Today in Islamophobia

Today in Islamophobia: In France, far-right figures have shared false and misleading videos of student protests to portray them as Islamist or anti-white demonstrations, despite the protests being focused on poor school conditions, meanwhile in the United States, Bridgeview leaders have pushed back against a planned anti-Muslim march targeting the city’s Palestine Fest, with security concerns prompting a strong police presence, and lastly, in Canada, Muslim women protested Quebec’s secularism laws on election day, saying the legislation has negatively affected their careers and daily lives. Our recommended read of the day is by Farid Hafez for Anadolu Agency on Israel’s growing ties with far-right figures in Europe, including politicians linked to movements with histories of antisemitism and anti-Muslim rhetoric. This and more below:

International

From Nazi founders to Netanyahu friends: Israel's new far-right allies | Recommended Read

When Austria's Freedom Party (FPO) entered a government coalition in 2000, it became the first far-right party in the European Union to do so. Its notorious leader, the rhetorically gifted lawyer Jorg Haider, was denied entry to Israel, and an official boycott of the party has been in place ever since. The rationale was the FPO's history: in the words of political scientist Anton Pelinka, "it was a party founded by former Nazis for former Nazis.” Haider and other high-ranking members also used antisemitic language throughout their careers. In 2000, Israel even recalled its ambassador from Vienna over the party's participation in government. Much has changed since. Alongside many other radical right parties in Europe, the FPO has worked to normalize its relationship with Israel. As these nationalist movements win more votes and enter coalitions from Italy to Sweden and from Germany to the Netherlands, they have tried to present themselves as trustworthy allies of Israel, both to shed their antisemitic baggage and to establish themselves as credible partners on the international stage. Why is the Israeli government changing its stance? Several factors are at play. First, the radical right keeps growing across Europe. Second, over the past 15 years, the European hard-right has recast itself as anti-Muslim, distanced itself from its antisemitic past, and reinvented itself as the defender of a "Judeo-Christian" Europe. This has allowed it to side with Israel against the supposed threat of "Islam." Third, the growing normalization of the far-right within Israel itself has helped. Fourth, and probably most important, as Sa'ar's move shows, diplomacy has become a more critical battlefield for Israel than the military one, especially after the genocide in Gaza and Israel's growing isolation on the world stage. Winning over the growing ranks of far-right voters can only help improve Israel's image. read the complete article

Centre-right’s Muslim Brotherhood witch-hunt in EU Parliament risks criminalising everyday activism

On Wednesday (7 October), the largest group in the European Parliament, the European People’s Party (EPP), has scheduled a debate on a “European Parliament resolution on the need for an EU strategy to counter Islamist entryism and the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood network.” The move follows the adoption of an EPP party resolution that treats Muslim civic engagement as inherently suspect and collective religious practice as a potential threat. It largely mirrored the German Christian Democratic approach of criminalising Muslim civic engagement. As Brussels-based EU expert and EUobserver’s columnist Shada Islam put it, the supposed fight against “political Islam” “places Muslim political and civic activity inside an almost exclusively security framework,” and thus “European democracy is hollowed out rather than reinforced when an entire religious or ethnic minority and its civil society are regarded as permanently suspect.” Also, the resolution protects religious freedom for Muslims only as an individual right, explicitly stating that it seeks to ensure “equality among citizens, rather than collective claims,” leaving the collective expression of Islam unprotected and thus hollowing out the very idea of religious freedom. read the complete article

Is The EU Starting A Muslim Witch-Hunt?

On October 2, EU justice ministers made quite a significant promise – especially at a time of rising Islamophobia, far right politics and anti-Muslim racism across Europe - to keep up the combat against anti-Muslim hatred, both specifically and through wider action against structural racism. On October 8, the European Parliament is due to vote on a resolution to be tabled by none other than the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) – the EU assembly’s largest political group and the ideological home of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner - which calls for an EU strategy to counter “Islamist entryism” across the 27-member bloc. Sorry, what? “Islamist Entryism” is a conspiracy theory that has spread from France and is gaining traction elsewhere in Europe. Its premise is that some wily Muslims are pursuing a savvy strategy of infiltrating and then weakening democratic institutions, the rule of law, equality between women and men, freedom of conscience, freedom of expression, public order, social cohesion and European values. And yes, we are talking about the same Muslims who were once instructed by none other than French President Emmanuel Macron to abandon their supposed separatist shadowlands and come join the sunny mainstream. Keeping an eye on Europe’s relations with its 25 million or so Muslim citizens, means keeping up with changing variations of age-old Islamophobic tropes. It also means listening to a lot of double speak, generalisations and innuendos. So Muslims have now gone from not being integrated enough to being too integrated. That’s the new problem. read the complete article

United States

Bridgeview leaders push back on far-right influencer Jake Lang's planned anti-Muslim march in Little Palestine

Bridgeview, Illinois, Mayor Steven Landek is expected Sunday to join Palestinian community leaders in a press conference to address security concerns regarding the 4th annual Palestine Fest, in response to far-right activist Jake Lang's anti-Muslim calls to protest the event. The mayor and community leaders will speak at SeatGeek Stadium at noon, outside of the festival, at the same time and place as Lang's "crusader march." This comes after days of community groups online, such as Amal Media, posting safety notices for people to be vigilant. "Lang has made his plans known on social media. Given his history of appearing at demonstrations and public events, we should take those statements seriously and remain vigilant," one post reads, emphasizing it is a call for awareness, not confrontation. Bridgeview, known as Little Palestine, is within Cook County, home to the largest Palestinian American diaspora in the United States. The annual fest has been held since 2021, featuring speakers, performers, carnival rides, and a family-friendly bazaar. read the complete article

Rocky River police investigate after man puts anti-Muslim flyers on cars at high school

A man was escorted by police from a parking lot at Rocky River High School after he was seen putting flyers with anti-Muslim messages on parked vehicles. According to a police report, the incident occurred Sept. 30. A student approached the high school’s resource officer at about 3:10 p.m. and said he saw the unknown male in the parking lot. The report said the man, approximately in his 50s or 60s, was placing flyers under the windshield wipers of cars parked in the lot next to the football stadium. read the complete article

France

'France has fallen': Far-right figures fuel Islamophobic claims with false student protest videos

France's student protests have become the target of a wave of false and misleading videos shared by far-right figures, including Alex Jones and Tommy Robinson. Old footage and unrelated videos have been shared to portray the demonstrations as evidence of an "anti-white" or Islamist uprising linked to uncontrolled immigration. But the protests are over school conditions, including large class sizes, teacher shortages and poor facilities, not immigration. Vedika Bahl fact-checks in Truth or Fake. read the complete article

Canada

Muslim women protest Quebec secularism laws on election day

As Quebecers head to the polls, Muslim women are taking to the streets in downtown Montreal to protest the province’s secularism laws, sharing how they say the legislation has personally affected them. Members of Québécoises Musulmanes Tannées gathered Monday outside the downtown Montreal office of Quebec’s interim premier, Christine Fréchette, for their 18th consecutive weekly sit-in. “What kind of education are we providing for our future children? I’m appalled by the fact that the Quebec government is not even worried about that,” said demonstrator Farida Mohamed. The group says Quebec’s secularism laws unfairly affect Muslim women who wear religious symbols, particularly in their professional and public lives. “From one day to the next, I found myself without a job, and I’d even say, without my dignity,” said Asma, coordinator for Québécoises Musulmanes Tannées. “This law deeply affected me. After working for 10 years, I suddenly found myself out of work and with no financial support. My career is broken.” Over the past seven years, Quebec has introduced a series of laws concerning secularism and the wearing of religious symbols in certain public-sector settings. Members of the collective say these laws have created barriers for Muslim women and have affected their ability to participate fully in Quebec society. read the complete article

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