KTF Weekly Newsletter: Einstein’s Anti-Racism, Commodifying Sorrow, No-Knock Warrants

Hi everybody!

Guess who’s back!!! That’s right: Suzie, the founder and fearless leader has returned! Expect to hear more from her – not just in these newsletters – but on the bonus podcast episodes and maybe in an article or two in the weeks to come. We are so very happy to have her here again, and we will start with her highlights this week.

Suzie’s recommendations:

• In 2013, an anonymous letter outlining a nefarious plot to “Islamize” local schools in Birmingham, England mysteriously turned up on the desk of a local city councilor. Mayhem ensued. The national media sensationalized the letter and the fallout reshaped education and counter-terrorism policy across the UK. Subsequent investigations destroyed the careers and reputations of several local Muslim educators, and the web of oppressive surveillance of Muslims crafted in response persists to this day. So does the mystery of who actually wrote the letter and why. That is, until a British Muslim doctor-turned-journalism-student and an award-winning investigative reporter teamed up to try to crack the case. The resulting eight-part New York Times podcast series, The Trojan Horse Affair, is a striking portrayal of the subtle and not-so-subtle ways that Islamophobia operates. It also evolves into an examination of positionality and the privilege of “dispassionate” reporting. Christ teaches us that we are to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” and understanding the nuances of how bigotry functions in the world is vital to following that teaching.