2024-02-04 20:53
February 6 marks International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
On this day, we rise up and declare clearly: we stand against FGM and those that practice, endors… Read More
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Voice Of Salam Blog
voiceofsalam.wordpress.com
Voice of Salam (Voice of Peace) was founded in 2015 to raise awareness of a range of global issues and promote understanding of human rights, interfaith and current socio-political issues.
2023-12-20 16:02
20 December 2023. Less than a week to go till Christmas.
Just under a week since the Jewish festival of Chanukkah ended.
And over two months since the October 7 massacre by Hama… Read More
2023-11-28 18:16
Peace. It’s a word that we’ve heard a lot lately.
With the recent outbreak of conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and Russia, the Nagorn… Read More
2023-10-03 17:52
By Elizabeth Arif-Fear
A few months back I had the pleasure of meeting Tomer Aldubi and was delighted to find out how much we had in common!
A queer Israeli, Tomer has committed himsel… Read More
2023-08-14 16:26
By Matt Pointon
This blog is part of a series where I look at various faiths and explore where they have inspired me and where I have questions/struggles.
Although I am Christian… Read More
2023-08-02 17:40
In a world of visible hate, it’s critical that we stand together in solidarity and unite against hatred and division.
Recent events in Sweden for example have been very unsettling … Read More
2023-07-30 16:41
By Roni Roseberg
An avid reader, I was definitely ready to immerse myself in my next find: “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini.
Having read… Read More
2023-07-14 14:15
By Matt Pointon
This blog is part of a series where I look at various faiths and explore where they have inspired me and where I have questions/struggles.
Although I am Christian, I b… Read More
2023-06-27 10:57
By Gina*
Just after WWII, my ex-husband Chen* was born. A young couple based in California, his parents had been wed just a year and were delighted to have a boy.
At that time and in t… Read More
2023-06-20 12:39
By Abda Khan
Here in the UK, domestic abuse is rife. In England and Wales for example, the police receive a domestic-abuse related call every 30 seconds.
However, the reality is much d… Read More
2023-06-13 17:46
By Fiyaz Mughal
Islam’s history contains some glorious periods, spanning Andalusia, Baghdad and the seats of learning and art that they created. I am proud to be attached by birth t… Read More
2023-05-26 10:58
Across the UK, many of us have been increasingly feeling the financial pinch.
With the cost-of-living crisis due to rising inflation, food prices have risen again and again.
In fact, h… Read More
2023-05-21 11:39
As a British-Italian convert to Islam, I’m more than familiar with both Islamic and Christian traditions.
Christianity formed a key part of my upbringing and I’ve been Muslim… Read More
2023-05-03 12:07
By Matt Pointon
We can find inspiration in the strangest of places, but even I never expected a service station on the M6 to be one of them.
Whilst making a brief toilet stop en route… Read More
2023-04-08 18:22
By Roni Roseberg
If you enter the laboratory in the medium-sized Mexican city where Abigail works full time, you’ll we met with professionalism and a friendly, positive attitude… Read More
2023-04-03 12:35
By Mary*
Trigger warning: this blog discusses sexual violence and may be upsetting for readers. A list of support services is listed at the end of this blog.
Growing up, I’d neve… Read More
2023-03-30 19:44
Just this week, we witnessed another tragic act of violence. In Lisbon, two women were killed and other injured following a stabbing attack at an Ismaili mosque.
A religious minority with… Read More
2023-03-25 22:44
By Matt Pointon
The air was fragranced by rose petals and the accompaniment of cooing doves. I sat cross-legged, my back resting against ancient bricks and drank in the scene before me… Read More
2023-03-07 16:39
By Roni Roseberg
My two adult sons have a multicultural heritage. I’m Jewish; my father and four grandparents were immigrants to the US who escaped from pogroms in Eastern Europe… Read More
2023-02-18 16:48
The world can often seem like a hostile divided place, especially when we’re witnessing repeated terrorist attacks across the globe.
Just this month, six people were shot dead in Au… Read More
2022-10-31 19:27
Interfaith and intercultural relationships can bring individuals and different families and communities together. However, there is sometimes the potential for conflict when navigating diffe… Read More
2022-08-30 13:49
A few weeks ago, I had the “joy” of being verbally abused online. Now, as an outspoken Muslim woman advocating for feminism, LGBT+ equality and stronger Jewish-Muslim relations… Read More
2022-08-10 13:56
Voice of Salam is looking for interfaith and intercultural couples, of all backgrounds (cultures / faiths and none) to participate in a research project focussed on:
Managing conflict and… Read More
2022-07-13 21:59
By Roni Roseberg
Although the colour pink seems to be associated with girls’ and women’s clothes, the title of the 2016 film “Pink,” on Netflix, says little about… Read More
2022-06-26 21:26
In a previous blog, I wrote about the ethno-cultural diversity across the MENA region – the Middle East and North Africa. However, I learnt from feedback and my own experiences, that t… Read More
2022-06-02 17:59
It’s Pride Month and for people belonging to both the LGBT+ and a religious community, this can be a difficult time.
Not everyone has acceptance from their co-religionists, a safe s… Read More
2022-03-20 10:16
By Roni Roseberg
The Inland Empire of Southern California is located about an hour and half east of Los Angeles and encompasses the largest county in the US, San Bernardino County, as wel… Read More
2021-07-29 18:15
By Roni Roseberg
My friend Margaret surprised me.
First, she and her husband left the population-dense San Francisco Bay Area where they had lived for 41 years, heading for a semi-rura… Read More
2021-06-10 20:20
By Roni Roseberg
Deborah Feldman’s autobiographical account, “Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots”, is a chronicle of her major life transformation… Read More
2021-05-18 11:07
By Roni Roseberg
Some years ago, I was teaching English as a second language at an adult school.
One of the students in my class, a young ballerina from Mexico—we’ll call h… Read More
2021-05-16 08:13
Talking about what’s happening in Israel-Palestine is vital, now and always.
But: we have to do it without falling back on antisemitic and anti-Muslim tropes and speech… Read More
2021-04-21 18:05
By Elizabeth Arif-Fear
We all know the feeling… With adverts all over TV, radio and social media, we can often feel bombarded with publicity.
However, every now and again a real… Read More
2021-03-23 18:31
By Elizabeth Arif-Fear
Here in Europe, whilst we should be sympathetic to the plight of refugees and asylum seekers and promote diversity and inclusion, anti-refugee and xenophobic s… Read More
2021-03-16 18:05
By Elizabeth Arif-Fear
As someone who used to be married to an Amazigh man – and has worked, lived and travelled across North Africa – I can’t tell you how annoying it w… Read More
2021-02-24 19:41
Smadar Elhanan was killed in 1997, she was 14 years old.
Ahalan, my sweet Smadari,
So many years have passed since that horrible day, where you suddenly disappeared from our lives fore… Read More
2021-02-09 16:22
By Kevin D
I was about 11 or 12, it seems quite a long time ago now, but I remember the sense of relief when I at last could put a name to something that felt right.
You might think it… Read More
2021-02-01 15:15
By Roni Roseberg
The dictionary definition of “hijab” is a “traditional scarf worn by Muslim women to cover the hair and neck and sometimes the face.” The term can… Read More
2021-01-28 00:13
By Elizabeth Arif-Fear
Every year, on 27th January, the world commemorates Holocaust Memorial Day.
Remembering the horrors of the past is essential in order to ensure we stop such… Read More
2020-10-14 12:11
By Elizabeth Arif-Fear
Have you ever felt passionate about a cause but felt that niggling self-doubt inside?
Perhaps you’ve been told that you’ll be “wasting your tim… Read More
2020-10-09 15:45
By Roni Roseberg
Dear Jessica,
By now, most of us have read your news on social media. That as a (what some would consider ‘white-passing’) Jewish woman in the US, you masq… Read More
2020-10-07 01:56
By Elizabeth Arif-Fear, Trustee (Muslims Against Antisemitism)
Just when we think things couldn’t get any more shocking when it comes to antisemitism, a recent survey came out, with… Read More
2020-09-16 17:29
When did you first know you were LGBT+?
How old were you? Were your family surprised? Or were you told to “fight your urges”?
Well, it’s a big moment of self-realis… Read More
2020-07-13 19:41
By Jeremy Rodell, Humanists UK
I’m a humanist (and an atheist), but I spend time with people of faith and encourage fellow humanists to do the same.
Confusing? Well, I’m the (vol… Read More
2020-07-09 06:54
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.
Over 8,000 Muslim men and boys were murdered in the worst atrocity on European soil since the Second World War, simply becau… Read More
2020-06-23 16:38
By Ahmed*, Roots
This blog is produced in collaboration with Roots – A local Palestinian-Israeli initiative for understanding, non-violence and transformation.
My name is Ahmed* and I… Read More
2020-06-15 17:18
By Roni Roseberg
TRIGGER WARNING: This blog discusses sensitive themes.
My first pregnancy was perfect. When my son was two years old, I then discovered I was pregnant again.
I wanted to gi… Read More
2020-06-13 00:37
Antisemitism is on the rise and it’s our duty to stand up and speak out against it – whatever our faith.
When it comes to Jewish-Muslim relations though, things aren’t alwa… Read More
2020-05-24 12:59
By Simon Hardy Butler
Bigotry and baklava. They don’t go together.
One is sour, bitter. The other: sweet.
I prefer baklava.
Why am I writing about this? Well, it reminds me of a r… Read More
2020-05-21 04:24
By Roni Roseberg
There can be nothing but admiration for a woman who writes a book aged 90 – especially what the author terms a FIRST book.
Dr Edith Eger, Doctor of psychology, now liv… Read More
2020-05-18 10:42
Jewish-Muslim relations in the real world are at best minimal, and at worst fraught.
With antisemitism and Islamophobia increasing globally and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continuing to… Read More
2020-05-13 16:39
By Roni Roseberg
Forty-three years ago, I had my first baby. He was a wanted, beautiful child, and I was blessed with a fast, uncomplicated birth.
My son was like a little pixy – cute… Read More
2020-05-06 01:06
Antisemitism is on the rise globally and it’s an alarming phenomenon.
In 2019 alone, as a global community, we’ve witnessed a rise in online abuse, antisemitic incidents in schoo… Read More
2020-04-24 15:20
By Elizabeth Arif-Fear
It’s been a strange few weeks into self-isolation at home amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. I for one am still receiving emails about cancelled events.
Yes&hellip&hell…Read More
2020-04-21 19:39
By Rachel Lindley
I wish I could tell you that my Ramadan fast was a wholly spiritual experience. But, I’m afraid it wasn’t…
I decided to fast for one day during Ramadan a… Read More
2020-04-14 19:06
We’re currently in the period of Pesach – the Jewish festival of Passover. An incredibly important time in the Jewish calendar, this festival marks how God led the Israelites out… Read More
2020-04-05 11:23
In a recent blog post, we looked at debunking myths about Jews, revealing five things that the Jewish community would like you to know.
It was an interesting piece of research and it enabled… Read More
2020-03-27 20:08
With so much in the media about the Israel-Palestinian conflict and Jews and Muslims “not getting on”, it’s always heartwarming to see moments of friendship, love and solid… Read More
2020-03-22 18:37
By Roni Roseberg
My grandmother, Cecilia, was known by various names—Shesha, Tillie, Ma, and Grammy—attesting to her various roles in life.
She was born in Poland, undoubtedly at… Read More
2020-03-18 22:45
On 8th March, we marked International Women’s Day (IWD) and celebrated the great achievements of women worldwide.
At the same time, we also reminded ourselves of just how far we&r&hell…Read More
2020-03-07 22:22
By Roni Roseberg
Mrs. Hadisa was one of the women who fought for an education in Afghanistan – and won.
Unlike many women, she had gone to the university in the 1960s and had become a… Read More
2020-02-10 22:11
6th February marked Time To Talk Day – offering an important reminder for all of us that it’s good to talk.
Talk about what you may ask? Well, Time To Talk is a crucial campaign… Read More
2020-02-07 13:13
By Roni Rosenberg
Naima had been in my high intermediate ESL (English as a second language) class for adults for two or three weeks. She was very articulate and enjoyed answering other stude… Read More
2020-02-03 18:21
There are over 14 million Jews worldwide. Outside of Israel, where 42% of the Jewish population live, the Jewish community are a minority. The second-largest community is in the USA at 39%… Read More
2020-01-06 13:24
By Muslims Against Antisemitism (MAAS)
Please listen to Elizabeth Arif-Fear’s personal story that will provide you with an insight into the horrors of antisemitism. It’s an emot… Read More
2019-12-05 17:40
In a time of increasing hate – including antisemitism and anti-Muslim hate – we all need to strive to be active allies: someone who works to actively combat hatred in a… Read More
2019-11-28 12:32
By Elizabeth Arif-Fear
“My body is my property” – a simple yet powerful slogan embroidered across this Palestinian bracelet which highlights the pernicious problem of patr… Read More
2019-11-20 18:25
“There is no compulsion in religion” (2:456) – the words stand loudly and clearly. In chapter two, verse 456 of the Qur’an – the holy book for Muslims – i… Read More
2019-10-11 16:33
By Charlotte Littlewood and Elizabeth Arif-Fear
When it comes to Palestine, all agency is removed from those at the centre of the issue and replaced by talk of the ongoing Israeli-Pales… Read More
2019-10-02 16:54
By Elizabeth Arif-Fear
In late August, I was delighted to attend a Christian-Muslim weekend of friendship held by the wonderful Christian community of Taizé (France). And what a fanta… Read More
2019-09-24 11:49
By Elizabeth Arif-Fear
Jews and Muslims face a common struggle against white supremacists. Now Jewish and Muslim women are building another form of solidarity: jointly facing the discriminat… Read More
2019-09-18 11:55
Shaniqua speaks to writer and human rights campaigner Elizabeth Arif-Fear about her first book of poetry, “What If It Were You?”
Shaniqua – Elizabeth, tell u… Read More
2019-09-03 12:24
By Elizabeth Arif-Fear
Words are powerful. Words have the power to do good or to harm. Words do not simply express facts but can also forge narratives (toxic, positive and much in between)… Read More
2019-08-27 23:27
In the latest in her series of exclusive interviews for Children of Peace, Professor Sarah Brown talks to Elizabeth Arif-Fear – the writer and human rights campaigner based in London… Read More
2019-08-14 12:17
Last month, an estimated 1.5 million people took to the streets of London to join the annual Pride march in support of sexual and gender diversity. A day of celebration of just how… Read More
2019-08-02 13:36
By Stephen Hoffman
Since 3rd April 2016, British-Iranian national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been detained in Iran at the detriment to her physical and mental health. Falsely charged for… Read More
2019-07-02 12:14
By Charlotte Littlewood, Become The Voice (UK/Palestine)
Hebron, located in the south of the West Bank, is a city split into three areas: A, B and C. There are three ruling forces with three… Read More
2019-06-26 11:32
By Stephen Hoffman
An asylum-seeker is a person who has left their country and is seeking protection from persecution and serious human rights violations in another country, but who hasn&rs&hell…Read More
2019-06-13 20:43
In Iran, forced veiling (hijab) is sadly a legalised practice which continues to violate the rights of women and girls across the country. According to Iranian law, women and girls as young… Read More
2019-06-06 11:16
Islamic feminism is a term that for some may seem like an oxymoron. Isn’t feminism a secular movement? Aren’t feminists often fighting religious orthodoxy? Well, the truth i… Read More
2019-05-19 11:47
By Glyn Green
My name is Glyn; I’m 46 years old and have lived in London since 2004, having moving here from the delights of rural mid Wales. I’m an agnostic (originally from a C… Read More
2019-05-02 17:00
By Stephen Hoffman
On Saturday 27th April 2019, the festival of Pesach (Passover) came to an end for Jews worldwide. Whilst this day should have been marked with celebration and joy, it will… Read More
2019-04-25 17:10
By Liz Arif-Fear, Co-Chair Nisa-Nashim Marylebone
A few weeks ago, I had the absolute joy of attending the third annual Nisa-Nashim conference, which brought togethe… Read More
2019-04-23 16:54
Elizabeth Arif-Fear is the founder of Voice of Salam, an international human rights and interfaith platform. She’s recently published a collection of poetry drawing attention to human… Read More
2019-04-08 17:15
Last month I was honoured to attend the launch of “Generation Y, Spirituality and Social Change” – the latest book by Justine Huxley, Director of St. Ethelburga’s Cen… Read More
2019-04-03 20:46
By Julian Bond
A few years ago, I didn’t think of myself as a “Muslim ally”, nor did I call myself one. After leaving the Christian Muslim Forum, I added “Muslim-frie… Read More
2019-03-18 18:21
This blog forms part of a three-part series looking at freedom of religious belief, freedom of expression and religious intolerance concerning the Abrahamic faiths and their communities.&nbs&hell…Read More
2019-03-12 18:41
On 11th February 2019, a young university student named Assil Belata was murdered in his university halls in Algiers, the capital of Algeria. In what was a suspected homophobic hate crime, t… Read More
2019-03-08 14:48
By Elizabeth Arif-Fear and Stephen Hoffman
Mention the words Israel and Palestine to many people and what immediately comes to mind is: war, conflict, loss, violence, grief, memory and pain… Read More
2019-02-26 15:47
By Jenny*
Trigger warning: This blog focusses on a range of sensitive issues including domestic abuse and suicide.
*Names have been changed to protect the identities of those involved.
2004… Read More
2019-02-15 17:30
I wish I could offer a more upbeat account of my recent stay in Calais. Without a shadow of a doubt, the work being carried out by Help Refugees and Refugee Community Kitchen – amongst… Read More
2019-02-12 12:11
By Stephen Hoffman
Across the UK – and the entire globe in fact – hate is sadly on the rise. Whether we’re dealing with antisemitism, Islamophobia, hatred against other rel… Read More
2019-02-07 17:31
Today is Time to Talk Day – a time to help raise awareness about mental health and encourage others to reach out for the support they need. And on this da… Read More
2019-02-05 18:00
Here at Voice of Salam, we’re passionate about empowering women and helping them to overcome a range of social, cultural, political, economical and spiritual barriers. With this is min… Read More
2019-01-30 00:23
This month we’ve been commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) and paying tribute to those who lost their lives in the Holocaust and the subsequent genocides in Cambodia, R… Read More
2019-01-25 13:25
Extremism is on the rise – both here in Britain and across the globe. Here in the UK for example, a recent YouGov poll found that 73% of respondents were concerned about &ldq&hell…Read More
2019-01-24 22:44
By Julian Bond and Elizabeth Arif-Fear
How do we make things difficult for our mixed communities in our great city of London? Well, by stirring up international political and ideological ten… Read More
2019-01-08 22:04
Each year, millions of Muslims from across the globe come to perform Hajj (the Islamic holy pilgrimage) at the holy site of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. In Islam, each and every Muslim who’s… Read More
2019-01-03 12:56
By Stephen Hoffman
“The pen is mightier than the sword”
On 28th December 2018, I was listening to music whilst looking at the latest news on Twitter. I was relaxed and in a peace… Read More
2018-12-30 19:46
Mention the words “Jewish” and “Muslim” in the same sentence and you’ll also likely hear: Israel, Palestine, war, conflict. Yep, with conflict dominating the me… Read More
2018-12-19 23:12
Trigger warning: This blog deals with sensitive subject matter, some of which may be distressing. Reader caution is advised.
It’s 5th September 2002 and Algeria is in the midst of civ… Read More
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