JULY & AUGUST 2008

18] Global rebellion Mark Juergensmeyer asks why religious nationalism is threatening the secular state

COLUMNS 7] Diary Arnold Brown on 25 years at the Edinburgh Festival 14] Opinion Tom Paine’s rejection of violence made him a true revolutionary, says Trevor Griffiths 23] Obituary Robin Ince pays tribute to the late, great comedian George Carlin

POEM 49] Leah Fritz We Are The Gods

BOOK REVIEWS 44] Jenny Bunker sips the spirit of nobility 44] Philip Womack is absolutely terrified by a spooky debut novel 45] Michael Binyon tours Russia with Jonathan Dimbleby 46] Owen Hatherley gets to grips with the Religious Right 46] Ben Rich misses the last Jews of Kerala 48] Keith Kahn-Harris on the Norwegian black metallers

CONTRIBUTORS

Arnold Brown is the world’s only ScottishJewish-accountant comedian, probably. Fondly known as the “comedians’ comedian”, in his diary on page 7 he records his thoughts as he prepares a new Edinburgh show 25 years after his debut.

Trevor Griffiths is one of Britain’s leading dramatists, whose work includes the play Comedians and the Oscar-nominated screenplay for Reds. On page 14 he reveals what his new radio play about Tom Paine has taught him about the great revolutionary.

On page 18 Mark Juergensmeyer analyses the global rise of religious nationalism. He is professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. For his new book Global Rebellion (University of California Press), he talked to religious rebels in the Middle East, Japan, India and the US.

Natalie Haynes is a stand-up comedian who writes regularly for The Times and the Sunday Telegraph, but saves her best work for New Humanist. For this issue we sent her to a Mystic Arts festival. Find out what colour her aura is on page 31.

Kenan Malik is a prolific writer and broadcaster. On page 15 he argues that the language of cultural difference plays into the hands of the racists.

JULY AUGUST 2008 New Humanist 5