‘I can’t find my half-sister. Can you help me?’ was the message I received at 10:00 p.m.
My encounters as a writer have taken me down many an adventurous path, but nothing as enticing as this.
Zoomed into Marriage
Artist: The bride. With Henna businesses closed, she turned artist and painted one hand
And why should weddings be left behind. This spring, we had not one, but two family Nikahs on Zoom. If that is a new term for you, Nikah is Urdu for ‘Muslim Marriage’—the religious ceremony, that is.
Read moreVendor Woes: Pandemic & Fines
He was gone! Shelter-in-Place had been in effect for two days when I ventured out to get some vegetables from the street vendor . . . . He was not there; not him, not his cart. Maybe he is sick.
Read moreDon't Call Me By My Name
“Sabeeha Baji, let me ask you. . .. ,” Uzma Jafri said. “I cannot address you as Sabeeha or my lips will burn.”
They Were Following Orders
Why did the cop push his knee down on Floyd’s neck? Why did they push & shove an old man, and leave him bleeding? Because they know they can get away with it. They know they won’t be prosecuted, and if prosecuted, won’t be convicted.
From the Eyes of a Doorman During Covid-19, Protests & Curfews
The phone rang. “Brad, could you wait for me at the door. I am in a cab.” Brad is not her husband. Brad is the doorman in her building.
“It’s my job to protect the residents,”
Welcome to My Table
I was skeptical at first. I received an email from Shoulder to Shoulder asking me if I would be interested in participating in their program, “Welcome to My Table,” …They were proposing that they pair me up with a family for an interfaith iftar via Zoom.
Miss, Mrs., Ms., or Mx
When I lived in Saudi Arabia, I was ‘wife of Dr. Khalid Rehman.’ Although everyone called me Sabeeha, this was my official name; my official identity–on paper.
Jummah Prayer in the Age of Coronavirus
Imam Feisal A. Rauf gives the Jummah sermon on-line
For most of my life (which is pretty long), I have not been regular in attending Jummah prayers at the mosque. . . An email from Cordoba House hit my inbox: ‘Jummah prayers with Imam Feisal on March 27 via Zoom.’ Yes! I got two-for-one:
Read moreA Letter to My Mother
Dear Mummy, I think of you often during these times. I wonder how you would have reacted to ‘life in the age of Coronavirus.’
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