# Samira Shackle

> Journalist, Writer & Editor


## Posts

- [Karachi's Unknown Dead](https://samirashackle.com/karachis-unknown-dead/): Each year, approximately 3000 unidentified corpses are found on the streets of Karachi, an ever-expanding mega-city in southern Pakistan. Sometimes they are drug addicts or migrant workers who came to the big city in search of a better life; sometimes they are the victims of the sectarian clashes or gang violence that give Karachi its reputation for violence. In this tightly packed city of over 21 million people, some get lost amongst the heaving mass of brick and bodies, ending up destitute and alone. They are lawaris: without an owner. My first documentary project focuses on the people who care […]
- [Recent writing](https://samirashackle.com/recent-writing-3/): In 2019, I broke my foot and wrote a book – which is one way of saying that the year has passed in a bit of a blur. Here are links to some shorter bits of reporting and opinion writing that I didn’t get the chance to share here earlier. This is just a selection – if you’re interested, you can see all my pieces for Al Jazeera English here, and all my pieces for the Guardian here.  Historical war crimes: an amnesty for British soldiers? (Guardian) In May, as government investigations into British soldiers hit the headlines again, I […]
- [Student mental health](https://samirashackle.com/student-mental-health/): Anxiety and stress amongst students in British universities is sky-rocketing. In a piece for the Guardian Long Read, I looked at why this might be. I interviewed students and staff at Brunel University on the outskirts of London, as well as to people around the country. The piece sets these personal experiences against changes to funding models in higher education and cuts to mental health and support services. “One of the most worrying phenomena that many of us have witnessed in recent years is the rise of chronic anxiety, that afflicts some students so deeply that they feel unable to […]
- [Saving mothers](https://samirashackle.com/saving-mothers/): Postpartum haemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide, responsible for around 100,000 deaths every year. While around 6 per cent of women giving birth all over the world – in rich and poor countries alike – develop postpartum haemorrhage, 99 per cent of deaths from it occur in low- and middle-income countries. A recent clinical trial found that a cheap, out of patent drug – tranexamic acid – is hugely effective in reducing these deaths. But in many of the countries that need it most, it isn’t always easily available. In a reported story for Mosaic, I travelled […]
- [Facebook blackmail](https://samirashackle.com/facebook-blackmail/): Gender-based harassment can look extremely different in different parts of the world, posing a conundrum for global social media companies: what might look like a totally mundane image to a western viewer could be scandalous in a more conservative context, if it reveals evidence of a pre-marital relationship. I explored the issue of social media harassment and blackmail in Pakistan in a story for Elle magazine. When we hear the words ‘revenge porn’, we typically think of sexually explicit images, but in a context like Pakistan, even non-explicit images can have a devastating impact. A 2017 study found that 70% of Pakistani women […]
- [Pakistani politics](https://samirashackle.com/pakistani-politics/): I’ve been going back and forth to Pakistan a lot this year as I research for my forthcoming book, Karachi Vice, and work on other projects, including my first documentary film (details to come!). It has been a tumultuous period in Pakistani politics, with July’s election putting Imran Khan in power, amid a widespread crackdown on free expression. I’ve written various articles on these subjects over the course of the year, ranging from opinion pieces to more in-depth reported stories. Here are some links: Under the watchful eye of the army (Index on Censorship) This reported piece for Index on Censorship’s […]
- [From Our Own Correspondent](https://samirashackle.com/from-our-own-correspondent/): I’m a huge radio nerd and Kate Adie fan, so was really delighted to have a couple of pieces on the BBC’s flagship show From Our Own Correspondent this year. The programme airs on Radio 4 and the World Service. The first piece, which aired in October, tells the story of Ali (not his real name), a survivor of what has been dubbed Pakistan’s biggest sexual abuse scandal. He was one of hundreds of victims of a child abuse ring in the city of Kasur, in Punjab. But despite widespread media coverage of their case, justice has been elusive, and […]
- [Curing violence](https://samirashackle.com/curing-violence/): In recent years, there has been a lot of discussion about the “public health approach” to tackling violence, with suggestions that such a model could be introduced in London to counter rising knife crime. But what does a public health approach to violence actually mean in practice? In this piece for Mosaic, I spent time in Glasgow – where a public health model has been highly effective – and in Chicago, where this approach was first developed. Humans engage in a wide array of risky behaviours that can lead to serious health problems: smoking, overeating, sex without protection. It has long […]
- [I'm writing a book!](https://samirashackle.com/im-writing-a-book/): I am so delighted to announce that I’ve won the inaugural Portobello Prize for narrative non-fiction, which was set up to “showcase the most exciting new voices in narrative non-fiction, offering debut writers an opportunity to seek out and publish an untold story that reflects our times.” I entered with a proposal for a book about Karachi, building on some long-form pieces I’ve already written. (This piece on an ambulance driver, and this piece on a crime reporter, among others). It will follow ordinary lives through a chaotic period in the city’s recent history. The inaugural Portobello Prize has been awarded to […]
- [Investigating war crimes](https://samirashackle.com/investigating-war-crimes/): In the years after Britain withdrew from Iraq, allegations of misconduct by British troops were coming thick and fast. In 2010, the government established the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (Ihat). This was an investigative body that was supposed to bring together all the allegations and deal with them quickly. Perhaps predictably, that was not what happened. The investigation spiralled out of control and closed in disgrace in 2017. In the process, the entire field of human rights law had been called into disrepute, while stories abounded of soldiers whose lives had been put on hold during protracted investigations. For my […]
- [Recent writing on Pakistan](https://samirashackle.com/recent-writing-on-pakistan/): I’ve written a few pieces about Pakistan in recent months. Rising from the ashes: a new era in Pakistani cinema (emerge85) I wrote this piece about Pakistani cinema’s “new wave” back in January. After a long lull – wracked by underfunding and a severe limitation of physical cinemas – Pakistani directors and writers are producing exciting and distinctive new movies. I also discussed the story on emerge85’s podcast. Don’t be fooled by elections—the military is still in charge in Pakistan (Prospect) On a less cheerful note, my column in the June issue of Prospect looks at the increasing limits on […]
- [More from the Middle East](https://samirashackle.com/more-from-the-middle-east/): The last few pieces drawn from the reporting I did  in the Middle East late last year are now out. For the Spring issue of the World Policy Journal, I wrote about how Syrian women in Jordan are adjusting to life without men. Studies show that at least a third of Syrian refugee households in Jordan are headed by women – meaning that, as in Sara’s case, there is no male provider. This is not unusual in war-time, given that men tend to enlist or be drafted. The number of female-headed households was thought to be even higher among displaced […]
- [Who were Islamic State?](https://samirashackle.com/who-were-islamic-state/): During my trip to Iraq in the autumn, I spent some time at the Kurdish-administered Khazir refugee camp, which mostly accommodates people who have fled Mosul. Among the many victims of ISIS are the families of fighters and low level officials, many of whom are now facing an uncertain future. The Iraqi state is doing little to pursue reconciliation, instead taking a harsh line and prosecuting everyone who had a role under ISIS occupation. The question of who should take the blame, and to what extent, is grimly complicated. And one sharp question presses for the likes of Salem’s family: […]
- [Reframing gender violence](https://samirashackle.com/reframing-gender-violence/): I was absolutely delighted to be selected as a media fellow for a programme run by Columbia University’s Center for the Study of Social Difference. The programme, titled  Religion and the Global Reframing of Gender Violence, aims to question dominant narratives about gender based violence, with a particular focus on the Middle East and South Asia. Along with two other media fellows, I attended an academic conference in Jordan (a book containing all the papers should be out at some point this year), and then went on to do several weeks of reporting in Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. My focus […]
- [Recent writing](https://samirashackle.com/recent-writing-2/): After a spate of terrorist attacks in Europe, we are hearing a lot about early intervention work – particularly deradicalisation programmes. In the Autumn 2017 issue of the New Humanist, I wrote a long feature examining what exactly these programmes are and how they function around the world. You can read the full piece over at the New Humanist, and the clipping is below. Yet the very terminology is disputed: what does radicalisation actually mean? By their nature, these schemes tend to be secretive, meaning little accountability on where they draw these boundaries. And if there no evidence that a crime […]
- [The Trojan Horse affair](https://samirashackle.com/the-trojan-horse-affair/): In 2014, a series of allegations surfaced about schools in Birmingham. The central claim was that a group of Muslim men had conspired to take over governing bodies in order to “Islamise” schools. The story quickly became a national – even international – scandal. The media descended on a small corner of Birmingham, and the ripple effect went up to the highest levels of government. Yet three years later, there is still no evidence that there was a conspiracy. So what happened? I spent over a year working on a piece for the Guardian’s Long Read section, investigating events at […]
- [Remembering Partition](https://samirashackle.com/remembering-partition/): On the 14th and 15th August, Pakistan and India celebrated their respective Independence Days. This year, which marks 70 years since the Partition of India, the celebrations were accompanied by reflection. There has been a cultural reticence around discussion of the deep trauma inflicted by Partition – the ripple effects of which are still felt today. In a piece for Prospect, I wrote about historians who are trying to gather oral histories of Partition – a project which is fast becoming a race against time as the last generation with vivid memories of this seismic event die out. Oral history […]
- [Activism and hope in the Syrian crisis](https://samirashackle.com/activism-and-hope-in-the-syrian-crisis/): During my recent trip to Lebanon, I spent time with various refugee-focused organisations, and had the privilege of meeting some inspiring Syrian grassroots activists. Here are the stories I wrote. Syria’s ‘disappeared’: families demand to know fate of their loved ones (Guardian) In Syria, over 60,000 people are missing – detained by the state or rebel groups. I spoke to a group of Syrian women – spread around the world – who are campaigning to find out what happened to their missing relatives. Syrian feminists: ‘This is the chance the war gave us – to empower women’ (Guardian) During my time […]
- [Schools in Lebanon](https://samirashackle.com/schools-in-lebanon/): I recently travelled to Lebanon, one of the countries where the Syrian refugee crisis is felt most acutely. There are well over 1 million Syrians currently residing in Lebanon, a country of only 4 million people. Around half of these Syrians are children, meaning a huge scale educational crisis as Lebanon’s already struggling public school sector. In response to this crisis, Lebanon introduced a “second shift” for refugee students. This offered a lifeline to many families, but it also entrenches segregation. In a piece for IRIN, the humanitarian news service, I wrote about some of the complex challenges posed by […]
- [Attacks on free speech](https://samirashackle.com/attacks-on-free-speech/): Five years ago, Saudi blogger Raif Badawi was arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison and 1000 lashes. His crime was starting a website that discussed liberal ideas. In June, I interviewed his wife, Ensaf Haidar, who now lives in Canada with their three children. She has been campaigning tirelessly for his release. The think tank Freedom House has characterised the media environment in Saudi Arabia as one of the “most repressive in the world”; Badawi is one among dozens of prisoners of conscience. But, despite the risks associated with talking freely about politics and religion in her home […]
- [Tumultuous Britain](https://samirashackle.com/tumultuous-britain/): Ever since the Brexit referendum result last year, Britain has been in a prolonged period of political crisis and upheaval – which, with the shock election result, shows no signs of abating. I’ve been reporting on British politics for various outlets. I still cover the UK for Deutsche Welle online, and reported throughout the election cycle, including this on Theresa May’s motivation for calling an election, this on the local level campaigning in marginal seats, this on May’s attempt to conjure a cult of personality (before her popularity ratings plunged dramatically), and this on how it all backfired. I also wrote a long feature […]
- [In Gwadar](https://samirashackle.com/in-gwadar/): During a long trip to Pakistan last year, I visited Gwadar, a remote coastal town in the far reaches of Balochistan. This province is huge, underdeveloped and home to a long-running separatist insurgency. Gwadar, a remote outpost of a remote region, is the unlikely centre of geopolitical machinations. As part of a huge programme of economic cooperation, China and Pakistan are seeking to develop Gwadar’s deepwater port into a major shipping destination. This forms one part of the ambitious “China Pakistan Economic Corridor”, which will see a new trade route – stretching thousands of miles – go through the length […]
- [The Things I Would Tell You](https://samirashackle.com/the-things-i-would-tell-you/): “The Things I Would Tell You: British Muslim Women Write” is a fantastic anthology, published by Saqi and edited by Sabrina Mahfouz. It contains writing from a wide range of women – poetry, short stories, essays, plays – from established writers like Kamila Shamsie and Ahdaf Soueif, as well as from young spoken word poets published here for the first time. I’ve got an essay in the book, a personal piece about the first time I travelled to Pakistan as an adult with my mother. It’s in good bookshops and, obviously, on Amazon. There’s a big schedule of events planned for the book; […]
- [Karachi's ambulance drivers](https://samirashackle.com/karachis-ambulance-drivers/): Late last year, I travelled to Karachi to spend a week with Muhammad Safdar, an ambulance driver for the Edhi Foundation. This is a huge charitable empire which fills many of the gaps left by the state – including the world’s largest voluntary ambulance service. In Karachi, a city that for years has been riven by gang crime and terrorist violence, the job of an ambulance driver can be perilous. The Edhi Foundation also tends to unidentified corpses, along with a dizzying array of other services. Karachi’s ethnic conflict and violent gang war was in full flow. On his first day, […]
- [Leaving the EDL](https://samirashackle.com/leaving-the-edl/): The English Defence League (EDL) is notorious: a far-right street movement known for its racism and its sometimes violent, messy protests. Born in Luton in 2009. the movement rapidly grew in size, although its size and influence is now waning. What happens to people who want to leave these movements? During a visit to Luton earlier this year (writing this report on the Brexit vote for Politico), I met Darren Carroll, one of the founding members of the EDL, which was led by his nephew Stephen Lennon (better known as Tommy Robinson). He spoke about realising that he did not […]
- [Britain, women and integration](https://samirashackle.com/britain-women-and-integration/): This December I wrote a couple of pieces for The Pool, looking at different aspects of integration in Britain. The first dealt with Louise Casey’s government-commissioned report into integration. My piece dealt, particularly, with her disproportionate focus on Muslim communities and her emphasis on patriarchy and the oppression of women. Casey talks a lot about not shying away from “tough questions” but much of her report covers common ground, reflecting prevalent prejudices and offering little in the way of new solutions. What good would an oath to Britishness do? Surely more effective strategies would be better funding for local services […]
- [Bethnal Green](https://samirashackle.com/bethnal-green/): In August, it was reported that Kadiza Sultana, one of three teenagers who had left their homes in Bethnal Green to go to Syria, had been killed in an airstrike. The three girls had become one of the best known cases of young Brits travelling to join ISIS, their photographs published on the front of every newspaper. In this report for the New Statesman, I spoke to the family lawyer and people from local communities about what happened, and interviewed experts about why young women might decide to make this journey at all. In Syria, out of the glare of the world’s […]
- [Pakistan's madrasas](https://samirashackle.com/reforming-pakistans-madrasas/): During my latest trip to Pakistan in spring of this year, I traveled around the country and reported on different aspects of extremism. I recently wrote a long feature for the New Humanist (Summer 2016 issue) looking at the country’s notorious network of madrasas (religious seminaries), examining their relationship to terrorism and the reasons why successive attempts at reform have failed. Mohammed Ishfaq and Naeb Amir, two of the teachers, stepped outside to talk to me. “Things were good before this, but now there are problems teaching and praying here,” said Amir. “The number of students – even boys – […]
- [UK fallout](https://samirashackle.com/uk-fallout/): In the aftermath of the EU referendum on 23 June, I wrote a few reported features from different parts of the UK, talking to different communities. For Politico Europe, I went to Luton, one of the few places in Britain where the “white British” are a minority and famed for both far right and Islamic extremism. Luton has a substantial ethnic minority population, yet voted in favour of Brexit. I spoke to local residents to find out why. But in Luton, class concerns — cutting across the town’s disparate ethnic groups — may have played a more decisive role in driving the […]
- [Brexit Britain](https://samirashackle.com/brexit-britain/): It’s been a tumultuous period for British politics. Since my return from Pakistan, I’ve been covering events in Britain for Deutsche Welle. In May, I wrote about the election of Sadiq Khan as Mayor of London, the first Muslim mayor of a major capital city – an optimistic moment that already feels like it happened a long time ago. As the referendum campaign heated up, I wrote numerous pieces, including these interviews with British people living in other European countries, this report on the different Leave campaigns vying for space, this visit to the bizarre UKIP flotilla that sailed to Westminster, this article on what […]
- [Pakistan's educated militants](https://samirashackle.com/educated-militants/): The second part of my project for the Times, looking into support for ISIS in Pakistan, came out in the paper on 21 June. This piece focused on ISIS cells and supporters in universities and amongst the intelligentsia: a very different profile to the usual militant in the country, who are traditionally drawn from lower income backgrounds. I met with several students who openly professed their support to ISIS. Rather than direct involvement in violence, the majority focused on fundraising, propaganda and logistical support. Most had links with other terrorist sympathisers overseas, both in the Middle East and in Europe and […]
- [Female jihadis in Pakistan](https://samirashackle.com/female-jihadis-in-pakistan/): My most recent trip to Pakistan (from March-April this year) was with the Times newspaper, under the auspices of the Richard Beeston Bursary. As well as covering general news, I was researching support for ISIS in Pakistan. The authorities have been keen to downplay any threat from ISIS within their borders, claiming that it is non-existent as a political force there – but there have been numerous attacks claimed by the group’s supporters. I was surprised by what I found; while there is currently little evidence of an organisational presence of ISIS in any meaningful sense – for instance, a […]
- [Talking at the Barbican](https://samirashackle.com/talking-at-the-barbican/): I was delighted to be invited to give a talk at the Barbican Centre’s Curve Gallery on 19th May. The talk was part of the gallery’s programme of talks around its current exhibition of Imran Qureshi’s work, “Where the Shadows are so Deep”. I spoke about Qureshi’s subversion of the miniature form of painting – particularly fresh in my mind after a recent visit to Lahore’s National College of Art, where Qureshi learnt his craft and where he still teaches. The paintings are beautiful but also unavoidably violent. The main focus of my talk was contextualising this preoccupation with violence: how […]
- [Travels in Pakistan](https://samirashackle.com/travels-in-pakistan/): Over March and April this year, I spent six weeks in Pakistan on assignment with the Times. While I was there I traveled to all the major provinces of the country (Sindh, Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan) and reported on major news stories including the terrible Easter Sunday bombing in Lahore and the political fall-out that followed, and China’s economic ambitions in Pakistan. The longer project I was working on, as part of the Richard Beeston bursary that I was awarded last year, will be published in the Times soon. In the meantime, here are a few of the shorter news […]
- [Recent scribblings](https://samirashackle.com/recent-scribblings/): I’ve been working on some longer projects recently, but thought I would share links to some other bits and pieces I’ve been publishing. In January I wrote this column for the International Business Times about the news that a woman was suing Twitter over ISIS propaganda following the death of her husband by an ISIS-affiliated militant. I also wrote this blog for the New Statesman following the terrorist attack on the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, looking at the difficulty of stamping out long-established militant networks. I still write news and analysis on UK politics for Deutsche Welle. Recent pieces […]
- [Cuts to ESOL](https://samirashackle.com/cuts-to-esol/): In January, David Cameron announced extra funding for English as a Second Language (ESOL) classes, to be targeted at Muslim women in order to counter extremism. It was quite a semantic leap to link women’s language skills with the wider problem of extremism, and was particularly odd given swingeing cuts to ESOL budgets in recent years. To get a fuller picture of the story, I went to an ESOL class in east London, mainly populated by, yes, Muslim women, and found that extremism is less of an issue than slashed budgets that make it harder for colleges to access vulnerable […]
- [Best of 2015](https://samirashackle.com/best-of-2015/): As 2016 gets going, I thought I’d share links to some of the pieces I most enjoyed working on last year. In no particular order, here’s my top 5: 1.Karachi vice (Guardian) In my debut piece for the Guardian’s fantastic new long-reads section, I profiled a crime reporter in Karachi, often cited as one of the world’s most dangerous cities. 2. Naz Shah interview: “the victory is my mother’s, too” (New Statesman) One of the stand-out stories of the May general election was the victory of Naz Shah, who defeated George Galloway in Bradford West. I went to Bradford to speak to […]
- [Recent writing](https://samirashackle.com/recent-writing/): As the year draws to a close, here are a couple of pieces I’ve written recently. There’s this column for the International Business Times about Donald Trump’s absurd – but worrying – call to bar all Muslims from entering the US. I also wrote another column for the IB Times, this time looking at what has changed for women three years after the horrific Delhi bus rape. I wrote a short piece for the New Statesman on the first anniversary of the Peshawar attack on 16 December 2014, when over 100 schoolchildren were slaughtered by Taliban gunmen Analysts are urging the […]
- [Political periods](https://samirashackle.com/political-periods/): I recently appeared on Sky News’ Morning Stories segment, talking about the tampon tax. Why are sanitary items taxed as luxury items when all sorts of ludicrous things – edible cake decorations and exotic meats, to name just a few – are exempt? You can see my short rant over at the Sky News website.
- [Recent work](https://samirashackle.com/recent-work-7/): I’ve got a column in the latest issue of the New Humanist (out now) following up on the long piece I wrote about attacks on secularists in Bangladesh. The column looks at rising intolerance across India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, and at some of the historical reasons for this. These tensions were enforced by colonisation and then by Partition; divisions encouraged to cement power. Occasional outbursts of horrific communal violence have punctuated the Subcontinent since it was carved up at the end of the British Empire. Indeed, India and Pakistan were born amidst bloody Hindu-Muslim riots in 1947 that left an […]
- [I Call Myself a Feminist](https://samirashackle.com/i-call-myself-a-feminist/): I recently contributed a chapter to a new book, “I Call Myself a Feminist: the view from 25 women under 30”, published by Virago Press. The book contains a brilliant range of voices and subject matters. As the Guardian says: “This collection of short essays by 25 women under 30 is like a primer in why feminism still matters coupled with a call to action.” My own piece, “Roti Kamana: stories of survival”, describes a visit to the Acid Survivors’ Foundation in Islamabad. You can get the book on Amazon here.  
- [Richard Beeston Bursary 2015](https://samirashackle.com/richard-beeston-bursary-2015/): I’m thrilled to have been awarded the 2015 Richard Beeston Bursary. Set up last year, the award is for a young British journalist to spend six weeks abroad, researching and reporting on a foreign news story for the Times newspaper. The bursary was set up to further the legacy of Richard Beeston, the distinguished and much-loved foreign editor of the Times, who passed away in 2013. As the Times’ report on the bursary award this year says: Richard Beeston, known as “Rick”, was a much-admired foreign editor of The Times from 2008 until his death, aged 50, in 2013. He was […]
- [Karachi Vice](https://samirashackle.com/karachi-vice/): Earlier this year, I travelled to Karachi (where I lived in 2012) to spend some time with the city’s crime reporters. This is one of the most crime-ridden cities in the world, plagued by political conflict, organised mafias, and now, terrorism. The city is enormous, so gang wars can change one area into a battlefield while others remain totally untouched. This is something I’ve noticed acutely when staying with family (my mother is from Karachi and many of our relatives still live there); in the luxurious houses and beautiful gardens in the elite districts, you might barely notice the tension consuming […]
- [Saudi suffragettes](https://samirashackle.com/saudi-suffragettes/): In Saudi Arabia, women will soon be able to vote for the first time in the country’s history. They can take part in the forthcoming municipal elections both as voters and candidates. The council has limited powers but it’s still a big step for those who have been fighting for women’s rights in the repressive Gulf state for years. I wrote a piece for the online women’s magazine, The Pool, about the monumental challenges still faced by Saudi women. Some Saudi feminists say the driving ban is the least of their problems. The repression of women in all areas of […]
- [A deadly battle of ideas](https://samirashackle.com/a-deadly-battle-of-ideas/): The full length version of my report on the violence against atheists in Bangladesh, which appeared on the cover of the Autumn New Humanist, is now online. A shorter version appeared in the Guardian in September (see previous post) but this original article goes into greater detail about the historical factors, as well as including more from my two incredibly brave interviewees. You can read it online here, and the clipping (all six pages of it) is below.
- [Bangladeshi secularists under attack](https://samirashackle.com/bangladeshi-secularists-under-attack/): So far this year, four atheist writers in Bangladesh have been brutally murdered, hacked to death on the streets. They are the latest victims in a line of violent attacks that have taken place over the last two years. In a long report for the New Humanist, where I am assistant editor, I attempted to take a closer look at these attacks: why is it happening, and what is the fall out for those left behind? I interviewed Rafida Bonya Ahmed, an American-Bangladeshi who survived the brutal machete attack that killed her husband Avijit Roy in February. I also spoke […]
- [UK politics and the refugee crisis: some recent work](https://samirashackle.com/uk-politics-and-the-refugee-crisis-some-recent-work/): Time to share some links to recent pieces from various corners of the internet. One of the subjects I’ve recently been most interested in – along with many other journalists – is the terrible refugee crisis at Europe’s borders. I wrote this opinion essay for the New Statesman, asking how we reached a situation where we treat refugees so badly: This is political and media environment which has habitually cast asylum seekers, refugees, migrants, not as people worthy of help – not as people at all – but as a threat to “our way of life”, to our scant resources, a […]
- [The Song of the Shirt: review](https://samirashackle.com/the-song-of-the-shirt-review/): For a recent issue of the New Statesman magazine, I reviewed Jeremy Seabrook’s latest book, The Song of the Shirt, which looks at the Bangladeshi textiles industry. Here’s an excerpt, and the clipping is below. You can read the full piece over at the NS website. In lyrical prose, Seabrook places the personal stories of garment workers and their families in a broader context, showing them as dots in a bigger picture of the destructive effects of British colonisation and the injustices of modern globalisation, but also as the inheritors of their history: a people who have long been associated with weaving, […]
- [Naz Shah: "The victory is my mother's, too"](https://samirashackle.com/naz-shah-the-victory-is-my-mothers-too/): One of the most exciting campaigns in the general election in May was fought in Bradford West. Political outsider Naz Shah, standing for Labour, ousted George Galloway after a dramatic contest that descended into personal recriminations. As the dust settled from the election. I went to Bradford to interview Shah for the New Statesman. Here’s the opening, and you can read the rest online here. Naz Shah wept the first time she spoke in front of an audience. It was 1995 and she was a teenager, giving a talk to a group of students at Bradford College about the campaign to free her […]
- [A few links](https://samirashackle.com/a-few-links-2-2/): Thought I’d pull together a few links to things I’ve been writing recently. New Statesman What is it like to be a Somali refugee in Kenya? This report drew on interviews I did in Nairobi last year with Somali refugees living through a government crackdown in Kenya. Is teaching a counter-terrorism curriculum the best way to stop young people being radicalised? A Muslim community organisation is launching a textbook that uses doctrine to argue against terrorism. Will it help? Is the way the media reports Islamic State’s treatment of women making things worse? Sexual violence in conflict is a complicated […]
- [Issues at religious free schools](https://samirashackle.com/issues-at-religious-free-schools/): One of the coalition’s flagship education policies was to establish free schools, which can be set up by anyone. The idea was to allow leadership and to encourage communities to address their own needs. But in practice, it hasn’t always worked out well. In a piece for the New Humanist, I examined a specific type of free schools: those with a “religious ethos”. I visited Durham to report on the closure of a Christian-ethos school there. The controversy in Durham feeds into two separate debates. The first is about the success or failure of the free schools programme. (The Labour Party […]
- [Talking and writing](https://samirashackle.com/talking-and-writing-2/): I haven’t updated this site for a while. I’ve been working on some longer projects. But I thought I would share some of the things I’ve been writing this year, as well as links to various places I’ve been talking. Deutsche Welle Freed from coalition, UK’s Cameron swings to the right  This report looks at the new government’s agenda. Dissatisfaction and anticipation in London as UK counts votes For this election night report, I spoke to voters in the UK about their hopes and fears. UK military trainers set to head for Ukraine This story examines Britain’s role in Ukraine. New […]
- [Recent work](https://samirashackle.com/recent-work-6/): Here are a few links to some of the things I’ve worked on recently. “People care about their own rights – it’s other people’s that are more challenging” (New Humanist) I interviewed Shami Chakrabarti, the head of Liberty, for the Winter 2014 issue of the New Humanist, where I’m assistant editor. In Pakistan, fear has become mundane – will the Peshawar attack change anything? (New Statesman) In the aftermath of the horrendous attack on schoolchildren in Peshawar in December, I wrote this piece for the New Statesman looking at the impact of such terror attacks. I also appeared on Channel 5 […]
- [Sexual violence in India](https://samirashackle.com/sexual-violence-in-india/): Back in October, I travelled to Delhi. While I was there, I spoke to various women about how safe they feel in the city, and to activists about the long fight for change. It has been two years since the brutal gang rape of a student on a Delhi bus caused national and international outrage, prompted city-wide protests, and a series of legal changes. But did the incident have any lasting impact? Sexual violence and violence against women is a global problem, and many of the issues that Indian campaigners describe are common to countries all over the world: a […]
- [Recent talking](https://samirashackle.com/recent-talking/): On Friday 31st October, I appeared on BBC News Channel’s paper review, discussing the following day’s front pages. Oliver Brown of the Telegraph and I talked about Foreign Office travel warnings, the Virgin Galactica crash, and the government’s child sex abuse inquiry. A recording of the show is on iPlayer (available until the end of November). I’ve also appeared on numerous Monocle 24 shows, including this one on 4th November, when I discussed various aspects of counter-terrorism policy with Raffaelo Pantucci of the Royal United Services Institute. Recently, I’ve also taken part in various panel discussions, including a fringe event […]
- [The history of women's football](https://samirashackle.com/the-history-of-womens-football/): I don’t usually write about (or even watch!) sports, so it was quite a departure for me to write a long feature about the history and current status of women’s football in the UK. It’s a fascinating story; during the First World War, women’s football was actually more popular than men’s, with tens of thousands of spectators turning out to watch big games. A Football Association ban on women using professional stadiums in the 1920s set the game back, and it is only now starting to professionalise. I spoke to players past and present, as well as other experts, to […]
- ["Deradicalisation" in Britain?](https://samirashackle.com/deradicalisation-in-britain/): Much has been made of British citizens fighting in Syria and the problems they might pose on their return. (In November last year I wrote the first interview with a British veteran of the Syria conflict, for the Guardian). With high profile horror stories involving British jihadists, such as the videoed beheadings of British and American citizens, the emphasis in the UK has been on punitive measures: the stripping of passports, default criminalisation, and hefty jail sentences. But what about people who may have joined ISIS or other militant groups, but haven’t been involved in active combat, haven’t committed any serious […]
- [Scotland decides](https://samirashackle.com/scotland-decides/): On 19th September, Scotland voted against independence. It came after a long referendum campaign which prompted debate about the nature of devolution and the division of power in the UK. All in all, 1.6 million people voted in favour of independence, in a referendum that had record-breaking levels of turnout. The day after the vote, I wrote a quick piece for Deutsche Welle interviewing campaigners about their responses: “What motivated many people in the yes camp was not simply blind nationalism, but the desire to break out on our own and build a progressive state in the model of some of the […]
- [Kenya's Westgate survivors](https://samirashackle.com/kenyas-westgate-survivors/): The attack on Kenya’s Westgate mall by Al-Shabab militants in September 2013 left 67 people dead. While I was in Kenya earlier this year, I interviewed two survivors of the siege on the mall. Their stories were published by Al Jazeera to mark one year since the attack. One of the men fired into the security booth. A second gunman pointed his gun towards Mulwa and the security guard opposite him. A shot rang out and blood splattered. The guard had been shot in the head. He died instantly. “The whole of that morning I had been playing with my […]
- [Somalia's returning diaspora](https://samirashackle.com/somalias-returning-diaspora/): Earlier this year, I traveled to east Africa. One of the pieces I researched was for the National (UAE), looking at the return of Somalia’s huge global diaspora and the effect this is having on the economy and political stability of this fragile nation. I spoke to returnees about the dangers they face, as well as about the huge opportunities. The long, messy conflict in Somalia – which saw warring tribes pitted against each other before Al Shabab came into the fray – means that infrastructure is practically non-existent. Just 10 per cent of Somalia’s roads are paved, while 95 […]
- [Recent work](https://samirashackle.com/recent-work-5/): I wrote a piece for Deutsche Welle about the new counter-extremism guidance in schools that was introduced following the “Trojan Horse” scandal. You can read the full piece here. The government’s new guidelines for “promoting British values” in schools are on top of the existing “Prevent violent extremism” program, which makes teaching about online safety and other elements of counter-extremism compulsory. There have been questions from head teachers, who say that the new guidelines have been rushed through without an adequate consultation period. I’ve continued to blog regularly for the New Humanist, where I’m assistant editor, and for Middle East […]
- [The "Trojan Horse" scandal](https://samirashackle.com/the-trojan-horse-scandal/): Allegations of an Islamist plot to take over schools in Birmingham, which surfaced earlier this year, caused a national outcry. The debate was intensely polarised, with the government sending in a former counterterrorism police officer to investigate, and local residents arguing that the schools simply reflected the faith of their primarily Muslim intake. In the aftermath of the scandal, I went to Birmingham to speak with people involved about the impact this national scandal has had on the local community. i wrote a long report on the subject for the latest issue of the New Humanist, which is out now. […]
- [People smuggling and border policy](https://samirashackle.com/people-smuggling-and-border-policy/): On Saturday 16th August, the Norstream, a P&O Ferries commercial ship, arrived at Tilbury Docks in the British county of Essex. The ship, which had come from the Belgian village of Zeebrugge, was loaded up with 64 containers. Around 6am, dock-workers heard “banging and screaming” coming from one of the containers. It was opened. There were 35 people crammed inside. One man, in his 40s, had died on the journey. It turned out that the group – which included 13 children – was entirely made up of Sikhs fleeing from Afghanistan. I wrote a piece for the German outlet Deutsche Welle […]
- [Somalia's women politicians](https://samirashackle.com/somalias-women-politicians/): One of the things I did while I was in Kenya was to interview female politicians from Somalia. These women are at the vanguard of women’s representation in the country – fighting death threats from terrorists as well as regressive cultural norms to raise their voices and push for women’s rights. “I get threats, day in, day out,” says Fawzia Yusuf Adam. “Yes, it happens, but I am not afraid about what might happen tomorrow. I am busy with today.” Adam is one of Somalia’s most senior female politicians. A former diplomat and long-time women’s rights activist, she became the country’s first […]
- [Kenya's coastal terror threats](https://samirashackle.com/kenyas-coastal-terror-threats/): I recently travelled to Kenya, the east African hub which is swift losing its status as a safe haven in the region thanks to a heightened terror threat from neighbouring Somalia. I was researching several in-depth features which are forthcoming, but I also wrote this short blog for the New Statesman about the impact that the terror threat is having on tourism: The beach was deserted. Not just typical low season – slightly quiet, as you’d expect – but truly not another soul in sight. White sand, strewn with seaweed, stretched as far as the eye could see. It was […]
- [The Papers](https://samirashackle.com/the-papers/): I appeared on the BBC news channel’s Paper review on Wednesday 11th June, along with deputy editor of the Daily Express, Michael Booker, and host Clive Myrie. We discussed the crisis in Iraq, passport delays, and JK Rowling’s support of the “no” campaign in the Scottish independence referendum. The video (and a short write up) are available here.
- [Karachi airport under attack](https://samirashackle.com/karachi-airport-under-attack/): On 8 June, Taliban gunmen stormed Karachi airport, killing scores of people before they were eventually fought off by security forces. I’ve lived in Karachi and have many friends and relatives there. I wrote this quick response to the attack for the New Statesman: What does this say about the state of Karachi, and of Pakistan? Firstly, it should be noted that this coastal megalopolis is not just the biggest city in Pakistan, but one of the biggest in the world. Home to around 25 million people, it is the economic hub of Pakistan and one of the most important cities […]
- [Jailed journalists](https://samirashackle.com/jailed-journalists/): Late last year, three journalists working for Al Jazeera in Cairo were arrested and charged with terrorism and smearing Egypt’s reputation. The three men – Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy, and Baher Mohamed – are still in jail. They are not alone: according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 2013 was the second worst year on record for journalists imprisoned. I co-wrote an article for Al Jazeera, marking World Press Freedom Day, looking at cases of journalists – across the world – jailed for doing their jobs. “Imprisonment can be through the explicit criminalisation of free speech – through, for instance, defamation […]
- [The UK and Syria's refugees](https://samirashackle.com/syrias-refugees/): The Syrian refugee crisis has been described as the worst since the Rwandan genocide in 1994, with 6.5 million internally displaced and more than 2 million seeking refuge abroad. The UK has been reluctant to offer sanctuary to a significant number of refugees, a decision that should be seen in the context of a dominant anti-immigrant political mood. While the British government has agreed to rehome 500 Syrian refugees, a small number have claimed asylum here already. Two of them told me their stories. Ruqaiya was in her final year of university when she realised she couldn’t go home. In London on […]
- [Karachi's endangered architecture](https://samirashackle.com/karachis-endangered-architecture/): I wrote a piece for the Financial Times about architecture in Karachi, a city I’ve lived in. It’s full of beautiful colonial-era architecture, but the prevailing attitude has been to knock down the old and build new, more profitable buildings. The article looks at attempts to preserve these heritage buildings in the face of rapid expansion. Today, Karachi, the sprawling megacity on Pakistan’s southern coast, is best known for violence. As the country’s economic hub, it has undergone an exponential rise in population, from 435,000 in 1947 to between 18m and 25m today. An underfunded and undersized police force has […]
- [The Muslim Brotherhood in London](https://samirashackle.com/the-muslim-brotherhood-in-london/): Last week, Downing Street announced that it would hold an investigation into the operations of the Muslim Brotherhood in London. The inquiry aims to establish whether the Brotherhood is a threat to British national security. Given that the organisation is the biggest political force in the Middle East; that it was, until recently, in power in Egypt; and that its affiliates remain in power in many different countries in the region, the suggestion that it is involved with violent extremism in the UK has been controversial. I wrote a piece for Al Jazeera, unpicking the possible reasons for the inquiry. When it […]
- [Acid violence: increasing?](https://samirashackle.com/acid-violence-increasing/): I wrote a piece for this week’s New Statesman about the horrific crime of acid violence. The piece looks at recent incidents in the UK, and explains some background about the crime globally. Here’s the opening, and the cutting is below. Naomi Oni had left work and was on her way home to Dagenham, east London, when acid was thrown in her face. The attack took place in 2012 when she was just 20 years old. Oni is still undergoing painful skin grafts to rebuild her face. In an emotional interview on Radio 4’s Today programme on 24 March, Oni, now 22, […]
- [European fighters in Syria](https://samirashackle.com/european-fighters-in-syria/): My feature for the National (UAE) was published recently. It goes behind the headlines about young men from the west signing up to fight in Syria, asking how big the numbers actually are, and what this means for the conflict, other countries in the region, and for Europe. The war in Syria is first and foremost a civil conflict involving Syrian fighters. However, the presence of foreign fighters from Europe and elsewhere in the region has the power to influence the dynamics of the battlefield. “Even if the foreign fighters are still a quite small minority of the overall rebellion, as […]
- [The Ahmadiyya: global persecution](https://samirashackle.com/the-ahmadiyya-global-persecution/): The Ahmadiyya are one of Pakistan’s most persecuted communities. Legally classed as non-Muslims, this sect is subject to a whole range of persecutions. As such, many have left Pakistan in search of peace abroad. But sometimes, this discrimination continues. For the April issue of the New Internationalist, I spoke to members of the Ahmadi community in the UK and the US about global persecution. In December 2013, two men visited a homeopathic clinic in Lahore, an eastern city in Pakistan. It was run by Masood Ahmad, a 72 year old British-Pakistani dual national. He had returned to his home country […]
- [Recent work](https://samirashackle.com/recent-work-4/): Thought I’d share links to some of my recent work. Last week I wrote a piece for the New Statesman about the “I, too, and Oxford” and “I , too, am Cambridge” campaigns which highlighted racism at elite institutions. Of course, whiteboards do not have the space for the full complexity of the arguments about racial insensitivity, about prejudice at elite institutions, or about where curiosity ends and offensiveness begins – and nor did the original campaign pretend to. But those whiteboards serve the important purpose of articulating the small instances – the mundane comments, not always intended to offend […]
- [Book reviews](https://samirashackle.com/book-reviews/): I am a regular reviewer for the Oldie Review of Books. Here are a couple of my recent reviews. A selection of my previous reviews and interviews with authors, for the New Statesman, can be seen here.
- [Southbank Centre's WOW festival](https://samirashackle.com/southbank-centres-wow-festival/): On 10 March, I took part in a panel discussion about women’s rights in the Arab region at the Southbank Centre’s Women of the World festival. The festival takes place every year, and includes a massive range of events celebrating, discussing, and mobilising on issues affecting women and girls. My event – with Dame Ann Leslie, Abir Awad, and Samar Samir Mezghanni – looked at the liberation experienced by women during the Arab Spring, and whether that was short lived. It was an interesting discussion (a few photographs of the event are here). It was a great festival to be […]
- [War in the Central African Republic](https://samirashackle.com/war-in-the-central-african-republic/): The war in the Central African Republic is a complicated conflict that has dragged on for months; it’s also just the latest outbreak of violence in this troubled country. I’ve written a long feature for the Spring edition of the New Humanist magazine, exploring the background to the fighting in CAR, and questioning the role of religion. On Christmas Day last year, Catherine Teya called her cousin to wish her merry Christmas. Her cousin, who lives in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), answered, but not for festive greetings. She whispered that she was hiding under the […]
- [Recent work](https://samirashackle.com/recent-work-3/): On 14 January, I appeared on the BBC News Channel’s paper review, with Oliver Wright from the Independent. A short write up is here. I’ve also written various shorter pieces recently: “Benefits tourism”: myth or reality? (New Humanist) Iain Duncan Smith claims that new restrictions on EU migrants claiming benefits will stop benefits tourism – but do people really cross borders to get better pay-outs? Future looks fraught in polarised Bangladesh (Index on Censorship) This year’s elections were the most violent in the country’s short history. What next? The case of Masood Ahmad reveals how blasphemy laws in Pakistan are used […]
- [MHP 30 to Watch](https://samirashackle.com/mhp-30-to-watch/): I’m delighted to have been named one of MHP’s “30 to Watch”. The awards (which started in 2012)  recognise the UK’s most talented journalists under 30. The full list of this year’s winners is over at MHP’s website.
- [How legal aid cuts are hitting the vulnerable](https://samirashackle.com/how-legal-aid-cuts-are-hitting-the-vulnerable/): Legal reforms don’t tend to be headline news. But cuts to legal aid could have – and is already having – a devastating impact on our legal system. Lawyers’ fees are to be cut, and the criteria for eligibility for legal aid has already been tightened. Legal aid – ensuring access to justice and a fair trial regardless of wealth – is a crucial part of our justice system, and these swingeing cuts are putting it at risk. This is already having an effect, as I found out while writing a feature on legal aid cuts for the New Statesman […]
- [Karachi's "Dirty Harry"](https://samirashackle.com/517/): On 9 January, one of Karachi’s top policemen was killed by the Taliban. Chaudhry Aslam, who headed the city’s counter-terrorism operations, was a controversial figure who had faced at least 10 previous assassination attempts. I wrote a piece for Vice magazine about Aslam, looking at his life, his death, and his legacy. You can read the full piece over at the Vice website, and here’s an excerpt: In a country where many politicians and public figures are afraid to speak out against the Taliban and other extremist groups, Aslam’s belligerent attitude earned him a folk hero status. When I met […]
- [Highlights of 2013](https://samirashackle.com/highlights-of-2013/): Since the year has drawn to a close (and I’m avoiding getting started on 2014), I thought I’d post links to some of the articles I most enjoyed working on in 2013. I had a brilliantly interesting year, in which I covered Pakistan’s first ever democratic transition in May, and lots of other great stories in both Pakistan and Britain. 1. Politicians of the third gender: the “shemale” candidates of Pakistan (New Statesman) This year was the first time that Pakistan’s “hijra” community were eligible to vote and stand in elections. I traveled to different parts of the country to meet the […]
- [Talking and writing](https://samirashackle.com/talking-and-writing/): On Monday 16th December, I appeared on the BBC News Channel’s paper review, discussing the next day’s front pages with the broadcaster David Davies. I’ll be appearing regularly on the show, with my next appearance on 14th January. During December, I also appeared on BBC Radio Five Live’s Richard Bacon show, discussing the week’s headlines, and on several shows on Monocle radio, discussing the Afghanistan-US security pact, among other topics. I’ve written a few more blogs for the New Humanist, including this one on gender stereotyping in schools and the assumption that girls can’t do science, and this piece looking […]
- [The MQM's London base](https://samirashackle.com/the-mqms-london-base/): I wrote a feature for Vice Magazine about Altaf Hussain, the leader of Pakistan’s MQM party, who runs his party by “remote control” from Edgware in north London. He is currently being investigated by the UK police after allegations of money laundering and inciting violence. You can read the piece (which also features a couple of my photographs) over at the Vice website, and here’s the opening: One day in December 2012, tens of thousands of people gathered in Karachi, Pakistan’s mega-city. The speaker was not on stage, instead addressing his rapt audience over the phone. The disembodied voice rang […]
- [Arab women's double revolution](https://samirashackle.com/arab-womens-double-revolution/): Mona Eltahawy, the Egyptian-American writer and activist, emerged as one of the most prominent voices of the Arab Spring. In 2011 she was attacked by riot police in Cairo. They broke her hands and sexually assaulted her. When she spoke out about the attack, it made global headlines. Since then, she has continued her advocacy for Arab women, arguing that as well as the political revolution toppling dictators, a sexual and social revolution is required. On Monday 2 December I appeared “in conversation” with Mona, at an event hosted by the Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu). There are several videos […]
- [Recent work](https://samirashackle.com/recent-work-2-2/): I thought I’d share some links to some of my recent work. I’m still blogging regularly for the New Humanist. My recent posts include this one on breastfeeding and whether state-funded bribery is the best way to encourage it; this post on the shocking conditions for migrant labourers in Qatar and other Emirate states; this on the National Sex Survey and our continued failure to have a grown up public discussion of sex; and this blog on the disturbing report that budget cuts are pushing domestic violence services into a “state of crisis”. I also recently wrote a piece for […]
- [Islam and feminism](https://samirashackle.com/islam-and-feminism/): Is it possible to be a Muslim and a feminist? That was the central question posed for a panel discussion I took part in at the Royal Court on 31 October. Part of the theatre’s “Big Idea” series, the discussion was titled “I Speak for Myself: Feminism and Islam”. It’s a big topic and the discussion was wide-ranging and interesting. Also on the panel – chaired by Dr Laura Zahra McDonald – were consultant and researcher Humera Khan and writer and performance poet Sabrina Mahfouz. After the event, I blogged for the New Statesman with some of my thoughts on the […]
- ["My journey into a nightmare war"](https://samirashackle.com/my-journey-into-a-nightmare-war-2/): How did a young British man with no combat experience join the Free Syrian Army? In a piece for the Guardian, I interviewed a London student of Syrian origin who went to join his cousins to fight in Damascus. Now back in the UK, he gave a vivid insight into the bloody reality of war. I don’t know how to feel. Part of me is relieved that I made it back alive, but I feel guilty that my relatives and my people are dying. I have only minor physical injuries, but the mental scars are still there. I don’t sleep […]
- ["My journey into a nightmare war"](https://samirashackle.com/my-journey-into-a-nightmare-war/): How did a young British man with no combat experience join the Free Syrian Army? In a piece for the Guardian, I interviewed a London student of Syrian origin who went to join his cousins to fight in Damascus. Now back in the UK, he gave a vivid insight into the bloody reality of war. I don’t know how to feel. Part of me is relieved that I made it back alive, but I feel guilty that my relatives and my people are dying. I have only minor physical injuries, but the mental scars are still there. I don’t sleep […]
- [A few links](https://samirashackle.com/a-few-links-2/): Here are some links to my recent work, pulled from various corners of the internet. Writing Why another high profile rape case in India will fail to tackle the root causes of sexual violence (New Statesman) This blog looks at the on-going Mumbai rape trial, and whether any significant change has resulted from the worldwide outcry about the Delhi gang rape case. Hakimullah Mehsud was hardly Pakistan’s great hope for peace (Guardian) Although US drone strikes trouble Pakistan’s politicians, peace talks with the Taliban leader may well have come to nothing. Why conspiracy theories about Malala won’t go away (New […]
- [A few links](https://samirashackle.com/a-few-links/): Here are some links to my recent work, pulled from various corners of the internet. Writing Why another high profile rape case in India will fail to tackle the root causes of sexual violence (New Statesman) This blog looks at the on-going Mumbai rape trial, and whether any significant change has resulted from the worldwide outcry about the Delhi gang rape case. Hakimullah Mehsud was hardly Pakistan’s great hope for peace (Guardian) Although US drone strikes trouble Pakistan’s politicians, peace talks with the Taliban leader may well have come to nothing. Why conspiracy theories about Malala won’t go away (New […]
- [Domestic slavery in the UK](https://samirashackle.com/arranged-marriage-and-domestic-slavery/): I’ve written a feature for the November issue of the New Internationalist magazine. It looks at the phenomenon of women, sent to the United Kingdom for arranged marriages from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, who are then subjected to domestic slavery. It is a distressing but important topic, and I spoke to campaigners – including Southall Black Sisters – about the progress that has already been made, as well as to two women who managed to escape from this nightmarish situation. Campaigners say that around 500 women every year face a similar situation. Brought to the UK as the wives of […]
- [The "Islamophobia industry"](https://samirashackle.com/the-islamophobia-industry/): I’ve written a long feature for the New Statesman exploring anti-Muslim prejudice in modern Britain. What do we mean when we use the term “Islamophobia”? Has there really been a rise in anti-Muslim hate crime after the Woolwich attack? And why, two years after Sayeeda Warsi warned that this prejudice had “passed the dinner table test” and become socially acceptable, are we still debating whether it exists at all? For the piece, I spoke to representatives from several mosques that have been attacked in recent weeks, to victims of hate crimes, and to experts. You can read the full piece […]
- [Writing and speaking](https://samirashackle.com/writing-and-speaking/): I’ve had a really busy few weeks back in the UK, so thought I would share a few links to some of my recent work. New Statesman Why are we still relying on decades-old stereotypes when we talk about the Middle East? This blog looks at the stereotype of the “angry Arab”, arguing that such media narratives matter because they shape the way the world understands events. Ending child marriage On 30 September, I took part in a New Statesman/World Vision fringe event at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester. It was an interesting panel discussion, at the Town Hall, […]
- [Tragedy in Peshawar](https://samirashackle.com/tragedy-in-peshawar-and-pakistans-christians/): On 22 September, a huge bomb attack at a church in Peshawar killed more than 80 people. It was the worst attack on Christians in Pakistan’s history. I wrote a piece for the Guardian about the attack, giving some background about the persecution of Christians in the country: It is these major incidents that make international news, but a low level of discrimination is a fact of life for many of Pakistan’s religious minorities. Christians make up around 1.6% of the population and number around 2.8 million. Generations ago, in pre-partition India, many were Hindus, subsequently converting from the very […]
- [France's trouble with headscarves](https://samirashackle.com/frances-trouble-with-headscarves/): I’m back in London, so have been covering some stories outside Pakistan. This weekend, I contributed to the National, the United Arab Emirates’ leading English language newspaper, for the first time. I wrote a short feature about Islamophobia in France, and how the ban on wearing headscarves in state schools has resulted in wider discrimination against women who wear the hijab. You can read the full piece here, and the clipping (linking to the digital edition) is below. France’s ‘obsession’ with hijabs Samira Shackle The Review Sep 14 2013 Earlier this year, Amina signed up to accompany her nine- year- […]
- [The other Guantanamo](https://samirashackle.com/the-other-guantanamo/): At Bagram prison in Afghanistan, prisoners are kept without charge, trial, or access to a lawyer. On 3 September, I wrote a blog for the New Statesman, The other Guantanamo, asking what will happen to this prison after the US pull-out next year. The main sticking point is the fact that there are more than 60 foreign nationals being held at the prison, who are stuck in a legal black hole, subject to lengthy repatriation negotiations and bureaucratic delays. I also wrote a feature for US-based website Alternet, published 14 September, looking at the prison – and the plight of the […]
- [Pakistan's new generation](https://samirashackle.com/pakistans-new-generation/): My long essay for Aeon Magazine was published this week. Aeon is a digital magazine which publishes one long-form piece every day of the week. There’s a really eclectic and interesting mix of content, so you should check it out. My article, titled “Young, free, and Pakistani”, is about the country’s young generation. It’s a broad topic, so I’ve focused on educated, urbanised youth. I spoke to people working in the arts, in social work, and as activists, about their day-to-day lives and their feelings about Pakistan. Here’s a short excerpt: The problems facing young people who wish to instigate […]
- [Recent work](https://samirashackle.com/recent-work-2/): When the New Statesman said they were running a themed week of posts on “transport”, the idea didn’t instantly grab me, but in the end, I really enjoyed writing this piece about travelling around Pakistan by car. It starts with an account of the time I got lost in a militarised zone: We are driving along the highway, a big, multi-laned road that could be in any major European country, when we realise we’ve missed the turn for Attock. There is nowhere to turn off the highway for miles; by the time we finally manage to get off the road […]

## Pages

- [Broadcast](https://samirashackle.com/broadcast/): Here are a few multimedia projects that I’ve worked on… Get in touch if you have a media project you’d like to discuss.
- [Articles](https://samirashackle.com/articles/): Here’s a fairly comprehensive list of all my latest work. From Isis recruit to influencer: ‘People think: you’re that evil girl who ran away’ 11.04.2026 | Guardian ‘I see it as trafficking’: the brutal reality of life as a foreign student in the UK 07.04.2026 | Guardian The racism in UK maternity services 26.04.2025 | Prospect ‘All other avenues have been exhausted’: Is legal action the only way to save the planet? 08.04.2025 | Guardian The punishment doesn’t fit the crime in Britain. That’s why our jails are overflowing 16.02.2025 | Guardian The Coventry experiment: why were Indian women in […]
- [About](https://samirashackle.com/about/): I’m a freelance journalist, author and editor based in London, writing long-form reported features on a wide range of subjects – from the mystery of the Gatwick drone to the Pakistani military’s promotion of travel influencers, from the rise of hoarding disorder to an alleged hijacking off the coast of the Isle of Wight. I am based in the UK, but I’ve reported extensively from Pakistan, as well as from Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Kenya and Nigeria. I am HEFAT trained. I’m a regular contributor to the Guardian Long Read. I also write for other publications, including the Guardian Saturday Magazine, […]
- [Blog](https://samirashackle.com/blog/)
- [Samira Shackle: journalist & author](https://samirashackle.com/): Samira Shackle: journalist & author I’m a freelance journalist, author and editor based in London, specialising in long-form reported features. I’m a regular contributor to the Guardian Long Read, and I also write for lots of other publications. My reporting has won multiple awards – most recently a One World Media award in 2023, and a Foreign Press Association award in 2021. I was shortlisted for freelancer of the year at the 2023 Society of Editors Awards. My first book, Karachi Vice is published by Granta in the UK and Melville House in the US. It was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the […]
- [Karachi Vice](https://samirashackle.com/books/karachi-vice/): Life and Death in a Contested City Karachi Vice is my first book: a fast-paced journey around Karachi in the company of those who know the city inside out. You can hear an abridged version on Radio 4’s Book of the Week.  BUY: UK version | US version Karachi. Pakistan’s largest city is a sprawling metropolis of 20 million people. It is a place of political turbulence in which those who have power wield it with brutal and partisan force, a place in which it pays to have friends in the right places and to avoid making deadly enemies. It is […]
- [Selected Articles](https://samirashackle.com/articles/selected/): Here are a few of my favourite pieces from recent years…
- [Books](https://samirashackle.com/books/): My debut book Karachi Vice, published by Granta, is a work of narrative non-fiction about Pakistan’s largest city. I’ve also contributed chapters to a number of excellent anthologies (details below). Karachi Vice “Shackle expertly and empathetically leads the reader in … the book reveals a city, a people – and through them a country – with tremendous poise and the skills of a fastidious reporter.”—Daily Telegraph Karachi. Pakistan’s largest city is a sprawling metropolis of 20 million people. It is a place of political turbulence in which those who have power wield it with brutal and partisan force, a place […]
- [Contact](https://samirashackle.com/contact/): I’m available for commissions and broadcast work. Contact me at samira.shackle@gmail.com. My literary agent is Carrie Plitt. You can also find me on Twitter @samirashackle, or on Instagram @samira.shackle
- [Selected writing](https://samirashackle.com/writing/): The blog of this website contains a fairly comprehensive and semi-frequently updated record of my most recent work. Here is a selection of some of the pieces I’ve been proudest of working on over the last few years. In no particular order: 1. Why we may never know if British troops committed war crimes in Iraq (June 2018) This months-long investigation looked at the British government’s failed attempt to assess whether soldiers committed war crimes in Iraq. The story was agenda setting – it inspired a TV documentary investigating the same topic, and was used as part of the formal […]


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