“The treasure of unity is found by those who look within.” Beautiful. Captions available.
Mother of the believers would be an apt title for this lady, who delivered a speech at our walima in 2001. We’re so blessed to have her, mashallah. Her support for the seeker can be found here: www.convertmuslimfoundation.org.uk
In days long gone, I believed that I had been wronged by those who would perpetually warn against me. I felt like I was being victimised, targeted unjustly. But today, if faced with the unknown intentions of a young man interacting with our daughter, I can imagine behaving just as protectively. While I knew my …
Something can seem bad, but it’s best for you. Conversely, something can look good, but it’s bad for you. Once upon a time, we may have raged against what seemed unfair, but with hindsight we come to appreciate what occurred instead. Sometimes we may conclude it was a tribulation, but in fact it was a …
Were I not battling the awkward lethargy for which I had no explanation then — as yet undiagnosed — and the consequential emotions that wrecked many a relationship, I often wonder if I could have achieved a higher grade at university. In my final year, I submitted an essay I put my heart and soul …
How much strife in society would be avoided if we all told the truth? What would communal relationships look like if newspapers were forced to verify that everything they printed was absolutely true? How might we live more peaceful lives if the gutter press desisted from making up stories, completely untrue? Unfortunately, there is little …
Amin.
I categorically reject the naysayers on multiculturalism. I’ve written about this extensively and repeatedly through the years, but it bears repeating because it’s so significant — and because its opponents grown ever louder. Britain is, and has long been, a multicultural society. For a start, the United Kingdom comprises three countries on the British mainland, …
Bizarre as it may seem to others, these are some of the modules I took at university: environment and development in dryland Africa; environment and development in South Asia; border disputes in the Middle East; refugees, returnees and development aid; the politics of development. Lots of references to development. When I set out on that …
A decade ago, a director took me under his wing to informally mentor me. He seemed to like the work I produced, but thought I wasn’t reaching my true potential. I had an unusual reporting line in those days, my role a bit of an orphan in the service hierarchy. All of his direct reports …
What is required of a Muslim? In morals, to be just, truthful, compassionate, kind. In practice, to pray daily, to fast one month of the year, to give a portion of your wealth to the poor, and to go on pilgrimage once in your lifetime. In ethics, to eat what is good, shun what is …
Rather than telling the descendants of the Caribbean to shut up and be grateful for being given a home amongst us, recall that our descendants enslaved their descendants, transporting them across the Atlantic in the most horrific dehumanising conditions possible. This land is as much their home as the Americas were. They did not migrate …
It’s hard to avoid making mistakes in the early days of the journey. You’re trying to do things right, thrashing around for guidance, reliant on the assumed knowledge of others — often contradictory — trying to find your way. It’s difficult to navigate those first few lanes, for the landscape is so alien and forbidding. …
We’re all getting fed up of this permacrisis, but it’s what we voted for. Well, it’s what 52% of those who voted voted for. Whipped into a frenzy of xenophobic spite, we voted to make Britain great again, forgetting that the only thing that made Britain great was the compassion which created institutions like the …
After destroying whole nations by deploying the doctrine of Shock and Awe and long-term occupation, we have the temerity to call the vanquished peoples uncivilised. If you have believed the racist propaganda about the people from that region, I suggest you familiarise yourself with their rich cultures, ancient and modern. This thought occurs to me …
