By Shelina Zahra Janmohamed

It is without doubt that Islamic ideology was pioneering in its re-assessment of women’s role and status in society and in its restructuring of social relations between men and women.

It broke away from two distinct heritages which immediately surrounded it. The first was Arabian pagan culture where women were considered chattel. They were items of property that belonged to their fathers and then their husbands, reminiscent of Europe till the 19^th and even 20^th centuries where women had no right to vote, nor to own property in their own name. In Arabia, in the 7^th century, it was worse still.

By Naushin Jafery

How Modern Art can influence the British Public

Modern art has increasingly been employed as a medium of expression and inspiration. Artists have become social commentators; their work a product of the philosophical, political and cultural climate of their time. Throughout the popular artistic movements of the 20^th century until present day modern art has explored current issues; from the anti-war sentiment depicted in Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ to the vision of consumerism in Warhol’s ‘Campbell’s Soup Cans’. By showcasing current issues and often expressing ideas or anxieties about the future, modern art is a snapshot of its time.

By Iythar

Al-Ghaniy

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My work began entirely from the emergence of a new movement of British Muslim artists producing work that fits in with their identity and faith. I too began to explore in my own way how my faith could be expressed through artwork, while drawing from life in Britain.

By Nazeel Azami

I begin in the name of God Almighty.

Melody and song have been a part of my life since I first started repeating Bengali songs as a toddler, and used to search for the source of that intriguing melody – the evasive cassette player. Spiritual song was flowing through my family before I was born.

Monday 22 February to Sunday 28 February 2010

Editorial

This week’s topic is that of ‘Culture’. Rarely has a term encompassed so many different meanings, both spoken and unspoken, to so many different people. What exactly ‘culture’ means is a question which has exercised some of the greatest minds throughout history.

Today, British society stands amongst the most ethnically and culturally diverse in Europe. Our Eid and Diwali celebrations in Trafalgar Square alongside the classic Christmas celebrations Britain has known for centuries, bears testament to this. It is a diversity that has seen rich growth, even more so in the 21^st century, and is therefore acknowledged and celebrated now more than ever.

By Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari

Confronting Social Malaise in the Muslim Community

Considerable material progress in recent decades has brought about some serious social challenges and issues of social malaise in developed societies. Commercialisation of life, sexualisation of our young people and individualism that often expresses itself through self-gratification are now haunting post-modern Britain. The Guardian reported on 23 June 2009 that Ofsted inspectors investigating an increase in exclusions from primary schools have discovered “worrying” levels of sexual behaviour among very young children. The inspectors also reported high levels of “trauma”, such as family breakdown, and domestic violence.

By Dr Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed

The problem of violent extremism, which tends to dominate the headlines, is very real. But unfortunately, the headlines can often obscure the complex social factors from which the threat of terrorism emerges as a final result. Currently, the government’s approach to preventing violent extremism or countering terrorism is in danger of dealing overwhelmingly with symptoms, rather than root structural causes. There is a tendency toward ‘widening the net’ in the effort to find evidence of terrorist activity – but ‘widening the net’ of surveillance, risk-assessment and legal powers tends only to increase the number of innocent civilians that end up being caught in the net, leaving the terrorists to slip through. This is a huge burden on public funds, which is unlikely to produce real results. The more we ‘widen the net’, the more extremists groups will find devious ways of slipping through.

By Syed Tohel Ahmed

Addiction does not discriminate based on colour or creed; it strips victims of their background and is a great equaliser. The United Kingdom has the highest level of dependent drug use in Europe. The British Crime Survey 08-09 estimates that in England and Wales alone a staggering 11.9 million people aged 16 to 59 have used illicit drugs at some point in their lives, with around 1.9 million having used in the last month.

By Jonathan Githens-Mazer and Robert Lambert

[Co-Directors, European Muslim Research Centre, University of Exeter]

Our aim for 2020: a reduction of anti-Muslim hate crimes in Europe

In the thirteen years since the Runnymede Trust published Islamophobia: A Challenge For Us All, the problem of anti-Muslim hate crimes in Europe has become worse, not better. Muslims are the victims of hate crimes every day, often being spat at, verbally abused and on occasions suffering serious physical violence as well as witnessing arson and graffiti attacks on their mosques and Islamic centres. Our aim is that by 2020, much of the ignorance and bigotry that motivates these attacks will have been dispelled and that the incidence of anti-Muslim hate crimes will have reduced significantly. This, we believe, is crucially important so that all Muslims come to feel that the European countries where they live are safe, secure and congenial homes.

By Toufic Machnouk

Structural violence is the effect of a systematic imbalance in society that prefers the interests of some over others. Its dynamics are less visible than that of direct violence, where the causes are generally easier to identify. In terms of global relations, the use of direct violence is mostly a state affair manifested in armed conflict. The participation of the general population is predominantly one of inaction. Structural violence, however, tends to involve the participation of the general population which is both a cause for concern and optimism.