New Atheists and old prejudices
New Atheists and Christian fundamentalists have become strange bedfellows in their crusade against Islam. This has alienated many atheists, especially in the Arab world.
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Religion
FAQ ME: Answers that make sense of the Middle East
By providing alternative answers to common questions about the Middle East, this FAQ will help you make sense of this complex region.
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The queen, the princess and the prophet
Although it is improbable that Elizabeth II is a descendant of Muhammad, one of the British queen’s ancestors was likely a refugee Muslim princess. However, the enduring popularity of this theory speaks some harsh truths about post-colonial reality and sheds light on the intertwined history of Islam and Christendom.
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The misinterpretation of Salman Rushdie and The Satanic Verses
Decades after the release of The Satanic Verses and the calls for his death which followed it, Salman Rushdie remains one of the most wildly and widely misunderstood contemporary writers in the English language.
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When a Christian king and a Muslim caliph united against their common foes
Despite the official holy war between Islam and Christendom, Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid and Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne exchanged lavish gifts, including an elephant named Abu al-Abbas, and built a largely forgotten alliance. This reveals how Christians and Muslims can simultaneously be foes and friends and how sharing a religion is no guarantee of peace, just as belonging to different faiths is no assurance of war.
Read MoreWhat the papers don’t say about Muslims
Media representations of Muslims are overwhelmingly negative. Where are the reports on our talented comedians, rappers and football players?
Read MoreBritain is not a God-free zone – atheists can be ‘spiritual’ too
Britain is not entirely godless – but whether you or I believe in God is up to us to decide, not the cardinals, imams or rabbis.
Read MoreWhy Muslims don’t pig out
Lapsed Muslims may get a taste for alcohol but pigs will fly before they allow pork onto their dinner plates.
Read MoreThe clash within civilisations
The “clash of civilisations” has been massively overblown. It’s blinded us to the fault lines which lie within cultural groups.
Read MoreThe ‘Mosaic Arabs’ and anti-Semitism in Islam
Not so long ago many prominent Jewish thinkers believed in a natural affinity between Judaism and Islam. They called themselves
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