Most recent articles by Susannah Tarbush
-
"The Boy from Aleppo who Painted the War" by Sumia SukkarTranslating sights, sounds and feelings into colour
Sumia Sukkar wrote a novel about a young Syrian boy with Asperger Syndrome who paints the horror and violence of the war around him in vivid colour. BBC Radio 4 adapted the novel for its Saturday Drama series. Susannah Tarbush read the book, listened to the radio play and spoke to its young author
-
The Trojan Horse scandal in the UKIslamists in the classroom?
Are some British Islamists involved in a conspiracy to infiltrate, control and Islamise secular state schools with a high proportion of Muslim pupils, thereby discouraging integration and possibly encouraging extremism? This is the nub of the Trojan Horse scandal that has rocked Britain in recent weeks. Prime Minister David Cameron has responded by calling for "British values" to be promoted at schools. By Susannah Tarbush
-
Book review: Fadia Faqir's "Willow Trees Don't Weep"Abandoned for the sake of jihad
Since the 9/11 attacks in the USA, many novels have been written about aspects of Islamist radicalism and the "war on terror". The Jordanian–British writer Fadia Faqir brings fresh perspectives to the subject in her fourth novel "Willow Trees Don't Weep". Susannah Tarbush read the book
-
Review of the Muslim Brotherhood in the UKHas Cameron buckled to pressure from Middle East allies?
During his announcement last week that he had ordered a review of the Muslim Brotherhood in the UK, British Prime Minister David Cameron made several references to violent extremism. Over the past two decades, Britain has introduced a whole raft of anti-terror laws that can be used in cases of violent extremism, so why is it necessary at this point in time to conduct a review into the Muslim Brotherhood? By Susannah Tarbush
-
Interview with Muslim Scholar Ziauddin Sardar''Muslims Yearn for Real Debate''
Ziauddin Sardar is a leading British-Pakistani Muslim scholar and critic. In this interview with Susannah Tarbush, he talks about the magazine "Critical Muslim" he founded and which he sees as an "intellectual, cultural, philosophical and creative backup" for the revolutions of the Middle East
-
Libyan Writers in ExileActive in Support of the Uprising
Due to the well-nigh total oppression of cultural life during 42 years of Gaddafi's dictatorship, Libyan literature has for decades been produced abroad. But with the uprising, everything has changed for them, too. Susannah Tarbush reports
-
The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie
Panties from the "Axis of Evil"
While visiting Syria, two London-based women of Arab origin became fascinated by the risqué lingerie openly on display in the souqs and shops of Damascus and Aleppo. The book they now produced is one of the most unusual publications you are likely to see on the Arab world, says Susannah Tarbush