How Al-Farabi drew on Plato to argue for censorship in Islam
by Rashmee
Posted on November 12, 2018 / Aeon
You might not be familiar with the name Al-Farabi, a 10th-century thinker from Baghdad, but you know his work, or at least its results. Al-Farabi was, by all accounts, a man of steadfast Sufi persuasion and unvaryingly simple tastes. As a labourer in a Damascus vineyard before settling in Baghdad, he favoured a frugal diet … Continue reading “How Al-Farabi drew on Plato to argue for censorship in Islam”
Read MoreAs for Uighurs, China says it’s fighting the war on terror that the West lost
by Rashmee
Posted on September 17, 2018
If you thought the Uighur issue had Beijing on the back foot, think again. It’s responding in a creative way to reports of around one million Uighur Muslims detained in mass detention camps in Xinjiang. Reuters news agency reports the following remarks from Li Xiaojun, director for publicity at the Bureau of Human Rights Affairs … Continue reading “As for Uighurs, China says it’s fighting the war on terror that the West lost”
Read MoreWhen did the West lose Turkey?
by Rashmee
Posted on September 7, 2018
Today is a good day to talk about Turkey, whose president meets his Iranian and Russian counterparts in Iran (September 7, Friday). For starters, let’s consider the state of US-Turkey relations. The US currently has a trade spat with China and Turkey but only one of them conducted talks. Guess which one? (Hint: It wasn’t Turkey). Indeed, … Continue reading “When did the West lose Turkey?”
Read MoreShall we decode why the Finns talked of a ‘terrorist attack’ but Marseille did not?
by Rashmee
Posted on August 22, 2017
The incident in Marseille on Monday, August 21 – when a van was driven into two bus shelters – is not being treated as a terrorist attack. Why? After all one person died in that incident. The driver did it deliberately. But not, it seems, as a terrorist. This is all frightfully confusing. And one … Continue reading “Shall we decode why the Finns talked of a ‘terrorist attack’ but Marseille did not?”
Read MoreLet’s stop doing the terrorists’ job for them and start calling these attacks ‘crimes’
by Rashmee
Posted on March 28, 2017
I implore you to watch Simon Jenkins’ comments on a BBC programme about the urgent need to deny terrorists that vital commodity “the oxygen of publicity”. Click here to watch. The video is at the top of The Sun’s report. Sir Simon criticized the BBC’s wall-to-wall coverage of the crime committed by Khalid Masood in … Continue reading “Let’s stop doing the terrorists’ job for them and start calling these attacks ‘crimes’”
Read MoreHey, Indian-Americans & other US Desis, Trump’s Bannon is coming for you next
by Rashmee
Posted on January 31, 2017
Even if you’re not Muslim, you should be seriously worried about how to live in Trumpistan. To to be anything other than white and Christian means it may become increasingly hard to live and work and be successful in Trump’s America. Why? Because President Trump’s senior strategist is a man named Steve Bannon. I’ve written … Continue reading “Hey, Indian-Americans & other US Desis, Trump’s Bannon is coming for you next”
Read MoreCamels and why mountains have traditionally provided havens for minorities
by Rashmee
Posted on January 16, 2017
This year’s camel beauty contest at Al Dhafra reminded me of my visit to the festival a couple of years ago, on the edge of the Rub’ al Khali. That’s the Empty Quarter, which is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world.(Click here to read my piece on how the Gulf Arabs should market their unique … Continue reading “Camels and why mountains have traditionally provided havens for minorities”
Read MoreAn ISIL plane bomb means it’s prepared to be seen as it is: a terrorist group
by Rashmee
Posted on November 7, 2015
Contrary to what everyone may say or fear, hears what an ISIL bomb on a Russian plane actually means: ** That this brutal extremist group is dropping its pretensions to being and founding a “state” for the world’s most pious believers ** That it is doing – on the world stage – what it has … Continue reading “An ISIL plane bomb means it’s prepared to be seen as it is: a terrorist group”
Read MoreIftar with halal real Texas barbecue seasons great American melting pot
by Rashmee
Posted on July 6, 2015
The Chopped n Smoked BBQ in Sugar Land, Texas noticed a gap in the market. The way Robert West, co-owner, native Houstonian and convert to Islam tells it, most Houston Muslims would like to eat barbecue but they can’t if it’s not halal-compliant or if there’s a heap of pork also cooking on the far … Continue reading “Iftar with halal real Texas barbecue seasons great American melting pot”
Read MoreEuropean Muslims need political representation, so says Michel Houellebecq
by Rashmee
Posted on January 10, 2015
Michel Houellebecq (pronounced ‘wellbeck’) should be read – and praised or condemned only after that essential act. I say this off the back of news that Mr Houellebecq’s controversial new novel ‘Soumission’ (Submission), which imagines a France where a fictional Muslim party wins the French election in 2022, will be published in English in September. … Continue reading “European Muslims need political representation, so says Michel Houellebecq”
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Rashmee has lived and worked in several countries in the past decade, including Afghanistan, India, Haiti, Tunisia, the UAE, US and UK