Blogs

Nasal Hair And Ghantias Made Of Steel It rained heavily here in Dar es Salaam last night, not a good sign for heading to the airport in the morning since the already terrible roads will now be full of mucky water masking horrid potholes that’ll snare traffic even more. Sure enough, the going is a…

I wish I Was Born A Zionist The persistent ringing of my cell phone five minutes into my deprived sleep after fajr prayers startles me awake; I frantically try to regain consciousness and peer at the caller’s ID. Is this another SOS? Afghanistan? India? Syria? Yemen? Another disaster? Earthquake? A sectarian attack in Pakistan? Is…

The weather in Dar es Salaam is heating up as ‘summer’ takes a firm grip. We’ll soon have the best mangoes, pineapples, and the finest cashews outside heaven to enjoy. In my past Blogs, I’ve alluded to the filthy beggar who sits, but most times lies prone on the concrete floor opposite the building I…

I hear someone call out my name from the crowds behind me on the streets of Dar es Salaam, near DT Roundabout, so I stop to see who it is. A heavyset Bohri man with his trademark cap and an unkempt flowing beard hurries to me, breathing with difficulty, and offers a handshake. Hands and…

A Dinner Of Tripes In Dongri Dongri lies to the south of Mumbai, India. It is probably one of the most densely populated places on our earth. Its residents are mainly Muslim, with a sprinkling of Hindu communities. These occupants are made of many Muslim denominations, all with their cultural identities. And quirks. But the…

The Emirates flight from Dubai to Baghdad lands forty minutes earlier than the scheduled time so Abdulkareem, my larger-than-life host in Iraq is still on the way driving from Najaf. The wait for my visa on arrival to be processed takes almost an hour. Sitting in a crowded hall that is cooled by an antiquated…

Qabiltu! A strange event occurs during Friday’s Jooma prayers at the Dar es Salaam Khoja mosque. It is a national holiday, Saba-Saba, plus Eid day of Ghadeer, and people are happy. Between Jooma salaat and Asr, the respected and highly esteemed resident aalim, Adil Raza, gets up, asks the congregation to hold his neighbor’s hand,…

Me-n-rai / Bo-e / Verrry, Verrry Bad Liberia is where fellow CAI Trustee Sohail Abdullah, TRS CEO Shaida Hussein Bhayani, and I are headed next in our quest to bring quality education to impoverished communities – worldwide. I would categorize Haiti and Liberia as the toughest countries I have visited in my lifetime. They are…

Zimbabwe And Rahma’s Story Zimbabwe Air Tanzania is very good at reminding me of their flight delays, so good, they send me several emails stating the same thing. Their flight TC2122 to Harare, Zimbabwe, scheduled to depart at 11:00, will now take off at 16:00. Bummer. Then, their system gets confused and sends another email…

The Evil Within US I have finally submitted the manuscript of my latest novel – Two Blue Gold And Diamond Earrings – to my publishers in India, so I have some time on my hands. I head towards Mullah Mchungu’s apartment. He has been sending me urgent messages through his caretaker Hameesi, requesting me to…

The Haunting Eyes Of Abandonment I have recently returned from a heart-searing trip through Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh to meet with the abandoned and forgotten Rohingya refugees. It was painful. And the trip through upper/lower Sindh, Pakistan, to inspect some of the homes Comfort Aid International (USA) donors have paid to rebuild was equally sore.…

Planes, Automobiles, And Schools Our trip to inaugurate the CAI-sponsored Al – Mustafa School in remote Parachinar almost does not happen, as the wary Pakistani authorities are reluctant to issue the required special permits until the last few hours of our arrival in the country. Parachinar is an apprehensive, sometimes dangerous place, so the caution…

A Sullying Burp Dar es Salaam – Dubai – Dhaka – Cox’s Bazar – CAI’s Rohingya day school (by car 5 hours roundtrip) – Dhaka – Colombo – Mumbai – Kolkata – New Delhi – Sirsi (by car 6 hours) – Sikanderpur, Halwana, UP (by car 19 hours roundtrip) – New Delhi (by car 5…

A Journey To Rohingya Orphans In Cox’s Bazar I’m heading to meet the 120 Rohingya (from Burma) orphaned children in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. CAI donors pay for their daily upkeep, but more importantly, provide an opportunity for quality education. The kids attend a day school 6 days a week where they start with a nutritious…

A Journey For Iftaar With The Orphans Of Syria I’m heading to Syria once more. My recent visit to aid the victims of the earthquake in February 2023 exposed me to the precarious plight of orphans in the country. Sohail Abdullah, senior CAI Trustee, and I have made a determined decision to put more effort…