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 MoreAfghanistan the New Mexico?: Assassinations and the Drug Trade
Fariba Nawa and Matthew DuPéeAug 02, 2011New America Media In the last few months, the Afghan drug trade has entered a new phase of power struggles that could lead to the sort of violence that plagues Mexicans on a daily basis. The trigger has been four key assassinations of government officials who were alleged drug barons. Their deaths have already …
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 MoreWith aid of S.F. man’s project, Afghan women risk lives for a song
At a clandestine music school sponsored in part by a San Francisco resident, male students come and go through the front door while their female counterparts enter through a dark hallway.
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 MoreHow the West short-changed Afghanistan
We went to war to restore democracy and prosperity to Afghanistan, and spent billions on building new homes, hospitals and highways. But five years and thousands of lost lives later, everything is crumbling and the ferocious Taliban are back. Where did it all go wrong?
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