Search
SearchToday in Islamophobia: St. Louis and Philadelphia police investigate reports of discriminatory behavior by officials, while new findings suggest U.S anti- immigrant groups are harassing churches in Arizona. Muslims leave Sri Lanka government amidst communal unrest and across the U.S, mosques ramp up security as hate crimes increase. Our recommended read of the day is by James R. King titled “Death of a Dream”. This, and more, below:
United States
Death of a dream: New York's Yemenis caught between war and Trump's ban | Recommended Read
New York and other American cities are full of stories like Ali’s, of Yemeni-Americans who made a life for themselves in the US, only to see their imagined futures transformed for the worse, facing insurmountable obstacles to reunite with their families and unable to enjoy the fruits of their hard work. Like so many Yemenis in the New York City bodega business, the Mubarez family established roots in the US while maintaining deep ties back home. These new American citizens kept one foot firmly planted in both worlds, largely by keeping their immediate families in Yemen and returning periodically for long visits. They split their adult years between a work life in the US and a family life in Yemen, before ultimately retiring back home. read the complete article
Islam and Hip-Hop: Muslims in America
"Anti-Muslim sentiment is just systematic of a deeply entrenched anti-blackness that the country is built off of," Imam Khalid Latif, executive director of the Islamic Center at NYU, told Complex. "And if people have to understand anything, and they're trying to understand how to break this down, they got to know where it's coming from." In an effort to shed more light on American-Muslim culture, Complex is presenting Islam and Hip-Hop: Muslims in America—the latest installment of a docuseries, Complex News Presents. read the complete article
St. Louis and Philadelphia police are investigating reports of racist, anti-Muslim Facebook posts by some city officers
The Facebook posts include images of the Confederate flag, call for immigrants to speak English, criticize Islam, encourage violence and more. The posts were compiled by The Plain View Project, which describes itself as a "database of public Facebook posts and comments made by current and former police officers from several jurisdictions across the United States." Public information officers from both St. Louis and Philadelphia Police Departments said the allegations are being reviewed by their internal affairs divisions for violations of policies. read the complete article
Anti-immigrant groups target Arizona churches, lawsuit claims
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday against a pair of Arizona-based anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim groups accused of "threatening" and "harassing" religious communities working with migrants and refugees. The lawsuit filed against several members of Patriot Movement AZ and AZ Patriots seeks unspecified punitive damages and asks a federal judge to order them to stop their practices. The lawsuit also accused the groups of conspiring to violate the churches' civil rights, defaming the pastors and trespassing on private property. read the complete article
#BlackoutEid: Celebrating being black and Muslim
While the growing popularity of the Eid selfie has contributed to promoting a positive image of Muslims in the United States and elsewhere, it has not really been able to capture the racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the Muslim world. #BlackoutEid, a hashtag that specifically highlights black Muslim fashion, has sought to remedy that. Created by Aamina Mohamed, a producer and screenwriter based in Minnesota, #BlackoutEid encourages black Muslims to share selfies of their Eid outfits and festivities. The hashtag, inspired by #BlackoutDay, was born out of a realisation that the clothing, celebrations, and traditions of black Muslims were not being shared with the same frequency and enthusiasm as those of non-Black members of the community. read the complete article
As American Muslims celebrate Eid-al-Fitr, Mosques have ramped up security
Amid concerns over a heightened spate of violent hate crimes in the United States and abroad, community leaders and local law enforcement are taking greater precautions to ensure that they are able to practice their faith in peace. Ahead of Ramadan this year, the Council on American-Islamic Relations advocacy group disseminated guidelines entitled Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety that encourage communities to establish working relationships with law enforcement and offers suggestions to be more aware of, and respond to, potential threats. The guidelines, among other things, encourage community members to establish "lines of communication and support" with other faith and minority groups and to build an emergency contact list to use in the event of threats to the community's safety. read the complete article
Woman who lifted Arizona mosque items gets probation
Tahnee Savanna Gonzales was ordered to complete 225 hours of community service and write a letter of apology to the mosque where she, an adult friend and Gonzales’ three children took pamphlets, fliers and other items from a fenced-in courtyard behind the place of worship. Gonzales, who faces a 30-day deferred jail sentence if she does not satisfactorily complete her probation, posted a social-media video of the encounter — including footage of her starting a shouting match with a Muslim man after he walked out of the mosque and tried to pet her dog. read the complete article
Sri Lanka
Muslims leave Sri Lanka govt to allow probe of terror claim
Nine Cabinet and junior ministers and two provincial governors stepped down days after a Buddhist monk began a fast demanding the expulsion of three political leaders whom he said were linked to the local militant group that killed over 250 people in the bombings at churches and hotels. The resignations of the ministers will not affect the government’s stability because they have pledged to continue to support the government as backbench lawmakers. Rauf Hakeem, a lawmaker for Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, said he and the others who resigned asked the government to investigate the allegations and allow Muslim political leaders to vindicate themselves amid an ongoing anti-Muslim hate campaign in Sri Lanka. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Mohamed Salah has caused Islamophobia in Liverpool to fall since joining club, study finds
Research by Stanford University found an 18.9 per cent drop in anti-Muslim hate crimes on Merseyside in the period since Salah signed for Liverpool in June 2017, in a £34m transfer from Roma. No other offence had a comparable drop in the same timeframe, while anti-Muslim tweets by Liverpool fans halved compared to other major Premier League clubs. The Egyptian has been a revelation for the club, winning the Premier League golden boot in both of his campaigns and playing a leading role in their recent Champions League triumph, scoring the opening goal in the final from the penalty spot. His goal celebration involves performing sujood, the Islamic act of prostration to God. The study concluded that Salah’s persona as a friendly figure in the team had helped ‘humanise’ the Muslim community. read the complete article
Sajid Javid was left out of the president's state banquet – another Muslim thrown under the Trump bus
If we add all of this evidence to the executive order that amounted to a Muslim travel ban, and to Trump and family’s disgusting treatment of Palestinian officials and there is another pattern developing. It has nothing to do with buses and everything to do with a hatred of Muslims. Some 170 people who are not currently home secretary managed to sneak in to the state banquet last night. Apparently the list was drawn up by Buckingham Palace, with input from the government and also, perhaps crucially, from the US embassy too. read the complete article