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Finding a Space
Between this cultural group and that women’s association, this book club and that sailing academy, it was clear to me that Doha had no shortage of interest-based groups. It still doesn’t. And with a host of community groups to choose from, I felt overwhelmed. Here I was, this young newly married housewife living in a […]
Posted in: on doha
Welcome to Doha
February 6, 2013
A few weeks after my arrival in Doha, I met a Qatari man. It was the first time I had met a national. This was off the back of discussions with friends regarding how aloof the nationals appeared to be. We soothed ourselves with assurances marking this gap between us as the preferred local way. And […]
the incomplete story of a boy
December 24, 2012
My latest read has been Alexander Khan’s memoir, Orphan of Islam. It’s a lengthy depiction of a Pakistani-English boy’s formative years where he suffered abandonment, abuse and abduction. It’s an account of a child born to a Pakistani man and a British woman – and all the torture this mixed heritage brought upon him. The details […]
Posted in: books
SoPhia – a love story
November 29, 2012
When I was told about this novel about domestic violence within the South African Muslim community, I was hungry for it. I thought, Yes! It’s about time I read a book that reveals all the pain women suffer because of male insecurity. Finally a novel that would scream, ‘Stuff you, you wife-beaters.’ But I was […]
Posted in: books, on south africa
The Birth of Me
November 24, 2012
Article first appeared in emel magazine [Nov 2012] After a devastation of dashed dreams and hopes, Farzana Gardee tells her story of how she continues to rebirth her ideas of God, life and love. In my community, motherhood is seen to be the crowning purpose of a woman’s life. The womb holds the sanctity of […]
Posted in: published, spirituality
one woman, two men – all Muslim
October 15, 2012
Let’s say your only sister goes missing. Without a trace, she’s gone. And let’s say that after her disappearance, the psychological trauma influences you towards marrying her fiance. That makes your sister’s fiance your husband. You don’t love him, the sex isn’t great and he’s sleeping around. But yet you remain married to him for […]
Posted in: books
a sexy kind of attitude
September 22, 2012
Prior to The Story of Maha, I read little about growing up in Muslim South Africa as a teenager – particularly as a girl. And through Maha’s story, I found myself reliving so much of my own teenage years. Coming from a conservative community myself, I am aware that female sexuality often fails to have […]
Posted in: books
inside the classroom
September 20, 2012
Often I spend hours trawling through trailers to find the right movie to fit my evening. But sometimes I am immediately taken at first sight. And so it was with Monsiuer Lazhar - an evocative story of an Algerian man seeking asylum in Canada who finds work as a teacher while his court proceedings are underway. The […]
Posted in: films
there is love within
September 19, 2012
Utterly moved. This is how I felt after reading Mornings in Jenin. After turning the last page, I slid into the bathroom to release the pain. In a heap on the cold tiles, I cried. Between my ragged gasps for breath, I thought of Fatima and her immense capacity to love. Of Dalia who was […]
Posted in: books
Choosing a Childfree Present
September 3, 2012
“Do you want to be in your marriage?” She asked me, matter-of-factly. For months I wrestled with this question, always too afraid to broach it during daylight hours. But here we were, in her bright little office, and her words flooded the room. On that day, I did not have an answer for her. My […]
Posted in: published
kinyarwanda
September 3, 2012
Madiba became our President back in 1994. Being young, I remember how the years before this were hushed in anticipation of a civil war. On the cusp of a power shift, we stocked up on cans of beans, rice, flour and soaps – amongst other items. It was during this period that I learnt that […]
Posted in: films
a grave of contradictions
August 13, 2012
From the clergy claiming to be peaceful but preaching hatred towards other groups, from claims that Islam honours women to references permitting abuse, from citing verse after verse about mercy and love to displays of wretched character – these are the contradictory perceptions of my religion that I am buried beneath. A growing disillusionment with what […]
Posted in: films, spirituality
where is the change?
August 9, 2012
The last time I read Hajji Musa and the Hindu-Firewalker was in high school as part of a collection of short stories from South African writers. My most vivid memory of this story was of Jamila being beaten with champals and Hajji Musa yelling: “Come out Jinn! Come out Jinn!” At the time, it was […]
Posted in: books, on south africa
Why can’t I fast?
August 7, 2012
Normally I would welcome this ‘break’ from a month of fasting. A few days ‘off” from this sweltering fasting season because of my period should be a blessing, right? But this time, I’m not feeling the blessing. For years now, Ramadan has been at most a 20-day-or-so month of fasting for me. I was taught […]
Posted in: spirituality
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April 24, 2013
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