2,400 year-old skeleton mosaic in Turkey that says: 'Be cheerful, enjoy your life'

New report from the always wonderful Freemuse on artistic freedom globally. I Particularly enjoyed the insightful analysis in the Turkey chapter. Essential reading for anyone intresset in culture and politics in the region and beyond.

Just submitted an academic job application. 120 pages. Appendixes only, not counting publications. At what point do we admit this process is broken?

Grateful for a thoughtful and generous review of "Islamic Themes in US Hip-Hop Culture" by Dr. Martin Abdel Matin Gansinger. Appreciates the semiotic approach while calling for deeper engagement with esotericism. That´s a fair observation!

www.ajis.org/index.php/aj...

a man in a black shirt is singing la la la la la la la la la la . ALT: a man in a black shirt is singing la la la la la la la la la la .

Europeans when asked to unblock the Strait of Hormuz

‘I wish I could push ChatGPT off a cliff’: professors scramble to save critical thinking in an age of AI As AI has upended the way students learn, academics worry about the future of the humanities - and society at large

I’m team Daniela Amodei: “studying the humanities is going to be more important than ever.” Please don’t hate me for saying it...

www.theguardian.com/technology/n...

Nearly everyone in Indonesia (99%), as well as the vast majority of people in Kenya (94%), India (85%) and South Africa (80%), say it’s necessary to believe in God to be moral. By contrast, in about a dozen countries, two-thirds of adults or more say it’s not necessary to believe in God to be moral. This includes the United States (68%), Poland (80%), Spain (84%) and Sweden (89%). In some countries – including the U.S. – declining shares of people say it’s necessary to believe in God to be moral and have good values, according to the survey.

Say you can be moral & have good values without belief in God
Australia 89%
France 83%
US 68%
Japan 62%
Israel 53%
Brazil 26%
India 13%
Indonesia 1%
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/03/05/i...

Plagiarism is dead. This piece will make you deeply uncomfortable — in the best possible way.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

Turkey raises the minimum wage by 27% in Jan 2026 to 28,075 TL (~$800). But inflation is 31% and living costs rise faster. Nearly half of workers earn minimum wage (EU 4%). A NYE dinner up 1,280% in 5 years. Below is an illuminating overview of cost increases since 2017.

Kurdish folk singer sentenced to prison on terrorism charges - Stockholm Center for Freedom A Turkish court on Tuesday sentenced Kurdish folk singer Pınar Aydınlar to six years, three months in prison on terrorism-related charges, ruling against the prosecutor’s request for acquittal after…

Kurdish folk singer sentenced to prison on terrorism charges #HumanRightsForAll

Serious scholarship in the making — quietly unravelling the world’s complexities one footnote at a time...

“Jihadi-salafis” as neo-Kharijite... It make analytical sense. :)

This appears to be a highly promising and engaging contribution to a thorny field. I look forward to reading it, as it seems to offer a much-needed addition to the existing scholarship.

Cover: "The Hobo: The Sociology of the Homeless Man"

‪Rereading "The Hobo: The Sociology of the Homeless Man" (1923) by Nels Anderson reminds me why I became captivated by academia in the first place. It is still a masterpiece. Read it for free here:

www.gutenberg.org/files/67300/...

The black bar mitzvah : Representations of Jews in US hip-hop lyrics References to Jews and to matters included in Jewish discourse are commonplace in US popular culture in general and in US-produced hip-hop lyrics in particular. This article deals with the latter, and...

In Sweden, there is an ongoing debate about Swedish hip-hop artists using anti-Semitic tropes. A few years ago, Erik Magnusson and I published an article on similar issues in an American context, which I believe can help shed light on the Swedish case. journal.fi/nj/article/v...

Haha, skönt att se att den svenska främjande verksamheten fungerar... 🙃

Inside the violent clashes for CHP’s Istanbul headquarters ISTANBUL — The Republican People’s Party (CHP) Istanbul headquarters is in an unlikely place, on the edge of town, surrounded by high-rise residential buildings, shopping malls and large motorways.

Excellent account of the chilling events at CHP’s Istanbul HQ.

www.turkeyrecap.com/p/inside-the...

Late shall the sinners awaken...

If Democrats Have a Better Plan, I’d Like to Hear It

This eerie Ezra Klein comment scared me to death on my morning commute. Has the United States of America already fallen?

pca.st/episode/3951...

Turkey’s main opposition party faces police blockade as court appoints new leadership in İstanbul The main opposition party views a court decision to suspend its provincial leadership as part of an attempt by the government to reshape the party leadership through judicial means.

bianet.org/haber/turkey...

Istanbul, tonight. Erdoğan’s regime sends its police to seize the opposition HQ. As always, the Turkish government restricts social media access through bandwidth throttling...

Så jag rullar.. 😉

On truth in art and research With pictures!

@paultlevin.bsky.social writes about truth in art, research and Istanbul. A perfect sunny Saturday morning read with coffee.

paultlevin.substack.com/p/on-truth-i...

Book Launch: The Production and Consumption of Non-Muslim Islams Book launch at the Aga Khan Centre, London – explore how Islam is interpreted and consumed in non-Muslim contexts. Free entry, register now!

Better late than never, if you happen to be in London tomorrow.
Join us for the launch of The Production and Consumption of Non-Muslim Islams.

🗓 20 Aug | 🕔 5–7 PM | 📍 Aga Khan Centre, London
🎟 Free – register now via: tinyurl.com/3bwu582f

Sweden’s Kiruna Church Is On The Move After More Than 100 Years The fascinating city relocation project in Kiruna, Sweden, reaches a new milestone as the iconic Kiruna Church is moved in one piece.

Epic. The Kiruna Church (Kiruna Kyrka) is on the move this week. Relocated 5 km east to the new city center as part of the town’s historic relocation. ⛪ Drive safe! 🚚

www.forbes.com/sites/davidn...

RECENSION: Malmöförfattaren skriver om islam som en skatt av berättelser att leva och brottas med Malmöförfattarens bok ”Flaskpost” är uppfriskande läsning, väldigt olik annat som ges ut i Sverige idag, skriver Simon…

Blir lite sugen på Abdussalaam Nordenhöks "Flaskpostens vilja" efter att ha läst recensionen i Sydsvenskan. "Den sortens frågor boken ställer är ju, för att alludera på Willy Kyrklund, av det slag på vilket människolivet är ett svar. Och sådana frågor är gemensamma för oss alla.
shorturl.at/OxF0I

I lördags ägde Europas och världens största högerextrema tillställning sedan 1945 rum i Zagreb Tyvärr ännu ett trist tecken i tiden på högerradikaliseringen av Europas barn och ungdomar: I lördags slog den kontroversielle kroatiske artisten Marko Perković och dennes band Thompson ett musikhi…

I lördags ägde Europas och världens största högerextrema tillställning sedan 1945 rum i Zagreb när artisten Marko Perković framträdde inför cirka 500 000 personer:

tobiashubinette.wordpress.com/2025/07/07/i...

Perković höjde högerarmen till en fascistisk segerhälsning för att hylla Ustaša-regimen.

The Production and Consumption of Non-Muslim Islams The Production and Consumption of Non-Muslim Islams

At last, it’s out: Jesper Petersen’s and my new book The Production and Consumption of Non-Muslim Islams is now available Open Access. Looking forward to seeing how this contribution lands — and to the discussions (and disagreements) it might provoke.

edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-the-pro...

Jesper Petersen and I are happy to share that our book The Production and Consumption of Non-Muslim Islams is now available for preorder on the EUP website — with a 30% early bird discount. The book will also be available Open Access on the EUP website by the end of the month!

Cash Crew - The Provider YouTube video by OLDSCHOOL****SENHOR TEMPO BOM (...CLASSICOS....)

Everyone’s hyping British hip-hop these days — but I’m on that early ’90s wave. Cash Crew all day. Classic, conscious, and 100% halal.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUBE...