Blogs

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…

Ramadhan In Sanford The holy month starts while I am in Sanford, which has balmy spring weather. As usual, Allah bestows His mercy and tranquility settles on my fasting; the hunger pangs and thirst are easily endured, even when I hit the gym in the afternoons; I feel very little pain or discomfort. Wonderful. Masjid…

Air Travels I’m traveling from New York to Minneapolis on a raw day. While it is 45°F in New York, it is forecasted to be about 7°F in the Twin Cities. So, this weather is the core subject of discussion with almost all the passengers within earshot. A nervous-looking lady approaches my row, inspects me…

Manakara We have a grand opening of Al Mahdi School in Manakara, Madagascar on Valentine’s day, a proud BCT / CAI undertaking. A wonderful day for about 300 girls who will have an opportunity to quality education for the first time in their lives. Manakara is a poor town south of the island, and difficult…

Mullah Mjanja / A New Novel Mullah Mjanja I had known Mjanja (an alias, naturally) almost fifty years ago, from my time growing up in Tanga in the seventies. Mjanja means shrewd in Kiswahili. This is a title our friends gave him because he used to be cunning with his teachers, friends, and foes, getting…

Haazar. Chashm. Agreed. The blessed month of Rajab is here. There is a deluge of Facebook posts, WhatsApp forwards, and emails extolling me to become more pious and Allah-conscious this month. Our respected and revered aalims, too, are all fired up – recite this and that dua they extoll in sermons, recite ziyaarats, pray these…