Search
SearchToday in Islamophobia: Volkswagen has defended its decision to continue operating a car plant in Xinjiang, a Chinese region mired in allegations of large-scale human rights abuses. In the UK, an investigation has found a councillor breached a code of conduct with tweets branded Islamophobic, and in Washington D.C. this weekend, demonstrations in support of President Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the presidential election will descend to protest election results. Our recommended read of the day is by Omar Suleiman for Religion News Service on how American Muslims want a Biden administration to do more than just end the Muslim ban, they want the next President to tackle all forms of state violence. This and more below:
United States
Moving past inshallah: What Muslims want to see in a Biden presidency
Muslims don’t just want to end the ban, they also want to end the bombs. The predominantly Muslim innocent civilians overseas don’t particularly care whether the president ordering drone strikes is a Democrat or a Republican. War has transcended both parties, and led to the same devastation. Without ending the wars that have destroyed predominantly Muslim countries, refugees will continue to flock to increasingly hostile borders. read the complete article
Accomplice testifies against alleged militia leader in Bloomington mosque bombing trial
The three men drove through the night in a rented pickup truck with a bag full of automatic rifles in the back seat, and after 10 hours on the road, Michael Hari revealed the objective of their trip. "We're going to go to Minnesota and we're going to bomb a mosque," Hari told them, according to Michael McWhorter's testimony in St. Paul's federal courthouse on Thursday morning. It was about 4 a.m. on Aug. 5, 2017, and the three men were an hour away from the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington. read the complete article
Far-right protesters, counterdemonstrators plan to gather Saturday in D.C. amid pro-Trump rallies
Demonstrations in support of President Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the presidential election will descend on downtown Washington this weekend. The events have been promoted by far-right media personalities, white nationalists and conspiracy theorists — several of whom announced plans to attend. Counterdemonstrations organized by anti-fascist and anti-racism groups are being planned nearby. read the complete article
Biden won the election... now what for America's Muslims?
Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris have vowed to overturn the so-called Muslim Ban on their first day in office, and this would be a significant step forward, uniting millions of families and putting an end to a racist-campaign-promise-turned-policy. However, the challenges Muslims face cannot be overturned with a single executive order. Institutional Islamophobia goes well beyond the Muslim ban... and Trump. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Dudley councillor Colin Elcock breached conduct code with Islam tweets
An investigation has found a councillor breached a code of conduct with tweets branded Islamophobic. Dudley councillor Colin Elcock tweeted Islam was "domination not integration" and asked whether people in Iran were "all on the dole". read the complete article
As a Black Muslim woman, where do I stand?
Throughout my life, I’ve continually encountered people who assume that because I am Black, I belong to a particular faith. Then there are those who don’t even believe in my existence. But in reality, Black Muslims make up 10% of British Muslims and I wish we were recognized more, because it’s tough being a minority within a minority. read the complete article
International
Europe's Muslims are European. Stop outsourcing their plight to foreign leaders
Terror attacks in France and Austria have put Europe’s 25 million Muslims back in the spotlight. The unwanted attention is familiar. Discussing Muslims as a security risk invariably reaches fever pitch after an Islamist-inspired terrorist act. This time the attackers came from Chechnya, Tunisia and North Macedonia. But never mind: anxiety over the Muslim “enemy within” goes deep. read the complete article
For Facebook, South and Southeast Asia is only a market
Imagine a social media company, based in a non-English speaking country, aggressively advertising and lobbying to expand its user base in the United States. Gradually, its social media platform becomes not just one of the primary sources of news in the US, it becomes the internet. You watch hate speech and violent content circulating on this platform, but the mechanisms for reporting hate speech are completely dysfunctional because this company has not hired enough content moderators who understand your language – English. read the complete article
China
China Muslims: Volkswagen says 'no forced labour' at Xinjiang plant
Volkswagen has defended its decision to continue operating a car plant in Xinjiang, a Chinese region mired in allegations of large-scale human rights abuses by the state. Evidence that hundreds of thousands of Uighurs and other minorities are being detained in camps, or used as forced labour in factories, has led some multinational companies to cut ties with the region, despite China's insistence that the claims are untrue. read the complete article
Myanmar
Myanmar Went To the Polls for the Second Time Since the End of Military Rule but the Election Was Not Free or Fair
The Rohingya Muslim minority, to which I belong, was again disenfranchised during Myanmar’s election on Nov. 8. My community, which has faced violence and discrimination, is being even further erased from our country. Many ethnic Rakhine, Shan, Kachin, and Karen were also not able to vote. An election that excludes entire communities because of their identity cannot be considered credible, free, nor fair. read the complete article
Austria
Austria’s new law on ‘political Islam’ opens door for crackdown on Muslims
Austria’s right-wing Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has announced a raft of new measures which would make “political Islam” a criminal offense. The announcement caught many by surprise. The draconian measures do not define “political Islam” nor do they lay out the extent that daily Muslim practices and needs could be now criminalized as a result of this new law. read the complete article