Iran's 'axis of resistance' was meant to be the Shias' NATO
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Spectator
29 minutes ago
- Spectator
Islam has a rich history of depicting Muhammad
Journalists at LeMan are in fear for their lives after the Turkish satirical magazine published cartoons appearing to depict the Prophet Muhammad. The publication's editor-in-chief Tuncay Akgun denied that the picture showed Muhammad, but his pleas have fallen on deaf ears. A mob gathered outside the magazine's office in Istanbul on Monday. In the days since, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has slammed the cartoon as a 'vile provocation', and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan described the image as an 'immoral…attack against our Prophet'. But LeMan's critics appear to be blind to Islam's rich tradition of depicting Muhammad. Much of the backlash over these apparent depictions of Muhammad is rooted in the belief that Islam declares any imagery of him haram, or forbidden; this view seems to be supported by a few hadiths, or sayings of Muhammad, which suggest that because drawings 'create life' they trespass on what Muslims perceive to be Allah's prerogative. But the sweeping assertion banning Muhammad's depiction, often reported as fact in Western media, upholds the most regressive interpretation of the religion as the sole representation of the Muslim faith. It is important to push back against this. For centuries, Muslims have depicted Muhammad. Eleventh-century Persian epics like Varka and Golshah and Abu Rayhan Al-Biruni's The Remaining Signs of Past Centuries feature some of the earliest illustrations of Muhammad during significant stages of his prophethood, including him narrating and explaining Quranic verses. The Mojmal al-Tawarikh, or Compendium of Histories, highlighting the history of Persian kings, also showcase numerous images of Muhammad, including him receiving revelations from the angel Jibraeel. A frequently illustrated image is of the Mi'raj, the Islamic tale of Muhammad's ascension to heaven on a winged horse as part of his journey to Al-Aqsa mosque, the event that asserts the Islamic claim over Jerusalem. The idea of a categorical ban on drawings of Muhammad appears to be grounded in the Salafi strain of Islam, which, in recent decades, has been proliferated by Sunni Arab monarchies as part of their bid to assert control over the Muslim world. But while many of the depictions of Muhammad can be found in Shia Islam, there are numerous examples among Sunni practitioners as well – especially the Sufi interpretations such as the Siyer-i-Nebi, an epic on Muhammad's life published around 1388. Nowadays, such images are rarely mentioned – not least in the West, where those who dare depict Muhammad soon find themselves in trouble. In 2022, for instance, The Lady of Heaven film, which featured Muhammad's daughter Fatimah, resulted in a 'blasphemy' backlash. The movie was subsequently pulled from cinemas in various countries, including in the UK. Violent backlashes over cartoons of Muhammad have been witnessed the world over, as seen in the aftermath of Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten's publication of satirical sketches of the prophet of Islam in 2005, which resulted in around 150 deaths and attacks on European embassies. Eight Charlie Hebdo journalists were among 12 killed in a jihadist shooting on the French satirical magazine in 2015 over Muhammad caricatures. Showing students cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad resulted in French teacher Samuel Paty being decapitated in 2020. When a teacher at Batley Grammar School in West Yorkshire did the same, he was forced into hiding. He now lives under a new identity. Such incidents have made publications extremely wary of depicting Muhammad. But what makes the ongoing cartoon row in Turkey all the more absurd is the long and rich tradition of drawing Muhammad in Ottoman history. Erdogan appears to be on a quest to replicate a neo-Ottoman empire, but this is one area of Ottoman history he seems rather less keen to emulate. LeMan's cartoon does not satirise or mock Muhammad; it illustrates Moses and Muhammad shaking hands in the sky while there is war and destruction in the background. Regardless of whether the Muhammad in question was Islam's prophet – or a representation of Muslims with the most common masculine first name, as the magazine insisted – the message upheld peace between the Jewish and Muslim communities amidst the conflicts in the Middle East. The mob, unsurprisingly, appears blind to this interpretation – so, too, does Erdogan. Instead, his government has resorted to more typical Islamist intimidation tactics against a magazine that has been critical of it. It is a move designed to silence dissenters. In Turkey, the Kemalist left has already surrendered significant space to Erdogan, endorsing Islamic modesty codes such as the hijab in stark contradiction of traditional, secular laiklik values of the Turkish republic. This row – and the capitulation to the Islamists – clearly shows the direction of travel in Turkey. Turkey has now effectively joined the list of Muslim countries that have adopted blasphemy laws.
The National
an hour ago
- The National
I've been left questioning real purpose of Alba Party
When we see murdered children every day, our personal problems seem very small. The current stramash is, however, symptomatic of a malaise within a party which continually claims to wish to unite the independence movement, while simultaneously embarking on a never-ending purge of its own members. So many great independence supporters I believed were giving the movement a new start – James Kelly, Denise Findlay, Eva Comrie, Chris McEleny and scores of others – have found themselves expelled or forced out. Party membership has halved. Like most decent people, I feel desperate to do anything I can to help stop the genocide in Gaza. I first authored the strategy to take Israel to the International Court of Justice and was there inside the courtroom in the Hague. READ MORE: What would posing MPs say of the suffragettes? I later travelled to Lebanon and for five months reported from the frontline, on Israeli atrocities there. So when George Galloway – whom I have known almost 50 years, although we have disagreed on independence – asked me if I would fight Blackburn on the issue of Gaza at last year's election, I flew from Switzerland to meet him. I had fought Blackburn against Jack Straw as an Independent in 2005 on the issue of the Iraq War, gaining 5% of the vote. Local Muslims I met with George said they wanted the chance to redeem themselves for backing Straw. I told George I would get back to him. I would need to get permission from Alex Salmond first as I was a member of Alba. (Image: JASON REDMOND) Alex and I had previously agreed I should not stand for Alba at the General Election as it was still too close to my imprisonment. The Unionist press would make mischief. I should wait for the 2026 Holyrood election. Alex was enthusiastic about Blackburn. He did not set any condition. Had he not agreed, I would not have done it. I published why I was standing, that Alex had agreed, that I was campaigning purely on Gaza, and that I remained an Alba member. I came within 3000 votes of being elected. The Alba member who got the next best result at the GE was Yvonne Ridley standing as an Independent in Newcastle. Also over Gaza. She also had Alex's permission, in writing. Yvonne has also just been blocked as a candidate by Alba. She was not even a Workers Party candidate, so the claim that the problem is the Workers Party standing against two Alba candidates in Scotland is evidently a lie. At this spring's Alba conference, I made a speech asking the party to stop expelling people, which was well received. All weekend, nobody mentioned Blackburn. At the All Under One Banner march in Glasgow, I had a conversation with Alba leader Kenny MacAskill over which Holyrood region I might stand in. Kenny indicated no reservation whatsoever. I was therefore astonished to receive a week later an email from the party stating that my vetting application had been rejected paper and I would not be allowed to go forward to the panel. The reasons given were my standing in Blackburn, and my failure to volunteer my imprisonment on my application form. As though every member of Alba did not know I was imprisoned, and exactly why. I remain urgently committed to the cause of Scottish Independence, and have recently been introducing the case to diplomats at the UN on behalf of Liberation Scotland and Salvo. Being stabbed in the back at this moment is unhelpful. I am sorry to say I am entirely unconvinced the SNP has any genuine intention to do anything about Independence. The SNP accept the Westminster veto, and therefore do not really believe in Scotland's right to self-determination. But no progress can be possible if the more radical wing of the Independence movement continues to fracture itself into ever-smaller splinters. So I intend to stay in Alba and try to reform it. I fear it is becoming a vehicle whose entire purpose is to get a clique of former SNP MPs and MSPs back on to the gravy train. They are being positioned to dominate the party regional lists. Those forced out or expelled have all been outsiders.
NBC News
5 hours ago
- NBC News
Inside Iran: Exclusive access to notorious Evin Prison
Iran's notorious Evin Prison was hit by Israeli airstrikes in June, and destroyed its gates, administrative buildings, and health clinic. Iranian officials say nearly 80 people were killed including civilians. NBC's Richard Engel was given extraordinary access to the destruction, and also visited the former U.S. embassy compound covered with anti-American murals and 4, 2025
