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SearchToday in Islamophobia: Biden promises to reverse Trump’s Muslim and African Ban on Day 1 of the new term. Macron’s premier rejects veil ban for Muslim girls in France. In Bangladesh, fire hits Rohingya camp again. Our recommended read today is by Rayhan Uddin on Islamophobia in France, and how a coalition of 36 organizations are lobbying the UN Human Rights Council to take action against the country for infringing upon the rights of Muslims. This, and more, below:
France
UN urged to take action against France over 'entrenching Islamophobia' | Recommended Read
In a 28-page document seen by Middle East Eye, 36 organisations from 13 countries have submitted a complaint to the UNHRC in which they outline “clear violation of a number of basic rights that are protected in legislation that is ratified by Paris.” The document alleged that France's actions and policies in relation to Muslim communities violated international and European laws, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The signatories include the Strasbourg-based European Muslim Initiative for Social Cohesion, the Muslim Association of Britain and the Council on American-Islamic Relations. read the complete article
France issues charter for imams meant to fight ‘political Islam’
Representatives of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) said on Monday that they agreed on a “Charter of Principles,” which would define an “Islam of France” after months of tense negotiations among Muslim representatives and with French authorities. The charter is meant to ensure Muslim religious leaders and organizations align with the core values of the French Republic, emphasizing that Islam and the republic are “perfectly compatible.” read the complete article
Macron’s Premier Rejects Veil Ban For Muslim Girls in France
The idea of legally stopping minors from wearing a facial covering seen on Muslim women was from a member of Emmanuel Macron’s own centrist party. It comes as the president is up for re-election next year and trying to put through parliament a controversial law to fight combat Islamic extremism. Castex said targeting minors was not the goal. An amendment -- which would have banned minors from wearing head scarves in public -- was rejected on Monday despite the backing of some senior figures in Macron’s party and far-right leader Marine Le Pen. read the complete article
United States
Meet the South Asian and Muslim Americans in Biden’s Cabinet
As President-elect Joe Biden gets set for inauguration on January 20, his cabinet has been popularly touted as the “most diverse ever in history” and one that “looks like America,” on the heels of the vanilla-hued and testosterone-filled administration that dominated the Trump era. Harris is not the only high-ranking member of Biden’s cabinet to be drawn from minority communities. In addition to a Black man heading the Pentagon, a Latino homeland security chief, Native American cabinet secretary and an openly gay Transport Secretary, it has been stocked with a sizeable number of Indian-American appointments and Muslims as well. read the complete article
Holocaust survivors and Tory MPs press Boris Johnson over Uighur ‘genocide’
Ministers believe the bid won't succeed, but just 37 Tory rebels could tip the vote against government, once likely abstentions are factored in. Number 10, Trade Secretary Liz Truss and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab have all made the rounds to urge MPs not to vote for the amendment, according to people familiar with the conversations. Britain’s Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), chaired by former Conservative leader and serial Brexit rebel Iain Duncan Smith, is leading the charge on the amendment, along with Conservative MPs Nus Ghani and Bob Seely. “The Uyghur people are begging their friends in Parliament to pass this amendment,” the IPAC said in a statement. “Without it, the government won’t call it a Genocide and won’t act.” read the complete article
Biden to reverse Trump’s Muslim ban on inauguration day
Analysts say the ban could easily be undone as it was issued by executive order and presidential proclamation, though lawsuits from conservative opponents could delay the process. “As president, I’ll work with you to rip the poison of hate from our society to honour your contributions and seek your ideas. My administration will look like America, with Muslim Americans serving at every level,” Biden said in October. Other reversals include the extension of pandemic-related limits on evictions and student loan payments, the imposition of mask mandates in federal property and interstate travel, as well as a solution to reunite immigrant children separated from their families, the memo said. read the complete article
United Kingdom
EHRC undermined by pressure to support No 10 agenda, says ex-chair
Britain’s equality watchdog is being undermined by political pressure to support the government’s misguided agenda, a former head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has said. The criticism from David Isaac, the chair of the organisation from 2016 until August last year, follows a spate of controversy surrounding the EHRC, including the revelation of recent government appointees’ past comments about feminism, ethnic minorities and Islamophobia. read the complete article
India
Indian Muslim trust to start Ayodhya mosque project on January 26
A Muslim group in India says it will start the construction of a mosque in the northern Indian city of Ayodhya on January 26, the day the South Asian nation celebrates its Republic Day. The project is a part of the settlement of a case surrounding the demolition of the Babri Mosque by a Hindu mob in 1992, leading to some of the worst religious violence India has witnessed, killing more than 2,000 people, and a protracted legal battle in various courts. read the complete article
France
Macron’s Premier Rejects Veil Ban For Muslim Girls in France
The idea of legally stopping minors from wearing a facial covering seen on Muslim women was from a member of Emmanuel Macron’s own centrist party. It comes as the president is up for re-election next year and trying to put through parliament a controversial law to fight combat Islamic extremism. Castex said targeting minors was not the goal. An amendment -- which would have banned minors from wearing head scarves in public -- was rejected on Monday despite the backing of some senior figures in Macron’s party and far-right leader Marine Le Pen. read the complete article
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Covid-19 Forced Cremation of Muslims Discriminatory
The Sri Lankan government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has claimed that burying people who died of Covid-19 complications may “contaminate ground water.” It has not changed the policy, first codified in a March 31, 2020 regulation, despite World Health Organization guidelines that burial is safe, and growing opposition from United Nations experts, medical professionals in Sri Lanka, and religious leaders of all major faiths in the country. Among those cremated against the wishes of their family have been a 20-day-old infant and a woman whom the authorities later acknowledged did not have Covid-19. read the complete article