There is a lot of this happening. Figures on the left, anti-establishment figures, Muslims repeating these mantras: it is shocking that the state has ‘suddenly’ become authoritarian; that anti-terrorism laws are manifestly unjust; that political space has been forcibly shrunk. Arzu discusses how this outrage is undermining proper critical reflection and invisibalizing
Organised by the Decolonising the Mind group, venue IHRC offices, Wembley, UK. Saturday 26th April. Arzu Merali presenting. From 2 to 4pm IHRC Bookshop 202 Preston Road, HA9 8PA. Nearest Station: Preston Rd (Metropolitan Line) Registration is a must via this link. Light Refreshments This workshop will look at two aspects of
Words from and for the IHRC website on the passing of Claudia Manchanda IHRC is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Claudia Manchanda in London, UK. Manchanda (known to some on social media as Panther Manchanda) touched the lives of many people she had not met through her thinking and
Arzu refers to a recent article for more information on education and the ideological drift of Islamophobia in the UK. I stumbled upon this piece in LRB this week ‘Making Media Great Again’ by Peter Geoghegan on the media tycoon Paul Marshall. It provides more information on Ark Academy schools, which I alluded
Salam to you all. May this month be one of manifold blessings from the Almighty. May this a month of further liberation for all the oppressed. Ameen.
Nuanced reading is possible without having to label every enjoyable work decolonial, argues Arzu. Fatima Manji’s Hidden Heritage: Rediscovering Britain’s relationship with the Orient (2021) is exquisitely written. It is beautifully vivid in its descriptions not just of the objets d’art, historical artefacts and buildings she finds on her travels around British
The extreme politicisation of Holocaust Memorial Day by Zionist organisations in the UK needs to be exposed, and where those organisations are charities action taken by the sector regulator, argues Arzu Merali. What is going on with Karen Pollock and the Holocaust Education Trust? I ask because all week there has been
Arzu reflects on the month of January thus far, including the current ceasefire in the Israeli genocide against the Palestinians, the LA wildfires, and Holocaust Memorial. It is midway through January, -ish. People are celebrating the ceasefire in Gaza. It is a difficult moment. Of course, any stay in the bloodletting is
This piece from Arzu is a prelude to her piece ‘Have a Very Muslim Christmas?’ from 2020. In this she reflects on Muslim trends for ‘celebrating’ Christmas. “Peace be upon me the day I was born and the day I will die, and the day I will be raised up alive.”