Why feminism needs to ditch colonial attitudes to claim inclusivity

Welcome to the age of post-ism. Racism is over, ageism is over, classism is over and so is sexism too, or at least this is popular thought. However, feminism is needed more now than ever and yet our feminist movement is beginning to eerily reflect the sort of attitudes we should be striving against, and at times blatantly demonstrating racist and illiberal attitudes. Feminists have in the past seemed ill at ease with the religious, who have in some cases campaigned against abortions and gay marriage – the cornerstones it could be argued of modern feminist achievement. However with more dangers against women from the state than ever before, how can Western feminism become more inclusive of minority values, and in turn the religious? First we must reflect on what feminism has always been about – was it to focus solely on the individual of the day or to empower women to be able to make decisions about themselves, for themselves? Focusing on a specific religious action with little understanding of context can cause unnecessary divides, whereas uniting on common ground such as wage disparity, maternity rights, and homelessness is plain common sense. Women: the all too often disproportional victims [...]

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#MandelaDay: a chance for interfaith dialogue and community change

July 18 is a day for change. A change inspired by the legacy of Nelson Mandela. Each year, the Nelson Mandela Foundation makes a simple request: that you dedicate 67 minutes of your time to humanity. Why 67 minutes? The number represents Mandela’s 67 years of public service. In 2009, the United Nations adopted a resolution to recognise Nelson Mandela Day. Saturday July 18 would have been his 97th birthday. Inspired by Mandela’s values, the day intends to promote positive self-improvement through community work. That work can be as simple as spending 67 minutes making a new friend; irrespective of ethnicity or faith. Or spending those minutes donating unwanted items and clothing to a charity shop. What matters most is to do something that inspires positive change. The Nelson Mandela Foundation encourages individuals to nominate ‘community changers’ with the #Time2Serve hashtag. Others can take part with the #MandelaDay hashtag. To echo Mandela’s words in 2008: “There is still too much discord, hatred, division, conflict and violence in our world here at the beginning of the 21st century. A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place [...]

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Raising the Need to Tackle anti-Muslim Bigotry & Reporting It In

The Director of Faith Matters and TELL MAMA, Fiyaz Mughal, spoke at the Big Iftar event, organised by Innovate Walsall, and raised the issue of social justice being closely entwined with Islam. The Director stated that this being the case, it was imperative that Muslims play their part in countering hate, intolerance and injustice against […]

Faith Matters and British Muslim Youth Launch National Youth Consultation on Extremism

Faith Matters and British Muslim Youth launched a National Youth Consultation on extremism to look at the on-line drivers around what may be influencing young people in our country today. The launch of the Consultation took place on 7/7 and was attended by Bradford West MP Naz Shah and Sir Simon Hughes, the former Southwark […]

Buddhist monks in Bangladesh feed hundreds of Muslims during Ramadan

Buddhist monks in Dhaka, Bangladesh are distributing food parcels to Muslims this Ramadan. Outside the Dhammarajika Monastery, in the Basabo neighbourhood, monks distribute hundreds of iftar parcels. Suddhananda Mahathero, the monastery’s head monk told the AFP: “Buddhism taught us that serving humanity is the ultimate religion. We are feeding the poor Muslims who cannot afford to buy proper meals to break their fast”. Some individuals travelled several kilometers on foot to cue for food. When the AFP observed, over 300 Muslims sought food parcels. A measured police presence ensures peaceful transactions. Muslims in Bangladesh colour the majority of the country’s religious makeup (86.6 per cent). The noted Buddhist minority mainly occupies the southern regions (near the border with Myanmar). In 2012, in the southeast of Bangladesh, Muslims protested a blasphemous image on Facebook. Rumour spread that the individual responsible was Buddhist. In response, protesters burnt at least four Buddhist temples and 15 homes of Buddhists. As some sought to ease community tensions, Amnesty International condemned the violence.

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Canadian mosque raised thousands of dollars to support vandalised church

A Canadian mosque raised thousands of dollars to support a nearby Catholic church after a spate of vandalism. News of the vandalism soon spread. Hamid Slimi, imam of the Sayeda Khadija Centre in Mississauga visited the St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church to make sense of the crime. Father Camillo Lando showed Slimi footage of the vandal’s behaviour. According to the Toronto Star, “The guy who did it ripped pages out of the Bible. He broke the altar. He threw the cross,” said Slimi. “When I saw this, I thought it was pure injustice. It was just wrong”. After recalling the incident at a Friday sermon, Slimi urged others to donate. Within a day, the congregation raised almost $5,000. CCTV of the first incident captured a man tearing pages from bibles, throwing holy books, and laying a cross upon the floor. Upon leaving, footage captured him taking items. Days later, a vandal left a statue of Jesus desecrated; the adjoining school spray painted. Local police soon arrested Iqbal Hessan, 22, and charged him. At a bail hearing, Hessan stated he was ‘upset’ with Christianity. During the ongoing trial, prosecution told the court that Hessan confessed a desire to ‘hurt’ [...]

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The Waltham Forest Women’s Safeguarding & Solidarity Project

We have been working with women in the Borough of Waltham Forest on a Safeguarding and Solidarity project that engages with women in the Borough who have young children between the ages of 14-25. Many parents today have concerns about what their young people are engaging with on-line, the dangerous attractions of gangs and individuals […]

Faith Matters Pakistan E- Bulletin: A Pakistan of Difference

This is the first edition of the Faith Matters Pakistan E-Bulletin. This E-Bulletin shows a side that so many people do not see of Pakistan. A country with a vibrant population and with different cultural groups within it, Pakistan is a country that has been influenced by so many cultures and many religions. This E-bulletin […]

Newsletter #5: The Sikh and Muslim Media Monitoring and Response Group

The first Sikh and Muslim Media Monitoring and Response newsletter for 2012 features latest project updates and information about religious festivals. Also included in the newsletter are details about a new Faith Matters project called TELL MAMA which aims to support victims of Anti-Muslim hate crime, and also to map the incidences using specialist software […]

The Peghaam Project in Pakistan – Countering Extremism

The Peghaam Project – Countering Extremism Through SMS Work in Pakistan Faith Matters has been working for over 2 years in Pakistan utilising mobile SMS messaging to counter extremist narratives or rhetorics. The work has placed themed messages to over 4 million Pakistanis in country and we are able to map, measure and analyse which […]