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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In India, authorities in Assam state have introduced a bill that would require Muslims to register their marriages and divorces, meanwhile in the UK, Middle East Eye‘s “The Big Picture Podcast” speaks to Dr. Marc Owen Jones about how Elon Musk has transformed X into a haven for far-right voices, many of whom played a role in inciting the recent anti-Muslim riots across Britain, and in the US, many of Michigan’s uncommitted Arab American voters are opting to not back Democrats this election cycle due to the party’s continuous arm shipments to Israel. Our recommended read of the day is by Yousra Samir Imran for The New Arab who interviewed several hijabi Muslim sportswomen about France’s hijab ban in sports and how such policies are impacting their lives and that of other female Muslim athletes. This and more below:
International
The worrying road ahead for Muslim sportswomen amid hijab bans and discrimination | Recommended Read
When Dutch Olympian runner Sifan Hassan wore a maroon hijab in the Paris Olympics 2024 closing ceremony to receive her gold medal, it was a moment of poetic justice for Muslim sportswomen and athletes around the world. Sifan’s act of solidarity with the French hijab-wearing athletes who were banned from competing at the Paris Olympics heartened other hijab-wearing athletes like Saudi-British rower Alia Komsany. As a sportswoman who is a strong advocate for other sportswomen to be able to wear whatever they feel comfortable in, Alia says France’s hijab ban on French female athletes is not only hypocritical, but it stands in opposition to feminist values and will deter not only Muslim women from competing but all women. “It’s quite important to question the Western notion of feminism, how instead of empowering women, Muslim women are not given their agency and are excluded. "It gives the wrong message; it says sports may not be for visibly Muslim women. You have to sacrifice your identity and your values to play sport,” she adds. read the complete article
United States
Democrats’ Gaza Policy Is Repelling Arab American Voters
During the Democratic primary election in Michigan in February, the Uncommitted Movement had a simple message for President Joe Biden: Implement an arms embargo on Israel, or we will not vote for you—potentially causing you to lose a key swing state in November. They were not bluffing; more than 100,000 Michigan Democrats—close to 13 percent of those who voted—chose uncommitted. Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza has hit home with Michigan’s 390,000 Arab Americans, who have continually expressed grievances with Biden and his administration’s supply of unfettered arm shipments to Israel, which they argue is enabling a genocide. Because of those arms transfers, Michigan’s Palestinian and Arab voters view the United States as directly responsible for the death, devastation, and destruction Israel has unleashed in Gaza. This anger has been channeled into political action and mobilization. These voters’ outrage is rightfully directed at Democrats, who claim to be in favor of Palestinian rights but often collaborate with their hawkish Republican counterparts to deny Palestinian freedoms. While Biden may no longer be at the top of the Democratic ticket, many of Michigan’s uncommitted Arab American voters are still not backing Harris. Most of them told Foreign Policy that they plan to vote uncommitted if given the option, while smaller swathes of voters have said they may abstain from voting or explore third-party options come November. read the complete article
United Auto Workers calls for a Palestinian speaker at DNC as thousands protest nearby
Criticism toward the Democratic Party for not including a Palestinian speaker during their four-day convention is coming from across the party — including organized labor. The United Auto Workers, a union that represents more than 400,000 active members, issued a statement on social media calling for the party to allow a Palestinian American speaker to be heard from the stage on the final night of the DNC. "If we want the war in Gaza to end, we can’t put our heads in the sand or ignore the voices of the Palestinian Americans in the Democratic Party," the full UAW statement read. "If we want peace, if we want real democracy, and if we want to win this election, the Democratic Party must allow a Palestinian American speaker to be heard from the DNC stage tonight." read the complete article
WATCH: Official explains why DNC denied a speaking spot to Palestinian American
In the run-up to and during the Democratic National Convention, the Uncommitted movement asked Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign to grant a speaking spot for a Palestinian American on the DNC main stage. A day before Harris’ keynote address to accept the party’s nomination, her campaign has said the request will not be granted. When asked why the campaign refused to give time to the group, Michael Tyler, the communications director for Harris’ campaign said they’re proud they’ve held a panel conversation this week with members of the movement and have continued to engage them during the convention. What the group, or any people who continue to protest, will see is a president “who is committed to ending the violence, … making sure that we resolve this conflict with a permanent cease-fire that allows Israel to fully secure itself, that fully continues and make sure that we have a full humanitarian aid, but also make sure that Gazans are able to peacefully live and prosper in Gaza,” he said. The move is an unwelcome development for the 30 or so pro-Palestinian Uncommitted delegates who traveled to Chicago to bring more awareness to their larger demands — a cease-fire, an arms embargo of Israel. read the complete article
Here’s the Pro-Palestine Speech the DNC Refused to Put on TV
RUWA ROMMAN, WHO is a Palestinian American and the first Muslim woman to serve in the Georgia House of Representatives, had hoped to give a speech on Palestine at the Democratic National Convention. “I was incredibly honored to be considered,” she told Rolling Stone on Thursday. But on Wednesday night, the Uncommitted Movement learned that the DNC would not be offering them a chance to speak on the main stage. The Uncommitted Movement represents more than 700,000 voters who voted “uncommitted” during the Democratic presidential primary campaign in support of Palestine, demanding a cease-fire and an end to U.S. arms shipments to Israel. The movement’s voters could be especially crucial in Michigan, where more than 100,000 Democratic primary voters checked “uncommitted.” The DNC has provided several untelevised forums to the Uncommitted Movement this week, but refused to allow the group to put a speaker on stage — not even Romman, a Democratic state lawmaker in Georgia, a key battleground state. “The reality of the situation is that we genuinely are asking for the bare minimum,” Romman said. “This was a symbolic gesture. This was supposed to be something that we could take back and say, ‘Look, the party is listening.’” read the complete article
Muslim Women for Harris disbands and withdraws support for candidate
On the third night of the Democratic national convention, the group Muslim Women for Harris released a statement announcing that it was disbanding in response to the Harris-Walz campaign’s refusal to allow a Palestinian person to speak on the main stage. The statement was released as members of the Uncommitted National Movement, which won 30 delegates to the convention, and their supporters held a sit-in outside of the convention. Ilhan Omar joined the demonstration for some time, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called in to the sit-in via FaceTime. The sit-in came after the anti-war group was told a Palestinian person would not be allowed to speak on the main stage – until then, whether or not such a speech would happen was up in the air. During the sit-in, Muslim Women for Harris pulled their support for the Democratic nominee. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Tommy Robinson is no working-class hero
Though (I think) I never met Tommy, I know his world, and I did meet some of his later collaborators. When I knew him, Paul “Ray” (real name Cinato) was a reformed criminal and self-appointed youth street preacher. Once, around the year 2000, he caught me and my mates with a stolen moped, and we were given the choice of going to church with him or taking a beating (we chose the former). Paul later helped to set up the English Defence League (EDL) with Robinson, and it was speculated his ideas appeared in the manifesto of Anders Breivik, the Norwegian far-right mass murderer. I’m pleased to say my path has since diverged from that of Tommy and his milieu – though he and I have both done well for ourselves in very different ways. I’ve become an academic, specialising in the study of genocide and mass atrocities. Tommy Robinson, meanwhile, whose personal finances are now the subject of media scrutiny, made himself rich and famous as the chief tribune of the English far right. From the late 2000s through to today, he has arguably been its most important figure: the summer riots proved he is capable of sowing anti-Muslim and anti-migrant discord with a few clicks from his holiday sun-lounger. He is no ordinary thug or activist. He inspires a large, cult-like following – his very name chanted alongside “no surrender to the IRA”, “ten German bombers” and good-old “Ingerlund, Ingerlund” by the crowds that follow him. Beyond whatever delinquent charisma this is, he has another special trick. With a presentation style often earnest and pleading, he has convinced large portions of the political right that he is the authentic voice of the English working class. For a fawning Jordan Peterson, he is a “working-class leader” and a “genuine working-class guy”. And his Luton background is an irrefutable part of this image. As the conservative commentator Douglas Murray, speaking in conversation with Peterson, put it: “If you grew up in Luton and… you’re white and working class… you’re not allowed to say anything, you can’t do anything, because if you do, [you’ll be] called a racist.” The effect is to naturalise Robinson’s stoking of street violence as a consequence of his background. Fundamental to his authority in the mainstream is Luton; specifically, the Luton of the 2000s, plagued in his account by inter-ethnic conflict and hostile immigrant communities. read the complete article
How the far-right hijacked a young Muslim hero’s identity
Social media analyst Marc Owen Jones describes how a British Muslim security guard was first hailed as a hero for stopping a stabbing incident in London, and then his online identity was stolen by far-right accounts. On The Big Picture Podcast this week, we spoke to Jones about how Elon Musk transformed X into a haven for far-right agitators and conspiracy theories, which helped fuel the violent anti-immigrant riots across the UK. read the complete article
India
Indian Muslims refute state plans for a law on marriages, divorces
Indian authorities in Assam state have introduced a bill that would require Muslims to register their marriages and divorces, with the chief minister claiming the measure will help stop child marriage. India's 1.4 billion people are subject to a common criminal law, but personal matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance are governed by varying rules based on the traditions of different communities and faiths. In Assam, it is already mandatory for other religions to register marriages with civil authorities. Assam's state government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said the bill would be tabled during the next state assembly. Modi said this month he wanted to press ahead with a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) to standardise laws for personal matters across faiths and religious communities. Many communities, particularly Muslims, fear a UCC would encroach on their religious laws. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has said last week that a uniform civil code is not acceptable as it is not in line with Islamic law. read the complete article