Bilingual and struggling
A bilingual parent tries to keep a native tongue alive at home, a problem faced by many immigrants. By Fariba NawaOctober 18, 2011The Christian Science Monitor Newark, Calif.My daughter Bonoo Zahra, age 3, began preschool in August, and my worst fear about her education in the United States is coming true – English is invading her speech. Before she began …
Read MoreThe rising demand for overseas television: America’s United Nations of cable TV
Satellite TV lets immigrants cocoon in their own culture. Does it also alienate? By Fariba NawaJune 27, 2011 The Christian Science Monitor Fremont, Calif. Afghan immigrants Fatima Majeed and Naseer Ahmadi watch an average of eight hours of television a day in their suburban three-bedroom apartment while their four sons and daughter go to school, work, and carry on with …
Read MoreAn Afghan village girl blossoms in the city
She ran from an arranged marriage into a Western household.
Read MoreA movie star rises from ruins of war
Discovered in a refugee camp, feisty Grandma Hamida has gained fame in Afghanistan, but not riches – despite a role in ‘The Kite Runner.’
Read MoreForeign female aid workers feel less safe in Afghanistan
By Fariba Nawa August 9, 2002 The Christian Science Monitor Kabul — Patricia Omidian looked up through her glasses. Her palm-sized diary was open to an entry on June 8 — the day a French aid worker was gang-raped by seven men in Pul-i-khumiri, a small town in northern Afghanistan. “It’s just starting to sink in,” says Omidian, an American …
Read MoreAfghan women freer, yet a rise in fiery suicides
By Fariba Nawa August 9, 2002 The Christian Science Monitor Herat, Afghanistan – Sanaa was tired of living with 15 in-laws. Tired of daily fights with her mother-in-law. And tired of being treated like a “servant.” So last month, with her husband watching, she threw a gallon of cooking gas on her chest and lit a match. “I did it …
Read MoreAfghan exiles get mixed homecoming welcome
Since February the United Nations has repatriated 231 Afghans from abroad.