“…a riot is the language of the unheard.” [1] Most governments create or facilitate institutions that deliver social control strategies aimed at regulating societal behaviour within acceptable norms.[2] In other words,…
‘Jack the Lads?’ Or is there something we are choosing to ignore?
Click here to listen to podcast version Definition of ‘Jack the lad’: “A conspicuously self-assured, carefree and brash (young) man; a ‘chancer.’”[1] At this point in time, Boris Johnson appears…
Societal Serenity & Quietist Salafis: A Swedish Context
By Gibril Fodor* It's a sunny Friday afternoon. We have just completed the traditional Friday prayers in a small mosque located in the shadow of large Brutalist style housing blocks…
Social Media, Self-Harm & Suicide
By Unaisa Abdul Haqq Baker,[1] A 14-year-old girl, Molly Russell, took her own life in November 2017 after prolonged exposure to images of self-harm on Instagram. “The caring soul who…
Left Out to Die: The Tragedy of Baby Jarrah Begum
On Friday 8th March news emerged regarding the death of baby Jarrah, Shamima Begum’s 3-week-old newborn son. The following day it was confirmed.[1] Despite the overwhelming national sentiment that Begum not…
Brexit: [Re]birth of a Nation?
Brexit continues to preoccupy many of our thoughts as the impending deadline for leaving approaches. Arguably the most divisive issue in British politics for a generation, Brexit has accelerated an…
Soul Food? Sex Slaves, the Catholic Church & R Kelly
The recent visit of Pope Francis to the Middle East was historic for more than one reason.[1] His decision to reveal details about nuns being subjected to sexual slavery by…
Fifty Shades of Grey and Only One Black?
‘These extremists have determinedly created divisions to wipe out the ‘grey zone’ of reason and tolerance. They have conflated religion and politics and thereby poisoned Islam.’ [1] A small delegation…
Hear no evil, see no evil: Covering up sexual abuse while blaming the victim
My previous article examined endemic and historic sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.[1]The focus of this article will be on how some Muslim communities are failing to protect victims of…
In the name of the Father? Endemic sexual abuse under the guise of religion
The sex abuse scandals that continue to plague the Catholic Church stretch so far back in recent history to suggest that the papacy, as an institution, is rotten to its…