IslamExpo has gained the moral high ground
Seumas Milne, guardian.co.uk (14/07)
You might imagine that a four-day festival organised by British Muslim activists to showcase Islamic culture and engage in political debate with Muslims and non-Muslims alike would be welcomed by anyone who cares about the future of community relations in Britain. IslamExpo, which has been running in London’s Olympia for the past three days, has certainly lived up to its billing: more than 40,000 people have already attended an extraordinary celebration of the diversity of Muslim art and culture…
Do Muslim women need liberating?
Nesrine Malik, guardian.co.uk (14/07)
I attended a session at IslamExpo at the weekend on a topic that keeps coming up: “Do Muslim women need liberating?” I expected that there would be the usual preoccupation with defending the faith and restating that Islam does not oppress women. But I was pleasantly surprised to listen to open criticism of indigenous culture in the Muslim world and a more profound examination of the role Muslim women themselves play in their own oppression.
Church of England: Beset by liberals, hounded by conservatives, Williams needs a miracle to keep church intact
Stephen Bates, The Guardian
When Rowan Williams was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury almost exactly six years ago, one Church of England bishop is said to have rolled his eyes heavenwards and murmured: “God save us from a holy bishop.” That was not the general view at the time. Williams’s appointment as the 104th archbishop since St Augustine was broadly welcomed, both within the church and even from the massed choir of leader-writers and commentators, as an inspirational one.
[Preaching to the converted -Stephen Bates, Simon Hoggart, Lyn Gardner and Gareth McClean, Guardian]
Action Alert – Thank Channel 4 for documentary: The Qur’an (MPACUK)
Muslim Concert Goers (Between the Lines)
Strikes to disrupt schools and rubbish collections (Jill Sherman, Times)
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