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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In China, Uyghurs around the world are marking the 27th anniversary of the Ghulja massacre, and the ensuing roundups and executions that were carried out in the months following the incident, meanwhile in Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemns an attack against a mosque in the city of Mississauga in Ontario province, an attack which is being probed as a hate crime and is described as being part of a rise in Islamophobia, and in the U.S., The Wall Street Journal is facing outrage on social media over rhetoric contained in an opinion piece on Friday containing “bigoted and Islamophobic rhetoric” according to Mayor Abdullah Hammoud. Our recommended read of the day is by
International
New York Times’ Friedman hits new Low with Animalization of Arabs and Iranians | Recommended Read
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Calling people animals is a way to dehumanize them, and probably helps convince individuals that the other people around them approve of treating the animals badly. In ways that aren’t entirely clear, this way of speaking is certainly wrought up with violence and even genocide. Israel’s Defense Minister called the Palestinians of Gaza “human animals” when he announced a “complete siege” of Gaza after the horrid Hamas terrorist attack of October 7. Galant’s willingness to destroy most of the homes in northern Gaza and to displace over a million people, leaving them cold, hungry, thirsty and increasingly victims of disease, surely was enhanced by his conviction that he is dealing with animals rather than human beings. Some might defend him, saying that he only called Hamas “human animals.” But if that were true, why is he treating all Palestinians in Gaza worse than dogs? read the complete article
Uyghur Group Withdraws From Canada’s Election Interference Commission
A group from Canada’s Uyghur community has withdrawn from a commission investigating allegations that China and other countries are interfering in the country’s elections. As the first round of hearings wrapped up on Friday, the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project announced that it was pulling out of the commission. The group says it withdrew because of its concern that two politicians with alleged sympathies to China have been given full status in the review body. The organization, also known as URAP, identifies them as independent Member of Parliament Han Dong and the now deputy mayor of Markham, Ontario, Michael Chan. Both have repeatedly denied any ties to the Chinese government. Miri Teich, the Uyghur organization’s policy and advocacy director, said the politicians are too tightly aligned in their public comments to the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP. "These are individuals that parrot the same talking points as the CCP in terms of denial of the Uyghur genocide and abstaining from all sorts of votes related to the Uyghurs," Teich said. read the complete article
United States
Wall Street Journal Slammed Over 'Islamophobic' Op-Ed On Michigan City
The Wall Street Journal is facing outrage on social media over “Islamophobic” rhetoric in an opinion piece about a Michigan city. The Friday op-ed referred to Dearborn — a suburb of Detroit with the largest Muslim population per capita in the U.S. — as “America’s Jihad Capital,” saying that people there “side with Hamas” amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Gaza-based militant group. Since the war broke out last year, people in Dearborn have gathered to protest Israel and condemn the violence against Palestinians, calling for their liberation. An Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas killed around 1,200 people, according to the country, while Israel’s retaliation in Gaza has killed more than 27,000 Palestinians and wounded 66,000, per the territory’s Health Ministry. The op-ed described the city’s protests as “in support of Hamas” and its allies, and framed the sentiment there as a potential national security issue. Criticism quickly emerged from countless users on X (formerly Twitter) following the article’s publication, with many suggesting that the op-ed engaged in fearmongering and could perpetuate prejudice against Muslims in Dearborn. The mayor of the city, Abdullah Hammoud, said that the “inflammatory” op-ed led to “an alarming increase in bigoted and Islamophobic rhetoric online targeting the city of Dearborn.” read the complete article
Dearborn, Mich., will increase police presence after op-ed calls it ‘America’s jihad capital’
Mayor Abdullah Hammoud of Dearborn, Mich., on Saturday ordered an increase in security across his city, after an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal called the city “America’s jihad capital.” “Effective immediately — Dearborn police will ramp up its presence across all places of worship and major infrastructure points,” Hammoud wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “This is a direct result of the inflammatory @WSJ opinion piece that has led to an alarming increase in bigoted and Islamophobic rhetoric online targeting the city of Dearborn,” he added. “Stay vigilant.” Hammoud earlier had criticized the opinion piece as “Reckless. Bigoted. Islamophobic.” “It’s 2024 and the @WSJ still pushes out this type of garbage,” he wrote, adding, “Dearborn is one of the greatest American cities in our nation. read the complete article
China
An Early Warning Missed: The Uyghur Genocide and the 27th Anniversary of the Ghulja Massacre
On February 5, 1997, in my hometown of Ghulja, Chinese security forces fired upon Uyghurs engaged in peaceful protests against a government crackdown on a growing civil society movement. This grassroots initiative aimed to tackle social issues, and promote artistic expression, moral values, and religious principles, through the Uyghur cultural tradition of meshrep, community gatherings. Uyghurs around the world this year are marking the 27th anniversary of this massacre, and the ensuing roundups of thousands of young people. In the weeks after training gunfire on the peaceful demonstrators, security forces conducted sweeps of Uyghur neighborhoods. Hundreds of executions were carried out in the following months. The deadly actions of the Chinese government in 1997 were an affront to the human conscience. Freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are fundamental human rights. The murder of nonviolent demonstrators should have brought universal condemnation. read the complete article
Canada
Trudeau condemns mosque attack, says Islamophobia 'has no place' in Canada
(Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday condemned an attack against a mosque in the city of Mississauga in Ontario province, which is being probed as a hate crime and which rights advocates described as being part of a rise in Islamophobia. Police said someone threw two rocks through the window of a Mississauga mosque on Sunday, on the eve of the anniversary of a mosque attack in Quebec city that killed six people in 2017. CBC News said no one was injured in the incident. "Islamophobia has no place in any of our communities," Trudeau said on X, formerly called Twitter. "The attack against a Mississauga mosque earlier this week – on the National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia – is cowardly, disturbing, and unacceptable. I condemn it in the strongest terms possible," he said. read the complete article
India
Religious jingoism has gripped India
THE recent construction of a temple on the grounds where the historic Babri Mosque once stood in India signifies not only a disregard for the country’s secular foundations, but also the unsettling consequences of divisive politics. The celebration surrounding the temple’s inauguration may be touted as religious, but some elements of it extended beyond the spiritual realm. It was a part of the larger message to the religious minorities, particularly Muslims that the ‘new India’ belongs exclusively to Hindus, and inclusivity has no place on the national agenda anymore. The response from the Indian National Congress, which initially dismissed the event as a ‘political spectacle’, but later decided to attend, highlights the pressures influencing the overall political narrative. The destruction of the Babri Mosque during the Congress government in 1992, and the subsequent failure of New Delhi to prevent it highlight a broader trend. The erosion of secular values is evident in the partisan attitude of state organs, raising questions about the commitment of these institutions to uphold the rule of law when it comes to Hindu communal elements. read the complete article