In a multicultural, diverse society there are countless ways in which people negotiate the everyday lived experience and reality of diversity.

With my human rights advocacy, that's always been through my writing. I've always tried to write articles and contribute to journals and a lot of online journals - about human rights, especially Palestinian human rights. I find the time to do things to do things I'm passionate about, because I find enjoyment in them. I just have to juggle.

there is more to this hijab than the whole modesty thing. These girls are strangers to me but I know that we all felt an amazing connection, a sense that this cloth binds us in some kind of universal sisterhood.

My family are observant Muslims, but I've come to the faith through an intellectual conviction, and that's something that they've taught me. It's never been forced upon me. They've given me a very strong identity as an Australian Muslim.

Everything is relative. If you want to understand a problem you look at its cause. You don’t look at its manifestation.

The easiest way for readers to connect with characters and feel sympathy is to make the character entertaining, sympathetic and likeable.

True friends are those who love you not in spite of your faults and imperfections, but because of them.