Rahma Khan

Written by Rahma Khan
Dubai has always owned its own narrative. I grew up here as a third-culture kid and I’ve seen the city transform from a laid-back town on the banks of Dubai Creek to an ultra-modern metropolis. This city has a spirit. It doesn’t let outside perceptions of what it is and what it should be hinder its own ambitions and progress.
This is one of the most diverse large cities in the world — and you can feel it. The early 1990s saw a huge influx of immigrant workers from South ...

The Kalash is Pakistan’s last-remaining animist tribe
Rahma Khan visits Pakistan’s remote Kalash Valley to learn more about her own country’s cultural diversity and meet a unique but forgotten tribe fighting for recognition in a country strongly marked by Islam
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Suri Jagek translates as “observing the sun”
Tucked away in the remote gorges of the cold Hindu Kush mountains in the northern part of Pakistan lies the valley of Kalash. It is home...

The journalism industry is currently undergoing a wave of change, thanks to the #blacklivesmatter protests in 2020 that shed light on biases and discrimination plaguing industries worldwide. Finally, a place has been created for inclusivity and diversity that allows POC writers to ride waves of success as they voice their opinions and stories for the world to hear. The need to check off the “only native...

As I rode my bicycle along the seaside path I felt the warm breeze brushing through my hair.
Having moved from Pakistan to the Pacific Northwest for work in 2021, seeing women cycling gives me a sense of happiness and satisfaction.
But the delight I feel to ride alongside them is bittersweet. It’s hard to imagine a time when women in my home country will be able to enjoy such a basic pleasure without being harassed or catcalled.
I grew up in Pakistan around many misogynist stereotypes that we...

Creating Awareness on Climate Action With The Power of Creative Storytelling Combining Art & Technology
The combination of art and technology is a dynamic process that utilizes the emotional power of art intertwined with creative engineering tools to create awareness and address critical social issues. I am a part of the ATTA Society (Activism Through Technology & Art), and we are currently building an art installation for environment protection awareness.
The combination of art and technolog...

Along the course of the Fraser River — North America’s longest undammed river — stretches a network of traditional trading routes, carving northward through the interior of British Columbia. Though used by Indigenous Peoples for millennia, it was in the 1850s that these trails began to see a different type of traveler, one that would forever alter their legacy: the gold prospector.

Today, British Columbia’s Gold Rush Trail runs from the mouth of the Fraser River in New Westminster, east of Va...

Are you fasting for Ramadan and in need of some new ideas for how to break your fast? Try these traditional recipes
I am a Pakistani but my family roots trace back to Indian soil. My grandparents immigrated to Pakistan from India during the Great Divide of the Sub-continent. I grew up relishing traditional Indian recipes tweaked with Pakistani ingredients.
The Ramadan fasting for Muslims is followed by feasting. The Iftaar meals (eaten at the fast-breaking time) are made with nutritious ingre...

Unlike the lively Ramadans she celebrated in Oman, Rahma Khan struggled to find community when she arrived in Vancouver.
Ramadan is the month of congregating, community building and helping each other. The holy month brings together Muslims from all over the world to celebrate and pray in union. But Ramadan has looked a bit different these past couple of years. In 2020, COVID-19 changed the way people socialize. And just like every other public gathering, Ramadan celebrations changed and had ...

A yellow tint in the atmosphere colours the barren mountains. Young boys dressed in white kandoras herd goats along the nearby cliffs. A little disoriented from the 13-kilometre off-road drive, I stand at the bottom of a steep stone stairway leading toward the top of the mountain. After the heatwave I’ve just experienced in Muscat, the gust of cold breeze is welcoming. I’m all set to climb my way up to Wakan village, a terraced farming hamlet in Oman’s Al Hajar Mountains.
My 150-kilometre jou...

Sitting on the coast of the Persian Gulf, the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates is known for promising luxury, adventure, and unparalleled nightlife to the world’s elite travelers. Some visitors choose to dine far above the city streets — on the 122nd floor of the Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world) or in a restaurant suspended by a construction crane. From those heights, you can see what oil money and cheap labor can build on top of a small fishing village. But far ...

Walking past a group of little girls dressed in traditional colourful gowns and caps, I stop to ask them what game they’re playing. Confused, curious, and excited are all the reactions I receive in return, but answers? None. They giggle and run away and I stand there appreciating the panoramic views of the Hindu Kush Mountain range around me.
I am in the Kalasha Valley tucked high up north of the Chitral district, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwest Pakistan. I’ve come to stay at ...

“All eyes on the water to spot the whale sharks,” the boat captain said as we made our way into the Arabian Sea. It was a bright and sunny September afternoon as I sailed from Al-Mouj Marina in Muscat to the Daymaniyat Islands, an archipelago of nine small islands about 40 miles off the coast.
The sea looks as calm as I have ever seen it. I grew up in Oman and I have plenty of fond memories of visiting beaches all around Muscat, back before international tourists started arriving. But word is...