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Don’t tell me I have the wrong body
by Henry What can be more anarchic than bodies. They come in all shapes and sizes. They adapt, grow, shrink. Listening to my body breathing I’ve been revelling in the idea I can tell my body what to do. And equally that my body can tell me what to do. I’ve been resisting the idea, as all women must, that my body is essential and immanent, ready to be at the service of the tribe. [Left] This photograph of my mother, Anna Dowson, was taken by a professional photographer in 1949, when still only a teenager, she went on tour…
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Issue 8
Dear friends, Issue 8 has arrived! Unintentionally yet wonderfully, a theme seems to have emerged this time around gender identity. There is Beth’s piece, which speaks of the trauma of being transgender in a society that enforces a gender binary, and the power dynamics that one would face within themselves in the name of survival and the parallels those dynamics have within a group setting. Ghazal and Reham’s review of the film Joyland, approaches the theme from a different perspective. It explores gender roles, gender identity, sexuality and power in Pakistan, highlighting oppressive power dynamics while also affirming cultural traditions…
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Female belonging and spiritual leadership: The case for a women’s mosque
By Ghazal Tipu It is common knowledge that a mosque is a man’s space that he has carved as his own spiritually and institutionally. There is often limited or no space for women to pray. It is no surprise that Muslim female campaigners have been calling for increased mosque space for women for some years. Earlier this year, the Open My Mosque campaign launched a report finding that 59 percent of respondents had female friends or family unfairly or negatively treated in a mosque. There were also accounts of women being blocked from entering, including two who had been violently blocked…
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Sama al Hamra
By Reham Bastawi A stream of consciousness about the conflict in North Sudan. Loss… Loss comes in many forms. For example, losing touch with a friend. This friend at some point in your history meant the world to you and as you grow and develop as individuals you find yourselves taking different paths. Sometimes, this happens naturally or induced by conflict. Now let’s say it was induced by conflict and not resolved. After some time, you begin to reflect on that relationship and a part of you misses their friendship (at least the good parts of it) and you wonder…
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Abolish ESOL
By Henry ‘There is no true word that is not at the same time a praxis. Thus to speak a true word is to transform the world.’ Paulo Freire, the Brazilian writer and teacher, author of The Pedagogy of the Oppressed. When I was training to become a teacher for adults, I was asked to choose a pedagogy to study in detail and put into practice. I chose Paulo Freire. I never wanted to be the so-called charismatic teacher who could hold their students transfixed. I was curious about what the students had to offer. Freire’s pedagogy is about being…
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For Gaza
Sharif Gemie Sea, sand, sun The noisy marketplace with Onions, olives and oranges The tight breeze-blocked street ends In a blue Mediterranean illusion Bricks, dust, heat The most crowded place on earth Three religions watch each other Their calm evaporates in the intensity A punch-up in a church, a stabbing in the dark A protocol of lies, the romance of racism Rifles in the cafes, bullets at the funerals, shrapnel in the playgrounds Hating falsehoods laughing loudest A nightmare where no-one awakes Walls, sand, guards A line on the ground A division imposed The air is imprisoned The kites aren’t…
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The Sin of Sodom
By Jacob Berkson Bio: Jacob is a bad Jew or at least wants to be such. He has a background in full dress analytic philosophy and is currently studying law. He wants to see a world without borders. The wells of Abraham and Isaac Isaac and Abraham both spend their days wandering a wilderness in a land that had been promised to them but was not yet theirs. They both have and resolve, albeit differently, a dispute with the local king Abimelech over the ownership of, or at least access to, wells that they have dug. Abraham, it would appear,…
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White Man on the Horse
By Floralis I’m wandering around my grandma’s garden And see her leave the house with a lit cigarette in hand, “Grandma, what are you doing? You don’t smoke.” “Well, today, we are leaving an offering. Today, we are presenting this to the White man on the horse.” I look around, but I don’t see anyone. She puts the cigarette down on the ground, And the dark smoke rises Derrick takes the train to work today, But today is no ordinary day. Today is the day that Derrick makes partner. “30 years at this fucking firm, and I’ve finally done it”…
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‘Helping people at a Grassroots level’
Ghazal Tipu talks to Maya Evan, Deputy Leader of Hasting Borough Council and a peace and anti-racism activist. What has been your experience of serving as Deputy Leader of Hastings Council? It’s really, really difficult because the budgets that local authorities get are very much determined by central government, and in the last 13 years, there’s been huge austerity cuts. It’s a struggle just to carry out basic services. We are the 13th most deprived town in the country. We have a lot of vulnerable individuals who are in a precarious situation. And from housing, to paying their bills, to…
Interfaith Blasphemy Activist Spirituality
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