Category: Opinion

Tue 19 May 2020: Much has been written about the growing rifts between the Shia seminary cities of Najaf in Iraq and Qom in Iran, centred on the role of politics and religion. While the Najaf school is known for its quietist stance, Qom advocates the theocratic ideology of Wilayat Al-Faqi. These tensions are particularly noticeable […]

Thu 14 May 2020: One rarely expects the prime minister of a nation to become a cheerleader for a television show. But, in October 2019, that is exactly what Pakistani leader Imran Khan did. And with it, he unleashed a phenomenon that has since gripped his nation and become the talking point among fans and […]

Tue 12 May 2020: It is well understood that the Assad regime controls all aspects of Syrian life and society as dictatorships tend to do. The tentacles of the regime reach into the economy, the way it operates and who profits. The Assad regime operates like a family and those at the very top of […]

Mon 04 May 2020: As the coronavirus pandemic rages on, journalism around the world seems to face increasing difficulties. In my country, Denmark, local media outlets are suffering major economic set-backs and are already seeking state support. Such is the fragility of media operations that even in one of the most affluent countries in the world, with […]

Sun  03 May 2020: This is an edited extract from Secret Affairs: Britain’s Collusion with Radical Islam by Mark Curtis The British strategy of colonial divide and rule, and reliance on Muslim forces to promote imperial interests, reached its apogee in the Middle East during and after the First World War. The carving up of the […]

Sat 02 May 2020: As the British government carries out an official investigation into deaths among ethnic minorities from COVID-19, Duncan Bartlett considers the risks facing the United Kingdom’s Pakistani community. On instructions from Britain’s minister of health, Public Health England is urgently trying to establish why non-white people appear to be disproportionally affected by […]

Wed 29 April 2020: As worries over Covid-19 and its fallout increase in the face of an ever rising death toll, greater police powers may provide some with the temporary illusion that action is being taken to “keep us safe”. Unfortunately, this is just another attempt by the UK government to address a symptom, rather than the […]

Tue 28 April 2020: Dubai business houses deported six upper-caste Hindus from India in March and April this year for tweeting racist and bigotted statements against Muslims and Islam. Members of the royal family and civic society spoke against the increasing hatred spread by Hindus working in Dubai. The Organization of Islamic Conference issued a […]

Sun 26 April 2020: The initial shock of the coronavirus epidemic and of the domestic confinement of billions of people is beginning to wear off and attention is turning to the long-term impact of this unprecedented attack on our physical and economic health.  And while academics and politicians try to imagine how the international trading system and […]