Little Flecks of Silver
At dawn the view of Damascus was glorious. I loved to watch the sun rise whilst Kurdish pigeon fanciers flew their little flecks of silver over the green minarets that… Continue reading "Little Flecks of Silver"
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I, Relic: the story of my grandfather and the Bengalis of the East End
Whenever I walk towards the Brick Lane Mosque in the east end of London I always look at it as a continuation of a Dicken’s novel; from the Artful Dodger… Continue reading "I, Relic: the story of my grandfather and the Bengalis of the East End"
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The Caliph of Lisson Green
Muhammad al-Rifai was an unassuming figure who ended up as the nominal leader of the Muslim world. Opportunities to meet a caliph are pretty rare. Yet in London in the… Continue reading "The Caliph of Lisson Green"
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Investigating Islamism
I was part panel that discussed how journalists in the West should approach Islamism. The Panel: Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi @ajaltamimi, Janina Findeisen@j_findeisen, Kevin B. Lee @alsolikelife, Tam Hussein, @tamhussein and… Continue reading "Investigating Islamism"
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Into the heart of Jihadism
On the 26th-28th June clashes broke out between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and a faction led by the al-Qaeda affiliated Hurras al-Din (HaD). Although an informal agreement ended the violence… Continue reading "Into the heart of Jihadism"
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The Pandemic Century: one hundred years of panic, hysteria and hubris- Book Review
In some ways you could forgive politicians and doctors even, who were blindsided by the Covid-19. Most of us were like that, it’s just the flu’s ugly sister, nothing to… Continue reading "The Pandemic Century: one hundred years of panic, hysteria and hubris- Book Review"
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The Meaning of Jihad at the Frontline Club
To The Mountains: My Life in Jihad from Algeria to Afghanistan (Hurst) has so far received critical acclaim from a wide variety of people from Lawrence Wright to Yusuf Qaradawi.… Continue reading "The Meaning of Jihad at the Frontline Club"
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After the Pandemic: Democracy in an Age of Big Tech
The Covid pandemic has been characterised by one prominent analyst as an ideological one; one which is illustrative of how liberal democracies and autocratic states deal with such a grave and… Continue reading "After the Pandemic: Democracy in an Age of Big Tech"
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The Caravan: Abdallah Azzam and the Rise of Global Jihad- Book Review
The Caravan: Abdallah Azzam and the Rise of Global Jihad by Thomas Hegghammer is a biography on Abdallah Azzam and no doubt going to be the standard work on the… Continue reading "The Caravan: Abdallah Azzam and the Rise of Global Jihad- Book Review"
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The Reluctant Roadman: the true story of children enslaved in Britain’s county lines
Momodou* is beautiful. At seventeen he is a super-middle weight but as he grows into full manhood, he will box quite comfortably as a light-heavy weight. As of yet he… Continue reading "The Reluctant Roadman: the true story of children enslaved in Britain’s county lines"