Arzu Merali‘s presentation at the Heinrich-Böll Foundation on the 16th April 2007 on question of Muslim representation in European politics My short presentation looks at the British experience from circa 1992, from my not too biased (I hope) perspective. Whilst this presentation is colloquial in style, it is based not simply on
Absent Justice, directed by Mo’taz Jankhout, produced by E’tilat Al Kheir. A Vision Art Production. Certificate: PG. A programme of Seven Parts that records the Israeli ‘Operation Defensive Shield’. First published on Palestine Internationalist. Arzu Merali reviews this seven part documentary, available on DVD, describing its content and the questions it raises
Full access through academic libraries. This article challenges readers to consider Muslim women to be exemplar feminists. From: Hecate (Vol. 32, Issue 1) Publisher: Hecate Press May 2006 Preview No letters please from British women who have taken the veil and claim it’s liberating. It is their right in a tolerant society to
Arzu Merali examines how equal citizenship has been denied Muslims, and the challenges that poses for a supposedly new politics in the UK.* In 2004 the Islamic Human Rights Commission (www.ihrc.org) began an eighteen month project to articulate British Muslims’ expectations of the government to those in power, as a way of
First published in Q-News, November 2003. Its arguably one of the few positive images of Muslims after 9/11, but at least now no-one thinks you’re paranoid anymore. Certainly, if I were part of the Iranian parliament, or the office of the presidency, or any other facet of its complex governmental apparatus, I’d
I was asked for this viewpoint from the BBC News Website. “Modernise or die” screamed an email we received a few months back at our offices. Though brutally put, the charge is not uncommon. Just as victims of rape are sometimes accused of “asking for it”, Muslims – the targets of amongst
“It must be terrible having to wear all that,” a friend of mine was told last December as she attended a meeting to discuss the future of Afghanistan, particularly its women – “all that” being some baggy clothing and a headscarf. “Not particularly,” she retorted, putting an abrupt end both to the
As the War on Terror – Bush’s crusade – is launched, Turkey has joined its ranks. What are the implications for the already poor human rights record of this country? So Turkey – that shining example of modernity, a secular Muslim country – will be sending special forces to Afghanistan to “support
First published in Q-News in December 2001. This still resonates. If someone had the inclination to inscribe the events of the last few weeks it would make good theatre. The burning Muslim desire to appear on Kilroy, the BBC’s flagship morning chat show, provides enough material for any aspiring comedy playwright. Only
Can Turkey justify its horrendous catalogue of human rights’ abuses in the name of modernity? I had thought that after years working in Human Rights, I had become desensitised to horrors inflicted and suffering unlimited. Torture should have been just another research topic. Talking to Ipek Firat, the wife of a political