Arzu Merali‘s paper on the attacks on the Islamic Movement of Nigeria and how sectarian narratives have been instrumentalised. Sectarian narratives abound in and about Nigeria. Deemed a post-colonial state in international relations terms, it is considered to be afflicted by ‘Muslim’ / ‘Christian’ ‘communal tensions’, ‘tribal tensions’ and ‘corruption’. In an
New research on counter-narratives to Islamophobia articulates the 10 major ways of challenging anti-Muslim racism today* The UK is “anything but Islamophobic”, so spoke a Muslim organisation head in a comment to the press on the Islamophobia Awards in 2004. Because, he added, Britain has such a vibrant anti-war movement. The awards
The ideas of Muslim entryism and conspiracy have reached new and alarming proportions So it is now the turn of Muslim NGOs in Britain – MEND and CAGE – for the John Ware treatment in this week’s Dispatches (Channel 4). John who? I hear you cry. Well, in short he is someone who has made a career
Arzu reflects on the notorious ‘Punish a Muslim Day’ letter found in circulation in the UK for Middle East Eye Once upon a time there was a letter and the letter was posted down the streets of Leicester, London, Sheffield, Bradford and Cardiff. Sent to Muslims in areas deemed to have high Muslim
A recent letter advocating violence against Muslims delivered a chilling message to the community, yet the government remained silent.* Once upon a time, in 2018, there was a letter, and it was posted into homes on the streets of Leicester, London, Sheffield, Bradford and Cardiff. Recipients of the letter also included the offices
Arzu Merali argues that the Ofsted Chief’s position is untenable. [5 February 2018] I was supposed to be writing about counter-narratives to Islamophobia. Amanda Spielman, the Ofsted chief inspector, decided on Friday to prove exactly why these are needed. Hot on the heels of her speech backing a hijab ban at an
Lineker, by expressing outrage at the Israeli treatment of Palestinian children, has empowered the narrative of the oppressed – and inevitably brought wrath on himself* The line between Palestine and North London is not such a very long one. There is a moment early in the film, Those Glory Glory Days, when sports
The ten key narratives of Islamophobia identified in the UK are key to creating an anti-Muslim environment. The narratives are fuelled by political, media and law enforcement institutions each feeding off each other. Arzu Merali argues that the impact serves to expel Muslims from the legal and political space and strikes to
Despite being a momentous achievement in film, Arzu Merali argues that Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dunkirk’ pushes problematic narratives. It is the film that everyone will have a take home image from. It is not merely a spectacle. Dunkirk is an experience. My take home moment is not a shot or a scene but
In the years Bowen has been ‘our man’, how is it that we still talk about the ‘Middle East’? Whose ‘Middle’ or ‘East’ is it? As with him, it is not ‘ours’* Like Maggie O’Kane’s impassioned plea over the phone from a besieged Sarajevo as a stunned BBC news anchor looked at
© 2024 – Arzu Merali – All Rights Reserved