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Open letter: hijab in the classroom

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Open letter: hijab in the classroom

Following the report in The Times, we, the undersigned, request a meeting with Amanda Spielman, HM Chief Inspector of Education, to discuss the unacceptable rise of the classroom hijab in state-funded primary schools. Female Muslim children as young as five are increasingly veiled and schools are sanctioning this by including it as part of school uniform policies. This is an affront to the historical fight for gender equality in our secular democracy and is creating a two-tiered form of non-equality for young Muslim girls. At a time of rising religious…

Hijab: Empowering or Oppressive?

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Hijab: Empowering or Oppressive?

By Aisha Ali-Khan This is a cross-post   Last week, a Sunday Times investigation found that 1 in 5 primary schools now listed the ‘hijab’ as a official school uniform policy, even though young girls under the age of puberty are actually exempt from wearing it under accepted Islamic rulings. Campaigners such as Amina Lone, Gina Khan and Shaista Gohir have already brought a lot of attention to this very polemic issue. I hope to outline my own position and help put my previous comments into context with this blog….

Ironic anti-Prevent report proves just how direly we need the counter-terrorism strategy

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Ironic anti-Prevent report proves just how direly we need the counter-terrorism strategy

By Muna Adil Channel 4 recently attempted to give female Muslim voices a platform after a report titled ‘The Missing Muslims’ described the relationship between British Muslims and the UK government as “broken.” Following the report’s overwhelmingly negative reception, Assed Baig, the senior reporter who presented the package last week, has since left the channel, although he and the network claim this was decided weeks in advance to the airing of the segment. Yet this isn’t the first time Baig has come under fire for supporting controversial views. In 2011, he…

Ameena Lonely broke a vital taboo by criticising multicultural taboos

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Ameena Lonely broke a vital taboo by criticising multicultural taboos

“I joined the Labour Party after seeing so much injustice in my community and in the world. I was expelled from the Labour Party after speaking out against injustice in this world and in my community” – Ameena Lonely, professional trouble maker, subverter of harmony, secular fundamentalist, feminist terrorist, opponent of community leaders. For the first time since the controversy over Ameena Lonely speaking out on honour-abuse, shame-misogyny and Labour’s proximity to reactionary community leader dynamics sparked hurt feelings across humanity, Sedaa spoke to Mo Dawah, intersectional-Islamist, progressive anti-feminist, Labour activist…

Amina Lone and the shame of the Labour Party in the UK

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Amina Lone and the shame of the Labour Party in the UK

By Iram Ramzan Dissenters from within Muslim communities are often silenced by being cast as ‘traitors’ or dismissed as not being ‘authentic’ often.  Often, wider society either looks away, or sides with the reactionary forces within our communities because of fear of causing offense. A high-profile female councillor in Manchester has been forced out for being too ‘outspoken’. The Manchester Evening News website reported how in-fighting within Manchester City Council has been blamed for pushing out Hulme councillor Amina Lone after seven years at the town hall. Sedaa readers will…

The media highlights ‘terrorism’ but not bee stings: an interview with Mo Dawah

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The media highlights ‘terrorism’ but not bee stings: an interview with Mo Dawah

The last few decades have seen a rise in Islamism, a political movement that favors reordering government and society in accordance with laws prescribed by Islam. More recently we have also seen a rise in the far right and white nationalist movements. Sedaa interviewed Mo Dawah, a community leader, intersectional jihadi and Machete-Secretary of the Beheading Civil Rights org DECAP, to give an analysis on these two movements and what it means for Western civilisation.     As Britain’s most important inter-sectional religious supremacist and progressive jihadi contextualiser, what are your feelings…

Vilification of Faryal Makhdoom confirms outdated attitudes towards marriage break ups in South Asian communities

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Vilification of Faryal Makhdoom confirms outdated attitudes towards marriage break ups in South Asian communities

By Aisha Ali Khan This is a cross-post The announcement by Amir Khan on Twitter that his marriage was over was shocking enough. But then he followed it up with a series of even more bizarre, disturbing and downright scandalous tweets in which he accused his now estranged wife  Faryal Makhdoom of not only being a gold digger, but also of cheating on him with a fellow boxer, Anthony Joshua. Khan’s last tweet reads: “Mans (sic) like (Anthony) Joshua can have my left overs” Calling the mother of your child ‘my…

Islam, race and interracial marriage

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Islam, race and interracial marriage

By Tehmina Kazi   It could be any Midlands mosque.  Statuesque, with a dome as white as paste and a pencil-sharp minaret.  The scent of chai – all liquorice, cloves and cassia bark – pervades the air, although the polystyrene cups do not do justice to the flavour.   Half a spoon of sugar?  No, I want three, and proper milk, please.  None of that long-life stuff.  The chai-walla’s thumb turns an unsightly shade of crimson after pressing the latch for the hot water tank – and narrowly missing the…

In the name of honour

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In the name of honour

By Saima Baig   Qandeel Baloch was an anathema for a country like Pakistan. Coming from poverty, she rose to become independent and support herself and her family. She was an anathema because she did not care. She did not care what society thought of her and she did not care if they made fun of her. She was the bold and the beautiful. And one year ago, on July 15, 2016, she was murdered in the name of that tenuous and all important property of Pakistani men: honour. Her…

London conference sees ‘largest gathering of ex-Muslims in history’

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London conference sees ‘largest gathering of ex-Muslims in history’

The International Conference on Freedom of Conscience and Expression saw what the organisers described as the ‘largest gathering of ex-Muslims in history during 22-24 July 2017 in London. Over 70 notable speakers from 30 countries came together to honour dissenters to defend apostasy, blasphemy and secularism. The sold-out conference highlighted the voices of those on the front-lines of resistance – many of them persecuted and exiled – and included the first London film screening of Deeyah Khan’s film, Islam’s Non Believers, a public art protest of 99 balloons representing those killed or imprisoned for blasphemy and…