The world of Pakistani TV is rife with melodramas of the “shaadi, mohabbat, talaaq” (wedding, romance, divorce) variety, but every so often a unique voice dares to break the mold. Parizaad, written by Hashim Nadeem and directed by Shahzad Kashmiri, is a thriller with hard-won moments of heart. The titular character is a downtrodden soul…
Amid the turbulence of the past year, despite an overall decline in the number of hate crimes in the U.S, hate crimes against Asian Americans rose by almost 150 percent. On multiple separate occasions, elderly Asian American people were attacked on the street, including one brutal incident in New York where bystanders stood by and…
The monuments of the Islamic world are a testament to the artistic traditions that have emerged from Muslim nations. Several of these iconic buildings came out of the Ottoman Empire (c. 1299 – 1922 C.E.), which was based in the peninsula of Anatolia in modern-day Turkey. One of the centerpieces of the Ottoman Empire’s architectural…
In March of 2020, when the world was just beginning to realize the severity of the coronavirus situation, Priyanka Chopra drew raised eyebrows from many when she posted a video of herself on Instagram standing on a balcony and clapping for first responders. “People around the world have shown their appreciation for the doctors, nurses…
Rarely does the Western world highlight artistic traditions of the Islamic world. Often, European art is viewed as a kind of standard for high culture. However, the richly varied history of Muslim artists deserves to be examined more closely, especially contemporary artists who have both exemplified traditional forms and pushed the envelope of change. In…
It was less that Alex Trebek was famous because of Jeopardy!, and more that the show became what it is because of him. The show we know as Jeopardy! today actually got its start in the sixties when executive producer Merv Griffin pitched it under the name What’s the Question? during development. Art Fleming hosted…
About Ramadan, the famous Persian Muslim poet Rumi once wrote: “O moon-faced Beloved, the month of Ramadan has arrived. Cover the table and open the path of praise.” The ninth month of the Hijri calendar holds special significance to Muslims around the world. It was during Ramadan that the Prophet Muhammad (S) received the first…
When I was in middle school, my friends and I loved writing short stories. We would post them on a forum, eager for feedback from other readers. One friend wrote a story where the main character was a Pakistani girl named Iman – “belief” in Arabic. I clearly remember thinking afterwards: “Well, that’s unrealistic. That’s…
Khawlah bint al-Azwar, fluttering cloth and clinking metal, deep in the heat of the desert; Squares her shoulders, draws a breath. Sends a word heavenwards, Eyes steely behind their shade. No fear must slake her resolve today. The hilt of the blade warms in her grip, the blood thrums under her skin- The spirit is…