HAJJ DAY 2: In The Plain of Arafat

September 11, 2016 Sabeeha Rehman

Pilgrims on Mount Arafat & in the Plain of Arafat

Today is the day of Hajj. I can picture you waking up for Fajr prayer just before dawn. Was it 4:50 a.m.? I checked the prayer time online. Did you say your prayers in the tent? Probably. What did you have for breakfast? And as soon as you finished, your group leader must have ushered you all to the waiting bus, bound for Arafat, east of Mecca. Today, on this day of atonement, your mommy and Dad and millions of Muslims are fasting from daybreak to sundown.

Hajj Day 1: In The City of Tents

September 10, 2016 Sabeeha Rehman

Dear Son,
Today you begin the first day of Hajj. You are in the valley of Mina, the city of tents. This will be your home for the next five days. You are among three million pilgrims, in the largest congregation on earth, performing your once in a lifetime obligation as a Muslim. I wish I were with you. As I pray that your soul be immersed in spiritual fulfillment, I am reflecting on my pilgrimage years ago.

Where Are You From?

August 29, 2016 Sabeeha Rehman

"Where are you from?" Forty-five years later—well almost—I am still asked this question. At first—and I am talking 1971—I would proudly proclaim: “Pakistan”.
“Where is that?”
I am insulted and appalled at her ignorance?
Now of course, even the most least-informed, under-informed and misinformed has heard of Pakistan. Except that the look I get is one of sympathetic concern, as in ‘do you have family in that unsafe region?’ Except that when asked this question, I am offended. Why? Because I feel that my American-ism is being questioned. So I tease.

Letting Go

August 22, 2016 Sabeeha Rehman

'A Courtier In Love'. A two-dimensional portrait by Marium Agha

While taking a morning walk, have you ever come across a piece of artwork left on the sidewalk, propped up between the garbage can and a discarded chair – its sharp edges not fit for a fragile garbage bag? Who owned it? Why did he let go? Perhaps he was moving into smaller quarters; or maybe he just got tired of looking at it. Will it stop a jogger in his tracks and find a new admirer, or will it be crushed by the indifferent, indiscriminating garbage truck? What about the artist who created this work of art? Marium Agha wonders about this every time she exhibits her artwork. “Letting go is hard”...

The Genie is Out of the Bottle

August 15, 2016 Sabeeha Rehman

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.

. . . . But Children Can't Vote

August 8, 2016 Sabeeha Rehman

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

August 1, 2016 Sabeeha Rehman

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?’

What's In A Name?

July 11, 2016 Sabeeha Rehman

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?

10 TIPS ON MEMOIR WRITING

July 4, 2016 Sabeeha Rehman

I am no authority on memoir writing. But I did write one, and am happy to share with aspiring writers, how I went about it. It worked for me. I hope it works for you.

5 Ways To Get Started
There is only one way to get going: Start writing. Just do it.

I Don't Remember

June 27, 2016 Sabeeha Rehman

The day I lost my memory is a day I will never remember.

I went through my typical day-in-the-life-of-a-retiree: oatmeal for breakfast, morning at my computer, and dinner of chicken curry with my husband Khalid. A food particle must have tickled my throat and I started to cough. The cough got violent, and Khalid rose and walked over. He may have patted me on the back. The coughing stopped. “I am disoriented,” I said.