by Niala Mohammad Though she refuses comment on her family or ethnic ties, one thing is irrefutable; she is the daughter of Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani. She is as intelligent as her father and as poised as her mother but one thing sets her apart-she is stingy with words but generous with her work to […]
The First Daughter of Afghanistan-Mariam Ghani
Posted October 31st, 2014 at 5:04 pm (UTC+0)
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Learning from History with Dr. Qayyum Kochai
Posted October 7th, 2014 at 4:32 pm (UTC+0)
by Niala Mohammad Dr. Qayyum Kochai, a former Afghan diplomat in his mid-seventies that fled Afghanistan with his family nearly two decades ago during the Soviet invasion. As I sat with him in his living room on the outskirts of “Little Kabul”, I received one of the greatest history lessons of my life, leaving me […]
Tamim Ansary – An Exemplary Afghan-American
Posted October 1st, 2014 at 12:43 am (UTC+0)
by Niala Mohammad I arrived at a bright red house, situated on a steep road that overlooked the dusty mountains surrounding the unique city of San Francisco. A man with East Asian features, a head full of white hair in a bob cut, a whisky beard, small framed glasses, an orange shirt and suspenders answered […]
Khumariyaan Intoxicate Washington, D.C.
Posted September 17th, 2014 at 8:22 pm (UTC+0)
by Niala Mohammad “Art is Like Water for the Fire of Fundamentalism”-Khumariyaan the Band As I sat on in the grand foyer of the Kennedy Center, overlooking the Potomac River, a feeling of pride and nostalgia overcame me as I watched a group of young Pashtun men dilute the image of extremism placed upon their […]
VOA Deewa @ISNA
Posted September 9th, 2014 at 8:40 pm (UTC+0)
The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) 51st Annual Conference was held from August 29-September 1, 2014 at the Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan. This year’s theme was-“Generations Rise: Elevating the Muslim American Culture”. VOA Deewa & VOA Urdu teamed up to Interview the President of ISNA, Imam Mohamed Magid. Thousands gathered to hear […]
The King of the Pashtun Squash Dynasty Hashim Khan Dies at 100
Posted August 19th, 2014 at 9:15 pm (UTC+0)
By Niala Mohammad Pakistan’s first national hero, Hashim Khan passed away on Monday, August 18, 2014 at his home in Denver, Colorado. He was believed to be 100, but his official age was unknown due to lack of official documentation. Recognized as one of the greatest squash players of all time, Hashim Khan hailed from […]
The Grand Bazaar-Turkey
Posted July 16th, 2014 at 5:02 pm (UTC+0)
By Niala Mohammad Walking through the streets of the Grand Bazaar feelings of nostalgia overcame my senses. The Turkish people’s features and mannerisms starkly resemble those of the Pashtuns. The smell of grilled corn being sold on the corner reminds me of local “waghey waala” or corn vendor in Peshawar. For a split second I […]
Khyber Pukhtunkhwa: From Tobacco to Lethal Addictions
Posted June 17th, 2014 at 8:25 pm (UTC+0)
By Niala Mohammad and Wagma Jalawan According to a recent UNDOC survey conducted in Pakistan, 5.8% or 6.45 million people of the population in Pakistan between the ages of 15 and 64 use drugs. The thought of a third world country and its people entrenched in war, terrorism and poverty almost justifies these staggering statistics […]
