Tag: New Humanist

  • 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…

  • Recent writing

    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,…

  • 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…

  • Pakistan’s 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…

  • Recent work

    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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Recent work

    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)…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Recent work

    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,…

  • 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…

  • Recent work

    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…

  • 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…

  • Recent work

    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…

  • 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…

  • Tragedy in Peshawar

    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…