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Wajahat Ali

Biography

Wajahat Ali

Wajahat Ali is a New York Times contributing op-ed writer, public speaker, recovering attorney and tired dad of two cute kids. His work has appeared in Atlantic, Washington Post, Guardian and New York Review of Books. He lives in the Washington, DC, area.

Wajahat Ali

Books by Wajahat Ali

Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American
by Wajahat Ali - Memoir, Nonfiction

Growing up living the suburban American dream, young Wajahat Ali devoured comic books (devoid of brown superheroes) and fielded well-intentioned advice from uncles and aunties (“Become a doctor!”). While Ali was studying at University of California, Berkeley, 9/11 happened. Muslims replaced communists as America’s enemy #1, and he became an accidental spokesman and ambassador of all ordinary, unthreatening things Muslim-y. In GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM, Ali tackles the dangers of Islamophobia, white supremacy and chocolate hummus, peppering personal stories with astute insights into national security, immigration and pop culture.