Inspiration
Inspiration Home
Christian Inspiration
Angels
Angel of the Day
Archangels
Guardian Angels
Financial Inspiration
Building A Better Me
Our News, Our Community
Quote Search
Faith and Prayer
Faiths and Prayer Home
Belief-O-Matic®
Christianity
Daily Bible Reading
Inspirational Quotes
Catholic
Daily Bible Reading
Saints
Prayer
Morning Prayer
Serenity Prayer
The Lord's Prayer
Find a Prayer
Birthday Prayer
Tech Gospel
Health & Wellness
Health & Wellness Home
Emotional Health
Bipolar
Depression
Happiness
Stress
Healthy Living
Aging
Women’s Health
Personal Growth
Celebrating Women
Weight Loss
Physical Health
Allergies
Alzheimer's
Arthritis
Cancer
Cold and Flu
COPD
Diabetes
Heart Health
Menopause
Migraine
Pain
Sleep
Entertainment
Entertainment Home
Movies
TV
Quizzes
Joke of the Day
Music
Celebrity Faith Database
Celebrities
Books
Sports
Love & Family
Love & Family home
Relationships
Friendship
Dating
Weddings
Marriage
Divorce
Parenting
Apron Strings
Recipes
Caregiving
Pets
Holidays
New Year's
MLK Day
Valentine's Day
St. Patrick's Day
Mother's Day
Memorial Day
Father's Day
4th of July
9/11 Anniversary
Thanksgiving
Newsletters
Columnists
Columnists Home
Christ News Today
Stronger Marriages and Families
Beliefnet News
Daily Cup of Wellness
Inspiration Report
Forever in Our Hearts
Idol Chatter
Latest News
Video
Inspiration
Faith & Prayer
Health &
Wellness
Entertainment
Love &
Family
Newsletters
Special Offers
City of Brass
City of Brass
Al-Fateha
By
Aziz Poonawalla
I started City of Brass in March 2002 at Blogspot, and moved to Beliefnet in August 2008. Over a thousand posts and a million page views later, it is time to end this chapter and start a new one. However, I am not technically going anywhere – Beliefnet recently acquired Patheos, where I am going…
Arbaeen Diary, 1439
By
Aziz Poonawalla
My friend Taha Raja just finished Arbaeen, a 53-mile walk on foot from Najaf to Karbala in Iraq, a pilgrimage for remembrance of Imam Husain’s sacrifice for Islam and humanity. Inshallah I will someday soon take part, but in the meantime, I was privileged to share in Taha’s journey, as he posted updates during the…
Arbaeen, Day 3
By
Aziz Poonawalla
This is a guest post by Taha M. Raja. Third in a series; See Arbaeen Day 2 for the previous entry. Post 1278. close to the right turn to go to the city center of Kerbala. Resting with a Iranian Tea which is a light blend of black tea and water with lots of sugar.…
Arbaeen Day 2
By
Aziz Poonawalla
This is a guest post by Taha M. Raja. Second in a series; See Arbaeen Day 1 for the previous entry. Post 580. It 5:30am and we resumed our walk to Kerbala. Breakfast on the road. Samoon (Iraqi fresh bread) with lentil soup a tradition for millennia of the Bedouins. Hit Iraqi black tea with…
Arbaeen Day 1
By
Aziz Poonawalla
This is a guest post by Taha M. Raja. Post 53. Today I started my journey on Arbaeen, a 53 mile walk from the city of Najaf to Kerbala. An annual event that marks one of the largest human gatherings in the world. I am at the 1/3 mark and I have experienced the best…
Milking Weinstein
By
Aziz Poonawalla
Call it the Weinstein Effect: other serial abusers are being systematically outed, not by single accusers by by legions of women speaking out in solidarity. This is why the #MeToo campaign exists, to provide collective voice and solidarity to women who are victims of sexual abuse but fear the consequences of speaking out alone. I…
Congratulations to Koonj
By
Aziz Poonawalla
Shabana Mir’s blog is (at least) a decade old! Congratulations, Shabana – Koonj (The Crane) is one of the pioneers of the Islamsphere, and earned a runner-up Brass Crescent Award as far back as 2006. Shabana is just as relevant as ever though. Her latest post is a courageous piece inspired by the #MeToo movement…
Karachi
By
Aziz Poonawalla
Traveling to Karachi from the US is not easy. But traveling back is even worse. I returned a couple weeks ago from my trip and have been coping with the usual jet lag and GI/respiratory baggage that comes from an extended trip to the far side. The pace of events during Ashara itself was too…
Headed to Karachi for Ashara
By
Aziz Poonawalla
Every year, I travel to attend the Ashara Mubaraka majlis (gathering), with the spiritual leader of my community, the Dawoodi Bohra Muslims. Last year, I went to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; the year before was on my home turf of Houston. I have been attending regularly for almost a decade now – starting with Colombo…
16 after 9-11
By
Aziz Poonawalla
I don’t write about 9-11 every year, because on the 12th anniversary I looked back at over a decade of writing about it and realized I had nothing much left to say. On the 13th anniversary, I said, and I still believe, that: The simple truth is that our response to 9-11 – the Afghan…
1
2
3
4
5
archives
most recent
search
this
blog
More from Beliefnet and our partners