The Ashmolean Museum’s new exhibition of Islamic art opened to visitors last Thursday. ‘Power and Protection’ displays a variety of imagery and artistry that reflects the hopes and fears of Muslims over the centuries. From the thirteenth century Mosul to nineteenth century Darfur, the selected artefacts open up a fascinating span of religious and artistic history, drawing from the Sunni, Shia, and Sufi branches of Islam.

The first section of ‘Power and Protection’ focuses in part on the practice of astrology in the Islamic world. Although a point of contention amongst Muslim theologians, the link between this so-called superstition and scientific inquiry is of particular interest in the exhibition. I noticed an ‘astrolabe’ contraption, which ostensibly measures the position of celestial bodies according to the horizon. Muslim astronomers, however, modified the device to determine the time and direction of prayers. An intricate tablet from thirteenth century Damascus was also used to mechanically enhance the process of geomancy (or ‘science of the sand’), a popular method of divination. The importance of dreams in Islam is clear to see in items such as the painstakingly assembled ‘Dictionary for the Interpretation of Dreams’, accompanied in the exhibition by the personal Dream book of controversial eighteenth century Indian ruler Tipu Sultan. Much of it is devoted not to literalism, but rather to formulating his own opinions about these ‘visions from God’, evincing the optimistic view on the wall of the exhibition that “the universe is a vast book waiting to be read.”

Other artefacts impress not through their innovation, but because of their striking aesthetic value. These include sabres and armour emblazoned with sacred verse, for example the sword of Sultan ‘Ali Dinar, crafted in 1898. This emphasises the power of the word in Islamic culture. Similarly, Talismanic garments worn by men, women, and children bare religious calligraphy. This appears to stem from the Quranic idea that sacred words provide protection from harm.

Although recently opened, the ‘Power and Protection’ exhibit has already garnered praise from Islamic leaders and scholars. The Oxford Foundation’s Imam Monawar Hussain has commented, “I am convinced that this exhibition will help to deepen and enrich people’s appreciation of our faith.” And Tariq Ramadan, Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at St. Benet’s College, said: “the exhibition shows the many creative paths which Muslims follow towards the Oneness of God.”

The ‘Power and Protection’ exhibition is free to visit for all University of Oxford students, and will run until 15th January 2017. An illustrated catalogue of the exhibition is also available to buy.

Pembroke College’s JCR have passed a motion that stated its “disapproval” of the current government and its support for an “open and tolerant Britain”.

The motion also mandates the JCR to donate £300 to Open Britain, the official replacement of ‘Stronger In’, which campaigned for the ‘Remain’ campaign during the EU referendum.

The motion, proposed by JCR Treasurer Thomas Ash, accused the government of “undermining liberalism”. It called on the UK to “remain a bastion of tolerance, liberalism and openness in a world fraught with oppression and cruelty” as the government “seems to be heading towards a ‘hard brexit’ and various parochial polcies”.

Thomas Ash said that he had been “appalled by the rhetoric” of current members of the government.

He added that Theresa May’s comment was an example “of pure nationalism and xenophobia, especially when combined with other recent comments concerning foreign workers and immigration”, and that Open Britain are “one of the few organisations that exists specifi cally to get an open deal out of the Brexit negotiations”.

While 49 JCR members voted in favour of the motion, there was a small minority present at the meeting who disagreed.

Charlie McGrath, a History and English finalist, said, “it would have been much better, and certainly less political and divisive, if the money had been donated to a charity that genuinely does contribute to a more open and tolerant Britain, rather than one whose actions are clearly intended to nullify to the greatest extent possible the referendum result.

“The proposer of the motion, JCR Treasurer Tom Ash, made clear that he believed this motion should be divorced from the Brexit vote. Open Britain’s admission that it is a successor to Stronger In makes it clear that this is impossible”.

Daniel McAteer, who seconded the motion, said, “Any time our JCR supports an LGBT campaign, we are taking a political position: a position on what people should be able to do with their lives.”

While the motion denounced the government for policies that were “a violation of liberalism and cosmopolitanism”, McAteer also offered his view as to whether institutions, such as Oxford University itself, had ever shown instances of “pure nationalism and xenophobia” discussed in the motion.

He said,“I don’t think the institution is xenophobic. I haven’t seen any students act in a xenophobic way either, but who knows what dodgy mutterings you might find in the darkest corners of Christ Church, for example”.

Despite the motion being proposed early in Michaelmas, it is not the first time a college JCR has expressed its view on members of the government and its policies.

In 2011, St John’s JCR unanimously passed a motion of ‘No Confidence in the Minister of Higher Education’, David Willetts. On that occasion, the JCR’s motion joined the 177 academics in condemning Willets, which Cherwell reported had joined “students in calling for the University to formally ‘express dissatisfaction’ with government higher education policy.”

Pembroke’s JCR President, Hope Oloye, said, “I believe that my own personal views on this matter are irrelevant. As a JCR we’re committed to representing all of our members and promoting unity within the student body.

We get a large variety of motions submitted for discussion and none, including those of a more political nature, change this fundamental belief; neither do they affect any of the other services we provide.”

Balliol college JCR passed a motion on Sunday pledging to twin one of their loos with another block of toilets in a developing country. The JCR agreed to donate £240 to the clean sanitation charity Tearfund, as part of their ‘Toilet Twinning’ scheme. The College voted on the money specifi cally going towards the building of a toilet block in a displacement camp.

Balliol’s decision to twin its toilet follows a similar one taken by Hertford, who already run the scheme. The Toilet Twinning project aims to provide clean water, basic sanitation and hygiene education to the poorest countries in Africa and Asia, in the hope of improving toilet facilities and preventing the spread of disease.

Balliol JCR member Richard Ware, who proposed the motion at the College’s GM on Sunday, told Cherwell, “it is ridiculously easy to provide adequate sanitation: there will be a number in the Balliol bar loos to text to donate to a loo providing charity. Do some good when you poop.” The JCR motion stated “everyone should have access to clean, safe sanitary facilities” and “Hertford are currently making us look bad.” Balliol College will receive a certifi cate to put up in the chosen loo confi rming its participation in the scheme. Toilets taking part also get a photo of their twin latrine, and GPS coordinates of where in the world it is.

The motion suggested providing a ‘donate now by text’ number in the bar toilets which college members could use to donate directly to a toilet charity.

Ellie Rink, from the Toilet Twinning charity, said, “I am absolutely delighted that Balliol College has pledged to raise enough money for a School or IDP camp. In fact, I challenge the college to raise enough to twin all the toilets within its premises.”

She added, “If diff erent colleges are pledging to twin their toilets it would be great if they could all work together towards a greater goal.”The charity also runs a ‘Toilet Twinning University Scheme’ that encourages university-wide fundraising to twin as many toilets as possible.

Balliol College’s Charity reps Rivka Shaw and Sophie Conquest told Cherwell, “We were really pleased that Richard brought the motion, and that it was decided that a toilet block would be built in a displacement camp, which follows on from Balliol’s recent eff orts regarding the Refugee Scholarship.

“As Richard said in the General Meeting, it’s also a good way of generating further charitable donations as when people see the ‘twinning’ certifi cate they will hopefully be inspired to do something similar.”

According to Toilet Twinning, there are currently 2.4 billion people in the world that don’t have access to hygienic toilet facilities.

In twinning the toilet nearest the College bar with one on the other side of the world, Balliol College will help to build toilet facilities where access to clean water is limited. Since its creation, the scheme has helped to build 64,187 toilets around the world.

Toilet Twinning describes itself as a “simple, quirky way to solve a serious problem.” The charity funds “the work of international relief and Tearfund. This combination works together to prevent the spread of disease. With better health, men and women discover the potential that lies within them to bring transformation.”

Former Universities Minister Lord David Willetts proposed that the UK government ought to fi ght for academics and students to be given freedom of movement within the European Union.

Speaking at the Times Higher Education World Academic Summit, he told the Times, “It’d be great if we had a real priority given to the movement of academic staff , we’ve had the chancellor talking about how important it is that bankers can move easily between the City and the EU, it’s equally important that researchers can move easily between Britain and the EU.”

This news comes amid speculation that vacancies in UK Universities are failing to attract applicants from Europe post-Brexit, according to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce).

Madeleine Atkins, chief executive for Hefce, told the organisation’s annual meeting last Thurasday, “Vacancies are not attracting any serious interest from Europe or indeed elsewhere. People who have been off ered jobs have now turned them down on the back of the referendum vote.”

Lord Willetts further argued that funding currently provided by the EU’s Horizon 2020 framework needed to be maintained, adding that whether or not this would be possible would all depend on the currently ongoing Swiss negotiations.

He stated, “We then need to have some very creative thinking about how we can continue to work alongside the EU. That could involve directly joining Horizon 2020, it could involve running a parallel structure alongside it… there are several different ways we could remain linked to the EU of which direct budget contributions to Horizon 2020 are only one.”

Commenting on Willett’s proposal, a spokesman for Oxford University told Cherwell, “Access to European streams of research funding and the free movement of people within the EU have been of huge benefi t to Oxford, allowing us to be at the forefront of life-changing, pan-European research projects and to attract the top European talent to our world-class university. We know the UK government is working hard to ensure British universities are not disadvantaged by Brexit, and in the meantime there is no immediate change to our ability to take part in EU research and innovation programmes such as Horizon 2020.”

There is currently debate as to whether the UK should remain part of the EU’s research programmes, which would include European Research Council grants. However, it has been suggested that this would only be permitted if the UK is to continue with free movement of people, something that Theresa May has indicated is unlikely.

However, Willetts was not wholly negative about the consequences of Brexit, “although I was a Remainer I think that there are some things that become more possible post- Brexit. For example, there are areas of research where there were very signifi cant restrictions because of EU regulations. Attitudes to GM and restrictions on GM crops, approaches to nanotech, restrictions on the use of data that would’ve made a lot of social science hard to conduct.”

He proposed that the British academics ought to seek closer ties with other parts of the world in order to ensure that international collaboration would continue. He stated, “As well as links to the EU look at strengthening links beyond the EU, what more can be done with China, with the Commonwealth, with the Gulf, with the US and Canada.”

Brexit has also impacted undergraduate student applications to British universities in recent weeks. UCAS have announced statistics from the 15th October deadline for Oxbridge and medical courses, revealing a 9 per cent decline in the number of students from EU countries applying.

The chief of Universities UK, Nicola Dandridge, blamed this decrease on the delayed announcement about funding for EU students until September 6.

The full impact of Brexit on applications will become clear after the January deadline next year, after which 90 per cent of applicants to undergraduate courses will have been recieved.

Before the referendum the academic community was overwhelmingly in favour of remaining in the EU. One poll of scientists by the journal Nature estimated support for Remain at 83 per cent, another for Times Higher Education putting it at 90 per cent with 40 per cent of those working in UK higher education saying that Brexit would make it more likely that they would leave Britain.

Marco Pierre White, Michelin star chef and restauranter, has announced he intends to open a second restaurant in Oxford.

The restaurant will be a ‘Steakhouse, Bar & Grill’ and will join the Marco’s New York Italian on High Street. The new enterprise will be located in Jury’s Inn, north Oxford and is scheduled to open early next year.

White commented “I have always had a fondness for Oxford, and was keen to expand my off ering of restaurants here so that diners can experience the Steakhouse, Bar & Grill too.

“The Steakhouse, Bar & Grill will off er diners a diff erent kind of experience to the New York Italian, serving some of my all-time favourite British dishes including roast rump of lamb a la Dijonnaise and pork belly Marco Polo.

“My restaurants are not stuffy or pretentious; instead they are about enjoying your evening, with excellent food and drink in luxurious, relaxed surroundings and quite simply having a good time.”

The new restaurant is a component of a franchise deal made between his Black & White Hospitality company and the owners of the Jurys Inn hotel. The Marco Pierre White Steakhouse, Bar & Grill, will serve English and French cuisine. This will be White’s seventeenth Steakhouse, Bar & Grill in the UK.

The General Manager of the Jurys Inn hotel Chris Broderick commented, “We are absolutely thrilled to be launching Marco Pierre White Steakhouse, Bar & Grill in Oxford, and the spacious newly refurbished hotel showcases the prestigious restaurant beautifully.

“Oxford diners can now experience the full beauty of Marco’s cooking through two of his most popular restaurant ventures, and we encourage guests to pop in and join us when we officially open our doors early next year.”

Marco Pierre White and his Michelin star franchise has become a global brand. White is considered the first ‘celebrity chef’, of which there are now many. When he was awarded his third Michelin star at 33, he was the youngest chef to have accomplished the feat at the time.

However, the restaurant has not been welcomed by everyone, particularly vegetarian students. An Oxford student in support of the ‘Less Meat More Veg’ campaign, told Cherwell, “the restaurant will undoubtedly be popular and serve good food. I don’t want to discourage people from going there if they’re big meat eaters, but I don’t agree with it on ethical grounds.”

Minty Eyre, a second- year student who serves as Christ Church JCR Food Rep, said, “This is excellent news. It’s always good to see new quality restaurants opening in Oxford. For a city this size, the selection at the moment is actually quite limited.”

Marco’s New York Italian has been contacted

Lightsaber training lessons arrived in Oxford earlier this month, based on the lightsaber battles of the Star Wars film franchise universe.

Jordan Court has practiced the sport for 18 years and has worked hard to bring lightsaber combat to the UK. He commented, “It is becoming an international sport, there will eventually be an Oxford regional tournament. Becoming an Olympic sport has always been the idea.”

“It is a combat sport but the techniques are designed to be safe. There may be visual similarities but the techniques have been designed to be safe. As you progress you are able to use complete styles. No matter what your approach is you are making progress on the way to competitions which is what makes it such a compelling sport.”

“We have a real variety of reasons that people get involved. Some because it’s lightsabers which calls to people who have always wanted to use that weapon. Some get involved because they are looking at doing something new or a taking up a different sport, some just because they like Star Wars, we take all sorts… In Oxford we have only been open for a couple of weeks so there are five members but we have more people showing interest all the time.”

Trial classes are currently being held on Fridays in Oxford, however those interested can email [email protected] for details of the timings and locations of the various sessions.

Lightsaber Combat was first founded in Italy in 2006 and it has since spread to nine countries including Britain, where there are 90 members nationwide.

Billy Nuttall, a Magdalen second year and Star Wars fan, was delighted by the news. He told Cherwell, “Who hasn’t grabbed a stick as a kid and pretended it was a lightsaber? Apparently now those sticks light up, make noises, and can be used in bona fide martial arts classes- what a time to be alive.”