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SearchToday in Islamophobia: German Chancellor Angela Merkel vows to fight racism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, as Conservative Party members in the U.K are suspended over Islamophobic conduct. In Myanmar, the government allows Al Jazeera cameras on a tightly controlled trip to Rakhine. Our recommended read today is by Ravi Agrawal titled “Why India’s Muslims are in grave danger.” This, and more, below:
India
Why India’s Muslims Are in Grave Danger | Recommended Read
Ashutosh Varshney, a Brown University professor and author of the prize-winning Ethnic Conflict and Civic Life: Hindus and Muslims in India, believes last week’s riots in Delhi bear some of the hallmarks of an organized pogrom. India has been there before: In 2002, in Gujarat, when Modi was the state’s chief minister, more than 1,000 people were killed in religious riots. Most were Muslims. While Modi was later cleared of wrongdoing by the country’s judiciary, critics say that he could have done much more to prevent the attacks. And in 1984, again in Delhi, an estimated 3,000 Sikhs were targeted and killed after Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards. In both cases, experts say, riots could not have been conducted without some complicity on the part of the police. read the complete article
In show of solidarity, Sikhs take part in Friday prayers at Kochi Grand Mosque
Expressing their solidarity with Muslims in troubled times, members of the Sikh community observed the Friday noon namaz at the Kochi Grand Mosque at Kacheripady. Five members of the Gurudwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha committee observed the congregational prayers and the khutba, the sermon delivered by the Imam. The visit was part of the mosque’s second ‘open day’, that involves opening the prayers up to members of other communities to introduce non-Muslims to Islamic rituals and customs, and promote goodwill and friendship among the city’s various religious communities. read the complete article
Delhi endures tense night amid false rumours of violence
On Sunday, false reports of violence and homes being burned were being widely circulated on WhatsApp. Police issued statements and legislators took to the streets to reassure people they were not true. The death toll from the three days of violence in Delhi last week, largely targeting Muslims, has risen to 46. More than 200 others were injured in the violence, which first broke out between supporters and opponents of a controversial citizenship law that critics say discriminates against Muslims. read the complete article
Are Indian courts turning a blind eye to anti-Muslim riots?
Victims of the Delhi riots have requested a police investigation into hate speech by several individuals. The Supreme Court of India on Monday said it would wait until Wednesday to hear about the matter, despite the plea’s urgency. The Supreme Court made a controversial comment on the Delhi riots on Monday with Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde denying any responsibility from the court for the riots, saying: “We are not saying people should die. That kind of pressure we are not equipped to handle. We cannot stop things from happening. We cannot give preventive reliefs. We feel a kind of pressure on us…” read the complete article
United Kingdom
Conservative Party members suspended over Islamophobia claims
A dossier compiled by the campaign group Hope Not Hate appears to show anti-Muslim online comments made by Tory members, including six councillors. It lists more than 20 names, but it is understood not all belong to the party. The Tories say they have suspended all of those who were party members, pending investigation. But the Conservatives have not confirmed how many members have been suspended. read the complete article
Opinion | Why I Refused to Go to Chatham House and Hear the Polish Katie Hopkins Speak
Chatham House (officially, the Royal Institute of International Affairs) is one of the Great British Institutions. Founded in 1920, it is frequently referred to as the world’s most influential think tank and prides itself on its independence and intellectual excellence. The Belvedere Forum is an annual conference supported by the British and Polish Governments as a platform for their ministers, civil society leaders and academics. It takes its name from one of the presidential palaces in Warsaw, the historic Belvedere, where the first Forum was held in 2017. I was glad to be invited to this year’s annual event, on March 3 to 4, hosted and co-organised by Chatham House in London. read the complete article
Opinion | Muslims experience ‘shared suffering’ when other Muslims go through trauma
Across the globe, thousands, Muslim or not, mourned together at the senseless killing – even those of us who were thousands of miles away from New Zealand. But as the news cycle moved on, taking the impact away from our immediate consciousness, Muslims were left reeling. This feeling of connection to those we’ve never met – this deep sense of oneness and shared pain – is a trait that’s specifically common to Muslims, according to a new study. read the complete article
International
YouTube accused of being 'organ of radicalisation'
Social media companies have been heavily criticised at the launch of a major report on the far right, with YouTube being labelled an “organ of radicalisation”. The State of Hate 2020 report, by Hope Not Hate, also found the Conservative party had suspended more than 20 officials and activists, including six sitting councillors, who had posted Islamophobic comments on social media. read the complete article
Amid An Anti-Muslim Pogrom In India, A Search For Any Concern At CPAC
The urgent plight of India’s Muslims earned only 15 seconds of discussion during the hourlong CPAC panel on religious freedom. The brief mention came when Sam Brownback, the U.S. ambassador at large for international religious freedom, described President Donald Trump’s visit two days earlier to India to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “He had a great trip there,” Brownback said of the president. “Thirty-six hours, and in a private meeting with Modi he’s going, ‘Look, you gotta take care of the religious freedom business. You got a persecution taking place of a lot of your population here.’” But what Brownback did not mention to the CPAC audience was that Trump had publicly praised Modi as a champion of “religious freedom” during a press conference in New Delhi, despite the Indian prime minister being the leader of a blood-and-soil Hindu nationalist movement that seeks to expel Muslims from India. The ambassador did not mention that, during Trump’s visit, at least 42 people were killed as Hindu nationalist mobs roamed the city’s streets. read the complete article
'I'm not a terrorist': Iranian Canadian who lost wife in Iran plane crash denied entry to U.S.
When Iranian-born Canadian citizen Farzad Alavi was denied entry to the U.S. on Jan. 10, he said a border officer told him the reason was his past mandatory military service in Iran — which the officer claimed effectively linked him with terrorists. "They're telling me I'm a member of a terrorist organization. It's very, very difficult for me to digest," said Alavi. "They told me never try to enter the States again." read the complete article
United States
Opinion | Frank Gaffney is wrong. Religious liberty is good for everyone, not a 'takeover'
“She’s a sharia supremacist … I hope that you will not be misled into believing that this individual … and what she stands for and most importantly what she is doing with organizations like the Council on American-Islamic Relations, one of the most aggressive Muslim Brotherhood front organizations in the country, must not be endorsed, even if it’s implicitly by this organization. I had hoped that she would not be given a platform. She is. I trust you will listen attentively, but I hope that you will not yourself give her a platform.” read the complete article
'He's one of us': How 'Amo' Bernie Sanders won the hearts and minds of Arab-Americans
Indeed, his links with the community date back to the previous round of primaries, which has helped layer the familiarity and camaraderie Arab Americans feel with Sanders. "Bernie began to develop relationships with the community in 2016 and has maintained them until now," James Zogby, director of the Arab-American Institute told The New Arab, adding that the institute is working with the Sanders campaign to create a vetted Arab Americans for Bernie committee, with co-chairs including Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar. read the complete article
Myanmar
Video | Inside Rohingya camps: Government invites media to Myanmar
Al Jazeera cameras were allowed on a tightly-controlled, government-organised trip to Rakhine state in northern Myanmar, where the army has denied carrying out a genocidal campaign against the Rohingya. read the complete article
Germany
Merkel says racist attacks in Germany of 'deepest concern'
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday the country's fight against racism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia was the government's "deepest concern." The German leader's comments come as cabinet members met with leaders of migrant groups to discuss ways to protect citizens from right-wing violence and threats, following deadly extremist attacks. Merkel said everyone in Germany "regardless of their skin color or faith" deserve to feels safe in the country. read the complete article