Who remembers that catchphrase, “Build back better”? Certainly not the government which used to utter it. In the midst of the pandemic, they were adamant that they wouldn’t make the same mistakes again. We thought they meant no more austerity. No more underinvestment in critical public services. We thought they meant they would invest properly …
The Irish National Party demand an end to immigration. Without the slightest trace of irony, those Irish chaps who have made their home abroad, emigrating to Britain and Australia, loudly cheer: “Ireland for the Irish alone!” Eejits, the lot of them.
I’ve been on and off social media for years now. I weaned myself off Facebook around five years ago, gradually replacing religious content with wood turning and epoxy resin projects. I stayed off for a few years then, only to return about a year ago, seeking to reconnect with an old friend. I resided there …
I grow weary of the facile pleading of bearded influencers, for whom a woman’s alleged feminism is more problematic than a brother being engaged in major sins. The brother — always, always — must be given his seventy excuses and the benefit of the doubt, but the feminist sister must immediately be condemned, undermined and …
We economic migrants, moving far from our families for the sake of employment, find ourselves cut off from traditional forms of support. On those days when we think to ourselves, “I really need a break from my children!” there is no grandparent or sibling near at hand to provide respite. As for friends? We’re all …
Nothing escapes the kids… to then be mangled by their unsophisticated comprehension of the world. Recently, I have started taking supplements to counteract my foggy mind. They seem to be helping to some degree, my mind sharper and more alert. But the unexpected: the kids have read the label on the jar, and discovering the …
If only the zealous fellow would bring evidences for whatever he insists on spouting before vast audiences week after week. While the learned know he is simply making it up as he goes along, the ignorant seem easily fooled by the apparition of stringent orthodoxy, hanging on his every word. It is all a game …
My wife and I come from opposite ends of the spectrum. I was raised amidst wealth and privilege, wanting for nothing. She was raised amidst poverty and hardship, often deprived. In our life together, we have met somewhere in the middle of this spectrum, raising our children neither amidst excessive wealth nor abject poverty. By …
Every time these clowns come to power, they break everything. Why do people keep on voting for them? How bad does it have to get? Or are we still just playing cutting off our nose to spite our face?
Leaving jummah prayer at lunchtime, I bumped into a friend from out of town. He was with his son, aged four or five. “It’s uncle Tim,” he grinned, reaching for my hand to shake it. That cute boy with the cheeky smile is half east and north African. Walking up the road to my car …
One of the most important lessons I have learnt in life, the hard way: never ever ask or allow another to speak on your behalf. This goes for relationships and employment alike. You have no control over what may come out of their mouth, however well-meaning or sincere they may be. Even if you’re shy …
Prioritise what the Quran prioritises, not what popularism holds to be important. Focussing on the latter will just carry you down a rabbit hole, distracting from what is essential. Focus first on constructing firm foundations. The Quran prioritises justice, being fair in trade, looking after orphans, feeding the poor, being kind, merciful and humble, resisting …
Here’s a business idea. Loud, raucous extroverts have everywhere taken over the agenda, our playlists, subscriptions and feeds brimming with their over-excited clamour. It’s time the quiet ones seized the initiative to develop an alternative platform, that just calmly simmers away, offering up restrained output that nourishes the soul. No need for likes, shares, and …
Thought-provoking insights from, “Getting religion: challenging religious illiteracy in a time of global uncertainty”.
