A double divorce in a divided union: what’s going on in Brexit Britain? by Farrah Sheikh The Referendum British voters made the momentous decision to leave the EU in an in/out referendum held on 23 June 2015. The results were extremely close, with 52% voting to leave compared to 48% voting to remain in the EU. The demographics are important here: almost ¾ of young people aged
Beyond Citizen Khan: Muslim Representation as Political Struggle. Dr Nadya Ali In the recent BBC One documentary ‘Last Whites of the East End’ one participant outlined the reasons for why she would be unhappy if her child came home with a non-white partner. Amy Oakman said, “You see it on Eastenders with the Masoods […] I can’t think of the storyline now but they did bring a white girl
Reflections on the 48 mile ruling by Huda Jawad Despondence and frustration were the initial feelings that came over me after reading the article published on 4th May 2016 regarding advice given by the Blackburn Muslim Association about women travelling alone. Then a number of questions arose like, such advice was given because it was sought..why would such a question be asked? Why 48 miles? That is almost the distance from
Women are the first to pay the price of Islamophobia in Europe By Sarah Isal Muslim women experience the same inequalities as other women in employment and in relation to verbal and physical violence, but additional factors such as (perceived) religion or ethnicity deepen these gender gaps. However, very little is done to collect comprehensive data and tackle this intersectional form of racism. This is the conclusion of the European
The White (Wo)man’s Burden: Unclothing the Muslim woman by Fatima Rajina Take up the White Man’s burden, Ye dare not stoop to less— Nor call too loud on Freedom To cloak your weariness; By all ye cry or whisper, By all ye leave or do, The silent, sullen peoples Shall weigh your gods and you. Rudyard Kipling’s ‘The White Man’s Burden’ This piece is in response to Allison Pearson’s article
Radovan Karadžić verdict: was justice granted? by Rameez Kaleem Four years ago, I embarked on a journey to Bosnia. The purpose of the trip was to raise awareness about the forgotten genocide in Srebrenica as well as to show support to the families who were still rebuilding their lives almost 17 years post conflict. I spent a month living with a local Bosnian family in a rural village in the Republic
Muhbeen Hussain is the Founding member and Chief Executive of the British Muslim Youth. He is a regular contributor in the media. Muhbeen writes in a personal capacity. How did you come to hear about Rotherham? As someone that was born and has lived most of my life in Rotherham, I remember traveling across the UK and struggling to explain to people where I was from. I would sometimes add in that the
Flying while Muslim by Abdul-Azim Ahmed Have you heard the one about the Muslim at the airport? “Muslim while flying” jokes have gone from being cutting edge political commentary, to trope, to cliché in the last few decades. I groaned out loud when I heard plans of a ‘Citizen Khan Goes to America’. But while airport jokes are beginning to feel dated, international travel remains a site of discrimination and
Breaking the Code – how screenwriters takle writing about the underrepresented By Sabrina Mahfouz Is there a secret code amongst TV writers, signifying which characters at which points in approved stories are allowed to have screen time? I doubt it is as sinister, or as simple, as this. But the reality remains – representation of non-white, non-male, non-Christian, LGBQT and disabled people on UK screens is pretty abysmal. Movements towards something
Is there really poverty in the UK? One Muslim Charity explains its decision to focus on poverty alleviation at home By Ali Khimji For many people, whenever they think of people on benefits in the UK, their minds are probably drawn to those who are lazy and unmotivated; skivers who cannot be bothered to work and prefer to drink and take drugs; scroungers who choose to live a life of leisure
