Islamic month is Ramadan, a time of spiritual connection between a Muslim's heart and God through prayer and contemplation of the Quran.

The cornerstone of Ramadan is the fast. Briefly, a fasting Muslim rises before dawn for an early meal with plenty of water. The dawn prayer...

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Why We Should Welcome More Mosques in America

Posted July 20, 2010 | 07/20/10 05:20 PM ET

We ought to welcome the growth of Islam in America for one reason: Muslims in America are fast becoming the model of intelligent and progressive Islam for the entire Muslim world. Muslim Americans have all the ingredients at hand to nurture the most reasoned and learned scholars, thinkers and leaders....

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The Promise: How Islam Found Me

Posted June 28, 2010 | 06/28/10 04:31 PM ET

Islam found me when I had no intention of being discovered.

I grew up in Southern California during the 1960s in a non-practicing Christian home. I don't recall feeling particularly religiously inspired growing up, except maybe while singing "O' Holy Night" with Johnny Mathis on my parents' hi-fi. Some years...

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