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SearchToday in Islamophobia: More Rohingya refugees fear forceful relocation to remote island. Leaked document shows China detaining Uighurs for practicing Islam and ‘being young’, rights group says. The Sri Lankan government communicates intent to cremate Muslim COVID-19 victims despite objections from family members. Our recommended read today is by Myriam François on France, and how Macron’s version of ‘French Islam’ is state coercion against Muslims. This, and more, below:
France
Macron's version of 'French Islam' is state coercion against Muslims | Recommended Read
The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), alongside the interior ministry, will establish the legal parameters for the faith practices of around five million Muslims in France. Imams will have to sign a “charter of republican values”, with at least two red lines: political Islam and “foreign interference”. Gone will be the foreign funding that has hitherto, with approval from the French government, provided the means to finance mosques and their staff, in favour of a new model: a French Islam. Macron is hoping to succeed where his predecessors have failed in bringing to life this political fantasy - a version of Islam that is politically docile and socially compliant. It would be an Islam without teeth, which could assimilate its impoverished adherents into a republic that systematically denigrates their religious identity, with two-thirds of French Muslims saying their faith is negatively perceived. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Court finds UK war crimes but will not take action
The International Criminal Court says it will not take action against the UK, despite finding evidence British troops committed war crimes in Iraq. A 180-page report says hundreds of Iraqi detainees were abused by British soldiers between 2003 and 2009. But the ICC could not determine whether the UK had acted to shield soldiers from prosecution. The MoD said the ICC report "vindicates our efforts to pursue justice where allegations have been founded". The ICC told the BBC: "It is without dispute there is evidence war crimes were committed." Its report said there was a reasonable basis to conclude that at least seven Iraqis were illegally killed while in British custody between April and September 2003. read the complete article
United States
After resigning over slurs, W.Va. lawmaker reclaims seat
John Mandt Jr.'s narrow comeback win in the November election has left Republican leaders in a bind. When Mandt resigned as a state delegate on Oct. 4, Republican House Speaker Roger Hanshaw said bigotry had no place in the state. But many other GOP politicians stood silent, and voters in Huntington, by a margin of just 71 votes, decided to send him back to Charleston. read the complete article
Muslim Woman Not Allowed in Haltom City Courtroom Because of Hijab
A Muslim woman from Haltom City says she went to municipal court on Tuesday to pay a fine for a speeding citation but wasn’t allowed inside because she was wearing a hijab. The city said it regretted the incident and had changed its policy to allow for religious head coverings. Kendra Montemayor, a mother and teacher who converted to Islam in 2011, got emotional in a video on Facebook Live as she walked out of the courthouse. read the complete article
Germany
AfD's religious criticism is simply Muslim-bashing in disguise
Germany's AfD party claims its critical attitude towards Islam is religious criticism and hence falls under the right to freedom of expression. Yet the party fails to back its claim with convincing arguments, writes social scientist Ulrich Paffrath from the Frankfurt-based Academy for Islam in Research and Society in this feature for Qantara.de When Germans mention "Islamophobia", the role of the country's right-wing party AfD (Alternative fur Deutschland / Alternative for Germany) is always part of the issue. The party insists its views on Islam constitute a form of religious criticism and are thus protected by the right to freedom of expression. But many accuse the party of fomenting latent resentment. The real question then is whether what the AfD says in statements, interviews and its party programmes can in fact be considered religious criticism – or whether this assertion merely serves as a cover for fundamental hostility towards Islam and those identifying as Muslims. Where does religious criticism end and Islamophobia begin? The distinction – apart from overtly criminal statements or actions – remains controversial. read the complete article
Bangladesh
Rohingya refugees fear forceful relocation to remote island
Bangladesh’s unilateral decision to relocate thousands of Rohingya to a cyclone-prone island has created fear among the inhabitants of Cox's Bazar refugee camp. read the complete article
India
Calls for Netflix Ban: The Perils of India's Own 'Cancel Culture'
While the campaign may not have been particularly affecting Netflix India in a significant manner, both legally and otherwise, the glitches emanate from the nature of ‘cancelling’ it endorses in the country. In fact, this may have been the nth number of time when such a cancellation took place in India in the recent past. It was not even long when Tanishq’s advertisement, showcasing a Hindu bride celebrating Diwali with her Muslim in-laws, was cancelled and even meted out with boycott and vandalism. read the complete article
China
Leaked document shows China detaining Uighurs for practicing Islam and ‘being young’, rights group says
A leaked list of more than 2,000 ethnic Uighur detainees in China’s Xinjiang region has shown how government officials arbitrarily detained people over supposed transgressions including practising Islam and simply being young, according to a human rights group. The list from Xinjiang's Aksu prefecture, obtained by Human Rights Watch (HRW) and dated to 2018, showed detainees who were flagged by a Chinese predictive policing programme called the Integrated Joint Operations Platform (IJOP), which collects data and identifies candidates for detention. It includes the names of Uighurs in Xinjiang, their phone numbers and the reasons for their detention in Chinese internment camps, such as studying the Quran and travelling internationally. “The Aksu list provides further insights into how China’s brutal repression of Xinjiang’s Turkic Muslims is being turbocharged by technology,” said Maya Wang, a senior researcher on China at HRW. read the complete article