About Billal Ali
I’m a closet white supremacist and terrorist sympathizer in a sari who takes frantic delight in the punitive licking of the ice-cream cone that is western civilization. Well no, I’m not. However, I’ve found that in my line of work a gripping, controversial first sentence often results in a captive audience— professionalism aside, of course. Then again, I’m sure Billal can always reclaim his qualified and proficient demeanor by continuing this section in a third person perspective. But, I’m not sure he— we— me— that is to say I will be doing that. Not today.
I was born and raised in the west side of Toronto to a relatively middle-class well-integrated (whatever that means) and forward-thinking South Asian family. As a young teen I developed a sense of injustice over what I felt was unfair treatment of Gays and Lesbians at both a societal and legal level. By way of self speculation I imagine that being a “paki” must have only furthered my empathy. That aspect of my past, in all retrospective likelihood, continues to fuel my writing on prejudice and discrimination particularly with respect to Islamophobia.
More Veily, Beardy and Bomby! (Published by the DTTSU Journal, 2012)
Anti-Muslim Propaganda Poster(2012)
My further interests include: practical and applicable psychology, men’s fashion, cheap food, cheap laughs, novels that aren’t yet movies, taking pictures (it’s like photography for poor people), sketch writing, science and logical rule breaking.
Restaurant Reviews
I do not write restaurant reviews. Well, not in the classical sense anyway.
Firstly, I empathize with small business entrepreneurs who are just trying to make an honest living. Secondly, and this revolves around a theological point made by Stephen Fry, at the end of my life I’d feel rather embarrassed standing before God explaining that I spent a portion of my limited time on this Earth as a professional complainer. “Well, you see Lord, a person would prepare a lovely meal for me, and I in turn, with my critique, would spit literary vitriol, venom and bile into their smiling faces.”
My goal is to discover relatively affordable, great tasting foods for people who appreciate the gesture. Mostly, as it happens, students.
I’m not a Food critic but… (2012)
Education
I am an undergraduate student at University College; The University of Toronto pursuing a Specialist in Psychology. I have a personal preference towards Social Psychology (discrimination, bias and prejudice).
Publications
In the past I have been a regular contributor to both Generation Next Magazine and CurryBear.
Other publications include: South Asian Parent Magazine, Urban Asian, The Toike Oike Comedy Paper and The Diaspora and Transnational Students’ Union Journal (DTSSU)
Feel free to send me an email if you have any questions, concerns, confessions of unrequited love, work opportunities or money that you just seem to no longer have a use for.
-Billal Ali
