I was chilled to the bone. The line outside Cooper Union University was not that long, but the doors hadn’t opened, and at 10:00 am that Monday morning, just standing in line, I was getting a full dose of ‘wind chill’.
‘With all the choices he had, why did the Mayor pick this rather small hall to give his public speech,’
When You Go In Loaded, & Leave Empty Handed. Or Is It The Reverse?
I was engulfed by hugs. This is not what I had come prepared for. I had been invited to come to a Wellness Day celebration at a church, where I had taken a table in the exhibit hall, to display my wares—my book. I had lugged the bag-on-wheels, laden with heavy, hard cover books,
Read moreTwo Is Better Than One
“Do you know what it means to be hungry?” Zamir Hasan asked the crowd gathered at the Brotherhood Synagogue in New York City.
A few hands went up.
“Hunger means that you don’t know where your next meal is coming from.” A young boy answered.
“Right. And do you know how many people in the U.S. don’t know where their next meal is coming from?” Zamir asked.
A Prayer to End the Nightmare
A bomb goes off in my neighborhood. I sit stunned and horrified, as the news flashes on my computer screen. My husband had just gone out to mail a letter. Dear God. Let him be o.k. I reach out to call him. No answer. Maybe he didn’t hear the phone ring.
Read moreMy Muslim New Year Prayer
As Muslims begin their new year, I will reflect on what my father said to me when I was just fifteen. Before I go there, a word of caution on protocol and a bit of background. Protocol: I advise that you not greet your Muslim friends with a cheery ‘Happy New Year’. Muslims around the world will ring in the new year, not with bells and whistles, but with reflection and tears.
Read moreHAJJ DAY 5: FAREWELL
Dear son,
Today is the last day of Hajj. It’s 10 a.m. in New York, and I am waiting to hear from you. You will be returning from the Jamaraat after the third and final throwing of the stones. I hope it was not too crowded. Ever wondered what happens to all those pebbles? Three million pilgrims throwing 21 pebbles three days in a row?
11:00 a.m. Just got your text message.
The Genie is Out of the Bottle
What lay repressed by exercise of restraint, buried under layers of civilized behavior, simmering in the subconscious, is now unleashed. I am referring to bigotry and prejudice. Allow me to get really specific: Islamophobia. It was considered uncivilized and un-American to express hate. Now, thanks to the election rhetoric, it has been sanctioned.
Read more. . . . But Children Can't Vote
Laila with Khizr Khan and her cousins
Says who!
They have more power than we give them credit for - soft power, that is. And yesterday Laila, my 12 year-old grand daughter seized that power, when she posed the question to Khizr Khan.
A Place of Hope
Lake Chautauqua
Khizr Khan’s words at the Democratic National Convention (DNC), with his grief-stricken wife by his side was a rallying cry that evoked emotions and tears. Thank you DNC. By that one move, you have restored the hope of many. I had just returned from ‘a place of hope’ and DNC giving prime-time airtime to Khizr Khan, was the icing on the silver cake of hope.
So where is this ‘place of hope?’
Read moreWhat's In A Name?
Image: hellomynameis.org.uk
Everything. As in gender, stature, respect or lack of it, marital status, lineage, religion, even anonymity.
My grandmother never called my grandfather by his name. When she tried to get his attention, she would call out in Punjabi ‘mein kaya gee’. Translated—and it’s a terrible translation—‘I have something to say.’ The tone conveyed respect. Why the formality?
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