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SearchToday in Islamophobia: Muslim civil rights organizations sue the state of Maryland over its ban of state agencies contracting with businesses that boycott Israel. In Belgium, furor ensues over the state’s decision to ban halal and kosher meat, in the U.K, parents reportedly keep children out of classes that engage Islam. China continues to intern up to 3 million Uighurs, with the crisis described as the ‘worst human rights abuse since the Mao era’. This, and more, below:
United States
Muslim civil rights group sues Maryland over Israel boycott ban
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) filed a lawsuit Wednesday (Jan. 9) challenging Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s executive order banning state agencies from contracting with businesses that boycott Israel. Signed by Hogan in October 2017, the “No Boycott of Israel” order aims to combat the growing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement that seeks to punish Israel for its treatment of Palestinians, which Hogan has termed “economic discrimination” against Israel. read the complete article
Uproar over Tlaib tweet ignores common threats to American Muslims and Jews
New federal legislation intended to strip free speech rights from advocates for Palestinians got called out on Monday by both the independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat from Michigan. The way Tlaib phrased her criticism of the lawmakers behind the bill earned Tlaib accusations of anti-Semitism. “They forgot what country they represent,” Tlaib wrote. “This is the U.S. where boycotting is a right and part of our historical fight for freedom and equality. Maybe a refresher on our U.S. Constitution is in order, then get back to opening up our government instead of taking our rights away.” read the complete article
Green Book’s Writer Just Deleted His Account After Anti-Muslim Tweet Resurfaced
Nick Vallelonga, the Golden Globe–winning screenwriter behind Green Book, has deleted his Twitter account after a tweet from 2015 began circulating in which he expressed support for the debunked right-wing conspiracy theory that Muslims were celebrating on 9/11 in New Jersey. The tweet from Vallelonga’s account was responding to then-candidate Donald Trump and claimed that “Muslims in Jersey City cheering when towers went down. I saw it, as you did, possibly on local CBS news.” read the complete article
Texas county Republicans to vote on removing Muslim American vice chair
Republicans in one of the most populous counties in Texas will decide this week if they should remove a party vice chairman who is Muslim following allegations he has denied that suggest he prefers Islamic over U.S. law and opposes the GOP's pro-Israel stance. Infighting over Shahid Shafi has deterred some potential donors from giving to the Tarrant County Republican Party's main fundraiser ahead of the vote set for Thursday, one party leader told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Some have even speculated that the ouster of Shafi could drain fundraising efforts and jeopardize the party's 2020 campaign. read the complete article
Muslim family targeted by 'threatening' trucker on highway
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) has reported that a male driver — wearing a camouflage cloth over his face — had veered too close to a car driven by a Muslim family in Shakopee on New Year's day, making non-specified hand gestures. The family’s mother was sitting in the passenger seat, wearing a hijab. The mom filmed the truck, which CAIR-MN alleged in a press release bore a Greek phrase on the back window that translates to “Come and take them.” According to Texas Monthly, the phrase is a battle cry from the 1835 Texas Revolution that’s since been frequently used by gun rights groups. read the complete article
Hedge Fund Tycoon Robert Mercer’s Sheriff’s Badge Has Been Revoked
The New York hedge fund magnate and conservative donor had his status as a volunteer deputy sheriff revoked by Yuma County, Colorado, Sheriff Chad Day on Monday, his last day in office. Day lost his re-election bid last year after Bloomberg News reported on Mercer’s role and his purchase of a new pickup truck for the sheriff’s official use. Day also revoked the appointment of William Koch, 78, though a spokesman for the billionaire industrialist said he was never a posse member. read the complete article
Opinion | Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar Are Destroying the Stereotype of the Silent Muslim Woman | Recommended Read
Dean Obeidallah reflects on Rashida Tlaib's comments on Trump, drawing attention to the double standards reserved for Muslim women speaking their mind. "The myth of Muslim women being silent is thankfully being shattered before our eyes. In fact, newly sworn in member of Congress Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) may have destroyed that image forever with just one word .." read the complete article
China
China's detention of Muslims in re-education camps 'country's worst human rights abuse since Mao era', MPs told
Up to three million Uighurs have been arbitrarily detained in centers which Amnesty International has compared to “wartime concentration camps”. Released internees have alleged they were tortured into denouncing Islam and swearing loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party. Steve Tsang, Director of the London School of Oriental Studies has called it the worst human rights abuse since the Mao era. “Ever since the end of Chairman Mao’s era in 1976, and probably including the period of hard military crackdown in 1989, we have not seen the scale of human rights abuse that we are seeing today in Xinjiang.” read the complete article
Xinjiang offers classes to Muslim clerics to guide them to resist extremism, foster national unity
Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region recently held training classes for Muslim clerics, which aims to guide them to resist extremism and contribute to 'regional stability and prosperity'. The class was held in Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang, on January 1, according to a statement released on the website of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Tuesday. Muslim clerics are required to have a comprehensive understanding of Xinjiang's stability and development, and the statement said the religion department should strengthen their politics, law and religious education. read the complete article
Europe
Pro-Brexit activist said all Muslims should be removed from UK
Videos have emerged of conservative activist James Goddard arguing that Islam should be removed from the UK. Goddard, who has regularly filmed himself and other activists harassing and abusing people including the Conservative MP Anna Soubry, has built up his profile by live-streaming confrontations to Facebook and seeking donations to finance his actions. read the complete article
Thurrock parents take children out of Islam RE classes
A growing number of parents are taking their children out of religious education lessons in protest at the teaching of Islam, officials have said. Members of a local education body believe "integration issues" in Thurrock, Essex, are fuelling the rise. Thurrock Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) is due to meet Thurrock Council bosses to ask for the "nature and extent" of withdrawals to be investigated. read the complete article
Is Stunning an Animal Before Slaughter More Humane? Some Religious Leaders Say No
Kosher-certifying authorities say that no form of stunning before slaughter is permissible, said Rabbi Menachem Genack, who oversees certification for the Orthodox Union, the world’s largest kosher certifier. Some halal-certifying bodies agree, but others do allow nonpenetrative stunning before slaughter. Beyond the concern for animals, Jewish and Muslim leaders see darker motivations behind the effort to outlaw the practices. The historical precedents are grim. The Nazis also cited cruelty to animals when they prohibited slaughter without stunning in 1933. The Conference of European Rabbis, which includes top religious leaders in 40 countries, called the new ban an affront to European values and said it “put Jewish life at risk.” “What we see in Europe is ominous,” Rabbi Genack said. He said he believed that anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim sentiment was responsible for some — but not all — of the momentum behind the recent bans. read the complete article