Women worldwide don head coverings in solidarity
Women in 190 countries celebrated World Hijab Day on Feb. 1 to bring awareness to women who wear a headscarf. The day was first commemorated in 2013 by organizer Bangladeshi American Nazma Khan who faced emotional and physical harassment for wearing hijab while living in New York post 9/11.
During an emotional speech a year after the first World Hijab Day, she says, “Being a Muslim in New York City after 9/11 was risky, to begin with. On top of that being a hijabi was a direct sign saying, ‘she is a Muslim.’”
Khan said she got teased, chased, and lived in constant fear.
“It was a total nightmare,” she says.
The hijab is worn by some Muslim women. The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, a research think tank, found that over 50 percent of women wear hijab as an obligation to God or a form of piety (more than in any other religion which shares modest clothing observances), and 46 percent of women wore a hijab to mark their Muslim identity.
Khan says in October 2010 she opened an online hijab store and platform where women from around the world shared stories of harassment, bullying, and losing opportunities due to wearing the hijab. This led her to seek to create more dialogue and spaces for hijab. She invited a few people to participate and ended up with 67 countries joining forces in the first year.
Now women across all faiths, and of no faiths, wear hijab in solidarity for World Hijab Day. The day is commemorated with women sharing their hijab stories, and conferences held by the organization.
Learn more:
ISPU’s research about Muslim women’s experiences of wearing hijab post 9/11 can be found in this report.
Read my story about being visibly Muslim as a professional, originally published in Haute Hijab.
Read facts and information about World Hijab Day here.
Community News:
COVID-hit communities - Bangladeshi communities in Wayne County are among the hardest hit by COVID - especially in Hamtramck - the smallest city with the most people infected in the county. As part of the Journalists in Aging Fellowship with The Gerontology Society of America, I am writing a 3-part series about how older Bangladeshis, especially women, are impacted by the pandemic. Read my report in Tostada Magazine.
Halal Metropolis hosted a Food Influencers panel on Halal food blogging in Southeast Michigan with food guide Abraham Obeid (@halalfoodjunkie on Instagram), food guide Fred Sareini (@fsareini on Instagram), and print & audio storyteller Nargis Rahman (@nargisthewriter on Instagram). Panelists discussed where to find halal food and how to use that as a tool to talk about the region’s Muslim communities.
National: The Biden administration announced two Bangladeshi additions:
Kazi Sabeel Rahman - Senior Counselor at the Office of Information & Regulatory Affairs
Farah Ahmed - Office of Chief of Staff of the Secretary of Rural Development for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Source: Bengalis of New York)
National: February marks the beginning of Black History Month in the United States, and in a few places around the world. Here’s a list of 10 TV shows to learn more about people and events in Black history.
Global: A group of 21 Bangladeshi factories settled a suit against the clothing giant Sears for $40 million stemming from non-payment for delivered goods back in June. Factory owners say the amount is only a small chunk of what is owed to each owner. Nonpayment has led to the loss of wages along with creating an uproar in the garment industry during a pandemic. Brands like Forever 21 are among those who still owe back pay. (Forbes)
Fahmida Hasib: food brings people together
by Nargis Rahman
Fahmida Hasib is the second youngest of five siblings. Growing up she enjoyed watching her mom cook for their large family. She occasionally helped her mother after her sisters got married off.
“Out of all of the sisters, I was the most passionate about cooking,” she says.
Then in 2016, her mom had a bad accident where she broke her leg, leaving her bedridden. This required Hasib to take over the meal prep duties in the family.
“It kind of fell on me to take care of my dad, my older brother, and younger brother. That’s when I took over and I started cooking all the time, dishes… things I would never make before… the main hard dishes.”
Now the mother of two, two and under, shares her favorite homemade recipes on her Instagram Page @fahmidaskitchen, from biryanis to kabobs.
She said her friends and family love her food, including her dhood saa, Bangladeshi milk tea which she makes for others.
Chicken, karachi, or tandoori biryanis are her favorite dishes to cook. Biryani is a dish usually made by incorporating rice into a vegetable, shrimp, or meat base.
“My friends and family love it so much that when we have gatherings they’d ask me to make it and bring a pot of biryani,” she says.
From there they pushed her to begin her Instagram page in 2020.
Although Hasib wants to share her recipes, she wasn’t sure she could teach others. “I have a cousin who never cooked and she said ‘because of you I attempted that’ and now her family asks her to make it.”
Hasib says she finds cooking therapeutic and she hopes more people try it. She wants to change the perception of cooking.
“People in our community assume cooking is the girl’s job. Do it for fun. Do it for yourself,” she says.
Hasib says there are days her mom is cooking eight or nine dishes. She gets tired but loves it.
She says learning how to cook gave her the opportunity to spend time with her mother. “It was always a time to bond with my mom. I truly love cooking because of her.”
Food is a part of life events, she says.
“It brings everybody together. That’s why I love it. I’m the person in my family who loves gathering people together,” she says.
Along with cooking desi foods, she cooks Afghani, Thai cuisine, or “anything a family member is craving.”
Hasib says her mom and siblings create special secret sauces to add to recipes.
“One of my favorite ingredients is ‘naga sauce’ that my mom makes that I add in everything! She makes this really yummy avocado chutney, you can eat in everything; I have my own cilantro chutney. We kind all have our own thing.”
Last Ramadan, Hasib planned to cater food with her family business, Lime N Dime, a family-owned burger joint that opened in Texas in 2018. However, due to the pandemic and a difficult pregnancy, that plan was put on hold.
“People like ordering platters during Ramadan. We were trying to change up our menu. It didn’t end up working out because of COVID,” she says.
Meanwhile, she says the family supports their restaurant, which features almost 40 different flavors of wings and the secret sauces.
She hopes to incorporate that into her own business someday.
“When I start my own business I want to have my own twist,” she says. “I will do it at a time when I feel comfortable and confident.”
Chicken Tikka Biriyani
Courtesy of Fahmida Hasib
Fahmida Hasib of @FahmidasKitchen says she enjoys making biryanis. One of the staple dishes at any Bengali gatherings, biryani is made with rice incorporated into vegetables, meats, or shrimp. There are over a dozen variations sound across Southeast Asia.
Chicken or beef biryani can be ordered at Bangladeshi restaurants across Metro Detroit. Read where to order biryani here.
PREP:
4 cups of Basmati Rice
Wash it in cold about 3-4 times so the starch disappears. The starch is what keeps the rice sticky. Then, soak the rice in cold water for 15-30 min.
PREP FOR THE MARINATE:
2 lbs. of chicken - cut into cubelike pieces
Marinate the chicken with the following:
3 tbsp plain yogurt
Squeeze 1 whole lemon
1 tbsp chicken tikka seasoning (Shaan brand)
1/2 tbsp paprika powder
1/2 tbsp naga sauce (substitute: chili powder)
1/2 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tbsp cumin powder
1/2 tbsp garlic powder (paste also works)
1/2 tbsp onion powder (paste also works)
1/2 tbsp salt (to your own preference)
Place the marinated chicken in your fridge for at least 15 minutes. The longer you keep it in the fridge, the softer the chicken will be. I prefer to keep it in the fridge for at least 2 hours. You can keep it overnight as well.
PREP FOR THE MASALA:
2 large onions - cut into small pieces
1 tomato- cut into small pieces
2 potatoes- cut into cubelike pieces (optional)
1/2 tbsp tomato paste (optional)
1 tbsp chili powder
1/4 tbsp Garam masala
1/4 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
1/2 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tbsp paprika powder
2 tbsp yogurt
1/2 tbsp salt (to your preference)
METHOD:
In a pan pour 2 tbsp oil.
Fry the marinated chicken on medium-high heat. Keep cooking until the water from the chicken dissolves and then flip the chicken over. Allow the chicken to cook until it starts looking charred.
Put the chicken aside.
In the same pan, pour: 1/2 cup oil
Add-in: Chopped onions and fry until golden brown on medium-high heat.
Add-in: 1 tbsp garlic paste, 1 tbsp ginger paste, The chopped tomatoes, tomato paste (again, optional).
Fry on medium-high heat.
Add-in: All spices and seasonings are listed in the masala prep list and mix. After about two minutes, add in the yogurt.
Add-in: Your cubed potatoes (again, optional), salt, 1/2 cup water.
Cover with lid. Cook until your potatoes are soft or until the masala and oil separate.
Add-in: cooked chicken. Cover with lid and let it cook on low heat for about 5 minutes.
In a separate pot, boil water on high heat. Pour in the rice and let it boil until it is 80% cooked. (The rice will be super soft and long.) After it is cooked, drain the water from the rice using a strainer. Wash it with cold water again to prevent the rice from sticking together (optional).
FOOD COLORING MIXTURE (optional, if you want the rice to be colored)
In a small bowl, add: 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 tbsp oil, A dash of food coloring
In the masala pot: Pour the cooked rice into the masala and chicken mixture.
Drizzle the food coloring mixture on top.
Add cilantro (optional) and fried onion (optional)
Cover the pot with foil paper and put the lid on top. Make sure it is sealed completely and no air can go through. This will allow the steam to cook the rice and chicken more.
Let the biriyani cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes. Check on it every 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let it cool down before mixing it all together. Enjoy! :)