Featured Posts
Palace in the Mist: An Historical Review (Copy)
Ayse Osmanoglu’s Palace in the Mist is the third novel in her Ottoman family saga and continues the remarkable story of Sultan Murad V’s descendants after decades of imprisonment in Çırağan Palace.
Muslim Europe by Tharik Hussain - Reclaiming a Hidden and Buried Past
Tharik Hussain’s groundbreaking book Muslim Europe argues that Europe carries what he calls an “anti-Muslim DNA” - part of what he describes as “Europe’s intrinsic Islamophobia.”
Remembering Muhammad Iqbal on his death anniversary
Muhammad Iqbal (1877–1938) remains one of the most profound poet-philosophers of the modern Muslim world - a thinker whose ideas continue to shape conversations around identity, faith, and purpose.
Arundathi Roy’s autobiography, ‘Mother Mary comes to Me:’ A story of love and hate
Arundathi Roy, known for her activism and award-winning writing, has been in the public eye for as long as I can remember. Her voice on issues shaping our world has been a beacon in dark times.
Victorian England and the Islamic World: Frederic Leighton’s Arab Hall
The Arab Hall at Leighton House is celebrating 100 years. The first time you step inside, you are transported to Damascus, Cairo, the Ottoman Empire. You could easily believe you are standing in one of the great cities of the Islamic world. But it’s actually Holland Park, London!
New Islamophobia Definition is a Scam
How do you tell Muslim communities that they don’t matter? You release a new, meaningless definition of Islamophobia.
Michael Rosen and ‘Elastoplast’ Inclusion: When Institutions Fail Jewish and Faith Communities
Michael Rosen’s public criticism of Goldsmiths, University of London this month has laid bare a deeper institutional failure - what the acclaimed author describes as “elastoplast” approaches to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).
Review of ‘Cat on the Road to Find Out’ by Yusuf Cat Stevens
Amidst the fame and stardom of the trendy 1960s and 1970s, one of the era’s most eligible bachelors and pop star icons, made the mammoth decision to quit the music business and become Muslim.
What Prophet Muhammad Can Teach Me About Strategic Communications
Strategic communications is often discussed through modern political or corporate frameworks, yet few figures demonstrate strategic leadership as clearly as Prophet Muhammad
Golden Threads 2025 — A Year of History, Storytelling & Connection
As 2025 comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting on what Golden Threads has become this year: a space for rigorous history, honest conversations, and storytelling that looks behind the headlines.
Book Spotlight: Islam, Race and Rebellion in the Americas by Daud Abdullah
Let’s start with this fact. Muslims were among the enslaved Africans who were forcible kidnapped and taken to the Americas.
RIP Jimmy Cliff, My Childhood Memory, and What’s Missing in the Headline
Honouring Jimmy Cliff who once walked into Harlesden Library in Brent. It was the early 1990s, and An-Nisa Society had organised an exhibition called “From Africa to the Caribbean”, celebrating Muslim Black histories.
Shattered Lands: Remembering the Five Partitions of the British Raj… Beyond the India–Pakistan Story
Sam Dalrymple’s new book Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia reframes the story. Rather than focusing only on India and Pakistan, he shows how five partitions broke apart Britain’s Indian Empire and transformed it into twelve nation states.
Lord Macaulay and the Colonisation of Indian Education
Lord Macaulay’s vision culminated in the English Education Act of 1835, which made English the official language of government, law, and instruction—displacing Persian, the previous official language. But Macaulay’s agenda was never about equality. He wanted Indians to be better servants of empire, not equals.
Muslims CAN and DO Dance: New Book Uncovers History of Movement Across the Silk Road
Dance Histories: A Journey Across the Muslim Silk Roads, the first of its kind book by Historian and Author Nadia Khan, sheds light on the rich and diverse dance cultures of the Muslim world, challenging stereotypes and misconceptions about Muslim communities and their relationship with dance.
Shakespeare’s Missing Muslims: Strategic Silence and Erasure
William Shakespeare, the quintessential English playwright, authored plays in which he completely erased the presence of Muslims, despite their significant presence in his world, according to a new book ‘Shakespeare Through Muslim Worlds’ by Dr Ambareen Dadabhoy.
Identity and Power: Lessons from Professor Kehinde Andrews’ Black Studies Course
Over the last several weeks, I’ve had the privilege of studying under Professor Kehinde Andrews, whose Black Studies course has reconnected me to a deeper understanding of history, identity, and politics. It wasn’t just an academic course—it was connecting with history that is colonised and often erased.
Review: Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Message
True North: A Story about Values, Family, and Systemic Oppression
True North is the debut book of anti-racism champion and campaigner, Sal Naseem in which he documents his life, upbringing and values with particular focus on his career at the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC).
The New Crusades Book review
In his book, ‘The New Crusades: Islamophobia and the Global War on Muslims’, Khaled Beydoun argues this very point that Islamophobia is not new, and has roots in the past. Beydoun argues that the ‘Islamophobia’ which has always existed, was batted across the world in a coordinated campaign due to the so-called ‘War on Terror,’ post the tragic events of 9/11.
A female-led whirling dervish group based in Afghanistan, is reclaiming the country’s deep-rooted Sufi heritage.