By Zeresh John

This article has been cross-posted from Dawn

The cross is the most widely recognised religious symbol of Christianity. Down the years, the emblem has faded from the public eye, rarely seen in the humdrum of everyday life in Pakistan. Born and raised a devout Protestant Christian and a part of the country’s largest religious minority, the increasing invisibility of the cross, despite its ascent about two decades ago, seems unsettling to me.

By Lisa Reinisch

Music is taboo for Muslims - at least if you ask certain religious scholars. It’s a minority view, but it still throws up plenty of questions for Muslim musicians and fans. The good news is that Deen Tight by American director Mustafa Davis does not even pretend to have any answers. Instead, the film is a catalogue of personal solutions to the identity crises that many Muslim artists go through or, in some cases, manage to avoid.

By Symon Hill

“All have the right to express themselves through their dress.”

It may sound like she's stating the obvious, but Na'ima B Robert’s choice of clothing triggers negative reactions – including from some who see themselves as supporters of equality and freedom. A British Muslim author, she wears a niqab (a Muslim face veil) and leaves only her hands and eyes visible.

By Taapsi Ramchandani

I spent the best part of last month working as an assistant director on a documentary on the history and culture of the pashmina. This catapulted me into the balls-shrivellingly cold climate of Kashmir (no, I’m not secretly a man, but I know) amid weavers, embroiders and traders of the cloth. While the story of the pashmina will be told in the documentary, here’s a little window into a world ensconced in a valley.

By Stephanie King

On first listen, Laura Veirs’ Wide-Eyed, Legless sounds like a pleasant rip-off of Suzanne Vega’s Left of Center. But while it shares that song’s core melody, it is the striking purity of Veirs’ voice and the song’s glossy production – the musical equivalent of soothing, medicinal Manuka honey – that recalls Vega most vividly. Because while Left of Center is bright and clean in a confrontational way, Wide-Eyed, Legless is muted and spectral, but equally beguiling.

By Stephanie King

If you ever needed proof that life is unfair, just look at Delorean. They should be the biggest dance sensation in Europe following the release of this summer’s Ayrton Senna EP. But they’re not. Which is frustrating, considering Moonson is actually, literally perfect.