Subscribe:
RSS feed
Ramadan Musings
As written for Yahoo! Maktoob (July 24, 2013) To anyone looking to truly appreciate Ramadan, I would say: put on those blinders. Block out the clichéd crescent-themed commercialism lacing the highways – the hawking of seasonal sugar syrups competing with the peddling of fast food all-you-can-eats. Ignore the ostentatious Ramadan tents and the allure of their […]
Must We Have A Day
June 20, 2013
Today they say, is refugee day So the world remembers us, or so they say When the only one thing soothed, hugged and told “it’ll all be alright” Is their conscience. Must we have a day In your calendar of goodwill? Striking in hunger for those millions of empty plates. Lighting candles in vigil […]
Dubai’s Reading Cafes
May 14, 2013
As written for The National, UAE (May 14, 2013) Another fun round-up for the lit lot. At a time when a true appreciation of literature is seemingly on the demise, thanks to the doomsayer-esque allure of technology and its de-romanticisation of the written word, Dubai seems to be witnessing a sudden revivalist surge in the promotion of […]
Dignity in the Time of Islamophobia
March 29, 2013
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 […]
Anti-Muslim Bigotry on the Island: Sri Lankan Muslims in the Face of a New Civil War?
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 […]
Save The Humans
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 […]
Rest Upon the Wind: Staging the Life of Khalil Gibran
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 […]
Ramadan for the Self-Righteous
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 […]
A Guide to Dubai’s Best Second-hand Bookshops
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 […]
The Dambulla Mosque Debacle and The Rise of The Minority Extremist
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 […]
Sans-Sight Insight
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 […]
July 28, 2013
1