Displaying Type: In the News
28 Aug 2023
Will Denmark ban the burning of the Quran?
This article was published by Al Jazeera on August 27, 2023 and features Bridge Initiative Senior Researcher Farid Hafez It is a controversial bill that could deepen political divisions in Denmark. The proposal to ban the… read the complete article
27 Jul 2023
Silencing Muslim voices: France’s authoritarian security state
This op-ed by Bridge Initiative Senior Researcher Farid Hafez originally appeared in EU Observer. On 24 July, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom issued an alarming policy briefing on religious freedom concerns in the European Union at… read the complete article
27 Jun 2023
Italy: Meloni’s Islamophobic policies are pushing Muslims to the margins
This op-ed by Bridge Initiative Senior Researcher Farid Hafez originally appeared in Middle East Eye. Since taking office in October following the general elections, Italian Prime Minister and leading co-founder of the neo-fascist Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy),… read the complete article
02 May 2023
Opinion | How German conservatives are waging a crusade against Muslim civil society
This op-ed by Bridge Initiative Senior Researcher Farid Hafez originally appeared in Middle East Eye. It was one of the latest initiatives of the German conservatives in the midst of the election campaign in 2021: a crusade against organised Muslims… read the complete article
21 Feb 2023
Quebec: Why are politicians attacking an effort to combat Islamophobia?
This op-ed by Bridge Initiative Associate Director Mobashra Tazamal originally appeared in The Middle East Eye. Just days before World Hijab Day, Quebec’s politicians took aim at Canada’s newly appointed special envoy to combat Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby, calling on… read the complete article
20 Feb 2023
Sweden: The Quran burning incident is hate speech, not free speech
This op-ed by Bridge Initiative Associate Director Mobashra Tazamal originally appeared in The Middle East Eye. This is how it generally follows: some far-right figure looking to garner attention and cause controversy carries out a spectacle… read the complete article
13 Feb 2023
OPINION – I am not Charlie: Satire and dehumanization of Türkiye earthquake victims
This op-ed by Bridge Initiative Senior Researcher Farid Hafez originally appeared in Anadolu Agency The author is a distinguished visiting professor of international studies and senior researcher at Georgetown University’s The Bridge Initiative. He is also… read the complete article
24 Jan 2023
Opinion | Why Is the Far Right Obsessed With Burning the Koran?
This op-ed by Bridge Initiative Senior Researcher Farid Hafez originally appeared in Haaretz. Far-right leader Rasmus Paludan is a serial Koran-burner. In 2019, he staged public burnings of the Muslim holy book in several locations across… read the complete article
18 Jan 2023
How Austria Made the Study of Islamophobia a Crime
This op-ed by Bridge Initiative Senior Researcher Farid Hafez originally appeared in Middle East Eye. Operation Luxor was the largest police operation Austria had witnessed since 1945. Targeting alleged terrorists, more than 100 defendants were included in the preliminary investigation… read the complete article
19 May 2022
Austria’s Operation Luxor: Anti-terrorism or Islamophobia?
Bridge Senior Research Fellow, Dr. Farid Hafez was interviewed in this May 18, 2022 documentary by Al Jazeera. “Operation Luxor: Anti-terrorism or Islamophobia?” investigates the November 2020 dawn police raids in Austria, which targeted the homes of nearly… read the complete article