Film Review: Riaad Moosa’s ‘New Material’
There is a moment in New Material where protagonist Cassim Kaif looks on to a group of would be colleagues taking shots and waiting to board a plane. It’s a moment that’s familiar to many
Review: No Place for Good in Kashmir
No Place for Good in Kashmir Inside the mind of a 12-year-old poet. For Abdullah, peace, unity, freedom, truth is a vanishing dream. He, at this tender age, recognizes that the rulers aren’t worthy
Top Three Reads for 2022 by Al Batul Book Club
As the new year, and new goals roll in, so does our need for self-reflection and motivation! This list of three top reads is hopefully the beginning of a more prosperous and fulfilling year, a
“The Misfits”: Film Review
The Misfits stars ex-Bond, Pierce Brosnan, Nick Cannon and a handful of other beautiful and starkly diverse cast members as a band of criminals stealing from the rich and undeserving for the greater good. Directed
Goodbye Muslim Gonzo
Michael Muhammad Knight has always been provocative. His mixture of punk-gonzo writing, tripping across the American Muslim landscape in search of its – and ultimately, Islam’s – soul, has always attracted me. Perhaps it is
35 thoughts I had while watching Ep 1 of “The Serpent”
The Serpent is a show about Charles Sobhraj - conman and killer, who posed as a gem dealer in Thailand and murdered young people on the infamous “hippie trail”. It’s a slow burn show that
Ramadan in Art and Literature
Ramadan in Art and Literature: From Ramazaniye to Ramy The observance of Ramadan marks a significant time in the calendars of Muslims around the world who welcome it as a month of increased worship and
Muti’ah Badruddeen’s “Rekiya and Z”: Carving Spaces for sub-Sahara African Muslim Fiction
In January, I recommended some books that I posited will improve one’s deen, and I also deconstructed the idea that only non-fictional books can give this desired result. Rekiya and Z by Muti’ah Badruddeen is one such fictional account that fits
A Turkish American Story: Selma Ekrem’s ‘Unveiled’
Since I moved back to Turkey, I’ve been meaning to re-read Turkish American writer Selma Ekrem’s Unveiled: The Autobiography of a Turkish Girl (1930). And I was able to last weekend. Ironically, the first time I read
Perfume Review: Bvlgari Splendida Magnolia Sensuel
Bvlgari Splendida Magnolia Sensuel or as all the women in my house refer to it, “Magnolia” is one of my favourite fragrances at the moment. It was gifted to me by my sister in 2019.