Scottish historian & art historian; @EmpirePodUK podcaster & Jaipur Lit Fest co-director. 2024 Visiting Fellow at All Souls, Oxford. Writes the occasional book.
New from @EmpirePodUK
THE ORIGINS OF GOD
Where did the idea of one God come from? Not the God of any particular faith — but the very concept that there is only one, that all others are false, that monotheism itself is possible? This week on Empire, we go looking for the answer. It leads somewhere extraordinary.
https://t.co/CvBe7Mbf1y
In an article about the East India Company in the Financial Times, William Dalrymple quotes a Mughal official:”What honour is left to us when we have to take orders from a handful of traders who have not yet learned to wash their bottoms?”
@DalrympleWill@EmpirePodUK If you don't listen to William Dalrymple's Empire podcasts you should - they are an absolute goldmine of historical and archaeological insight that should be mandatory listening for anyone thinking to participate in civilisation.
https://t.co/jywAWgyh12
"The first step in liquidating a people is to erase its memory. Destroy its books, its culture, its history. Then have someone write new books, manufacture a new culture, invent a new history. Before long the nation will begin to forget what it is and what it was.”
Milan Kundera
@JoelMCurzon Do you know British historian William Dalrymple and his Empire podcast? He cuts through lots of myths and is interesting. The following episode is about the evolution of Abrahamic religions, including the origin of sun symbolism. Previous 3 episodes on Egypt are good background.
If there's one account to follow on this hellscape, it's William Dalrymple. He places the truth of history right in front of us, completely dismantling the lies and propaganda being used to erase the Palestinian people. Essential following.
"The economic engine of the tech industry...is surveillance"
Signal President Meredith Whittaker tells @MishalHusain how the company resists pressure to collect user data
Listen at https://t.co/jRBCe81SeG or watch The Mishal Husain Show at https://t.co/SyY5puc48R
It is profoundly saddening & disgraceful how clearly Muslims in Britain are shown the lack of value those working in our media & politicians place on their lives & their safety as compared to members of other communities. 😔
Islamophobia is simply not treated seriously by the political classes in the UK, and worse, some like to stoke it for political gain and votes. This has to change.
There was a suspected Anti-Muslim knife attack on the streets of Edinburgh on Friday where 5 people were injured.
- No COBRA meeting
- No wall to wall coverage
- No PM visiting the community
It got one Tweet from the PM because there’s a hierarchy of outrage.
.@melanie_ward's question about UK charities supporting illegal settlements raises important tax issues.
UK charities and donors should not be claiming tax relief to fund illegal settlements in Palestine. My letter to HM Treasury. ⏬️
Israeli attacks near the Tyre Necropolis in Lebanon have damaged the UNESCO heritage site. Other sites across Tyre, a city with a 5,000-year history, remain at risk as efforts to enforce a shaky ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah fall short.
"‘His only crime is that he is a Palestinian doctor.' Fourteen Gazan physicians remain in Israeli prisons without charge, where they say they have been singled out for particularly severe abuse." https://t.co/MUV7bbHZ9F
"Why Does a Suspected Anti-Muslim Attack Barely Make the News?"
Zeteo UK's @ShehabKhan on the double standards from politicians & the media when it comes to attacks on Muslims. No front page headlines on Edinburgh; no Cobra meeting; no sustained outrage.
https://t.co/nTHzkadmIC
@UBERSOY1 The founding mythology of ancient Greece revolves around Zeus kidnapping Europa, a Phoenician princess, and bringing her to Crete, where she became the mother of Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Sarpedon.