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22 years and still waiting

World Refugee Day took place on June 20. For many it was about remembering the plight of many people worldwide, who today are without rights, a state and an identity. One may picture the plight of Palestinians or Kurds or perhaps the Rohingyas of Myanmar. However, it...

3 Years on: A Hurting Stalemate in Sri Lanka

Last month saw the official marking of three years after the end of the 28 year old war that plagued Sri Lanka, killing thousands and setting the country back in terms of development and prosperity.  Yet three years on, it seems that not much has changed. Whilst Sri...

Victoria and Abdul: A friendship ahead of its time

I am a self-confessed history geek who loves nothing better than to get into a story from the past — especially one that is as relevant to today’s policy discussions and societal concerns as it was when it first occurred. Few stories, however, have managed to tick all...

History in the making, as written by the youth

It might be a cliche and often an elaborate exaggeration to term a particular event “historic”. However, few can doubt that along with the Civil Rights movements, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin Wall, the revolutions that have swept through...

Remembering Fred Shuttlesworth : The Fire Brand Preacher

Remembering Fred Shuttlesworth : The Fire Brand Preacher

Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth died as he had lived, fighting strongly yet always in the shadows. His death on October 5, 2011 was not only overshadowed by the passing of another transformational American icon, Apple founder Steve Jobs, but was also later overshadowed by...

Western Fear of the ‘Islamist Other’

Western Fear of the ‘Islamist Other’

The year 2011 has proven to be quite unique as evidenced by the tumultuous social, political and economic events that have taken place all around the world. Lenin once said that “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen”. This...

A Protean Riot requires a Protean Response

A Protean Riot requires a Protean Response

The riots that have engulfed London and other major cities in England over the past week have finally receded, but in the wake of the horrific scenes of violence, looting and arson that left people shaken, the real issues look set to take centre stage, especially as...

Viewpoint: The Killing of Bin Laden – the end that never was

The killing of Osama bin Laden on Monday 3rd of May was indeed a historical advent which ought to signal the end of one of the most difficult phases in the relationship between the West and the Muslim world. For nearly a decade, Bin Laden had become not only the...

Burning the Myths about Islam

Burning the Myths about Islam

The recent violent protests in Afghanistan - a reaction to the burning of the Quran by a small church in the United States last month - recalled an inescapable reality. Extremists on all sides - whether in free, democratic America, or in corrupt, occupied...