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SearchToday in Islamophobia: Terrorist attack in two mosques at Christchurch, New Zealand, leaves 49 dead and dozens injured, the perpetrator allegedly posted a right- wing manifesto online before live streaming the attack. An Australian senator attacks Islam in the wake of the Christchurch shooting. In the U.S, an op-ed links the aftermath of the Ilhan Omar controversy to rising anti- Semitism & Islamophobia. China rejects U.S criticism of its treatment of Muslim Uighurs. Our recommended read of the day is from Christchurch, where a coordinated massacre targeted two mosques. This, and more, below:
New Zealand
Christchurch shooting: 49 dead in terror attack at two mosques – live updates | Recommended Read
49 people were killed in the attack, including 41 at Deans Avenue mosque and seven at Linwood mosque. Another victim died in hospital. A man in his late 20s has been charged with murder and will appear in Christchurch court tomorrow. Two others arrested at the scene with guns are being investigated. A fourth person arrested may have had nothing to do with the attack. read the complete article
Far-right ideology detailed in Christchurch shooting 'manifesto'
The man who livestreamed himself attacking a Christchurch mosque and murdering at least 40 people identified himself online before the rampage as Australian citizen Brenton Tarrant. On a now-deleted Twitter account, Tarrant posted multiple photos of what appear to be machine gun magazines and a link to what is being described as a manifesto for his actions. The 74-page document, entitled "The Great Replacement," starts off quoting a Dylan Thomas poem, Do not go gentle into that good night, and then moves onto a rant about white genocide. In it he claims he had “brief contact” with Norwegian mass-murderer Anders Behring Brevik and that Brevik gave a “blessing” for his attack. read the complete article
World reacts with disgust at New Zealand mosque attacks
Political and Islamic leaders expressed their disgust at the deadly shooting at two mosques in New Zealand on Friday, with some citing rising “Islamophobia” as responsible. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the attack was a deliberate demonizing of Muslim political struggles. “Not only the perpetrators, but also politicians & media that fuel the already escalated Islamophobia and hate in the West, are equally responsible for this heinous attack,” he wrote on Twitter. In a statement, Al-Azhar University, Egypt’s 1,000-year-old seat of Sunni Islamic learning, said the attacks had “violated the sanctity of the houses of God”. “We warn the attack is a dangerous indicator of the dire consequences of escalating hate speech, xenophobia, and the spread of Islamophobia.” read the complete article
Opinion | Christchurch mosque shootings must end New Zealand’s innocence about right-wing terrorism
Public opinion surveys such as the Asia New Zealand Foundation annual surveys of attitudes tend to show that a majority of New Zealanders are in favour of diversity and see immigration, in this case from Asia, as providing various benefits for the country. But extremist politics, including the extreme nationalist and white supremacist politics that appear to be at the core of this attack on Muslims, have been part of our community for a long time. Through the 1980s, I looked at more than 70 local groups that met the definition of being extreme right wing. The city that hosted many of these groups was Christchurch. They were a mixture of skinhead, neo-nazi and extreme nationalist groups. Some were traditional in their ideology, with a strong underpinning of anti-Semitism and a belief in the supremacy of the “British race”. Others inverted the arguments of Māori nationalism to argue for separatism to keep the “white race pure”. read the complete article
Australia
Australian senator attacks Islam in wake of attacks at Christchurch mosques
Australian Senator Fraser Anning showed a callous lack of compassion, using the attack as an opportunity to promote an anti-Islam agenda despite the attack being targeted at the Muslim community. Without even the courtesy to express any condolences for those affected by the attacks, Anning jumped head first into an anti-muslim tirade, tweeting: "Does anyone still dispute the link between Muslim immigration and violence?" "Today's shootings in Christchurch highlight the growing fears within our community both in Australia and New Zealand over the increasing muslim presence," he said. The right-wing Australian politician issued a press release, in which the third line begins with 'however'. read the complete article
'Demonised constantly': Australian Muslims slam politicians, media in wake of NZ attacks
Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Australia's first female Muslim senator, went even further than the grand mufti. "There is blood on the hands of politicians who incite hate. To me, there is a clear link between their politics of hate and this sickening, senseless violence in Christchurch," she tweeted. "Muslims have been targeted during Friday prayers. This is not an isolated event with mysterious causes. This is not random. This is the consequence of the Islamophobic and racist hate that has beennormalised and legitimised by some politicians and media," she added. "We know Muslims are directly targeted by politicians day after day including those on the far-right like Pauline Hanson and Fraser Anning. We know Muslims are demonised constantly. We know we are hated by some." read the complete article
United States
Opinion | What support for Ilhan Omar tells us about the left
Congress’s final resolution and vote last Thursday should be seen as a watershed moment in the long history of black-Palestinian solidarity that is shaping how progressives understand the relationship between American foreign and domestic policies. The backstory behind this uprising is closely intertwined with the history of black internationalism. Malcolm X visited the Gaza Strip (then under Egyptian control) in 1964 as part of his tour of Africa and Asia. According to Palestinian poet Harun Hashim Rashid, who accompanied Malcolm on his visit, the black American leader “came to Gaza with a strong desire to learn about the Palestinian cause.” Moved by his visit, Malcolm reportedly told his hosts, “We shall return!” read the complete article
How targeting Ilhan Omar instead of white supremacy furthered both anti-Semitism & Islamophobia
Condemnations of Islamophobia and white supremacy were only added to the resolution after it was initially introduced, with pressure from Black and progressive lawmakers. Given that, it was clear to many that the resolution did not come out of a sincere effort to put an end to real threats to Jews, but rather from an effort to target someone who is already a marked woman, Ilhan Omar, after her criticisms of the U.S.-Israel relationship were rebuked by lawmakers in both parties as anti-Semitic. Ilhan Omar is not anti-Semitic because she questions U.S. policy in Israel, but it does make her a target, especially as Black, Muslim and a Woman. When WEB DuBois famously asked “How does it feel to be a problem?” he was referencing how whites have historically viewed Black people as “a problem,” as that nagging reminder of their own humanity and impediment to their unfettered supremacy. And, of course, Black folks are seen as a threat to white society—its women, morality and success. read the complete article
Opinion | The Exhaustion of being Muslim in America
As much as we celebrate Muslims in politics, media, sports or any other high profile industry in the spirit of inclusion, there are always insidious undercurrents just below the surface. There are always large swathes of Americans who view Islam as foreign and incompatible with American way of life. To be Muslim in America is to be constantly expected to apologize for the actions of people and ideologies that the vast majority of us do not abide by. It gets exhausting. The vast majority of my othering, over the years, came at the hands of well-meaning people who tried to fit me in some kind of a Muslim box. I don’t wear hijab and dress in short or fitted clothes so I must be liberated and more of a cultural Muslim than a practicing one. But, then again, I also abstain from alcohol and I pray multiple times a day so that must make me a conservative Muslim. read the complete article
China
China rejects US criticism of its treatment of Muslim minorities
China's foreign ministry said on Thursday a US State Department report critical of its human rights record was filled with "ideological prejudice and groundless accusations". The US report slammed human rights violations in China, saying the sort of abuses it had inflicted on its Muslim minorities had not been seen "since the 1930s". Xinjiang Governor Shohrat Zakir said on Tuesday that China was running boarding schools, not concentration camps, in the country's far western region as the US ambassador for religious freedom called the situation there "completely unacceptable" and said sanctions against Chinese officials under the Global Magnitsky Act remained a "possibility". read the complete article
Microsoft denies existence of partnership with Chinese surveillance firm
Microsoft has denied claims it works with a surveillance firm that monitors China’s persecuted Muslim population. SenseNets suffered a data breach last month which revealed it was tracking the whereabouts of more than 2.5 million people in the predominantly Muslim Xinjiang region. Microsoft has attempted to position itself as an ethical provider of facial recognition software in recent months. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella called in January for governments to regulate the technology and prevent a “race to the bottom” among suppliers. read the complete article