“To discriminate against trans people in the workplace, to refuse to serve them in a shop, to deliberately misgender as a way of humiliating someone – that is bigotry. To argue for sex-based categories in sport – that is not”: My @ObserverUK column:
Kenan Malik
43.1K posts
Kenan Malik
@kenanmalik
New book: Not So Black and White (Hurst). “Unsettles the pieties of contemporary race-talk” - Paul Gilroy. “A magical accomplishment” - Remi Adekoya.
- Guess it may have to be an annual reminder, too, that the majority of Christians are not white, that the majority of sub-Saharan Africans are Christian (and make up nearly a quarter of the world’s Christians), pewforum.org/2011/12/19/glo… 1/
- Supporting the rights of Palestinian people is not the same as supporting Hamas but requires condemnation of Hamas, its actions and policies. Condemning Hamas is not the same as supporting Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, its occupation, bombings and collective punishment.
- Hoping that Salman Rushdie is not seriously injured. A reminder yet again of the costs that writers face for refusing to be bound by taboos, for challenging the demands of blasphemy.
- Well, this should be interesting. Just received an email from @Telegraph informing me that they’re running an article about me. 1/
- I would have thought that the beheading of a teacher is a bit more of a “provocation”. This is effectively an argument that says “Keep murdering people in the most barbaric ways because then you will get what you want.”#CharlieHebdo must be shut down immediately by French authorities. This racist, Islamophobic rag is causing community relations to completely break down with its repeated provocations. They are literally crying fire in a crowded theatre. Freedom of speech isn't worth civil war.
- A few thoughts on the Batley school Muhammed image controversy. Since the facts are unclear, these are as much about the general issues as the case itself. 1. There is no right not to be offended. This is as true in a classroom as anywhere else. Context matters.
- Trump's Skittles analogy reminded me of this from 1903 on Jewish immigration to Britain. pllqt.it/E5Hzjj
- No. We should not impose on people of particular identities, backgrounds or experiences the responsibility for having the “right” views and judge those views more harshly than if they were held by someone, say, white, male or privileged. That’s a dangerous road to go down. 1/You could argue that she’s worse than Enoch Powell because at least he wasn’t the brown child of immigrants.
- It’s even more frustrating to read comments from lawyers with huge platforms who apparently haven’t read the point I make in the article that it’s those without power and platforms within minority communities who most suffer from the failure of liberals to defend free speech…
- The romanticism of poverty, by those who can afford to romanticise it.
- “It is immoral to introduce the Holocaust into discussions about the destruction of Gaza. Except to justify mass killings in Gaza.”6 million of my family were killed.
- She was born in Germany because her father was serving there with the RAF. So, she is not deemed “British” and threatened with deportation. Another extraordinary Home Office story:
- Given the continuing debate about Suella Braverman, and why she could have such odious views on immigration given that she (like Priti Patel before her) is Asian and a child of immigrants, a few points to think about: 1/
