Author: Rafia Zakaria

Rafia Zakaria is the first Pakistani American woman to serve as a Director for Amnesty International USA. She is a lawyer and Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at Indiana University. She is currently working on her dissertation entitled "Negotiating Identity: Sharia, multiculturalism and Muslim women." Rafia writes a weekly column for the DAWN newspaper which is the largest and oldest English newspaper in Pakistan. Her work has also appeared in the New York Times, Arts and Letters Daily, the Nation and the American Prospect. She is the only Pakistani American woman recognized by a joint resolution of the Indiana House and Senate for her work on women's rights.

Justice for Karachi Gang-Rape Survivor: You Can Help!

Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre is a teeming hospital in the middle of Karachi, Pakistan, a city of nearly 19 million people. In early July, it was the scene of a brutal gang rape. One of the country’s largest state-run medical institutions, the center houses hundreds of patients, doctors, nurses and other medical personnel. Rampant neglect […]

Banning the Veil, Loving the Face?

In visible opposition to these concepts of French femininity, shrouded women question their “reality” by refusing to participate at the visual level in French culture being “there” and “not there” at the same time. With “French” beauty constantly and consistently constructed to exclude migrant identities and notions of beauty perhaps a visible simulation of exclusion is necessary to start a debate on the question of whether all Frenchwomen’s faces are equally beloved.

The Cheapest Womb: India’s Surrogate Mothers

Not only does international surrogacy invoke arguments against commodification of female reproductive organs implicated in any surrogate arrangement, the vast economic gaps between the contracting parties raise questions about the assumption that the women are indeed “choosing” to rent out their wombs. While international feminist and human rights organizations have been questioning the freedom of women’s choices in the global south when it comes to practices such as clitoridectomy and polygamy they seem unwilling to do in these instances where economic needs presents similar limits to agency. The silence is alarming in light of the fact that over half of those contracting surrogacy in India are from the United States.

Reform or Renounce? Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Muslim Women

Hirsi Ali’s personal story is undoubtedly compelling. What is surprising is her refusal to recognize the subjective dimensions of spiritual belief and appreciate a concept of freedom that allows women to define their own paths to empowerment even if they are different from her own.

Racing with Danica, Sarah, Ana and Simona

“In their pioneering moves, the four women competing in the race this Sunday not only shatter myths about their ability to compete equally against men but also prove how many arenas thought to be exclusive to men were the product of male insecurities rather than female inadequacies”

Defending Pakistani-American Men–But At What Cost to Women?

Since his arrest, every aspect of Faisal Shahzad’s life has been dissected and deconstructed.  The close-range, smiling picture of the Times Square bomber’s face continues to be splashed across American screens even a week after his arrest. His seeming normalcy and unobtrusive suburban life is highlighted to insinuate the terrorist potential of any seemingly normal […]