Author: prof.t.abbas

Pulling Together, Not Apart: Reflections on Islamophobia and the University

Reflections after the University of Salford’s symposium on Islamophobia in Higher Education, 5 November 2026 Yesterday I travelled to Salford to give a keynote (with slides) at the University of Salford’s symposium on Islamophobia in Higher Education, held at the New Adelphi Theatre and convened by the University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor for Social Justice and Equity.…… Continue reading Pulling Together, Not Apart: Reflections on Islamophobia and the University

Clash Course: Islamophobia, Power and the Generation Changing the Script

I’ve been thinking about Islamophobia a great deal. Not just reflecting on the concept and its intellectual dimensions, but also writing about it in various ways: its structural, cultural, institutional, legal, societal and political norms, outcomes and processes, and the many different ways of trying to make sense of it. This has been going on…… Continue reading Clash Course: Islamophobia, Power and the Generation Changing the Script

Booyakasha, Barely

It took me three nights to watch the new Ali G movie, largely because I found it heavy going, both as entertainment and as comedy. But I wanted to persist to the very end so that I could make up my mind about the film as a whole. That felt especially important given the immense…… Continue reading Booyakasha, Barely

Birmingham’s Muslims: A Call to Action

On Friday night at Soul City Arts in Birmingham, the Muslim Institute, in collaboration with the An-Nisa Society, launched Birmingham’s Muslims – Conversations on grassroots community and change, authored by Humera Khan, a civil society campaigner, author, and activist with over forty years of experience working in the third sector on questions relating to Muslims…… Continue reading Birmingham’s Muslims: A Call to Action

Beyond the Soundbites: The Crucial Dividing Line Between Religious and Political Zionism

In the modern geopolitical landscape, few words provoke such an immediate reaction as “Zionism”. Say it in a university seminar, at a dinner party or during a parliamentary debate, and watch the room divide. For some, it describes a sacred movement of national liberation – the long-overdue answer to two millennia of pogroms, expulsions and…… Continue reading Beyond the Soundbites: The Crucial Dividing Line Between Religious and Political Zionism

Englishness Is Not an Ethnicity

Englishness Is Not an Ethnicity

It is both amusing and revealing to watch Suella Braverman talk about race, identity, belonging and citizenship. Her comments can be dumbfounding, not least because they confuse the issues, subvert reality and reflect a completely disjointed understanding of what is indeed a complex matter, yet also a relatively straightforward one. The old adage that you…… Continue reading Englishness Is Not an Ethnicity

Can We Unite the Kingdom? Class, grievance and the politics of division: reflections from Birmingham

On the evening of 23 September 2026, the Dialogue Society held the third in its series of conversations on polarisation and extremism at BRIG Café on Allison Street in Birmingham. The title was “Can we unite the Kingdom when money and class continue to divide us?” The panel brought together Dr Nathan Kerrigan, Cherie-Louise Waddingham…… Continue reading Can We Unite the Kingdom? Class, grievance and the politics of division: reflections from Birmingham