WOW FESTIVAL LONDON 2018: PART 2

Posted on March 28, 2018 by Norwich Radical in Arts and tagged #WOWLDN, cross-cultural, faith, featured, Jewish, Jewish Women, minority, Muslim, Muslim Women, Nisa-Nashim, religion, wow, WOW Festival 2018, WOW London.

by Carmina Masoliver

Part 2 of 2 – Part 1: Fertility as a Feminist Issue at WOW Festival

In the second part of my WOW Festival 2018 coverage, I’m focussing on the panel, ‘We Stand Together: Muslim and Jewish Women Speak Out’. During this event, the women speaking came from the organisation Nisa-Nashim (‘women’ in Hebrew and Arabic). Joining co-chairs Julie Siddiqi and Laura Marks, were Judith and Aqueela. Although I’m not religious, I was interested in the discussion because I think it’s important for people from different backgrounds to come together, and because I am concerned about the reports of rising hate crimes against both groups.

REES-MOGG: NOT TO BE UNDERESTIMATED

Posted on September 10, 2017 by Norwich Radical in Community, Inter|national and tagged anti choice, atheism, ballox box, Bath, Brighton, Bristol, Catholicism, Christian, comedy character, conservative, corbyn, european union, faith, gay sex, general election campaign, Good Morning Britain, homophobic, honourable member, jacob rees-mogg, labour leadership, lgbtQ+, Liberal Democrat, metropolitan, national television, non progressive, norfolk, norwich, norwich south, party membership, political career, politics, press coverage, prime minister, rees mogg, sexuality, spin doctor, Tim Farron, Tories, Trump.

by James Anthony

Content warning: article mentions homophobia, religion, Trump, and Farage.

Earlier this week, many of us watched on in horror as one of our potential Prime Ministers spouted his frankly archaic, illiberal views on Good Morning Britain. I thought to myself that alongside all the atheists, progressives and liberals of the UK, Jacob Rees-Mogg’s spin doctors and supporters must also be holding their head in their hands. His interview would have been seen by a large number of people and the further press coverage was extensive – surely this was the death blow to any leadership ambitions.

I suppose I have a lot of faith in our electorate and like to think that outing yourself as anti-choice, homophobic, and quite frankly medieval, on national television would ruin your political career.Continue Reading

“WE FEEL DEMONISED” – UEA TO CLOSE MUSLIM PRAYER SPACE

Posted on May 19, 2017 by Norwich Radical in Perspectives, Student and tagged #SaveOurSpace, anti-Islamic, david richardson, demonstration, discrimination, disrespect, faith, hate crime, human rights, Islam, Muslim, Muslim students, petition, places of worship, prayer, protest, religion, religious rights, service closures, student activism, student life, student rights, students, UEA, UEA Islamic Society.

by UEA Islamic Society

On Wednesday, a group of Muslim students at UEA, including committee members of UEA Islamic Society, found out that the university is intending to close one the Muslim prayer spaces on campus this Sunday. UEA didn’t tell them – they only heard about it by chance. There has been no consultation with Muslim students. As they start a campaign to call out UEA for this unacceptable, dismissive action, we spoke to ISoc members and other involved students about the importance of the spaces and their reactions to the news.

CHRISTIANITY, QUEERNESS & ME

Posted on April 17, 2017 by Norwich Radical in Perspectives and tagged antisemitism, Bayard Rustin, Christian, Christianity, Church of Wales, dialectic, faith, homophobia, identity, islamophobia, Jew, lesbian, LGBT+, lgbtQ+, LGBTQIA+, Muslim, Nye Bevan, Perspectives, queer, religion, sexuality, sugar rush, the l word, Wales.

by Tara Gulwell

I was nine years old when I first learnt what lesbian meant. It was a word thrown at me as a measurement of depravity to which I should never want to sink. Little sweetheart notes I was trying to send to another girl were found and I was not-so-kindly made aware that that wasn’t natural. Up until that point, I had assumed, like every child does, that my way of experiencing the world was like everyone else’s. Lesbian, that dirty word tossed about on my playground, brought me out of the naivety that blinded me from realising I was different from my peers, and overshadowed my childhood at my Anglican, Church of Wales, primary school.

WE ARE ORLANDO, BUT PERHAPS WE ARE OMAR MATEEN TOO?

Posted on June 24, 2016 by Norwich Radical in Perspectives and tagged #weareorlando, Abu Nuwas, activism, diversity, faith, fetishisation, God, homophobia, identity, liberation, mental illness, Muslim, Omar Marteen, Orlando, pentecostal, people of colour, queer, racial diversity, racism, religion, sexuality, theodicy.

by Emmanuel Agu

Content warning: mass shooting, homophobia, mental health

In the wake of the Pulse nightclub shooting, myself members of queer societies and wider society are yet again pulled into self-reflection in this time of despair. The tragedy stands as a solid reminder that those who live queer lives are aberrant; there are those who can never accept us — our death is the only thing that can appease them. A solid reminder that when these atrocities strike our communities — those who are struck hardest will be the queer people of colour, our trans siblings and disabled siblings. It was a solid reminder of the extent of homophobia within our society leads to; whilst simultaneously exposing the exclusion of faith within our spaces of activism and self-organization. It is entirely uplifting to see people from across the world and many facets of society declare their solidarity following #weareorlando trend; I am filled with pride and affirmation that the life style myself and my kinfolk live are valid, we deserve recognition, we deserve to be able to celebrate our cultures — to simply exist, without fear of decimation and harm.

I do not mean to detract from these displays of solidarity, but it is necessary to also ask one another to what extent are we responsible for the development of Omar Mateen?Continue Reading

EXPERIENCING FAITH: THE SPIRITUALITY OF CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY

Posted on May 24, 2016 by Norwich Radical in Perspectives and tagged believer, buddhist, celebrities, celebrity icons, church, contemporary society, divine, escapism, evolution, faith, fundamentalist, God, gods, Hindu, history, human experience, human spirit, media, morality, opinion, political leaders, political structures, pop culture, religion, socio-economic norms, spiritual awareness, spirituality, technology, urban.

by Liam Hawkes

Religion gets a pretty bad rep in the media, and some of the time it is justified. The following reflections are not intended to directly deal with the oppressive histories (and some present-days) of particular religious doctrines. Instead I want to reflect on the structure and nature of faith and spirituality, to investigate the effect it can have on our everyday lives. These reflections are in part inspired by my experiences of the faith of others, looking from the outside. This semi-voyeuristic experience of faith and spirituality led me to question the structure and direction of my own beliefs and how they could be grounded in a kind of blind faith.

I do not want to claim that religion is just a passive component of a believers’ personality, because a lot of the time it very much defines and shapes their understanding of themselves, and their world. No matter what history faith has had, or the extremes fundamentalists go to, or the religious violence which has permeated human history, there is something fundamentally fascinating, and ultimately useful, about faith and spirituality. I think that a knowledge of the comparative structures of religions and experiences of spirituality can enrich our lives, and we should not ridicule or dismiss those with strong faith in their religion.Continue Reading

PAGANISM – THE NEXT GENERATION

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Norwich Radical in Perspectives and tagged dawkins, discrimination, dizzee rascal, faith, God, hippy, Hogwarts, Jew, Marilyn Manson, minority faith, nature, new age, oppression, Ouija boards, pagan, paganism, pantheistic, RE, religion, Religious Education, religious practice, Satan, SnapChat, social justice, university, wicca, witch, witchcraft.

by Robyn Banks

I’m a pagan.

You’re probably thinking of Satan worship or Ouija boards right now, right? Or figuring I must just be really in to Marilyn Manson. What if I told you I was a witch? Would you think of Hogwarts and broomsticks? Are you laughing yet? If you’re a Dawkins loving new atheist, fair enough. But if you’d defend anybody else’s right to their faith, you’re probably a hypocrite.

faith

WOW FESTIVAL LONDON 2018: PART 2

REES-MOGG: NOT TO BE UNDERESTIMATED

“WE FEEL DEMONISED” – UEA TO CLOSE MUSLIM PRAYER SPACE

CHRISTIANITY, QUEERNESS & ME

WE ARE ORLANDO, BUT PERHAPS WE ARE OMAR MATEEN TOO?

EXPERIENCING FAITH: THE SPIRITUALITY OF CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY

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