Orientalism and Genocide

Paris – Belgium – Nigeria – Afghanistan, and we’re still only in January. This coming so soon after a bumper 2014 in which a Christian genocide took place in Iraq at the hands of Islamic State, and countless Muslims in Syria were murdered by the same. The response to this assault on civilisation is a most peculiar thing to watch: like the smoke of an … Continue reading Orientalism and Genocide

… and some have Nationality thrust upon them

Few urban centres can claim to be as pluralistic and lacking in any national identity as London. Being part of London is a life-challenge for the many travellers who pass through, hoping to call it home. They endure, in many cases, three-to-a bed cramped rooms at Waterloo, poor salaries; it is a shared struggle with other kindred souls.  The poster above articulates this sense of … Continue reading … and some have Nationality thrust upon them

The Heart is where the Home was

The question of land, urban development, property and who is allowed to live on it, is an unsentimental representation of the emotionless, invisible hand of the market in the face of the common desire to put down roots and create our own history.  Sadly, land (just like everything else) is a highly monetized commodity, and any attempt to use it to root ourselves to the … Continue reading The Heart is where the Home was

Muslim Rage, still?

Salman Rushdie is still deplored east of Istanbul: looking at his twitter stream, it is obvious he finds it difficult to restrain his contempt for the illiterate death threats and abuse he still receives for his alleged, but absent blasphemy in The Satanic Verses. I say ‘absent’, because, ten years ago, when England still had laws against blasphemy, 13 Muslim barristers brought a case against … Continue reading Muslim Rage, still?