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Greg Mortenson and the Business of Redemption

Readers who may not know much about the political situation in remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, still know, based on images they see on television, that the situation of women is disastrous. Three Cups of Tea reaffirmed that message, and provided a savior in the form of Mortenson. But what about women’s organizations in Pakistan and Afghanistan? Why are they not part of this picture of empowerment of women? These questions are not directly addressed in these kinds of discussions, because, by definition it seems, Afghan and Pakistani women are victims, and not actors in their own lives; they…

Grass Roots Development May Hold Promise in the Muslim World

I would actually hope that it holds promise for everyone: There is, Khan averred, a “dominant player fallacy” or the tendency to place “too much reliance in national governments and other institutions which may have relatively superficial connections to life at the grass-roots level.” Thus, “urban-based outsiders often look at these situations from the perspective of the city center looking out to a distant countryside, searching for quick and convenient levers of influence.” The secret, then, is to work “from the bottom up” and not from the top down, as is so often the case. As he told the dinner…

Shaheena Karimi Scholarship Fund

A young woman who went to college with me passed away this year. She was a wonderful, vivacious personality. A mutual friend, in conjunction with her family, has established a scholarship in her memory at Barnard. Please read the letter below and consider donating here. —- A little over nine months ago, each of us lost someone very dear to our hearts. Shaheena Karimi was a warm, genuine and passionate woman. Never without a smile, Shaheena inspired all of us through her unwavering determination to live a full life. To Shaheena, this absolutely included giving generously of her time to…