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SearchToday in Islamophobia: Erdoğan comdemns police raid on the Berlin mosque, saying it was fed by racism and anti-Muslim sentiments. In France, a minister accuses mayors of giving in to ‘political Islam’ over swimming pools. U.S. encourages Canada to hit China with sanctions over Uyghurs. Our recommended read today is by James McAuley titled “Instead of fighting systemic racism, France wants to ‘reform Islam’.” This, and more, below:
France
Instead of fighting systemic racism, France wants to ‘reform Islam’ | Recommended Read
After years of brutal attacks by Muslims who’d been radicalized at the margins of French society, the government has finally had enough. Early this month, Macron unveiled his long-awaited plan: reforming the practice of Islam in France. The proposals would restrict the funds that Muslim communities receive from abroad, supposedly limiting foreign influence, and create a certificate program for French-trained imams, among other things. read the complete article
Is France's response to Samuel Paty murder deepening divisions?
From the six-month closure of a mosque accused of having shared a video critical of Paty, to the deportation of undocumented foreigners suspected of “radicalisation”, French officials have adopted a martial rhetoric seeking to project toughness in the face of attacks motivated by Islamic State (IS)-inspired ideology - with members of the political scene calling for ever more stringent measures to combat “separatism”. read the complete article
Stabbed under the Eiffel Tower: How France's deradicalisation hurts Muslims
The French government's policy of 'deradicalisation' is sowing the seeds of hatred in wider French society, as the country's Muslims have become usual suspects. Two hijab-wearing Muslim women were repeatedly stabbed in a park under the France’s symbolic Eiffel Tower on October 21. The attackers were two women of European descent. They reportedly shouted invectives such as “dirty Arabs”; “go home to your own country,” while plunging knives into the victims' bodies. The lawyer, Arié Alimi, said: “It is undeniable that there is a link with the atmosphere maintained by the political class, and in particular 'secularists' against the Muslims, since the attack of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine.” read the complete article
French minister accuses mayors of giving in to ‘political Islam’ over swimming pools
“There is terrorism, yes — the crime that must be judged and condemned,” Bruno Le Maire told Europe 1 radio. “And there is the ideology that is at the root of terrorism and which is more insidious — political Islam, which has had its accomplices for years in France.” Referring to differentiated hours at municipal pools, which are acused of being discriminatory, he called such moves “cowardice, small renunciations and unreasonable accommodations” which “constantly fuel political Islam.” read the complete article
International
On Sexual Violence, Trauma, And Neglect Of The Rohingya Muslims
On Thursday, October 22, 2020, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), a non-governmental organization, published a report documenting widespread sexual violence allegedly committed by the armed forces in Myanmar, the Tatmadaw, during the atrocities perpetrated against the Rohingya Muslims in August 2017. The new report, “Sexual Violence, Trauma, and Neglect: Observations of Health Care Providers Treating Rohingya Survivors in Refugee Camps in Bangladesh”, is based on interviews with 26 medical professionals who provided medical care to the Rohingyas in the refugee camps in Bangladesh, between August 2017 and August 2020. The Rohingya Muslim refugees testified to the use of sexual and gender-based violence and its physical and psychological toll. read the complete article
International donors pledge nearly $600m to support Rohingya
The United Kingdom, the United States and European Union organised the virtual conference along with the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), aiming to meet a target of $1bn in funding for 2020, less than half of which had been raised. The US, the largest single donor, announced nearly $200m in new funds while the EU pledged about $113m and Britain about $60m. A number of other countries also contributed. China and Russia were invited but chose not to participate. read the complete article
U.S. encourages Canada to hit China with sanctions over Uyghurs
A senior official in Washington, who is deeply involved in the U.S. government’s China file, welcomed a statement by a Canadian parliamentary committee that called on Canada to impose Magnitsky-style human-rights sanctions on Chinese officials over what is taking place in the northwestern Xinjiang region. In that part of the country, more than a million Muslims, mostly Uyghurs, have been detained in internment camps. read the complete article
Americans Are Losing Sight of What Fascism Means
Americans are not unusual in caring less about tragedies in countries other than their own. The atrocities committed against the Uighurs, however, attract less attention than they should in part because of whom they’re committed by. Getting large numbers of people genuinely worked up about what China does is difficult. Abuses at home make mainstream commentators and analysts wary about highlighting them in authoritarian regimes, if only because Americans feel our own hypocrisy is more glaring. “The United States cannot credibly speak against abuses in other nations,” Alexandra Schmitt of the Center for American Progress has argued, “if its own policies are perpetuating human rights abuses abroad or if it is failing to uphold and protect rights at home.” read the complete article
United Kingdom
Hancock added to anti-Muslim hate with distancing claims, says government adviser
Qari Asim, the deputy chair of a government taskforce on anti-Muslim hatred, said the health secretary’s claim on Twitter added to “hateful narratives” and “gave the impression that Muslim communities were not social distancing and were ignoring the government guidelines”. Hancock made the remark in a late-night Twitter thread on 30 July, when Eid al-Adha started, announcing with three hours’ notice that strict restrictions would be imposed on Greater Manchester, parts of East Lancashire, West Yorkshire and Leicester from midnight. read the complete article