Arzu Merali on autumn in Tehran, demonisation and the impact of sanctions on Iran Autumn in Tehran is new for me. I have visited in all other seasons. As a Brit by birth but not ethnicity (for want of a better description) the weather is most pleasant. Neither too hot nor too
Arzu looks at how the demonisation of Iran is nothing new and has permeated the ummah’s psyche It is Eid ul Adha today. Most shops are closed, the TV is full of celebration coverage and oh yes, the news recounts the killing of 45 and injuring of 50 worshippers including women and
Arzu Merali introduces her ten day blog on Iran, starting with police harassment in London, UK When I conceived of this blog a week back, I thought it would contain some observations on Tehran life under the increased threat of aerial bombardment and war from the Israel / US. The observations would
Arzu Merali writes for CNN on the extradition of Babar Ahmed, Talha Ahsan and three more men from the UK to the US, whilst Gary McKinnon is spared Violence isn’t always physical – and UK Home Secretary Theresa May’s recent announcements on all things extradition fell one after another as devastating blows
Arzu Merali looks at the state of the London of the Olympics, one year after the UK riots A fortress welcomes me as I alight from Stratford Station. Which came first? The plan for Westfield Shopping Centre or the Olympic Park? The pair seem seamlessly moulded to fit, the distinction only that
Arzu Merali argues that Muslims have failed many oppressed people, including the Rohingya, by only recognising their plight when the Western media takes and interest.* There are many lessons to be learned by the latest, I stress latest, violence inflicted upon Muslim peoples in Myanmar (formerly Burma). Not least of these is
Arzu Merali looks at the significance of the notorious prison camp. An almost ten year old child who has never seen their father is one of the most poignant victims of the asymmetric war waged by the US on what it deems legitimate targets. His story and those of former detainees –
Arzu Merali laments the continued hypocrisy of the UK and US on the Middle East and North Africa*. It’s like a surreal followup to Friends. The US government is ever loyal to its friends. Umming and ahhing over Mubarak and Ben Ali, now proffering unstinting support to the Khalifa clan in Bahrain.
Arzu Merali on Tahrir Square protests and the demonisation of the protestors in Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere* And so it has begun. The drip, drip demonisation of the possible Egyptian other. And at the end, or the beginning, of it all, is “Israel”. It is a sad indictment of – indeed it
Arzu Merali and Massoud Shadjareh chart the political trajectories of so-called radicalisation and problematise the term for ‘Cultures of Resistance. Opening Shots’ There are many ‘radicalising’ moments in our lives. The very first for one of us was joining the anti-Vietnam war movement whilst at Berkeley, for another it was watching the