A Walk Into The Gardens Of My Mind

In this week's prison review, it has been recommend by the current and new Justice Secretary, Elizabeth Truss, that jailed terrorists should be placed in secure units, away from other prisoners.                                                             Insert from BBC News Guantanamo Bay has been the source of propaganda and much violent protest for radicalists, and now after 15 years, it is about to be shut down by Barack Obama. But the UK wants to almost create its own Guantanamo Bay, by enforcing the segregation of jailed terrorists and extremists from other prisoners. This in my opinion, will cause further and deeper rooted problems both in and outside jail. Some of the prisons which will include a 'prison within a prison' include the following : Frankland , Long Lartin and Belmarsh . There are some obvious and real danger...

It has taken me a while to make time for writing about this awful experience, but nonetheless I wanted to portray my shock horror at the sweep-under the carpet racism we know too good about. Last Friday gone, I sat on the bus, on the phone talking to a friend about some quite sensitive issues. I was very upset and using the phone conversation as a venting mechanism. Now naturally as a loud and outgoing person, I haven't yet developed or rather mastered the art of talking quietly in public and being discreet about personal issues which might be gold dust to a stranger's ears'. So there I was rambling away, when I heard someone mumble something and suddenly I saw everyone on the bus staring at me. It became apparent to me straight away that the person who had spoke had said something inappropriate/harmful to me. I followed the glance of the people on the bus (the people implying that it was this the person who was talking about me) and it came to an elderly white woman, w...

Boris Johnson's appointment as Foreign Secretary by Theresa May, has left not just an ordinary citizen like myself, but more than half of the world's influential governmental figures and leaders incredulous and in laughter and scepticism.  I cannot quite comprehend how such an unreliable and mischievous individual could be trusted to support Brexit and our reputation abroad. How is he supposed to forge new relations and maintain existing ties if he has a tendency to insult renowned people, be it presidents or other very important people. What I find particularly frustrating must I say, is his previous dig at U.S president Barack Obama, claiming that the Obama, being part-Kenyan, dislikes the British empire due to his ancestral dislike. If so was the case, why would Obama have been elected by a ridiculous amount of White people to become the U.S's first Black president? Why would Obama be so dedicated to protect and honour police officers, despite the constant targeting ...

The life of a politician is often an adventurous and rewarding profession, but one that can come with some ghastly costs too. The bright side of entering such a line of work includes the prestige that comes along with it, the title, status, power and money. Downfalls can be anything from having to face the backlash of a thoughtless law you came up with, or like Mr.David Cameron himself, resigning from office, because despite your ascribed status, the country is not travelling in the political or economical direction you want it to. Last week, former British prime minister, Tony Blair, was held to account seven years later in regards to the aftermath of the Iraq War. His reputation has spiralled and portrayed him to be the foolish and mischievous man he is, since the emergence of the Chilcot report into the Iraq War has been revealed. It has symbolised the flaws and Blair's lack of morality and initiative in protecting our country's best interests. What I don't understand...

Female leadership is very different to male leadership, female leadership is both revolutionary and necessary. Women create the workforce of the world and therefore they deserve to lead decisions in authoritative positions and voicing their opinions and sharing their expertise and wisdom. About two days ago, I sat with my partner on the train home one evening and told him I believe Theresa May will win the contest and become our new prime minister. My partner started laughing and joked, " A woman prime minister, that's all we need" and we both erupted into laughter. He was joking of course, but I couldn't help but sing May's praise. I told my partner May is a confident contender with years of experience in all influential sectors such as banking and finance, education and politics. Although rivals Andrea Leadsom and Michael Gove are well-educated, well-rounded people, both of them couldn't come an inch near to May. For one, Leadsom seems a bit deceiving,...

Ade Adepitan is by far one of the most admirable and inspiring sportsman and television personality in London. Adepitan,43, former basketball player and Paralympic champion shares his innermost thoughts on his childhood, his travels, British politicians, diversity schemes and the upcoming Paralympic games in Rio, September 2016. We met in Whiteley's shopping centre, and decided to go upstairs to the top ,where the Princess Studios are located, for a less busier and quieter environment. I am automatically stunned at how Adepitan rolled himself up on to the escalator whilst sitting on his wheelchair in a fair amount of speed and no sign of a yearning for sympathy. I couldn't help but feel proud of him at that moment and also ask myself, had I been in that situation, would I have been so happy and bubbly, at the face of such physical adversity? Only Allah knows. When we had reached the top floor, he told me that he needs to go get something, and disappeared into thin air, befo...

Sir Mark Allen, previous MI6 officer will no longer face charges over Libyan renditions.   Abdelhakim Belhaj - victim of torture and rendition in Libya as a result of MI6 senior officer Sir Mark Allen's involvement with the Libyan regime Abdelhakim Belhaj, former head of the Libyan Islamist fighting collective, detained as a suspect during the "war on terror", was granted asylum to the UK surprisingly. I say surprisingly, because thereafter, British officials plotted together with the CIA to fly Belhaj and his wife, who was pregnant at the time along with their children to Muammar Gaddafi's interrogation and torture cells in Tripoli. I now pose the question, 'Are MI6 above the law?'How can the abduction of a preganant woman along with her children, the imprisonment of an innocent women and her young children ever be justifiable? It is because they're Muslims?' Why am I even asking this question, of course its because they're Muslims,...

More than just a international sports-star, Muhammad Ali will be remembered for a very long time, for not just his successful career, but his outspoken and amazing personality. He is a man who has inspired mankind in ways other sporting figures can only aspire to achieve. Originally born Cassius Marcellus Clay in Louiseville, Kentucky, and then converting to Islam and becoming world-renowned boxer Muhammad Al i, he has touched the hearts of Black, White, Asian, Muslim, Christian, Agnostic and everything in between. To the Black man, he is an emblem of hope and sheer determination to overthrow what was and arguably now, a racially prejudiced system. To Muslims, Ali is someone we take pride in for representing us - Muslims globally have contributed so much to our culture and enrichment, however are dismissed occasionally due to rise of anti-Islam attitudes and propaganda. However, Ali has raised the flag for Muslims, with his conscious talks about religion and God and particularly abo...

The EU Referendum is days away and politicians along with other leaders are quarrelling with each other on whether or not Brexit is a feasible and effective decision, not just for Britain, but for the rest of the world too. Up until about a few months ago, I was completely uneducated and unaware what the European Union was and why the Brexit vote is significant for the present and the future.The EU is made up of 28 countries in the continent who are a politically-driven force with the aim to support one another's financial prospects and gains. The fact that the Prime Minister David Cameron alongside the Mayor oof the city, Sadiq Khan are backing and promoting the remain campaign  Having done a fair bit of research on the EU, personally, I will be utilising my vote in the referendum for Britain to remain part of the EU and I will explain why. In regards to consumer affairs, remaining part of the EU will be the most beneficial in the way that regulations part of the EU charter...

For the first time in my life, I decided to vote for the mayoral elections that were held on the 5th of May. It just so happened that the very candidate that I voted for, and encouraged my parents to vote for, ended up tasting the sweet victory of becoming the first Muslim mayor of London in British political history. He goes by the name of *drum-roll* Sadiq Khan, a MP for the Tooting borough in South London.                  First Muslim Mayor of London in British Political History : Sadiq Khan Khan is a British Asian Muslim from London, who has now become mayor of London. The very labels 'Asian' and 'Muslim' should not be as heavily identified as it is in the media - however, these labels are a cause for celebration for people from ethnic minority backgrounds like myself - how often do we see a Brown mayor, and especially one that is Muslim. Tory candidate Zac Goldmsith built a campaign around fear and hostility towards his rival ...

G4S Medway Centre for young offenders has been under extreme scrutiny since January this year, when BBC Panaroma revealed the harrowing crimes committed by custody officers against the young people in their care. It can be viewed here, by clicking on this link :  http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06ymzly It has now been reported that The Ministry Of Justice will be take over the G4S prison, after further allegations were made about abuse since the documentary has been aired. Only about a month ago, a prisoner got in touch with me via his contraband mobile phone, putting me in touch with a 'brother' who had been treated unfairly by the justice system and had a story to tell. The latter is a man named Jude Odigie, who otherwise goes by his Muslim name Hamzah, and is currently residing abroad in Nigeria with his family. Myself and Odigie have been communicating through whatsapp, by sending each other messages and occasionally discussing things on the phone.       ...

All too often I hear about conspiracy theories relating to authoritative figures who are usually very rich and powerful members of our society. I am always very quick to tell my friends to get their head out the clouds and that they have things twisted, and they've always said I need to get my head out the clouds for trusting too easily. I bet with the whole Panama Papers leak going viral and hitting the mainstream, they're all sat down on their sofas at home, enjoying a fag and thinking to themselves, 'I told her so '. The Panama Papers are a big data leak which has shed light on how strategic and secretive the world's famous and rich can be in concealing their wealth and investments in order to avoid tax. Mossack Fonseca has been found to be the law firm which facilitates and registers offshore companies for its affluent and powerful clients. Despite the backlash caused by the media's reporting of Mossack Fonesca's involvement in regards to the Panam...

                                            Gwenton Soley : A Changed,Charming Charismatic Man Mums and Dads living in the cold, bleak, but blissful city of London, are forever anxious about the safety and future of their teenage children who may fall victim to a life of crime and end up in jail, or worse case scenario, dead. Lets face it, every now and again, a teenager is murdered and we see a grieving mother on the news, only to forget about it the next day or two, and then mourn over another teenager's death sometimes the next day, sometimes the following week or even a month later. Last year alone, the Office For National Statistics revealed a staggering statistic of a 27% rise in violent crimes - most of these amounted to gun and knife crime committed by young people against young people. This year alone, so far, we have had a series of knife and gun attacks invo...

Living in the UK, where although we still have a long way to go, but a multi-cultural race and faith society is celebrated for its diversity most of the time .. it is hard to ignore or not be offended by Donald Trump's demonization of Muslims, his judgmental and harsh remarks about women and his hatred towards the growing immigrant Latino community, who are taking over America's demographics. Despite these downfalls, a staggering number of people are voting and rooting for him to be U.S president, which is difficult to comprehend, to say the least. Is it Trump's tan that is winning over people's hearts? In my humble opinion, he is unfit to be the president of the U.S with such a vile attitude and a lack of respect for people. ISIS has been a growing threat to countries all sides of the globe which has resulted in some reacting by strategically innovating education to stop radicalization, while others like Russia, didn't think twice about bombing ISIS or deployi...

It is estimated that supermarkets have a vast surplus of food which equates to approximately more than four million tons of food going to waste . To me, this is not only ridiculous but hard to comprehend, knowing there is enough supply for high demand, yet the number of homeless people and families experiencing severe poverty is increasing. Although London is arguably one of the richest cities in Europe, it is ironic that in this very city, we have families skipping meals because they cannot afford to eat a balanced diet of the basic three meals a day. But yet I have family back home who yes, are poor, but in some ways better off than us here to some degree. The bustling atmosphere of high earning individuals and sky-rocketing buildings in Central London are causing a fog over people's eyes, allowing people to really bathe in what amounts to ignorance being bliss. Away from Central London , if you visit inner-city areas within the city such as Hackney , Brixton ...