Published Opinion Pieces

Published in the Liverpool Hope University’s website on 9 March 2022. url: https://www.hope.ac.uk/news/allnews/why-we-need-a-public-inquiry-into-the-trojan-horse-affair.html?fbclid=IwAR0P7NilReAGsyfLXcHuoj4NL5rHyJnxX-kyEKmd5MLchx-yByiPA3kiwkE For the last few days I have been immersed into the recently released ‘Trojan Horse Affair’ podcast produced by Serial Productions and The New York Times. This eight-part series is presented by an American journalist Brian Reed and a British medical doctor turned … Continue reading

Recent events in Egypt have outraged many who believe in justice, fairness and democracy. The brutality of the current regime in Egypt that killed hundreds of people; the double standards of the western countries, particularly the United States for whom democracy and human rights only apply if other countries follow their agenda; and the extent … Continue reading

Today, the 21st February, marks a significant point in the global calendar. Exactly sixty Nine years ago some brave men laid down their lives for Bangladesh (then known as East Pakistan), so that Bangla could be established as a state language. It is a tragic tale with a happy ending as Bangla eventually achieved the … Continue reading

If I am asked about my identity, I would say that I am a British Bangladeshi Muslim. Do these three contradict? Well, to me and many other individuals, religion is the most important identity which plays a fundamental role in the way we lead our lives. It is the national identity and our loyalty towards … Continue reading

In a previous post I discussed why ethnic minorities should integrate with the majority community. This time I would like to look at the other side of the coin: is it possible for ethnic minorities to integrate if the majority community is not ready to accept them? If members of an ethnic minority are looked … Continue reading

Secularism is a concept that separates the state from any religious affiliation claiming that religion can be practiced at individual level without any control of how others should lead their lives. However, no definition of secularism denounces religion and refuses the right of people to practice religion. Western democracies are mostly secular and in principle … Continue reading

Language is an essential component of an individual’s everyday life. Scholars say that an individual is born with the ‘innate ability’ to speak a language, which Noam Chomsky terms as ‘universal grammar’. We learn our languages through the environment in which we are brought up. There are many types of influences that shape a human … Continue reading

Religion is important to most people in the UK according to the last census data. For the first time, in the 2001 Census, an optional religion question was included where an overwhelming 76.8% expressed their allegiance to a religion. However, the majority of the contemporary media representations of faith give a negative picture of religion. … Continue reading

If the initial aftermath of the Brexit referendum is anything to go by then the future of British Muslims is going to be turbulent to say the least. It is obviously a legitimate question to ask how the U.K.’s leaving the European Union will affect three million British Muslims when the population of Muslims in … Continue reading

The alarming rise of right-wing political parties and their electoral successes in an increasingly diverse Europe have led to worries that the Clash of Civilisations theory is likely to become a reality in this part of the world. There are striking similarities in the way all these right-wing parties transitioned from their fringe past into … Continue reading