Critical Muslim 09: The Maghreb

Ziauddin Sardar is a renowned writer, broadcaster and cultural critic. A former columnist on the New Statesman, he has also served as a Commissioner on the Equality and Human Rights Commission. He is professor of Law and society at Middlesex University, and the author of numerous books, the most recent being Reading the Qur'an (Hurst); Desperately Seeking Paradise: Journeys of a Sceptical Muslim (Granta); What Do Muslims Believe? (Granta); and Balti Britain: A Provocative Journey Through Asian Britain (Granta). Robin Yassin-Kassab is the author of the acclaimed novel, The Road From Damascus (Penguin). Born in west London, he has lived and worked in France, Pakistan, Turkey, Syria, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Oman. He is a regular contributor to the literary pages of The Guardian and The Independent.

• Articles include: A Moroccan Journey - Robin Yassin-Kassab Hicham Yezza - the Berbers and the Arab Spring Poetry, identity, and power by Marcia Lynx Qualey The Jews of the Maghreb by Louis Proyect Diary of the Tunisian Revolution by Cecile Oumhani Al-Qa'ida in Mali by Paul Mutter Moroccan Street Food by Anissa Helou Ibn Khaldun and History by Robert Irwin Western Writers in Tangier by Julia Melcher (William S. Burroughs, Paul Bowles, Tenessee Williams and others) An American Abroad - John Liechty's attempts to get a US visa for his Moroccan wife Revolution in Maghrebi Cinema - Jamal Bahmad Algerian Art - Arie Amaya-Akkermans Skirting on the Surface - by Amal Hanano (Extract of a novel set in the Maghreb) Two Poems by George Szirtes