Mariam Mahmud

The symptoms of depression range from “persistent sadness, a lack of interest in life, tiredness, disturbed appetites, an inability to concentrate and low levels of self-confidence to suicidal thoughts and acts”, all of which sounds dangerously similar to what the otherwise healthy 24-year-old Laura feels having decided to end her life this summer. Then there […]

After the passing of many years these days I am coming around to thinking about my parents. Mine or anyone else’s, wondering what makes parents the way they are. It is easy for me to forget my own. One — the reason for my existence — died when I was 26. The other lives his […]

Over the last decade of my life, as I got to know my mamu (uncle) and him me, I heard many stories from him, in repetition, about different prophets and saints because he loved them and so he loved talking about them. These were stories he had read himself or heard in the company of […]

Visiting Karachi for me as a Lahori is a sure thing. I love the city, its vibe, the food, itssea. Sadly, I do not experience the cosmopolitan side of it much but I know it exists simply by the variations in names. The plain-ness of endless browns in its structure, starkly different from my city […]

I comforted my aunt by saying I could come the next day so she would not have to worry about attending the prayer. I went to the nurse’s station and asked her very respectfully as per the doctor’s instructions to confirm the time of the dialysis for the next morning. That way the results would […]

For months, I have been hoping to write an op-ed where I am not slamming the west, the west that I am beholden to for igniting my intellect. Finally, desire fulfilled! My return to the homeland this time was not the happy one it normally is. I have an uncle, my mamu, who had been […]

With artificial intelligence, whether we end up ‘summoning the demon’ or elevating our lifestyle and our minds to a superhuman level, serious concerns about humanity remain even if, in the best-case scenario, we will not be destroyed as many predict. In all this automation the question foremost on my mind is the loss of jobs […]

The way to prevent hacking is the same as it is for computers: software updates are the key. Vendors who can provide those updates in a timely, efficient manner from the get go will gain advantage over others. Smart cars are not all bad. Not driving means that we have all the more time to […]

Throughout this year I have been reading articles on the advances of technology in artificial intelligence. From building cars to human beings themselves, technology is going to revolutionise everything and the question on everyone’s mind is: will it be creepy or awesome? For the sake of full disclosure, an admission must be made up front. […]

There is only one natural starting point that comes to mind for all issues Muslim and that is the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). It is made up of 57 member states, supposedly “the collective voice of the Muslim world”, and works to “safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit […]