My short story published in issue one of The Brown Orient: Early during autumn time about 20 years ago, not a single tree was in sight nor could the billowing of the wind be heard. The stillness and depression of the atmosphere hung over the city like a plague. The elderly people in the refugee camp in Damascus, Syria, where we have been living for the past couple of months, love to tell stories about how beautiful the city used to be.

The long-lasting treacherous and heart-wrenching effects of the India and Pakistan partition are embedded in the hearts of South Asians everywhere. Whether it was our grandparents or great-grandparents caught in the midst of British colonial sanctioned segregation, the violent legacy of 1947 and beyond comes with trauma, hegemonic nationalism, hatred, and religious-militaristic state ideologies.

ISLAMABAD — In the latest of mob attacks on minority Muslim sects in Pakistan, Sunni extremists demolished a historic mosque belonging to Ahmadis in the city of Sialkot. The plan was orchestrated by Hafiz Hamid Raza, a member of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Inshaf, during the night and early morning. No worshippers appeared to have been inside the mosque during the attack, and there have not been any reports of casualties.

It has been a disastrous year in politics for Muslims across the nation. Ironically, the Muslim community has become a punching bag in a country that separates church and state.

A longstanding misogynistic decree that banned women from driving in Saudi Arabia was lifted on Sept. 26 by King Salman, but anyone who thinks that this decree won’t be met with active resistance is fooling themselves.

Just like clothes and underwear, one size does not fit all. Although hundreds of bottles line the shelves in the skincare aisle at your local store, the majority of skincare and makeup companies sell products that are tailored to benefit Eurocentric skin tones.

Between nosy relatives, overbearing men and patronizing parents, South Asian or Desi women have heard it all. The backhanded compliments and subtle racist remarks have shaped us into the unapologetically self-loving beings we are. Grab a mango lassi, get ready to relate, and remember that ain’t nobody like a Desi girl.

Between dealing with consultations with immigration lawyers and patiently waiting for his family’s green card approval, Syrian-American Omar Said was devastated by the effects and implications of President Donald Trump’s travel ban, and decided not to stay silent.

The first time South Indian UT alumnus Abhi Ravinutala witnessed the anguish of mental illness, he wanted to talk to his parents about it but feared how they would receive him. In a community that praises conformity and honor, Ravinutala realized that for some South Asians, the way of talking about your problems is simply not talking about them at all.

On Tuesday morning President Donald Trump ordered an end to the Obama-era executive action, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which shields nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrants who entered the country as minors from deportation. DACA protects “dreamers” from deportation, but also allows them to receive higher education, obtain a valid driver’s license, and legally secure jobs.

Conservatives welcomed a policy that prevents U.S. foreign aid from aiding nongovernmental organizations (NGO) that administer abortion services, distribute contraception or even advise patients on family planning. Trump has previously stated that he will appoint Supreme Court justices in favor of overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, potentially making abortion illegal in 33 states in America.

Part of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), chairman Ing-wen was voted into power by a landslide, earning 56.12 percent of the votes,” Sakhuja said. “This committed woman transitioned from full-time law professor to head-turning politician in less than a decade. Spending the majority of her time in policy work, Tsai has been on the forefront of “two-state” research as well as being the head of the Mainland Affairs Council.

Flashback to a few weeks ago: I remember scrolling through social media and noticing the same few people post their condolences for the police officers killed in the Dallas protest with the infamous hashtag #AllLivesMatter. My initial reaction was quick outrage, not because I don’t sympathize with cop lives, believe me, you and I both know a few bad cops don’t represent the majority, but because they had never taken to time to express sympathy towards the black victims of police brutality in the

“Honor killings” - a horrific injustice deep rooted in centuries of established cultural norms, expressive oppression, and patriarchy. These killings are a manifestation of extreme violence against women that seems prevalent in South Asia and in several Muslim-majority countries.

Few international issues have propagated as much attention, passion, and political upheaval as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A monstrous dispute founded upon decades of clashes between religion, borders, and territory, the Israeli occupation of Palestine has striped Palestinians of basic human rights, broken international law, and taken hundreds of thousands of innocent lives. Here are seven things the media doesn’t want you to know: Israel has taken and continues to take occupied Palestin

TW/ ra*e The following letter is written in response to former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner’s intent to commit rape of an intoxicated/unconscious person in January 2015. The controversy around this case has led to widespread outrage over California Judge Aaron Persky’s decision to give Turner a six-month jail sentence for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman.

Shall we take a moment to rack our brains and remember some basic middle school history? The social status of women when Plato and Aristotle were roaming Mother Earth, was limited, to say the very least. Women were expected to be subservient to the will of their fathers and husbands and fulfill the role of household manager.

Banks starts off by saying she’s going to start calling him “Punjab” as a slur. Little does she know that Punjab is a state that spans two countries (India and Pakistan) and is home to five rivers, not just the Ganga that she refers to as the “shitty river.”