Politics, tech and media issues from a Muslim perspective
Last week, a civil servant called Louise Casey published a report identifying 120,000 “problem families” and proposed an intervention scheme whereby social workers would actually sit in people’s houses and make sure they get...
BBC News – Fijian-born soldier Isimeli Baleiwai fights to stay in UK (also at Channel 4 News) Isimeili Baleiwai served in the British army for 13 years, seeing action in Bosnia, Northern Ireland, Iraq...
Back in the days when Usenet was the main place online for discussion (if not the only), before web forums and blogs had been heard of (or at least, were anything like as sophisticated...
For the digital revolution, this is the Robespierre moment | Simon Jenkins | Comment is free | The Guardian Simon Jenkins is arguing that he agrees with Tony Blair who said in 2010 it...
Just as I was writing my post about the validity of the term ‘Islamophobia’ yesterday morning, the BBC’s Sunday Morning Live programme were discussing it. A hotline called “Tell MAMA” (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) had...
Obliged to Offend: It’s time to stop using the term ‘islamophobia’ (reproduced at Harry’s Place) Back when I was at college, a feminist lecturer had a sticker on her door: “I’ll be a post-feminist...
I found out about Netroots 2012 through a tweet by Sue Marsh, one of the main authors of the Spartacus Report, earlier in the week and decided to go, more or less on the...
Lessons in Islamophobia (from CounterFire) This is an article about a Muslim mother who was barred from parents’ evening at her son’s school because the staff insisted on her removing her face-covering for “security”...
Blair blocked Cabinet from hearing legal advice on Iraq – UK Politics – UK – The Independent The recently published diaries of Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s former “spin doctor” who had been at his...
BBC iPlayer: Ukraine’s Forgotten Children (viewable in UK only until 28th June); more here Last night (Monday), the BBC broadcast a 90-minute exposé on the state of care for orphans and disabled people in...
Where are the new airports and railways we so desperately need? | Will Hutton | Comment is free | The Observer This article by Will Hutton appeared in today’s Observer, arguing in favour of...
For my previous writings on Ayn’s case, see these two entries from September and December 2011. There is also a Facebook group to support Ayn’s parents in getting their daughter out of care. A...
Yesterday morning, Vanessa Feltz dedicated much of her talk show (BBC London, 94.9FM, 9am-noon) to the supposed news that people who drive for long distances in the middle lane on the motorways (rather than...
Stark choice under new immigration rules: exile or family breakup | UK news | The Guardian After the fiasco of the raised age limit for non-EU spouses (it was set at 21, ostensibly to...
Why I let my husband die | Life and style | The Guardian This article is an interview with Jill Anderson, whose husband Paul killed himself in 2005 (on his fourth attempt). He had...
The last four days, the UK has seen a whole lot of events related to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee (marking 60 years on the throne) and these included a flotilla on the Thames through...
Yesterday it was announced that a radical feminist conference that was to be held at Conway Hall in London has had to find another venue after an online campaign led to the venue’s owners...
Catcalls, whistles, groping: the everyday picture of sexual harassment in London (from the Independent) Yesterday (Friday) it was reported in the Independent newspaper in London, and discussed on the Vanessa Feltz show on BBC...
I’ve been noticing various articles about the impending Windows 8 release on OSNews appear recently, and it doesn’t look good. I’ve been using Linux a lot since about 2002, and one of the worst...
There is a letter in this week’s edition of the New Statesman from Jim Fitzpatrick, Labour MP for Poplar and Limehouse, an east London constituency which includes a very large Muslim population (it is...