When I was in college, my friends used to tease that I was the “poster child” for the University of Virginia (UVA) because I love the school so much. I was honored and humbled when the editors of my alma mater’s main publication got in touch to run an abridged version of my piece, “What’s
UVA Magazine Features Anushay’s Point Read More »
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 that gave birth to a new nation as it seceded from Pakistan? Bangladesh was one
1971 Rapes: Bangladesh Cannot Hide History Read More »
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 and daughter sleep because, with iPhone tightly in palm, I am pinning the night away.
The Pinterest Gap: Is Pinning Only For Women? Read More »
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 months to get this issue on air. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcsknTDJN4M&feature=player_embedded#!q] Bangladesh is often touted as a “development
41 Years Later: Women’s Rights in Bangladesh Read More »
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 forgiven to think that the Assads were busy packing their bags, and boarding the nearest
Asma al-Assad: To Shop or Not To Shop? Read More »
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 through the university grounds, showing my college where I had gained a priceless education with
What is the Rush? Learning & Accepting the Art of Slowing Down Read More »
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 Moore’s “pathetic” behavior. Unable to keep her much younger man, losing the battle with Mother
No Country for Old Women: Demi Moore & Our Fear of Aging Read More »
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 virtually no rights without male guardianship or representation. In addition to the battles Saudi women
A Woman’s Place: Saudi Princes in Row Over Kingdom’s Image Read More »
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 girls are still denied an education, unable to go to school for reasons ranging from
An Education: What a Good Teacher Really Means Read More »
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 military can be towards women went viral. The video showing military police dragging a woman
Reclaiming the Revolution: Women in Cairo Refuse to be Sidelined Read More »