Published in ZORA·Sep 17, 2019Member-onlyHow Women Are Faring in the World’s Largest Refugee CampRohingya women are moving past the narrative of victimhood and emerging as leaders in the camps, despite resistance from the men — On August 25, thousands of Rohingya refugees gathered under a relentless sun in Kuttapalong, the oldest refugee camp in Bangladesh, to commemorate the two-year anniversary of one of the most significant events in their turbulent history. More than 700,000 Rohingyas fled what the United Nations calls “ethnic cleansing” by the…Refugees9 min readRefugees9 min read
Published in ZORA·Aug 15, 2019Member-onlyThis Uighur Journalist Is Bravely Fighting a Homegrown Cultural GenocideGulchehra Hoja has dedicated her life to protecting her people, who are being tortured for their religion and identity — In November 2017, 23-year-old Amanet Khan (name changed for safety reasons), a Chinese graduate student studying in New York City, knew something was wrong when her father stopped responding to her texts on WeChat, a popular messaging app in China. Gradually, even her mother’s texts slowed down to one-word responses.China7 min readChina7 min read
Published in ZORA·Aug 13, 2019Member-onlyShe Called Out Priyanka Chopra at BeautyCon, and It Went ViralA beauty influencer challenged the UNICEF ambassador and shed light on the India-Pakistan conflict — On August 10, beauty bloggers, makeup addicts, and celebrities gathered in downtown Los Angeles for Beautycon LA. UNICEF ambassador and international celebrity Priyanka Chopra was on stage during one of the panels when Pakistani American beauty vlogger, Ayesha Malik, called her a hypocrite for her tweet on February 26 in…India7 min readIndia7 min read
Published in ZORA·Jun 27, 2019Member-onlyLiving Alone Is a Revolutionary ActBy claiming a room of my own, I’ve gone against the grain — Moving out on my own was among one of the most disgraceful things I could’ve done as a daughter of Bangladeshi Muslim immigrant parents — we’re supposed to live at home until we complete half our deen: the belief in Islam that when you get married, you complete half your…Self Care5 min readSelf Care5 min read
Oct 2, 2015Member-onlyMy Mother, The Child BridePhoto: Courtesy of Jennifer Chowdhury. Fardowsi Chowdhury, age 15, on her wedding day in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 1979. Compared to the rest of South Asia, Bangladesh is doing relatively well when it comes to a number of women’s-empowerment issues, from girls’ access to education to women’s political roles. But in…Women9 min readWomen9 min read
Feb 6, 2015Member-onlyA Blue-Collar Immigrant Daughter’s BurdenOne weekend a few years ago, I set up camp at my neighborhood Panera, working on my laptop. Two college-aged Bangladeshi girls at the next table were airing their grievances: “It’s like…they want us to become doctors or engineers so they can brag to everyone, but then tell us to…3 min read3 min read
Feb 6, 2015Member-onlyThe Women’s Mosque of America Shifted My Faith CrisisIn the fourth grade, I asked Allah for long hair. When I spread my palms in front of my face to pray, I said, “Please, please, God, don’t let Ammu cut my hair off this summer.” It was my mother’s end of the school year ritual, to chop my thick…5 min read5 min read
