Dear son,
While we are deep in sleep, the sun would have risen over Muzdalifa and you would have rolled up your sleeping bag and boarded the bus (or train) to head back to your tent in Mina. How was the night under the stars? Was the ride back uneventful or did you hit a lot of traffic? And how are you doing in your ihram? You have been in the two pieces of white sheets for over a day now, in the scorching heat.
HAJJ DAY 2: 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.
Read moreHajj Day 1: In The City of Tents
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?
"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
'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”...
Read moreThe 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?
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?
Read more10 TIPS ON MEMOIR WRITING
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.
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