A Sceptical Islamist

On Imam Abdul Alim Musa and the UK's list of banned people

"This is a list, in truth, which clearly has no more substance than the "dodgy dossier" by which Tony Blair justified his support for America's invasion of Iraq in 2003, which was later found to have been plagiarised from a post-graduate dissertation that officials found on the internet. 

"That deceit contributed to the deaths of well over 100,000 Iraqis over the next few years.  This one may have somewhat less dramatic consequences, but is no less telling of the true nature of politics in the 'free' and 'democratic' West that the rest of the world is supposed to envy and aspire to emulate."

Two booklets on al-Quds and Hamas

This is a follow-up to my post on the current situation in Palestine, which included a copy of the obituary I wrote after Yasser Arafat's death in November 2004 (see here). 

Palestine is a subject that I have written on a fair bit over the years; I am currently working on a small book on Palestinian resistance which will expand on two booklets on the current situation in Palestine that I wrote for Crescent International (South Africa) in 2005 and earlier this year.  At the moment I am reading up on the struggle of Shaikh Izz al-din al-Qassam, who was killed by the British in 1935, and the Palestinian uprising of 1936-39.  (Shaikh al-Qassam is the leader after whom the Hamas military brigades are named.)  Fascinating stuff indeed.  So much history that deserves to be remembered but is largely forgotten...

Anyway -- those two booklets are available for downloading in pdf format from the website of the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT), if anyone is interested:

Leaving Crescent International

The current issue of Crescent International (October 2008) is the last issue edited by me.  Earlier this year I finally took the decision to step down as editor in order to concentrate on other projects.  For the time being, my main concern is to find a full-time job in order to continue paying my bills.  Until then, I will be working as a freelance IT trainer, as I have been on-and-off for the last few years.  I also have a number of other ideas for writings etc. that I will develop in due course insha'Allah. 

Meanwhile, below is my column in the current Crescent, in which I reflect on my ten years in charge of Crescent and announce the changes at Crescent.

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Ten years of covering the Islamic movement

(Perspectives, Crescent International, October 2008.)