The post- Liberation War generation of Bangladesh know stories from 1971 all too well. Our families are framed and bound by the history of this war. What Bangladeshi family has not been touched by the passion, famine, murders and blood … Continue reading →

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As a Bangladeshi woman, I could not have felt more fortunate when I decided to give birth in America. It was a natural choice for my American husband and I. After almost a decade working to ensure US foreign policy … Continue reading →

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As a mother to an eight month old, you would think the main reason I am not getting enough sleep would be the new baby in our home.  But really I stay up late into the night while my husband … Continue reading →

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This past Monday, the 26th of March, was Bangladesh’s 41st Independence Anniversary. I was so happy that the issue of women’s rights four decades after we separated from Pakistan was featured on “The Stream” on Al-Jazeera. I had worked for … Continue reading →%IMAG…

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British newspaper the Guardian recently revealed thousands of personal emails it uncovered between Syria’s President, Bashar al-Assad and his wife, Asma. Amidst the beginnings of civil war brewing in Syria, and the slaughtering of civilians in Homs, one would be … Continue reading →… Read full post »

Last week, my husband and I made a trip down to Charlottesville to my alma mater, the University of Virginia (UVA), with our six month old daughter, Ava. It was honestly one of the happiest days of my life, walking … Continue reading →

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Demi Moore’s recent divorce from her younger husband, Ashton Kutcher, and subsequent trip to rehab for drug and alcohol addiction have been documented all too well in the tabloids. We read the headlines, and exclaim our shock and horror at … Continue reading →

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Saudi women have taken the wheels in recent months literally by defying the country’s notorious driving ban, and figuratively in attempting to advance their rights in the wake of the Arab Spring in the famously “conservative” Kingdom which allows women … Continue reading &#859… Read full post »

Last week I had the tremendous honor of attending an event with Her Majesty, Queen Rania of Jordan. She was in Washington to promote a great initiative for girls education called “10×10.” The fact that around the world millions of … Continue reading →

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A predawn raid today increased clashes between the military and civilian populations in Egypt, triggering women in Cairo to mobilize around the ongoing violence which in recent days has targeted women. This week horrifying images of just how brutal the … Continue reading →

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I was interviewed by the wonderful site for South Asian-Canadian moms, Masala Mommas. It was my first interview as a new mom and I could not have been more excited to share and reflect on what I have learned as … Continue reading →

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I can’t tell you how much I relied on my girlfriends for my sanity in my twenties. During our student days at the University of Virginia (UVA), we were each other’s roommates, psychiatrists, parents, and siblings. We stayed up late … Continue reading →

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At the end of October, the UN has projected that the world’s population will reach 7 billion, a scary milestone amidst increasing global political and economic instability. More people will only place increased pressure on our environment, on the world’s … Continue reading →

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“What a difference a day makes, 24 little hours,” is how the song goes, and the line could not ring more true for Saudi women. This week we saw Saudi King Abdullah grant women the vote in an effort to … Continue reading →

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The spirit of the Arab Spring broke the steel gates of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today as one by one Saudi women started their engines, defying the country’s notorious ban on women driving, the only place  in the world … Continue reading →

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There is no doubt that the recent revolution in Egypt got the wheels of the Arab Spring rolling. But just as quick as women were to flood the corners of Tahrir Square and the streets of Cairo in the hopes … Continue reading →

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Very little surprised me about IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn‘s attempted rape of a New York hotel maid, and even less shocked me about his sketchy record on harassing women. Hello, can we say rich-white-male-power-entitlement-issues? Apparently Strauss-Kahn’s “women problem†was an open &…

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Just when you thought there could be no more bad PR for the war in Afghanistan, a crippling “60 Minutes†investigation about celebrated author and humanitarian, Greg Mortenson’s best-selling works, Three Cups of Tea and Stones Into Schools is casting … Continue reading →

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Amidst all the frenzy surrounding the upcoming Royal Wedding and what Kate Middleton will wear, Salon addresses a more important point: what will Ms. Middleton will say? When Kate Middleton walks down the aisle to wed Prince William on April 29, … Continue reading →

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One of the most electrifying outcomes of the recent protests in the Middle East & North Africa has been the shattering of myths about Arabs & Muslims that have too long been fed to the West: the women are voiceless, … Continue reading →

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Recently I have been writing on how Arab and Muslim women have taken to the streets in political protest, shattering stereotypes in the process. Over the weekend we saw another group of women do the same, this time in Italy. … Continue reading →

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Anyone remember what one of the most striking images to surface from Iran’s uprising last summer over the fallout from the country’s so-called elections were? Iranian women protesting. The world was shocked to see Iranians, 70% of whom are under … Continue reading →

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Last week when news of Prince William’s engagement to long-time girlfriend Kate Middleton broke, I didn’t really have a reaction. After eight years of waiting around for her boyfriend (does it make a difference that he happens to be the … Continue reading →

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To be quite honest, until this whole Park 51 Community Center controversy exploded, I really did not know much, or really have any strong feelings about New York’s Mayor, Michael Bloomberg. However, over the course of the past few weeks … Continue reading →

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I tried to stay quite and hoped that if I closed my eyes long enough, this whole "Ground-Zero Mosque" controversy would blow over. It hasn't. In fact, all the fuss and controversy over this "mosque" has risen to such ridiculous and offensive levels that I can no longer endure this breed… Read full post »