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Showing posts from January, 2026

Mujjahid Huq: “My Paradise Lies Beneath Her Feet” and the Leadership We Don’t Applaud

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  Leadership is often measured by visibility. Who speaks the loudest. Who moves the fastest. Who builds something that can be pointed to, scaled, or shared. But some of the most consequential acts of leadership leave no public record at all. There is a story, preserved in classical Islamic tradition, that offers a different measure of success — one rooted not in ambition, but in restraint. A man once left his home in Farghaanah, in Central Asia, intending to perform a voluntary pilgrimage to Makkah. Along the way, he stopped in Nishapur to visit the scholar Abu Uthmaan Al-Khairi. When the traveler offered a greeting, the scholar did not respond. The silence unsettled him. How, he wondered, could a man of learning ignore a simple salaam? According to the tradition, Abu Uthmaan perceived the traveler’s unspoken frustration and replied with a question instead of an apology: How can someone set out for pilgrimage while leaving behind a mother who is ill and grieving? The words landed w...

Mujjahid Huq on the New Staycation: How Airbnb Is Reshaping Local Travel

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  A staycation rarely looks like travel on paper. There are no airport lines, no checked bags, no long itineraries. Yet for a growing number of travelers, the most appealing escape is the one that stays close to home. The goal is not distance. It is disruption of routine, a change of setting, and time that feels genuinely restorative. That shift has helped push alternative lodging further into the mainstream, and few platforms are as closely tied to the change as Airbnb. Once best known for spare-room rentals and budget-friendly stays, Airbnb has matured into a marketplace where privacy, design, and neighborhood access often matter as much as price. For travelers choosing local getaways, those factors can determine whether a stay feels like an ordinary night away or a true reset. “People don’t just want a bed. They want a place that helps them feel away, even if they’re only a few miles from home,” said  Mujjahid Ul Huq , an Airbnb host. “When the space is comfortable and the ...

Healing Over Hype: Mujjahid Huq on Why The Cannabis Industry’s Next Growth Curve May Look More Like a Clinic Than a Club

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  As the cannabis market settles into maturity, professionals such as pharmacist and entrepreneur Mujjahid Huq are testing whether credibility, not image, will define who stays in business. Walk through parts of Manhattan or Brooklyn today and you’ll see how cannabis retail has entered its lifestyle era. Many dispensaries look like they were designed for social media. Walls glow with color, product shelves mimic tech showrooms, and staff are trained to talk in the language of wellness and aspiration. For a while, that image worked. It helped normalize a new industry and made cannabis appear accessible. But the market is shifting. Sales in New York have grown, yet competition is rising just as fast. Behind the branding, a quieter question is emerging: when the novelty fades, what will keep customers coming back? According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, cannabis use among adults over 55 has doubled in the last five years. Many in this group are turning to cannabis to manage...

Mujjahid Huq and the Queens Tradition of Turning Everyday Struggles into Civic Power

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  In Queens, politics often begins far from the chambers of government. It starts in the places where people live, work, and gather: corner pharmacies, grocery stores, and small businesses that serve as community anchors. For longtime resident and small business   owner Mujjahid Huq , civic engagement has always been less about slogans and more about survival. His story reflects a broader movement across the borough, one that connects economic resilience, cultural identity, and a growing generation of local leaders such as Helal Sheikh and   Zohran Mamdani . Huq, who built a career as a pharmacist in the borough, represents the kind of immigrant success story that defines Queens. His family came to the United States decades ago seeking opportunity and stability, values that have guided many South Asian and Muslim families who settled in the area. Along the way, Huq became a quiet advocate for fair business practices and for protecting the neighborhood economy that support...

Mujjahid Huq: Pharmacies Turn Service Into a Family Tradition of Care

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  In a borough known for its diversity and drive,  Mujjahid Huq  has built something that feels increasingly rare: A business rooted as much in community service as in commerce. Through Salaam Pharmacy, which he owns, and An-Noor Pharmacy, owned and managed by his wife Stephanie Huq, the couple has made their livelihood about more than filling prescriptions. For them, it’s about filling a deeper need for trust, compassion, and human connection in everyday healthcare. Over the years, Salaam Pharmacy has become a familiar stop for residents of East New York and surrounding neighborhoods. Its shelves carry medicine and medical supplies, but what sets it apart is the environment of warmth that regular customers have come to expect. The business motto, “T rust in Us — We Care ,” is not a slogan crafted by marketers but a reflection of how the Huqs approach their work. They have built their pharmacies around the idea that healthcare must begin with empathy and personal attentio...