I don’t have the stamina of my pious brethren in faith, who stand their nights in prayer. My Ramadan is characterised by working days fasting, and evenings nursing the headache that’s accompanied me for weeks. It wasn’t always so. In the early years, I’d be breaking my fast at work, then returning home for an …
We are told that the people of Gaza voted for Hamas, and therefore deserve everything they get. But the last election there was 18 years ago. That means anyone under 35 today did not vote for them — about 70% of the population. Of the 75% of eligible voters who did cast a vote in 2006, …
Michael Gove forgot to include the Conservative Party in his list of extremist organisations.
When a theology of liberation for the poor and oppressed is coopted by the rich and powerful, only disaster lies ahead. Watch as a movement for social justice transforms into a tool for suppression and control. The polar opposite of all it first stood for. Don’t read tradition through the lens of imperialism. View it …
Always the same mistake: consuming food from outside the home in Ramadan. Never can I resist that momentary temptation, succumbing to the spices and fried delights gifted by generous friends. But without fail, in the coming hours, I will be reminded of my folly, as my body recoils in discomfort and pain. A month of …
I had just reconciled myself as to why some things could never have been, when all of a sudden, my assumptions were turned on their head. It could be said that my timing was impeccable, but in truth the timing was not of my design. It turned out I was completely wrong about everything. As …
Our politicians are so beholden to lobbyists and donors that they can no longer take a principled stance on any issue. Talk about the corrupting influence of money.
Do good people pass over the way because of how we behave? If they do, we should make this dua: Our Lord, do not make us a trial for those who disbelieve, and forgive us, our Lord. Surely you are the mighty, the wise. Quran 60:5 May good people be sent guides who truly embody the light …
As true northerners, we break our fast with Yorkshire puddings.
In Ramadan, I have such heavy dreams. Not to say they’re spiritual or deep, just vivid, intense. I usually wake up exhausted.
Have you seen the one who denies the Recompense? That is the one who repulses the orphan, and does not encourage the feeding of the poor. So woe to those who pray, yet are unmindful of their prayers; those who show off, and refuse to give simple assistance. Quran 107 Be heretics for the truth. …
“Do you want to be a cleaner when you grow up?” “No way! I want to be a detailer.”
Entitlement looks something like this… I went to a certain school… my parents had a certain job… I had a certain background… I studied at a certain university… I got a certain degree. It can be hard facing up to your sense of entitlement. The sense that you deserve to be in a certain position …
In my youth, I had low self-esteem to a horrendous extreme. This was picked up by the people around me, if not by myself. When I started at college at the age of sixteen, my tutor referred me to a counsellor who tried her best to lift me out of my negative morass. However, there …
Where are the helpers of our era, who will fling open their doors to welcome those emigrating in fear? Instead, they respond with arguments contrary to the Quran and sunna, demanding a desperate people stay in harm’s way, lest they lose their lands forever. If their Book asks them, “Is God’s earth not spacious enough …
