Hi everybody, Apologies for the long silence. Things have been rather hectic following my film workshop (which I’ve long been meaning to write about). Further, I’ve been spending a lot of time with friends and my boyfriend, to catch up and compensate for the loneliness when I’m back in Malaysia. I’m flying tomorrow, so my… Continue reading See you in Malaysia!
Category: Media
Latter day Victoriana: Drawing similarities between Compulsion and Bride and Prejudice
Crossposted on Feminist Review. The repressive, corseted Victorian culture of the novel found a perfect foil in the rigid caste strictures of Indian society. (The Times, 27 April 2009) Nesrine Malik’s scathing review of the ITV drama Compulsion got me thinking a lot more about modern day adaptations of pre-20th century literary works featuring ethnic… Continue reading Latter day Victoriana: Drawing similarities between Compulsion and Bride and Prejudice
The astonishing case of the shrinking Muslim woman
First published at Muslimah Media Watch It’s become common belief that Muslim women, particularly those who wear the hijab, are liberated from the media-driven standards of beauty that values the thin and the willowy. But it’s a belief that couches on the idea that head-coverings and modest clothes provide little incentive for showing off a… Continue reading The astonishing case of the shrinking Muslim woman
My daughter's keeper: Nahid Persson's Prostitution behind the veil
Crossposted at Muslimah Media Watch For a relatively high-brow TV channel, BBC4 is known for providing top quality programs and dramas. So when the BBC commemorated the 30th anniversary of Islamic Revolution in Iran, I became glued to the channel’s string of intriguing documentaries on all things Iranian, post-1979. There were plenty on Iran-US nuclear… Continue reading My daughter's keeper: Nahid Persson's Prostitution behind the veil
The masculine art of cooking
When celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay’s chain of eateries were snubbed from the world’s best restaurants list, I revelled in the joy of knowing that the British vanguard of hyper-macho professional cooking will need a little humbling-up to do. Though the reign of men in the great kitchens of the world is far from over: somewhere… Continue reading The masculine art of cooking
Polygamy: A woman's right?
While digging out the image library on my hard drive, I found some pictures taken of an Indonesian ‘edutainment tabloid’ called Poligami. I found the line, Hak dan Kebutuhan Perempuan (the rights and needs of women) across the cover of the magazine interesting – mainly because here polygamy is pitched as pro-women rather than the… Continue reading Polygamy: A woman's right?
Freedom and Muslims in Britain
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown’s article at The Indepedent, “Why Muslims will not fight for freedom”, on the absence of Muslims at the recent convention on modern liberty in London was a disconcerting sign. A sign many would read, and not Alibhai-Brown alone, as complete apathy for the greater good: I suspect the key reason so few showed… Continue reading Freedom and Muslims in Britain
Who has the right to 'Allah'?
Good news just in. The Herald is now allowed to use ‘Allah’ in its Malay-language publication. Well, as long as the newspaper makes it clear that its material is not for Muslims, The Star reports. Hhmm. Fair enough. There was a brouhaha some months ago when “The [Malaysian] government argued that Allah is an Islamic… Continue reading Who has the right to 'Allah'?
I need serious cheering up aka weekend round-up of favourite reads 16-18/1
There are days when I feel like tearing my hair out and never leave my flat. I’ll just return to the world when my hair grows out again. But following my better judgement, I’m going to have to recover from an agonisingly disappointing week for a couple of days with delicious cooking, fine entertainment on… Continue reading I need serious cheering up aka weekend round-up of favourite reads 16-18/1
Idealising Islamic womanhood, internalising whiteness
The meteoric rise of Malaysian actress Wardina and singer Waheeda in the last few years was by no means an accident. For decades, women who wore the tudung (hijab) had longed for high-profile role models who shared their values and dress code. Representation is, of course, a good thing, but their popularity can be partly… Continue reading Idealising Islamic womanhood, internalising whiteness
Alicia Izharuddin 