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Celebrating Nowruz from London to Seattle
Two children play around Chaharshanbeh Suri bonfires, a Nowruz opening ceremony the author grew up with. (Photo by Zia Rezghi) Every year around this time, joyful childhood memories ignite inside me. I...
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Seattle Afghan community remembers Farkhunda
Mursal Ismailzada, a student at the University of Washington who immigrated to the U.S. from Afghanistan as a child, lights a candle for Farkhunda. (Photo by Atia Musazay) Afghans residing in the...
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‘Desert Dancer’ film’s Western bias denies audiences a more accurate view of...
Freida Pinto and Reese Ritchie depict the struggle of young dancers in Iran in “Desert Dancer. (Photo courtesy of Relativity Media) Editor’s disclosure: “Desert Dancer” was co-produced by one of the...
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5 Arabic words I wish we had in English
The author’s sister Anna Hink (center) meeting some long lost relatives in Lebanon. (Photo by Deric Gruen) As a second-generation nuss-nuss (“half n’ half”) Arab American who is Lebanese and German,...
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Learning to bond between screens, across borders
Peyton yawns and stretches as my sister Katie holds her during our first Skype conversation. (Screen grab by Janelle Retka) Instagram introduced me to my niece. The next time I saw her was through...
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Yes, there is such a thing as a secular Muslim
(Illustration by Mohammed Kloub) I don’t really remember 9/11 happening — I was only 6 years old at the time. But I do remember the consequences for my Arab-Muslim immigrant family. Only a few months...
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Seattle pop-up restaurant Yalla offers real deal in Middle Eastern cuisine
“Yalla,” a middle-eastern food popup restaurant in the Central District has chefs Taylor Cheney, left, and Pinar Ozhal, right, busy in the kitchen of The Atlantic restaurant, Monday, Oct. 3, 2016, in...
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Global women’s fight against sexual harassment didn’t start with #MeToo
The gang rape and murder of Jyoti Singh, who was called by the name “Nirbhaya” in Indian press, led to protests in India calling for justice, including this one on Jan. 3, 2013. The demonstrations led...
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Why I’m resisting the urge to tune out news from Iraq
The author reporting in the Kurdish region of Iraq in 2010. (Photo by Alex Stonehill) If it wasn’t a requirement of my job to follow current events I think I’d consider a serious break from the news....
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Belly dance: appreciation or appropriation?
Shay Moore teaches American Tribal Style belly dance at the Phinney Neighborhood Center. (Photo by Dominique Etzel) With white skin and a pixie haircut, Shay Moore would probably never be mistaken as...
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