The former British Minister, Tony Lloyd, passed away yesterday. There are few – very few – people of integrity in the political system in the UK. Fewer still who climb to some of the higher positions of power. Tony Lloyd MP, who passed away this week from luekemia, was of them. He
Some thoughts on the passing of a true gentleman, Aaron Varricchio The news of Aaron’s passing was devastating for many of us who knew him. Below are some of the tributes to him published on the IHRC website. We all learned so much from Aaron, whose exemplary behaviour and kindness were inspirational.
Arzu discusses the proscription of the avowedly non-violent group Hizb ut-Tahrir by the UK government and what it means for dissenting voices in the UK Today’s proscription of Hizb u-Tahrir under the Terrorism Act 2000 is a new low, even for the UK. I wrote on 7 January that the push towards
As the US and UK bomb Yemen on the 22nd anniversary of the opening of the Guantánamo Bay prison camp, Arzu reviews her thoughts from 2012 about the narratives of Islamophobia that facilitate this violence Yesterday was the anniversary of the opening of Camp X-Ray, the notorious US prison camp and
Arzu argues that the normalisation of the TalkTV journalist’s behaviour in a recent interview should be too much even for institutionally racist media companies to stomach. The video of Julia Hartley-Brewer ‘interviewing’ Palestinian MP Mustafa Barghouti last week is doing the rounds. Rightly so. It is a shocking piece of invective,
As talk of the UK government’s desire to ‘define’ extremism resurfaces, Arzu looks at how this may or may not impact the coming year. I have decided to review certain of my older articles and comments for the coming year. How much of what I thought or found still holds? Have there
Tim Brighouse has passed away. A principled senior educator, and advocate for equality. A few words. I was sad to hear of Sir Tim Brighouse’s passing. He was the former London Schools Commissioner and chief education officer for Oxfordshire and Birmingham. My brief acquaintance with him came from his advice and support
I first came across this poem, when it was put up on the wall of an office I worked at by (I am guessing) Demir Mahmutćehajić , and which followed us and Massoud Shadjareh and our other friends to Islamic Human Rights Commission in 1997. It is a powerful reminder of the resilience of
Arzu Merali reflects on the sectarian misrepresentation and instrumentalisation of Sheikh El-Zakzaky’s case by both Sunnis and Shias*. No-one is going to like what I am about to say. No-one. So let me be clear, I speak on no-one’s behalf except my own, and reflect no-one’s opinion except my own. To Sheikh
Arzu Merali outlines the urgent need for the Palestine solidarity movement to learn lessons from its fractured past It has been a traumatic and for some surprising week. The UK Home Secretary has labelled the peaceful and almost wholly – thus far – arrest free pro-Palestinian marches in (particularly, but not solely)