Following months of an incendiary campaign against Muslims in Sri Lanka, a Muslim-owned fashion store was attacked last evening by mobs of hate-mongers led by men in the saffron garb of Buddhist monks. I refuse to dignify these robed madmen by associating them with the religion they claim to represent, just as I would be […]
February 11, 2013
As written for Muslim Matters (February 11, 2013) The island nation of Sri Lanka celebrated its 65th Independence Day on the 4th of February amidst conflicting emotions. Although no stranger to tourism brochures as the idyllic holiday getaway, this teardrop isle has also had its fair share of the spotlight in making international headlines – there was the incapacitating […]
January 2, 2013
The stateless Palestinian. The Rohingyan asylum-seeker. The Syrian refugee. The defenceless in war zones. The unwanted girl child. The Dalit. The raped. The gang-raped. The child being molested and too afraid to speak. The starving. The ill-treated labourer. The discarded orphan. The jailed without justice. The physically abused. The emotionally beaten. The homeless. The victim […]
November 5, 2012
As reviewed for The Platform (November 05, 2012) “A little while, a moment of rest upon the wind, and another woman shall bear me.” –The Prophet, by Gibran Khalil Gibran, 1923 Having made its debut in London’s West End back in November 2011 to an exceptional stint of sold-out shows, Rest Upon the Wind, a theatrical depiction of the […]
August 13, 2012
As written for Muslim Matters (August 13, 2012) For most, the onset of Ramaḍān is heralded by the sighting of the moon. Here in the Middle East the sands are alive with the sound of Oudh strings in the form of un-innovative radio adverts, and it’s the mounds of Ouzi and vats of Sharbat being marketed to the masses as […]
July 26, 2012
As written for The National, UAE (July 26, 2012) My definition of a glorious (yes, glorious) Saturday morning; 6 hours, 4 stores and a personal acquisition of 6 titles later = a round-up and critique of the top second-hand book stores in Dubai + the most fun I’ve had on a writing assignment in a […]
April 25, 2012
As written for Muslim Matters (April 25, 2012) The city of Dambulla in Sri Lanka, more known for its representation in tourism brochures as a registered heritage destination for culturally-inclined tourists to the island, made headlines of a less-idyllic nature on the afternoon of Friday the 20th of April – when Buddhist monks led a 2000-strong protest against a […]
April 20, 2012
The past three days I’ve spent in a state of low visibility. Yes, the weather has been rubbish in this here dustbowl, but I refer to the toll my own eyesight has had to take as a result. After a few days of ignoring the warning signs, my suffering pair of ocular organs finally took […]
April 1, 2012
Friends and acquaintances seem to believe that I have in me what it takes to come out with a book. That is, to make my mark as an ink-slinger of the established sort; an author. Ego had me toying about with the idea, but the day dream was dismissed quite quickly, for which I have […]
March 29, 2013
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