Tag: culture

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Man of Pakistani descent appointed as UK’s culture minister

Mohammed Abbasi

Picture of Ali Azmat kissing a baby! AGENCIES Sajid Javid — File photo by Reuters   LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron appointed former banker Sajid Javid as the country’s new culture minister, replacing Maria Miller who resigned earlier on Wednesday over an expenses scandal. Javid has served since last year as financial secretary to the Treasury. Cameron said on Twitter that lawmaker Nicky Morgan will step up to the financial secretary post at the Treasury, key to the government’s relationship with the financial services industry, from her current role as economic secretary. Javid, the son of a Bristol bus … Continue reading Man of Pakistani descent appointed as UK’s culture minister

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America’s Quest to Win Over Muslim Youth With Rap

Mohammed Abbasi

  The U.S. has spent the past decade conducting hip-hop diplomacy. Is it working? HISHAM AIDI A rapper performs at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2012. (U.S. Embassy Kabul/Flickr) For several years now, American and German officials have struggled with how best to respond to Deso Dogg. The Ghanaian-German artist, whose legal name is Denis Cuspert, gained popularity during the mid-2000s as a pioneer in Germany’s gangsta-rap scene, performing with DMX and recording tracks like “Gangxtaboggy,” “Daz Iz Ein Drive By,” and “Meine Ambition Als Ridah.” In 2010, following a car crash, he embraced Islam and began documenting his Malcolm … Continue reading America’s Quest to Win Over Muslim Youth With Rap

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Pakistan: a culture of intolerance

Mohammed Abbasi

Pakistan: a culture of intolerance By Sajjad Ashraf Pakistan’s impoverished and peaceful Christian community has endured mob rampages, blasphemy charges, and was largely spared the ravages of suicide bombings, till last month. Suicide bombings on September 22 at Peshawar’s All-Saints Church, which is designed like a mosque to reflect inter-faith harmony, killed 83 worshippers and injured more than 125, bringing to focus how the danger minorities face in the militancy raging across Pakistan. With almost a bomb a day since Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government took over in June, the church was indeed a soft target. Since independence in 1947 … Continue reading Pakistan: a culture of intolerance