Pakistan Unveiled
Pakistan is a country of contradictions - full of promise for growth, modernity and progress, yet shrouded by political, social and cultural issues that undermine its quest for identity and integrity. My bimonthly column "Pakistan Unveiled" presents stories that showcase the Pakistani struggle for freedom of expression, an end to censorship, and a more open and balanced society.
Bina Shah is a Karachi-based journalist and fiction writer and has taught writing at the university level. She is the author of four novels and two collections of short stories. She is a columnist for two major English-language newspapers in Pakistan, The Dawn and The Express Tribune, and she has contributed to international newspapers including The Independent, The Guardian, and The International Herald Tribune. She is an alumnus of the International Writers Workshop (IWP 2011).
  • Not In My Name
    by  / December 5, 2014

    Muslim leaders all over North America have been vocal about their condemnation of extremism. But all the condemnation, disavowals, and apologies seem to be disappearing into thin air, heard and witnessed by nobody.

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  • Freedom of Speech, or Freedom of Hate?
    by  / October 8, 2014

    What effect does Pamela Geller’s continuous slander of Muslims really have on public opinion at large? Does the public dismiss her ads as more propaganda for a distant war, or do they have the power to actually turn people against Muslims and deny them their humanity?

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  • Shahid Mahmood
    Amplifying the Ludicrous
    by  / August 20, 2013

    Bina Shah speaks with Canadian-Pakistani political cartoonist Shahid Mahmood. His work has been censored in Pakistan and he has received death threats from the Taliban. Mahmood gained notoriety in 2004 when he was stopped from boarding a plane for appearing on a “no-fly”list.

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Fearless, Ink.