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On Feb 18th 2010, I was on a bus going home from teaching at Ithaca College, USA when I was told my Dad had passed away in Glasgow. A few months earlier, he was at my PhD graduation at Glasgow Uni. In loving memory, a painting I commissioned by the Clonmel artist, Gearóid Hally.
From Tokyo to Lahore 🇵🇰 Wonderful to meet Dr A. Haneef at @LifeAtLUMS during my sabbatical. Rich conversations on contemporary Islam and the future of Islamic Studies, beneath Qur’anic calligraphy reflecting the pursuit of knowledge and understanding. ucc.ie/en/religion/news/dr-a…
A little sabbatical update from Tokyo 🇯🇵 Wonderful to spend time at the @UTokyo_News’s Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia with my former PhD supervisor and long-standing mentor, Lloyd Ridgeon. Good conversations, old connections and new ideas. ucc.ie/en/religion/news/dr-a…
A good day today for the first meeting of the NCCA Leaving Certificate Religious Education Development Group.
Especially meaningful given that my own professional journey began as a secondary-school teacher of #ReligiousEducation in Scotland.
Looking forward to the work ahead.
St Finbarr’s Day ☘️ - patron saint of #Cork and a story of learning stretching back some 1,400 years. Grateful to be part of its latest chapter at University College Cork. Where Finbarr taught, let Munster learn. 🎓
An unexpected return to fiction, the Booker Prize, and a few thoughts about what holds our attention. ‘My Thought for the Day’ on @BBC @BBCRadioScot @BBCScotland this morning - live from #Cork
The Booker Prize, books, and an unexpected return to fiction. My ‘Thought for the Day’ tomorrow morning on @BBC @BBCRadioScot @BBCScotland - broadcasting live from #Cork
The #BookerPrize 2026 Shortlist is here! Six brilliant novels including our own Debut Fiction Prize winner; books that take the reader from Jamaica to the Isle of Harris to the end of the world, make you laugh, make you cry, make you rejoice in fiction: waterstones.com/category/hig…
Old globes got me thinking about how we map our world - what we know, what we don’t, and the borders we draw between places and people. Perhaps some maps need to keep being redrawn. My latest Thought for the Day. @BBC @BBCRadioScot @BBCScotland
A museum full of old globes got me thinking about travel, borders, the things we think we know & what happens when there are gaps in our understanding of the world and each other. Join me for ‘Thought for the Day’ tomorrow morning live from #Cork. @BBCRadioScot @BBCScotland @BBC
Amanullah De Sondy retweeted
Dublin. Waterford. Limerick. Wexford. Cork. Every major port city in Ireland was founded by Vikings. The people we think of as destroyers of civilisation were also its builders. This week on Empire: @EleanorBarraclough on the Vikings who came to raid, stayed to trade, and became more Irish than the Irish. 🚢
linktr.ee/empirepoduk
Amanullah De Sondy retweeted
Dublin Rose Suad Mooge celebrates her Irish and Somali heritage with a gorgeous fusion of dance to Olivia Dean’s Baby Steps. 🌹
#RoseOfTralee
It’s striking how quickly some politicians and commentators who have opposed LGBTQ rights or Pride now invoke LGBTQ people when the perpetrator is a Muslim. LGBTQ lives matter consistently - not only when they can be used to stigmatise another minority.
Good journalism resists easy binaries. As you cover the Berlin Pride attack, remember that there are people whose lives sit at the intersection of faith and sexuality. Their experiences deserve to be reported with care, accuracy, and humanity.
The aftermath of an attack can create new victims. LGBTQ people may feel less safe. Muslims may fear the backlash. LGBTQ Muslims may fear both at once. Our response should be to widen our compassion, not narrow it.
Lost in moments like this are LGBTQ Muslims. Many will grieve today’s attack while also fearing renewed Islamophobia and the homophobia they may already face. No one should have to choose between their faith and their identity.
My heart is with everyone affected by the attack on Berlin Pride. Condemn the violence. Hold those responsible to account. But don’t let the actions of an extremist become prejudice against innocent Muslims. LGBTQ people and Muslims alike deserve to live free from fear.
John Esposito, scholar who fought against misconceptions of Islam, dies religionnews.com/2026/07/20/…
A recent journey through Seville and Córdoba, together with Spain’s World Cup victory, prompted me to reflect on what ancient buildings can teach us about identity, belonging and the stories we inherit. Here’s my latest Thought for the Day. @BBC @BBCRadioScot @BBCScotland
Spain’s World Cup victory got me thinking about something quite unexpected: what the streets of Seville and Córdoba on my recent visit taught me about identity, history and what makes a society truly strong. Join me for ‘Thought for the Day’ tomorrow morning live from Cork. @BBC
This morning’s #ThoughtForTheDay on @BBC @BBCRadioScot @BBCScotland reflected on #Wimbledon, an old blazer from my time as a line umpire, and what our clothes can quietly ask of us. 🎾
