Personal Essays
Pakistan on the Potomac
“Being a cross-cultural parent in Washington can mean teaching your children the Koran — and then carpooling them to hip-hop…
December 1, 2011Featured Posts and Latest Stories
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RefelectionsMuslim Women’s Vital Voices
On March 10th, alongside philanthropist Melinda French Gates and human rights activists Panmelo Castro from Brazil and Rebecca Lolosoli…
March 3, 2011 -
Personal EssaysNot My Mother’s Ramadan
“This annual spiritual journey is boot camp for my soul.” It’s predawn on the first day of Ramadan, 2009.…
July 1, 2010 -
Refelections30 days 30 refugee stories
Each Ramadan for the past seven years, I’ve been keeping a blog to share the essence of the month.…
June 23, 2017 -
30 DaysMohammad’s Wish
It was New Year’s eve, and my daughter Saanya and I were at Skaramangas camp outside Athens, Greece…
June 20, 2017 -
30 DaysMy goal is my mother
Athens, Greece We met Fahim the first evening we arrived in Athens. He is a professional soccer player, and used…
June 1, 2017 -
30 Days“If we don’t care, who will”
Raghad Bushnaq has been helping people in need in informal ways for at least a dozen years, but when…
May 30, 2017 -
30 DaysThe Dressmaker and the Bride
I first met Nader, 42, when KindWorks, a nonprofit I help lead, organized a welcome dinner for recently arrived…
May 28, 2017 -
RefelectionsThe Art of Aadil Abedi: An Invitation for Conversation
At a time in this country when even the sight of Arabic writing can make some people nervous, Aadil…
April 27, 2017 -
RefelectionsHumans of Mother Earth (HOME) – Travel Edition
As many of us are enjoying our summer holidays, some traveling abroad, others staying closer to home, I have…
August 4, 2016 -
RefelectionsEDHI
Abdul Sattar Edhi, arguably the world’s greatest and least known humanitarian, passed away last Friday; he was 88 years…
July 19, 2016 -
30 DaysOur Own Paths to God
One of my most fulfilling experiences as a writer has been a message I received from someone who had…
June 23, 2016 -
Personal EssaysRemembering Beijing
On the 20th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, and on the anniversary of Hillary Clinton’s…
September 28, 2015 -
Features“Asma, Please Help Me”
“I am 27 years woman. I got married in 2004 with he. It is an arrange marriage. My husband…
September 6, 2015 -
30 DaysYou Did Not Break Me- Sabiha Husić
Today is the 20th anniversary of the massacre in Srebrenica, when more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys were…
July 11, 2015 -
Personal EssaysHappy 80th Birthday Dad
Today, is my father’s 80th birthday. The kids and I, and my brother and his family, are gathered with my…
July 3, 2015 -
Personal EssaysStirring it Up in the Kitchen
The idea grew out of the tragedy of the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris. A dear friend of mine…
July 3, 2015 -
RefelectionsThe World Exists on Hope – Mukhtar Mai
In 2002, Mukhtar Mai, a Pakistani village woman, was brutally gang raped by four men of a powerful neighboring…
June 23, 2015
