Remembering the real Raba’a
Competing myths have emerged around the Raba’a protest camp. But it was neither a terrorist den nor a gathering of freedom and democracy lovers.
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Gay pride (and prejudice) through the ages
Historical examples of homosexuality being tolerated by Judaism, Christianity and Islam can help overcome homophobia and reinvent these faiths.
Read moreEgypt’s women of mass destruction
Does a gaff about rural women’s breasts belie the belief among Egypt’s new Islamist leadership that women are the source of all society’s ills?
Read moreNearly sisters: the common cause of Israeli and Palestinian women
The fog of war obscures the similar challenges facing women in Israel and Palestine and how the conflict hinders them from finding common cause.
Read moreA drinker’s guide to Islam
Although alcohol is ‘haraam’, Muslim societies have rarely managed to stay on the wagon, and vital parts of their culture have developed under the influence.
Read moreRejected by the right, Western Muslims are only left with the left
No Muslim in their right mind would support far-right Christian groups in the West, though they may well symathise with their Muslim equivalents elsewhere.
Read moreNot so simply red
Mick Hucknall’s admission that he slept with thousands of women shatters one ginger stereotype, but discrimination against redheads goes way back.
Read moreWhy doesn’t God use Faithbook?
If God wants to reach out to humanity, why rely on prophets and scripture when he presumably has the power to connect with each of us directly?
Read moreDo no haram
A new search engine claims to filter out ‘haram’ (sinful) content for the faithful. Should non-believers now demand their own version – let’s call it Godpile – that blocks religious content?
Read moreFace to faith: Ramadan for the faith-challenged
Ramadan possesses a certain secular appeal but fasting requires the non-believer to square the philosophical circle.
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