Two days after the November 13 Paris attacks, Dr. Bilal Rana boarded a plane in Newark, New Jersey.

Clad in a white shalwar—a knee-length shirt typically worn in South Asia—the 36 year old anesthesiologist was returning to his home in Houston after attending an event for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, an organization that helps young muslims get involved in social service, hosts interfaith dialogues, and combats radical Islam in America.

Rana is the president of the organization. He is also an American citizen who volunteers with the Houston Police Academy, lectures for the Department of Homeland Security’s TSA courses, and has lived in Texas all his life.

Still, because of the clothes he was wearing and the way he looked, the FBI confronted him on that flight. He would end the evening being interrogated in the back of a squad car.

Rana was not arrested that night but he says the experience was harrowing. He described how difficult it was to explain why he was late to his five kids in an Op-Ed for Time:

To those who saw me as a threat: I hope you never know what it feels like to have a group of police officers single you out. I hope you never know what it is like to be frisked while standing in front of a plane full of passengers. I hope you never suffer the embarrassment of watching mothers hold their children tightly as you walk by them. I hope you never feel the humiliation of having your belongings confiscated out of your hands, or being surrounded by cops who refer to you as “the subject” on their walkie talkies. I hope you never have to, for the first time in your life, sit in the back of a police car. I hope you get a chance to explain who you are before you are judged. I’m not your enemy. I’m your biggest ally.

Rana has since made it a priority to encourage a deeper dialogue about the issues and he shared insights from his faith and experiences in an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit.

“I understand that profiling and surveillance is necessarily,” he writes in response to a question about how he feels about discrimination. “All Muslims in fact should exude patience and be nothing but cooperative. Authorities should balance this balance with a sense of respect for the dignity of the Muslims whom they profile and surveil.” He emphasized that the solution to the extremism lies in educating the next generation: “We also need to be talking to our children more. Too often we overlook that. Our children are silently being missed in this whole mania. Our children should be told that Islam does not teach violence and they should not be ashamed of their religion. Violence, in fact all types of bullying and abuse, are completely foreign to Islam. Be proud, and be THAT kind of Muslim.” Rana, who is an Ahmadiyya Muslim—a persecuted sect that believes the Mahdi and Messiah has already come—also answered questions about how his faith views homosexuality and women’s rights: “Islam respects the personal choices of all—whether sexual, religious, etc. Open shamelessness of ANY kind is prohibited—be it heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, etc. “Homosexuality is not allowed in Islam. It is both nature and nurture. We believe that compulsions which are natural, however, should not necessarily be indulged. For example, it’s natural for children to take things. However, you may have to tell them to stop because when you grow up its called “stealing”. “In true Islam, you are free to have friends who are homosexual however that does not mean you have to accept or endorse their lifestyle. I have coworkers, classmates, friends and acquaintances who are gay, and I have no issues or hostility for them—nothing but respect.” Comment from discussion MuslimYouthPresident's comment from discussion "IamA Dr. Bilal Rana. Anesthesiologist, and President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association. AMA!"

Reddit users also asked him about Donald Trump’s recent comments to ban Muslims from entering the United States and how that could have a negative impact. “It’s early to say much, but certainly the thoughts and ideas of leaders shape the conscience of society,” Rana responds. “Let’s hope he that we do not marginalize our nations Muslims. After all, we need their help in this fight against radicalization of their/our youth.” Still, he offered a rather pleasant note for Trump, highlighting that the hatred doesn’t go both ways.