Islam
Mecca: from shrine to shopping mall
The Saudis, official custodians of Islam’s holiest place, have bulldozed its historical sites, perverted its religion and turned Mecca into one vast shopping mall, says Justin Marozzi
Women in the various hells of Algiers
On the surface Harraga is the story of two ill-matched women colliding dramatically, with life-changing consequences. What emerges, in throwaway…
The criteria for admittance to a Maldivian cemetery
Moofushi, Maldives We clambered aboard a dhoni, the sturdy wooden boat that the Maldivians use for getting about the…
Is France now the sick man of Europe? It is if it’s taking Eric Zemmour seriously
Graham Robb on the book currently taking France by storm
The Islamic sermon that taught me what’s happened to Birmingham
Birmingham has changed a bit since I grew up there in the 1970s. Back then, the stories of the hour…
Jonathan Sacks on religion, politics and the civil war that Islam needs
Former chief rabbi Jonathan Sacks on the return of religion to public life and the civil war that Islam needs
James Delingpole falls in love with Grayson Perry - and almost comes round to Chris Huhne
I love Grayson Perry. You might almost call him the anti-Russell Brand: a genuinely talented artist who also has some…
Wear a veil if you like – but don’t treat women like that
What sort of clothing do you wear when you go to the opera? I assume some of you do go…
Spectator letters: St Augustine and Louise Mensch, war votes and flannel
Faith and flexibility Sir: What a contrast in your two articles on religion last week: one liberal atheist parent (Claire…
My boy the radical Muslim
Reckoning with my stepson’s turn to radical Islam
Marriage and foreplay Sharia-style
Needless to say, it’s not uncommon to hear single British women in their thirties and forties saying that all the…
Is Britain hardening its heart against Muslims?
The headlines give British Muslims good reason to worry
Let's face it – Ray Honeyford got it right on Islam and education
The Bradford head teacher was dismissed for emphasising nationality over religion. He should have been applauded
Spectator letters: VAT and sugar, Boris Johnson and cricket, whisky and bagpipes
Sugar added tax Sir: Julia Pickles (Letters, 14 June) suggests a sugar tax to combat the obesity epidemic and discourage…
Spectator letters: The trouble with religion, alternatives to HS2, and whisky-drinking dogs
Old cabby’s tale Stephen Rommei’s London cabby story (Diary, 7 June) reminded me of catching a cab one cold night…
Witness to a stoning
Islam knows it is under siege – and the fear makes it more brutal
Baghdad's rise, fall – and rise again
Ali A. Allawi on the fluctuating fortunes of Iraq’s fabled capital
Spectator letters: Interpreting Islam, and Spectator-reading thieves
Chapter and verse on Islam Sir: Irshad Manji’s generally very sensible article on ‘Reclaiming Islam’ (29 March) suggests using the…
It's time to reclaim Islam from the fanatics. Here's how
Can Islam be reconciled with free expression? The answer is yes
Civilisation’s watery superhighway
The clue is in the title: this is not about the blue-grey-green wet stuff that covers 70 per cent of…
Taki: our leaders are weak and powerless in the face of religious fanatics
This Christmas our thoughts need to be with our fellow Christians who are being threatened in the Bible lands. No…
Rod Liddle: How I was bullied when I wore a burka
I dressed up in a burka to wander around the streets of Canterbury recently, to see what level of Islamophobic…
Charles Moore’s notes: Liberal-leaning Muslims are the people most opposed to the niqab
We are not allowed to know any details about the Muslim woman, charged with intimidating a witness, who has been…
The Story of the Jews, by Simon Schama - review
The recorder of early Jewish history has two sources of evidence. One is the Bible. Its centrality was brought home…
Lion Heart by Justin Cartwright - review
Justin Cartwright is famously a fan of John Updike — and here he seems to owe a definite debt to…
