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A law came into force in France today banning the public wearing of the Muslim veil. It seems to me that this position is flawed, and that anyone should have the freedom to wear what they like in public. If you get past the knee-jerk reactions, Islam can actually feel threatened by the West, and when any group feels under attack their culture and identity is reasserted. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m totally against women being forced to wear the veil culturally or religiously by a male patriarchy – but equally, I’m against a secular state forcing women not to wear it. Many Muslim women, including those I’ve spoken to, wear the veil to express their culture and religion, and are not forced to do so! Indeed, I’ve spoken to Muslim women who’ve had their veils torn off in racist attacks, and the perpetrators are rightly condemned by all fair-minded people. France, by bringing in this new law, are making the removal of the veil from women against their will somehow acceptable. So, putting aside all other questions for the moment, how EXACTLY is the French ban on the veil going to promote peace, love and understanding within society? My Muslim friends and leaders in Leicester fully support the right of Christians to wear crosses. So Christians who support the ban had better think long and hard, because I suspect they might be the first to cry foul if a secular government tried to ban the public wearing of crosses!

I’d been looking forward to watching this movie for a while. I finally watched it last night and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s a moving cinematic masterpiece directed by Wim Wenders, and I’m currently working through a boxed-set of some of his best movies that’s been lent to me by a friend. This award winning film is an unusual road movie that tells the story of Travis, presumed dead, who reappears after four years wandering in the desert on the Mexico border as an amnesiac. It’s a slow-burner that holds your attention through an excellent screenplay by the acclaimed playwright Sam Shepard, great acting, lovingly crafted photography and tracking shots, and an atmospheric score by Ry Cooder that’s integral to the whole movie. The story unfolds gently, mirroring the experience of Travis (and those around him) as he seeks to reconstruct his memories, and many of the scenes are so good you’re just transfixed on the screen. This is a movie I can wholeheartedly recommend.

This guest post comes from Sue Thomas, Professor of New Media at De Montfort University in Leicester.

In today’s networked world, many skills which we may already have but not recognise as special are coming to the fore. The Institute for the Future in Palo Alto, California, have identified a skill set which they call ‘amplified’. It features qualities such as ‘Cooperation Radar’  - the ability to sense, almost intuitively, who would make the best collaborators on a particular task, and ‘High Ping Quotient’ – responsiveness to other people’s requests for engagement; propensity to reach out to others in a network. You can read all ten of them here. The language may be very Californian, but the skills are ones we would all recognise. And social media is helping us to do them even better.

In 2009 I ran a project called ‘Amplified Leicester’ which brought together 30 very different Leicester people and helped them develop their ‘amplified skills’. That project is now over but this year we’ve been hosting a series of talks and panels at Phoenix Square where we look at ‘amplified’ approaches and discuss how they can be used in specific contexts. So far we’ve looked at politics, police, and crafts (see embedded video), and this month we’re considering faith (or not) in an panel discussion convened by George Ballentyne of the Council of Faiths and called Amplified Communities of Faith or Belief.

George’s guests are a very varied group – Sughra Ahmed of the Islamic Foundation, Richard Hopper of Leicester Secular Society, and Matthew Hughes of Samworth Enterprise Academy, a Church of England school. It takes place at 7.00 pm Wednesday 23 March 2011 at Phoenix Square. Do come along to hear what they have to say and join us in the Screen Lounge afterwards to continue the discussion. It’s free and open to all. Book online here and join the Amplified Leicester community here. We look forward to seeing you! The Twitter hashtag is #ampleic for all Amplified Leicester related tweets.

Note: In the video, David says “anti-feminist” at one point when he clearly means “anti-sexist”, he’s not being allowed to live it down! (John)

I attended a meeting of the University of Leicester Feminists Group this evening, partly in my capacity as a University Chaplain and partly because I believe women’s rights are human rights. But, before I go any further, please banish any preconceived ideas you may have about feminists! This was a group of normal men (yes, men) and women who are concerned with fairness, justice and equality: a group with whom I can identify. I’m also quite happy to describe myself as a feminist, because they are (ultimately) concerned with human rights!

The main issue this evening was pornography and its effect on society. I came away feeling quite dirty having seen some extreme images of hard-core, and (what can only be described as) violent and abusive pornography – which I had to look away from at some points! This was, of course, being inflicted by powerful men upon women who were certainly not enjoying the experience! And that’s not to mention the pornography featuring girls of legal age who were made to appear under-age, with sinister echoes of child pornography!

Yes, this is the extreme end, but the effects of pornography are being felt right throughout society – whether you actually watch it yourself or not. We are becoming a pornified society, starting with the lyrics of songs (some of which are not immediately obvious, but which refer to acts in porn films), through sex in adverts, objectification of women, airbrushing images, music-videos, sexualized images in lad’s mags, and to easily accessible porn (of all varieties) on the Internet! This is affecting men and women’s self-image of themselves, as well as changing what is considered normal within relationships and sexual lives. Men, especially, expecting their partners to go along with what they have seen in porn films, and women feeling pressured to accept it as ‘normal’ rather than the abuse it actually is! There’s also a strong pressure on women to look like those in porn (I’ll spare you the details).

We are all being exploited by part of the music industry and by the sex industry, men and women alike! Pornography manipulates men and degrades women, it takes away our freedom and we should all get very ANGRY about it! What are you going to do?

See also: Why Feminism?

When John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) was on BBC The One Show last evening and mentioned PiL, the presenters didn’t have a clue what he was talking about and clearly hadn’t done their homework! This video may enlighten them! A great song, amazing bass by Jah Wobble, and excellent lyrics!

Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello.
Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha.
You never listen to word that I said
You only seen me
For the clothes that I wear
Or did the intrest go so much deeper
It must have been
The colour of my hair.

Public Image.

What you wanted was never made clear
Behind the image was ignorance and fear
You hide behind his public machine
Still follow the same old scheme.

Public Image.

Two sides to evrey story
Somebody had to stop me
I’m not the same as when I began
I will not be treated as property.

Public Image.

Two sides to evrey story
Somebody had to stop me
I’m not the same as when I began
It’s not a game of Monopoly.

Public Image.

Public Image you got what you wanted
The Public Image belongs to me
It’s my entrance
My own creation
My grand finale
My goodbye

Public Image.

Public Image.

Goodbye.

[strange growling/roaring noise at the end.]

The Bishop of Leicester as been reflecting on the dramatic events in the Middle East and North Africa, and has suggested that we ask ourselves some important questions, even though the full consequences and significance of what’s happening cannot yet be fully grasped.

Firstly, do we need to rethink some of our assumptions about freedom within Muslim countries? The demonstrators are clearly wanting the freedoms, rights and opportunities we enjoy. Secondly, what does it tell us about about politics in an age of social networking and mass communication? People now have the means to mobilise themselves against dictators, and are “not fundamentalist Muslims clamouring for Sharia Law, but citizens who seek the freedom to voice their opinions and change their societies in very much the same way as we do”. Thirdly, what do we mean by “Western values”? Because patterns of thinking are changing in front of our eyes.

He concludes, “That is an inspiring vision for all of us. As a Christian I believe we should be praying for those who are risking their lives for change at the moment. And perhaps we should be praying too that we will have the wisdom to see and to understand the meaning of the changes that are happening and to support a vision of a more peaceful and just world”.

You can read more here!

This is the first guest post from some of my real-life and online friends. Hannah Winter is a friend in both spheres, and I hope you find this interesting.

When John asked me to guest on his blog under the title of ‘Feminism’ I jumped at the chance and started to make a note of the things I just ‘had’ to include; women in the workplace, social constructions of gender, violence, sexualisation of children, pornography and lap-dancing, religion, FGM, and many, many more – all of which I’ve got plenty to say about! Having been given a 400 word (ish!) limit, I thought I’d start at the beginning and (hopefully!) be invited back to address individual issues at a later date. So, the question I aim to answer here is ‘Why Feminism?’ I’ll write from a personal perspective; why I identify as a feminist, and why I feel feminism is as relevant today as it ever was.

I indentify as a feminist because I’ve found feminism to be a very useful tool to question, de-construct, and challenge the things around me that make me, as a woman, feel uncomfortable. Things such as, but in no way limited to; lads mags, the marketing of gender-specific toys, Page 3, being told my research won’t make me attractive to men (as if that’s my sole aim in life!), the way in which the behaviour of women is judged very differently to men. I’ll stop with the list but believe me, it’s a long one! I identify as a feminist because it gives me the confidence and drive to have my voice heard in world which, contrary to popular belief, is a largely patriarchal one which attempts to silence the voices of women.

So, 40+ years after the birth of feminism and gender inequality is alive and well. Surely feminism has failed? No, feminism hasn’t failed! I don’t believe that feminism was ever about ‘succeeding’ on a global level, inherently changing men and women; it would only serve to replace patriarchy if it did. It’s about changing core values. It’s about changing patriarchal assumptions about how things ‘should’ be. Today, as ever, feminism allows the questioning of the limitations placed on, and the assumptions we make about women.

Feminism isn’t about burning bras and hating men! Feminism is about creating the opportunity for equality in the personal, social, and political spheres. Feminism seeks gender equality – a liberating concept for both women AND men. I need to finish soon (400 words just isn’t enough!) but I’ll leave you with this:

• Women in the UK are paid 22.6% less per hour than men
• Only 18.3% of the world’s members of parliament are women
• At least 100,000 women are raped in the UK each year
• Two-thirds of the world’s illiterate people are women
• One in four women living in the UK will experience violence at the hands of a current or former partner

The Equality Illusion, Kat Banyard, Faber and Faber Ltd: London, 2010

Please excuse another Radiohead post (this will be the last one for a while), but I decided to listen to all their studio albums today in chronological order – plus a live album and a solo album by Thom Yorke. I was inspired to max-out on Radiohead following the release of their latest album yesterday and because I was going nowhere on a wet Saturday! I listened while doing bits and pieces round the house.

Their music is an acquired taste, but like all acquired tastes, well worth it in the end! I also like the fact that there’s an integrity in their music, with an unwillingness to bow to commercial pressure in the artistic process. Having said that, they are clearly very commercially ‘savvy’ in the way they market and release their stuff. The NME has said of the new album:

This is an avant-garde record, and most definitely not a return to the crowd-pleasing songwriting of the OK Computer era. In a sense it’s a continuation of In Rainbows in that Radiohead have now worked out how to be experimental without sacrificing the human element. As on that record, they display the knack of sounding deceptively machine-like. It sounds electronic even when it isn’t – but there’s always a pearl of soulfulness hidden within.

I’m now off to bed to listen to this final record of the day on my best Sennheiser headphones!

Update: After this close listen on headphones, I would say it has amazing richness, depth and humanity!

The candidates for the nineteenth General of The Salvation Army were announced yesterday. From the left they are Commissioners John Matear, Christine MacMillan, Barry Swanson, William Roberts, Max Feener, Linda Bond, Robert Street, William Francis and Dick Krommenhoek. Commissioner James Knaggs declined.

I’ve noticed from comments on Facebook and Twitter that many people would have liked to see Commissioner Betty Matear as one of the candidates. Unfortunately, although this might have been acceptable in western countries, because the Salvation Army is an international movement there is a difficulty. In many countries and cultures it would be very problematic for a wife to be seen as ‘in charge’ above her husband, whether we like it or not. But I can remember when (even in the UK) she would have been known as Mrs Commissioner Betty Matear! So culture can change and equality become a reality!

Note: See my related post on this subject by clicking here!

Update: Commissioner Linda Bond is the new General! (Monday 31 January 2011)

Following on from the sexism row that I wrote about yesterday that is still in the news, I’m surprised that very few people have mentioned today’s offensive and sexist double entendre headline on the front page of today’s Sun! They clearly want her on Page Three! Totally unacceptable and complete hypocrisy! See also here!