US election: Jewish and Muslim votes probably don’t have the power to change the outcome – despite backlash on Gaza policy: Recent polling suggests that Joe Biden’s policy of backing Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian war is hurting him in the eyes of American Muslims. An #AbandonBiden campaign was launched by Muslim voters in Minnesota in …
Abdellah Taïa is Morocco’s first openly gay writer – his work reimagines being Muslim, queer and African: Abdellah Taïa in Tangier, Morocco, in 2010. Abdelhak Senna/AFP via Getty Images Abdellah Taïa was born in 1973 in Rabat, Morocco. He currently lives in Paris. He is the first writer from north Africa – and in fact …
Humza Yousaf: Scotland gets a Muslim leader in a moment of extraordinary change for British politics: Humza Yousaf’s appointment as first minister of Scotland is a historic moment for the UK. It means that, for the first time in history, the country has a Hindu prime minister in Westminster (Rishi Sunak) and a Muslim first …
The world’s first Islamic art biennale shines a light on Muslim African artists: Marco Cappelletti/OMA/Islamic Arts Biennale The inaugural Islamic Arts Biennale is underway in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Biennales are large and prestigious international art exhibitions held every two years.) This important new event for the Muslim world features numerous African artists. And the biennale’s …
Leicester’s unrest is a problem for the whole city, not just Hindu and Muslim communities: Belgrave Road, aka the Golden Mile, is in a majority Hindu area of Leicester. i4images rm | Alamy Since late August, the city of Leicester in England has seen violent confrontations between groups of Hindu and Muslim men. The situation …
‘Muslim culture’ is routinely blamed for lower levels of employment – but my research shows this is not what is behind the problem: Shutterstock/adriaticfoto People who identify as minority ethnic are at a disadvantage in the labour market compared to the British white majority. They are more likely to earn less, be outside of the …
The school Cat Stevens built: how Conservative politicians opposed funding for Muslim schools in England: When Yusuf Islam – the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens – had his first child, he wrote her a song. Her name was Hasanah and the song was a kind of ABC of the Muslim faith: A is for …
Why the Lady of Heaven film is dividing Muslim opinion: The Imam Ali shrine, in Najaf, Iraq, is one of the most sacred Shi'a sites. CameraAction | Shutterstock Following picketing by Muslim groups, leading UK cinema chain Cineworld cancelled all screenings of blockbuster film, The Lady of Heaven. Produced in Britain, this historical epic tells …
India v Pakistan: arrest of Muslim fans show how cricket is more than just a sport in these two nations: With the exception of cricket, India – a country of nearly 1.5 billion people – is spectacularly below average when it comes to international competitive sports. The world’s second most populous nation has the worst …
China: removing ‘Arab-style’ features from country’s biggest mosques the latest move in campaign of Muslim assimilation: Islamic landmark in China: the Dongguan mosque in Xining, the capital of Qinghai province, western China. David Stroup, Author provided In the normally quiet city of Xining, capital of northwest China’s Qinghai province, everyday interactions between the city’s ethnic …
Can Labour fix its relationship with its Muslim voters before it’s too late?: Labour leader Keir Starmer celebrated victory in the recent Batley and Spen by-election by declaring his party “is back”. He hailed Kim Leadbeater’s win as the beginning of Labour’s fight to win the next general election. But the narrowness of the result …
Young Muslim women in Ghana feel stereotyped and judged: why it matters: Ghanaian students attend a class in a madrasa or Muslim school. Mohamed Hossam/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Since the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centre in New York, western media have consistently questioned whether being Muslim sits well with the ideals of democratic citizenship. …
Archaeology sheds light on the persistence of Muslim cuisine after the Catholic conquest of Granada: Andalusi communal dining bowls known as 'ataifores' in El Legado Andalusí, Museum of the Alhambra, Granada. Author provided Granada, in southern Spain’s Andalusia region, was the final remnant of Islamic Iberia known as al-Andalus – a territory that once stretched …
Shamima Begum: what the media’s fixation on her ‘western’ clothing means for Muslim women: Shamima Begum recently lost her appeal to return to the UK after a Supreme Court ruling in February ITV/YouTube Europe’s fascination with Muslim women, their bodies and their clothing choices – as seen in the passing of discriminatory face covering bans …
South Africa in the news: South African Muslim bodies call for government intervention over Sri Lankan burqa ban: This followed the announcement by Sri Lanka’s minister for public security, Sarath Weerasekera, during the weekend that his country would ban the traditional full-face covering worn by some Muslim …: “South Africa” – BingNews Comic Relief 2021: …
A critical look at what’s missing from Muslim education in South Africa: Muslim-based schools have retained the same racial and cultural exclusivity that was enforced during apartheid. Shutterstock Political and social landscapes are shifting in most liberal democracies, and one of the issues coming under the spotlight is the purpose and legitimacy of faith-based schools. …
South African high court prohibits Muslim call to prayer. Why it got it wrong: Getty Images The High Court in Durban, the port city in KwaZulu-Natal on the east coast of South Africa, has granted an interdict against a mosque, stopping its call to prayer (the athaan or adhan) because it can be heard from …
Pasha special edition: The Muslim call to prayer controversy in South Africa, part 1: shutterstock The call to prayer in Islam, or adhan, as it’s known in Arabic, has come under the spotlight in South Africa. Fed up with hearing the call to prayer from a neighbouring Islamic education centre in Durban, a resident took …