Dutch anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders, set to become a shadow partner of the next coalition government, goes on trial in Amsterdam on Monday for inciting hatred against Muslims. Wilders’ Freedom Party together with other parties forming the next coalition have agreed to ban the burqa. Yet this is surely the least controversial move since it... Continue Reading →
The racist fascist in the Queen’s Garden, the fundamentalist preacher on the plane
Recently two events made me question how the UK, and Europe in general, understand the concept of ‘freedom of speech’ - the invitation to attend the annual Buckingham Palace garden party extended to white supremacist BNP's Nick Griffin and the Home Secretary’s decision to ban the popular Muslim tele-preacher Dr Zakir Naik from entering the... Continue Reading →
From the Taliban to the Taliban: the case of Sayed Perwiz Kambakhsh
Why did our European and US governments invade Afghanistan? How many of us can recall the general rhetoric of a Just War fought in the name of an ‘Enduring Freedom’ to liberate Afghan women from their burqa and Afghan men from their long beards, as well as bringing to justice bin-Laden? The Afghan campaign has... Continue Reading →