Bina Shah

Courage in a Time of Chaos Dec 31, 1969

The enemies of our country are vast and they are clever; they would like nothing better than to see us sink into lawlessness and despair.

Ayaan Ali Hirsi and the Big Bad Wolf Dec 31, 1969

Women must stand up for themselves, they must speak out against injustice, no matter what form or shape it takes. Islam cannot be used to justify oppression over women or their bodies or their futures.

Islam and the Age of Globalization Dec 31, 1969

Never one to shy away from a challenge, Professor Akbar S. Ahmed's latest brainchild is a project on Islam in the Age of Globalization, an in-depth look into how technology and the interactions of civilizations are affecting the practice and cultural trad

Messages Dec 31, 1969

I know what this is, because it isn’t the first time I’ve heard it: a bomb, and a strong one, judging from the way the windows shake

Cartoon Clash of Civilizations Dec 31, 1969

What astonishes me is that in a time when relations between the Western/European/American world are so delicate, people would want to do something to fire up Muslim sentiment against Europe

A Love Affair with Lahore Dec 31, 1969

Those who know Lahore intimately can feel its romance as they gaze across the rooftops of the walled city, and glimpse the spires of its colonial-era buildings

Book: The Time Traveler`s Wife Dec 31, 1969

Love without boundaries

Aftershocks and Afterthoughts Dec 31, 1969

I used to have a poster up in my room that illustrated the plight of the world’s refugees, and a slogan that I think applies perfectly to this situation: 'Desperate Millions on the Move'.

Earthquake Relief Efforts Dec 31, 1969

The organizers told viewers that they had received enough clothing; what they needed now was medicine and volunteers to come help sort out the items.

Rape and Exploitation - Pakistan’s Dilemma Dec 31, 1969

Musharraf will very probably live to regret this instance of foot-in-mouth disease, but the only way to show Pakistani women, and the world, that he has had it cured is to take very concrete steps for the protection of and the achievement of justice for e

Behind the Iron Purdah Dec 31, 1969

...what this country might look like if people who want Pakistan to emulate the Taliban (in terms of how women should be treated) got their way

Book: After Terror Dec 31, 1969

Twenty-eight essays from the world`s leading thinkers on the alternative to terrorism

On the Inside Dec 31, 1969

This essay is meant to bust a few myths and communicate a few home truths about “feudalism” in this country, which many people in the urban centers of the country believe to be the reason for why things in Pakistan are so amiss.

Why Mukhtar Mai Matters Dec 31, 1969

She has decided to take up the fight against “outdated and unIslamic customs and traditions” as she stated on International Woman’s Day this year. Mukhtar Mai is showing here that she is no victim, but a woman who has been forced to beco

Interview with the Vamp Dec 31, 1969

Angelina Jolie recently visited Pakistan for the second time in her capacity as a UNHCR goodwill ambassador...

Book: Lucky Girls Dec 31, 1969

Young American writer Nell Freudenberger created a buzz several years ago when her short story “ Lucky Girls” earned her a $500,000 offer for a book that hadn’t even been written yet.

Outside the Military Hospital Dec 31, 1969

The sun is equally unkind to them all
And God is equally forgiving. And that’s the way it’s always been
Despite fifty years and as many leaders in between.

Not Your Mother’s Holiday Dec 31, 1969

So 'National Bitch Day' could actually be seen as something very beneficial to women's collective mental health. This would be the one day where you, as a woman, are not allowed to be 'nice'.

Movie: Bride and Prejudice Dec 31, 1969

Bride and Prejudice is an experiment that should have stayed on the drawing board.

Book: A Beggar At the Gate Dec 31, 1969

The second in the trilogy about Sufism and love in India.

Is Helen Fielding a Racist? Dec 31, 1969

So what’s wrong with writing a novel where Al-Qaeda terrorists blow up a floating apartment block, kill Westerners, and yet are deeply attracted to the charms of the West, including women and alcohol? Isn’t that what Arabs do?

Book: Transmission Dec 31, 1969

Hari Kunzru`s sophomore novel is a slick mix of technology and culture, the epitome of "geek-lit".

The Real Blasphemy Dec 31, 1969

Van Gogh had received death threats for directing a film that accused Islam of condoning violence against women... there is something in the subject that seems to arouse the basest of passions in the human heart; the need to annihilate the person who says

The Trouble With Irshad Manji Dec 31, 1969

Manji believes that she’s appealing to young Muslims everywhere with her straight-talking, candid language and style. But she is more likely to alienate Muslims ...

A Matter of Destiny Dec 31, 1969

Unlike other dating sites, though, Naseeb is first and foremost a Web site for Muslims, and it shows.

The 786 Cybercafé on Tariq Road (continued) Dec 31, 1969

Karachi in the 1990s was a wasteland of failed opportunities; the salaried class was on its knees under the burden of heavy government taxes, and the only people who could afford to set up franchises and industries were the already super-rich, super-corru

The Rock Star and the Mullahs Dec 31, 1969

Salman Ahmed is a man on a mission: to challenge Pakistan’s hardline mullahs on why they believe music is not allowed in Islam.

The 786 Cybercafé on Tariq Road Dec 31, 1969

The Need For Writing Across the Curriculum Dec 31, 1969

But why is there a need to integrate writing into all areas of learning?

Just Another Day On the Job Dec 31, 1969

The CEO of Pakistan strode in masterfully to chair the Wednesday weekly cabinet meeting at the CEO’s office in Islamabad. It was a weighty responsibility, but he knew he was man enough for the job. He had achieved a high level of fitness from carryi

Standing in the Fields Dec 31, 1969

The rest of the world wants to grow wings and fly
We only want to grow roots deep within the soil,
Where we belong.

Book: Vernon God Little Dec 31, 1969

The 2003 winner of the Booker Prize

The Hidden Pearls Dec 31, 1969

Recently I read a brochure that someone had given me entitled 'The Hidden Pearls'. ....it was a pamphlet explaining why women should wear the veil and the face covering (hijab and niqab respectively).

Zen Pakistanis Dec 31, 1969

The “Father of the Bomb” is undoubtedly realizing that from now on when they call him “Father of the Bum” it won’t merely be a mistake in pronunciation.

Charbagh Dec 31, 1969

Entering Gulgee’s gallery is like stepping into a wonderful surrealistic painting in which odd shapes, images, and objects stare at you as you pass by, giving you the feeling that you’ve turned into Alice and are stepping into Wonderland.

Book: A Mighty Heart Dec 31, 1969

It is a contribution to what Danny named as his life`s purpose: creating a dialogue between civilizations through his journalism.

Book: Brick Lane Dec 31, 1969

A panoramic view of the Bengali community as seen through the eyes of Nazneen, a young woman from a village who moves to London after her marriage at the age of eighteen

Boston Dec 31, 1969

The joy at having the customs official at Logan look at my passport and my visa and say, 'You’re going to Wellesley? That’s fantastic. I wish I could have gone to Wellesley.'

The Largest City Dec 31, 1969

Their wounds and scars speak to us in code
We are deafened by their quiet moans

Black Days in Karachi Dec 31, 1969

The Black Days have returned to Karachi, but this time they have nothing to do with politics, but a slowly widening oil slick, that grows day by day to destroy everything that Karachi holds dear.

Bus Baby Dec 31, 1969

A poem for Noor Fatima

Monsoon Days Dec 31, 1969

The woman on the television tells us it’s raining in India. This means the monsoon will come to Pakistan soon. You only have to see the satellite map on television to understand the Siamese nature of South Asian weather.

The Truth About Karachi Dec 31, 1969

Rejoinder to the Time article about Karachi

Qualitative Education Dec 31, 1969

By educating ourselves out of the Third World Mindtrap, we may not necessarily become wealthier nations,

Movie: Bhowani Junction Dec 31, 1969

An old-style Hollywood movie about Partition

Baghdad Lullaby II Dec 31, 1969

Who is going to mourn the dead?

Baghdad Lullaby Dec 31, 1969

They say the price of war is never cheap ...

The New Jews Dec 31, 1969

In this world, where Muslims are the new Jews, where Pakistanis are terrorists, visa cheaters and total bastards, What am I?

Goats, Terrorists, and the People Who Love Them Dec 31, 1969

this plate of meat being devoured by my relatives was Fluffy the Goat two hours ago

Ghada Karmi: The Strength of Palestinian Narrative in the Face of Violence Dec 31, 1969

She continues to hold the belief that Palestinian statehood is a goal that can be achieved with the use of all options

Fair and Lovely Dec 31, 1969

She's a little on the dark side

The Diary of a Pretty Young Thing Dec 31, 1969

I smiled charmingly at the visa officer

The Endangered Species Dec 31, 1969

I’m just waiting for the day when South Asian women are added to the WWF’s endangered species list.

Teasing or Torture? Dec 31, 1969

both men and women are equal losers when it comes to sexual harassment in our country

1 Giant Leap - Music Review Dec 31, 1969

Bitter, Not Sweet Dec 31, 1969

We were treated to a shootout between seven Al-Qaeda suspects hiding in a residential apartment about three minutes away from my house.

The Good Wife Dec 31, 1969

What would they ask for next

When Riz Khan Came to Town Dec 31, 1969

The hotel where the BBC crew is staying has received 14,357 marriage proposals

Timestoppers Dec 31, 1969

light-years away from developing a wristwatch that could stop time, decided instead to adopt Daylight Savings Time

Movie: ABCD Dec 31, 1969

you might not go home with a happy ending, [but] you will be left with an honest one

The Taste of this Eid Dec 31, 1969

it made no difference that we had all tried to be so good

Book: American Muslims: the new generation Dec 31, 1969

American Muslims are better Muslims

Mango Diplomacy Dec 31, 1969

The King of Fruit sweetens palates and softens moods everywhere ...

Book: Interpreter of Maladies Dec 31, 1969

A review of the Pulitzer prize winning short story collection

Movie: American Desi Dec 31, 1969

Of course the guy gets the girl in the end

An Ode to Chowk Dec 31, 1969

South Asian writers - it’d be quite a zoo!

The Good Husband Dec 31, 1969

What do you want for your breakfast?

Connections Dec 31, 1969

Our tears bleed the same salt

Beating the Donkey Dec 31, 1969

The Minister roared from the ground

Salman, Padma, Fatwa Dec 31, 1969

How about a Fatwa against trophy wives?

Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire’s Dog? Dec 31, 1969

a man in India who’d married his four-year-old daughter to a dog

Death Becomes Us Dec 31, 1969

All it takes is one phone call

Movie: East is East Dec 31, 1969

The movie strings its dramatic tension on the fact that George wants to arrange marriages for his grown-up sons

ALIF - The Way Ahead? Dec 31, 1969

to build the Kingdom of God out of scraps

Study in Black Dec 31, 1969

Why did a man get to wear white and a woman black?

Diary of a Coup Dec 31, 1969

A coup d’etat had taken place and everything was going on as if nothing had happened?

His Gift Dec 31, 1969

He knew things without knowing how he knew them.

The Marriage Trap II Dec 31, 1969

Let the (mating) dance begin ...

Movie: Jinnah Dec 31, 1969

In watching Jinnah, you are forced to really exercise your mind to understand this movie, which is the richest experience any film can offer

Fishhooks Dec 31, 1969

Some men are like fishhooks. They slide so easily into the softest flesh they find

Letter from a Soldier Dec 31, 1969

What would that soldier, captured by the Serbs, say?

Snakebite Dec 31, 1969

From the hole, a large hissing sound escapes, and she shrieks..

Peter Pan Dec 31, 1969

In circles flow all the great rivers of our hearts

The Marriage Trap Dec 31, 1969

Why aren’t we getting M-A-R-R-I-E-D?

Limiting Images Dec 31, 1969

Why I hate my college magazine.

An Interview with Nasser Khan Ghazi Dec 31, 1969

A talk with the man who started the first ISP in South Asia.

Daddy’s Girl Dec 31, 1969

To my friends who lost their father at an early age

Bookstore Lessons Dec 31, 1969

Watching the two boys... I was seized by the impulse to do something for them...

When flowers Fall Dec 31, 1969

I promise to remember.

Music: Star Rise Dec 31, 1969

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Michael Brooks` Night Song Remixed.

A Heavy Price to Pay Dec 31, 1969

I am told I must not enter that world...

Squeamish in the Name of Science Dec 31, 1969

Refuting the great Desi Dream

On Being an Ex-Expatriate Dec 31, 1969

What’s it like to come back to Pakistan? An ex-expatriate speaks.