Politics, tech and media issues from a Muslim perspective
Yesterday, in response to the abstention by most Labour MPs (and the party itself; forty Labour MPs voted against, including John McDonnell and Dennis Skinner) on the retrospective legislation to excuse the government for...
Laurie Penny: Feminism is the one F-word that makes eyes widen in polite company (from this week's New Statesman) The other week, one of my Facebook friends (who has severe ME) wrote that it...
Last week it was reported that the Lib Dem party conference had condemned the government’s plan for “secret courts” (as the BBC describes it, “some civil proceedings held in private for fear of damaging...
Note: Further enquiries reveal that “Bethan Jones” is in fact Beth Tichbourne, and that her offence was not only to hold up the placard mentioned, but also to attempt to scale a barrier. Her...
The other day, Justin Welby, the new archbishop of Canterbury, defended the welfare system that the present government are busy ripping up, describing it as a duty of a civilised society to support vulnerable...
Hadley Freeman on Sheryl Sandberg, feminism and intersectionality (from today's Guardian) The above is an article by Hadley Freeman, who is one of the Guardian's fashion columnists who also writes increasingly about feminist issues...
A month or so ago I bought a second-hand Samsung Galaxy Nexus phone — I had intended to get a Nexus 4, but there were the usual supply problems at the time, and I...
Boris Johnson’s bold thinking could change the future of London cycling | Environment | guardian.co.uk (also see this in today’s Observer) I’ve been a cyclist since I was a child, although these days I...
Recently I’ve been hearing a lot about the newly revamped BlackBerry 10, which has been appearing in various phone shops (shops like Carphone Warehouse as well as the carrier franchises). It’s also appeared on...
This Venn diagram by Paul Bernal has been doing the rounds on Twitter, and follows the announcement from the Conservative party that at the next election, their manifesto will include a commitment to changing...
In Nigel Farage’s local pub, there are no Ukip activists, ‘just friends’ | Politics | The Observer This “sketch” appears next to a large feature on UKIP and their plans to target northern England...
Ten years on, the case for invading Iraq is still valid | Nick Cohen | Comment is free | The Observer Ten years ago I participated in the demonstrations in London against the invasion...
BBC News: University locks Muslim prayer room (video here) Last Friday it was reported that City University in London had locked the room used by Muslim students for Friday prayers, having asked the organisers...
This cartoon accompanies a Daily Mail piece which was published today, alleging that people are rushing to claim Disability Living Allowance in the last weeks before it is phased out. Bernadette Meaden has a...
The story of Oscar Pistorius's shooting of his girlfriend has been going on for a week and a half now, and last Friday, after a four-day bail hearing, he was released on bail of...
Last month Fedora released the latest version of their Linux distribution, version 18, codenamed "Spherical Cow", a reference to an engineering joke, the main new feature of which is a redesigned installer (still called...
No more excuses. The only defensible option is to go vegetarian | John Harris | Comment is free | The Guardian The recent meat adulteration scandal (in which horsemeat was found to be present...
Terry Deary on Libraries (from the Guardian) Terry Deary (of Horrible Histories fame) thinks bookshops are closing because libraries are cutting their throats by lending out books rather than selling them. Uh, not so...
Earlier today I was browsing the latest edition of Linux User & Developer, a British Linux magazine with a more in-depth analytical focus than Linux Format, which concentrates on reviews, tutorials and interviews with...
Earlier today I was listening to the Eddie Nestor show, an evening news phone-in programme on the BBC London station, which was discussing the Cait Reilly case. Reilly had been told, wrongly it now...