Topic: Customs & Traditions

Long to Belong

As animals, we instinctively form a pack, and this aspect of our human nature has always directed our desire for social acceptance. But in today’s world, with online social networking, increased social mobility and a general reduction in social barriers, how is this tribal instinct manifesting itself?

Long to Belong

Video length - 03.13

Published date - May 2009

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

West Vs East

Expert Bart Moore-Gilbert from Goldsmiths University debunks the stereotypes surrounding the cultural differences between East and West.

West Vs East

Video length - 03.23

Published date - Nov 2008

Keystage(s) - 4

Downloadable resources

Female Genital Mutilation

Nagla, once a refugee from Djibouti, but now a lawyer in London, talks about this ancient tradition, its place in modern society and why it continues.

Female Genital Mutilation

Video length - 04.46

Published date - Sep 2008

Keystage(s) - 4

Human Rights: The Global Outlook

Eulette Ewart, a spokeswoman for Amnesty International, sets out their global vision for universal human rights. She explains how the organisation puts its beliefs into practice.

Human Rights: The Global Outlook

Video length - 03.51

Published date - Aug 2008

Keystage(s) - 4

Downloadable resources

Gay & Married

A South Asian Muslim talks about the trauma of realising he was gay in a community that rejected homosexuality.

Gay & Married

Video length - 03.12

Published date - Jun 2008

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Female Circumcision

A sequence from Channel 4 chat show ‘Shariah TV’ reveals varying opinions on whether female circumcision is Islamic and whether it should be practiced. There are theories as to why it was introduced in early Arab communities but has it now continued because of culture, or religion?

Female Circumcision

Video length - 03.21

Published date - Jan 2008

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Downloadable resources

Shambo The Cow – When Shambo the Cow was given a slaughter notice after being infected with TB, the monks of the Skanda Vale Temple in Wales did all they could to save the life of the temple bull; but are the lives of animals as sacred as those of humans?

Shambo The Cow

Video length - 02.29

Published date - Sep 2007

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Sex Against The Law – A Middle Eastern perspective on sex, love and marriage. As an Islamic state, it’s against the country’s Sharia law to have sex outside of marriage. The consequences of doing so could include deportation.