I was born the year the Soviets invaded Afghanistan—an invasion that started the international call for “jihad” to liberate the Muslim country from the Oppressors. As an Afghan American, I could see the men in my family struggle with this Islamic duty to defend their home and country. Did they…
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[title maintitle=”” subtitle=”Harper’s campaign is embracing Islamophobia to make Monday’s parliamentary elections a referendum on the veil”] On Oct. 9, Zunaira Ishaq, an immigrant from Pakistan, finally took her citizenship oath and became a Canadian. Her refusal to take the oath without niqab, or a face veil, has been a…
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Is mainstream French feminism racist? … Even before the 2004 law meant scarf-wearing teenagers would be excluded from schools – thus violating their fundamental right to education – France’s established feminist groups did not accept scarf-wearing women in their meetings. They decided early on these women could not be feminist,…
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“It doesn’t matter if it is DKNY, the bag itself is beautiful.” The comment sprung on me like an ambush of sorts, with the fragile veiling of a back-handed compliment. I’d rather buy a beautiful vintage street bag from Sunday Bazaar than an ugly one from Valentino, I silently responded…
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When a French journalist posed online as a young woman interested in Isis [sic], she was soon contacted by a fighter in Syria. He proposed marriage – but could she maintain a double life? It was 10 o’clock on a Friday night in spring 2014 and I was sitting on the…
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I have no doubt that you are terribly proud of yourself at the moment. Aren’t you? Not only have you gained the attention of the international media, but you have managed, in your own mind, to avenge the honor of the Prophet. You know what? I’m with you! Avenge the…
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The New Year has begun, and by all indications, Pakistan is going to be as messed up in 2015 as it was in 2014, 2013, 2012… you get the idea. Things don’t look good for this beloved banana republic of ours, with terrorists breathing down our neck, military courts and…
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Dear Gaza,
I’m sorry. I apologize on behalf of the United States of America. First of all, that moniker is not accurate; in a nation of over 300 million people, you can be assured that we rarely agree on anything. We are certainly not united on the issue of Israel’s holocaust in Gaza. Yes, holocaust.
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This week has seen an uptick in activism – social and on the ground – and awareness raising of the situation of nearly 300 school girls who were abducted by the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram last month. Protests have been planned in capitols around the world, a hashtag campaign #BringOurGirlsBack has trended on Twitter, and I’m beginning to see articles and photos in the mainstream press depicting the nature of this tragedy (though some of the framing has been problematic).
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