<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Under the Haik</title><description>Rooted in faith, shaped by heritage.</description><link>https://underthehaik.github.io/</link><item><title>Dad, My Refuge</title><link>https://underthehaik.github.io/underthehaik/essays/dad-my-refuge/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://underthehaik.github.io/underthehaik/essays/dad-my-refuge/</guid><description>A birthday letter to my father, to the child he once was, and to the quiet love that shaped the woman I have become.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2026 07:08:49 GMT</pubDate><category>Personal Essays</category><category>family</category><category>fatherhood</category><category>gratitude</category></item><item><title>To You, My Father</title><link>https://underthehaik.github.io/underthehaik/essays/to-you-my-father/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://underthehaik.github.io/underthehaik/essays/to-you-my-father/</guid><description>A birthday poem for my father, my refuge and role model, whose love stays with me wherever I am.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2026 07:07:49 GMT</pubDate><category>Personal Essays</category><category>family</category><category>fatherhood</category><category>gratitude</category></item><item><title>The Red Bicycle</title><link>https://underthehaik.github.io/underthehaik/essays/the-red-bicycle/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://underthehaik.github.io/underthehaik/essays/the-red-bicycle/</guid><description>A childhood memory of a red bicycle, a determined little girl and a father watching from the window.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2026 05:22:25 GMT</pubDate><category>Personal Essays</category><category>childhood</category><category>family</category><category>memories</category></item><item><title>My Father Did Not Leave Algeria</title><link>https://underthehaik.github.io/underthehaik/essays/my-father-did-not-leave-algeria/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://underthehaik.github.io/underthehaik/essays/my-father-did-not-leave-algeria/</guid><description>Leaving Algeria helped me understand my father’s decision to stay, and the value of the family and familiar life we leave behind.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2026 05:21:25 GMT</pubDate><category>Heritage</category><category>Algeria</category><category>family</category><category>living abroad</category></item><item><title>Before You Say Yes to That Proposal Abroad</title><link>https://underthehaik.github.io/underthehaik/essays/before-you-say-yes-to-that-proposal/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://underthehaik.github.io/underthehaik/essays/before-you-say-yes-to-that-proposal/</guid><description>Marriage abroad can bring a beautiful new life—and the distance, loneliness and sacrifices of l’ghorba. A reflection from someone who made that choice.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2026 05:20:25 GMT</pubDate><category>Society</category><category>marriage</category><category>living abroad</category><category>family</category></item><item><title>My Sister</title><link>https://underthehaik.github.io/underthehaik/essays/my-sister/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://underthehaik.github.io/underthehaik/essays/my-sister/</guid><description>A birthday tribute to my big sister: my first defender, my guide, and the person who always knew what to do.</description><pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2026 05:19:25 GMT</pubDate><category>Personal Essays</category><category>family</category><category>sisterhood</category></item><item><title>Religion Without Spirituality—or Spirituality Without Responsibility?</title><link>https://underthehaik.github.io/underthehaik/essays/religion-without-spirituality/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://underthehaik.github.io/underthehaik/essays/religion-without-spirituality/</guid><description>A personal reflection on sincerity, religious practice and why spirituality needs knowledge, discipline and responsibility.</description><pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2026 13:07:14 GMT</pubDate><category>Faith</category><category>spirituality</category><category>faith</category><category>responsibility</category></item><item><title>Apparently, Covering Women Is Sexualizing Them</title><link>https://underthehaik.github.io/underthehaik/essays/apparently-covering-women-is-sexualizing-them/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://underthehaik.github.io/underthehaik/essays/apparently-covering-women-is-sexualizing-them/</guid><description>A personal reflection on hijab, advertising and the difference between acknowledging attraction and reducing women to their bodies.</description><pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>Faith</category><category>hijab</category><category>modesty</category><category>objectification</category></item><item><title>Why Are Women Asked to Cover More Than Men?</title><link>https://underthehaik.github.io/underthehaik/essays/why-are-women-asked-to-cover-more-than-men/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://underthehaik.github.io/underthehaik/essays/why-are-women-asked-to-cover-more-than-men/</guid><description>A personal reflection on modesty in Islam, covering, humility, and the struggle to separate self-worth from appearance.</description><pubDate>Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>Faith</category><category>modesty</category><category>humility</category><category>Muslim womanhood</category></item><item><title>Algeria, Beyond a Single Label</title><link>https://underthehaik.github.io/underthehaik/essays/algeria-beyond-a-single-label/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://underthehaik.github.io/underthehaik/essays/algeria-beyond-a-single-label/</guid><description>A personal reflection on Algeria’s layered identity, and why embracing its history should not mean choosing just one part of it.</description><pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>Personal Essays</category><category>Algeria</category><category>identity</category><category>heritage</category></item><item><title>Digital Books: What Do We Really Own?</title><link>https://underthehaik.github.io/underthehaik/essays/who-owns-the-book/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://underthehaik.github.io/underthehaik/essays/who-owns-the-book/</guid><description>On digital books, the difference between access and ownership, and why independent physical copies still matter.</description><pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>Technology</category><category>digital books</category></item></channel></rss>