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, 2018Featured Posts and Latest Stories
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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 -
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 -
30 Wisdoms From EldersPersonal brand
Zayd and I were running errands to set up for a pre-prom photo opp with his friends at our…
May 25, 2019 -
30 Wisdoms From EldersDon’t let them down
Principal Akbar Cook of West Side High in Newark, NJ is on a roll. Last year, he installed five…
May 24, 2019 -
30 Wisdoms From EldersImagine you can
Muddassar’s father died when he was 13 years old. “I don’t have that many clear memories of him,” Muddassar…
May 22, 2019 -
30 Wisdoms From EldersMaking kindness a habit
Kazi Mannan grew up in poverty in a small village in Pakistan, without electricity or running water, one of…
May 20, 2019 -
30 Wisdoms From EldersBe strong and study
“We had a beautiful life, beautiful house, beautiful big family,” Noor tells me about her life in Syria. She,…
May 18, 2019 -
30 Wisdoms From EldersMore than half good
Shahidul and I were driving to the Al Jazeera studio for his interview with Mehdi Hasan, and it was…
May 17, 2019 -
30 Wisdoms From EldersShare Cake
My father loved dessert, anything sweet and delicious brought him so much pleasure; I inherited his sweet tooth. Growing…
May 15, 2019 -
30 Wisdoms From EldersContinue to Serve
Imam Magid was 17 when he was asked to join a group of people who were providing food at…
May 14, 2019 -
30 Wisdoms From EldersParro, Parro (Study, study)
Maman, my mother in law, has always shared such fond memories of her Nanna, her grandmother, so when I…
May 13, 2019 -
30 Wisdoms From EldersNo Job Too Small
When Kokun Chacha first came to America from India, at age 24, he started working in the kitchen of…
May 10, 2019 -
30 Wisdoms From EldersJannat Mein Jharu (Sweep Heaven Clean)
My niece Mariya, who’s visiting from Calcutta, was making kheer as she was telling me this story. “When we were…
May 9, 2019 -
30 Wisdoms From EldersSach Bolo (Speak the truth)
Zeshan B remembers coming back from Sunday School one day and his grandmother, who was visiting, asked him what…
May 8, 2019 -
30 Wisdoms From EldersFamous People Fail!
“As soon as I arrived at Cambridge, I was convinced that I was going to fail,” my dear friend…
May 6, 2019 -
30 Wisdoms From EldersCriticism is Necessary
Dalia had come to our home recently to attend a Syrian cooking class and dinner; our new Syrian friends, for…
May 6, 2019 -
30 Wisdoms From EldersSprinkle Favors Generously
Growing up, I was a quiet, reserved, fairly shy girl, happier studying than socializing. I wasn’t one of the…
May 5, 2019
