Azaad Khayaal

Domestic Violence is one big stigma followed by Mental Health in South Asian communities (Pakistan, India & Bangladesh) . Whether it is financial, psychological, physical or even verbal abuse. Women in our communities tend to suffer more abuse than men. Anessa, a Psych Nurse and also a survivor of Domestic Abuse; shares her personal experiences and why it is essential to speak against this biggest issue as a brown woman. We also discuss about mental illness and how it is important to differentiate between culture and religious values. According to Times of India, "Pakistan reported 2,297 cases of violence against women from 25 districts across the country." Meanwhile in India and Bangladesh according to The Hindu and HRW (respectively) , "In 2020, between March 25 and May 31, 1,477 complaints of domestic violence were made by women." And, "According to a 2015 Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics survey [https://asiapacific.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/Bangladesh_VAW_survey_report_2015_compressed.pdf], over 70 percent of married women or girls have faced some form of intimate partner abuse." Read more at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/80895761.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/80895761.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst] https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/10/29/bangladesh-pivotal-moment-stop-violence-against-women# [https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/10/29/bangladesh-pivotal-moment-stop-violence-against-women#] https://www.thehindu.com/data/data-domestic-violence-complaints-at-a-10-year-high-during-covid-19-lockdown/article31885001.ece [https://www.thehindu.com/data/data-domestic-violence-complaints-at-a-10-year-high-during-covid-19-lockdown/article31885001.ece]

Ahmadiyya- Muslims are being prosecuted since a long time now. They are excluded from; political decision-making, voting, restaurants, to building mosques, to calling out the Adhaan (Call to Prayer) and other significant positions that enable them to live out their lives safely as a community. They are daily arrested, harmed and targeted because they're considered as 'non-Muslims'. This dates back to Zia Ul Haq's regime that states exclusively to register the Ahmadi's as Non-Muslims.  I get the opportunity to interview Sabiha Anam. She is a Paki-American, and an Ahmadi-Muslim woman that sheds some light on the assumptions made about her community and how to educate yourself as a non-Ahmadi to spread religious awareness and speak against the injustices committed against her whole community. We also discuss about Hijab, social work in North America and how we can educate ourselves better to create a safer community for all of us as minorities in Pakistan.

Growing up in a subarban Canadian town, being also Arab... Playing "Ahmed" on Ramy the show. I got a chance to interview this amazing  and multi-talented award-winning Comedian originally from Windsor with a Lebanese background growing up. He also spreads mental health awareness in his spare time in his own podcast, "The Beautifully Anxious".  We talk about toxic masculinity and the age of internet.

The LGBT group is the most oppressed amongst the South Asian Communities. Here's a life excerpt from Anonymous- Being raised as a Pakistani American, 25 years of age and transitioning from a woman to a man. Let's stop transphobia, homophobia and other discriminations towards them and promote a safer brown community for all of us.

Child marriage, marital rape, sexual assault/rape, period/menstruation and sex talks. Lets normalize these topics so we can create more awareness amongst our fellow audiences so they don't suffer alone. Tanvi Sharma, a 21 year old tiktoker, aspiring lawyer-to-be with a small business that makes decorations in events and making party favors. Tanvi & I co-host this episode to discuss these taboo topics to create more awareness in the South Asian communities.