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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the US, according to a leaked audio recording, University of Michigan President Santa J. Ono claims the federal government put pressure on the institution to prioritize combating antisemitism over Islamophobia, meanwhile, Muslim civil society organizations have raised the alarm about a rising tide of state suppression of pro-Palestinian activism across Europe at a major security conference in Poland, and in the UK, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, former Conservative cabinet minister, joins Ellen and Alona to talk about her new book Muslims Don’t Matter, and the “the silencing, stereotyping and stigmatizing of Muslims by the British press and political parties.” Our recommended read of the day is by Jessica Bateman for Hyphen on the popular rise of the anti-immigration party AfD in Germany and how the right-wing anti-Muslim and xenophobic politics are impacting thousands of Muslim asylum seekers in the country. This and more below:
Germany
Why is the far right thriving in Thuringia? | Recommended Read
Thuringia has provided the far right with its biggest election success anywhere in Germany since the second world war. On 1 September, the anti-immigration party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) came top in state elections with 32% of the vote — its biggest ever vote share. Under Germany’s federal system, state governments have significant lawmaking powers in education, culture and social welfare. The Thuringian branch of the AfD is considered one of the most extreme in Germany. Its spokesperson Björn Höcke has been fined twice for using Nazi slogans in speeches. In 2023, 8,821 asylum claims were lodged in Thuringia — an increase of 5,837 from 2022 but still well below the peak of 16,044 in 2016. Most asylum seekers there live in secluded camps or shared accommodation in small villages and towns. Mohammed has been housed on a leafy road that until recently had no streetlights, on the outskirts of a small town. These remote spots can feel vulnerable, and often are. Ezra, an organisation that offers counselling for victims of far-right violence, documented violent racism in Thuringia. Adam Alazawe, who arrived in Germany from Syria in 2016 and now works with asylum organisations including the Thuringia Refugee Council, believes the state has particular challenges when it comes to safeguarding asylum seekers. A rural region of forests and remote villages, Thuringia is one of the poorest areas of Germany. Its population has plummeted in recent decades as people left to find work. read the complete article
United States
Leaked audio reveals U-M President pressured to prioritize antisemitism over islamophobia
University of Michigan President Santa J. Ono claims the federal government put pressure on the institution to prioritize combating antisemitism over islamophobia, according to a leaked audio recording of posted to social media on Sunday. The recording, released by the university’s Tahrir Coalition — an activist group composed of over 90 student organizations supporting the liberation of Palestine — indicates that U-M risks losing $2 billion in federal funding if it fails to follow directives focusing on antisemitism. “The government could call me tomorrow and say in a very unbalanced way, the university is not doing enough to combat antisemitism, and I could say it’s not doing enough to combat islamophobia, and that’s not what they want to hear, so the whole situation is not balanced,” Ono says in the audio. “There are powerful groups who may know that my peers from presidents of other universities have been in the hot seat in Congress. The question from Congress is not balanced. It’s focused almost entirely on antisemitism, which I think is an issue, but there’s also islamophobia as well.” “This only confirms what we know to be true: the University regents and administration, in collaboration with the federal government, are stifling dissent and public pressure to divest from ‘israel’s’ genocide in Gaza under the guise of combating antisemitism,” the Tahrir Coalition said in a press release. “The weaponization of antisemitism is being tactically used to repress the pro-Palestine movement on a national scale, with protesters routinely getting brutalized and attacked by militarized police forces.” read the complete article
Republicans threaten to punish colleges that allow pro-Palestinian protests
Top Republicans are threatening to pull billions of dollars of federal funding from some of the most prestigious universities in the US, stripping them of official accreditation to punish them for allowing pro-Palestinian protests on their campuses. The Guardian has reviewed a video recording of a meeting in Washington last week between House majority leader Steve Scalise and the powerful pro-Israel lobby group the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac). In it, Scalise outlined how he planned to unleash a massive attack against universities that fail to squash criticism of Israel. The offensive, which would be coordinated with the White House should Donald Trump win the presidential race in November, could even threaten the existence of universities, Scalise warned. He talked about revoking accreditation, the system by which higher education institutions are approved and to which the bulk of federal funds are tied. read the complete article
International
Islamophobia is the grammar of world order: Prof Salman Sayyid
“The genocide that’s ongoing is not an interruption of the argument that I made about Islamophobia being the grammar of world [order], but in fact, it’s a demonstration of that,” Prof Salman Sayyid tells Maktoob in an hour-long exclusive interview. Salman Sayyid, a scholar of Islamophobia, argues that the term Islamophobia is not simply a matter of semantics, but rather a powerful concept that shapes how people understand and interact with the world. He also argues that Islamophobia is not simply a localized phenomenon but rather a global one that has become increasingly widespread and influential in the post-colonial world order. Sayyid highlights that Islamophobia is not simply a matter of individual prejudice or passionate hatred. Instead, it operates as a deeply ingrained “grammar of the world order,” shaping institutions, policies, and social practices. read the complete article
Pro-Palestine activism facing suppression in Europe, Muslim groups warn
Muslim civil society organisations have raised the alarm about a rising tide of state suppression of pro-Palestinian activism across Europe at a major security conference in Poland. Speakers at this week’s Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) Warsaw Human Dimension Conference have included Elias d’Imzalene, a prominent French Muslim activist set to stand trial later this month over a speech in which he called for “intifada in Paris” during a pro-Palestine demonstration in September. Addressing the conference on Monday, d’Imzalene said France had become “the spearhead of Islamophobia and discrimination in Europe”. “This year, to make sure it remains ahead of the game, any activist calling for a ceasefire in Gaza is being severely persecuted. The state seeks to silence their voice by any means necessary,” d’Imzalene said, speaking on behalf of Perspectives Musulmanes, a French Muslim advocacy organisation. Addressing the conference, Shezana Hafiz, outreach coordinator at the UK-based campaign group Cage international, accused the UK government of compromising civil liberties and judicial independence while continuing to support arms exports to Israel. Addressing the conference, Amanj Aziz, a spokesperson for Swedish Muslim advocacy organisation Insan, said it felt “surreal… being here after watching the majority of the western world’s blatant disregard for basic human rights and violations of these rights over the past year”. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Sayeeda Warsi on the Tories and why ‘Muslims don’t matter’
Baroness Warsi, former Conservative cabinet minister and lawyer, joins Ellen and Alona to talk about her new book Muslims Don’t Matter, about “the silencing, stereotyping and stigmatising of Muslims by the British press and political parties.” Politicians, media outlets, think tanks and even the entertainment industry have poisoned public discourse about Muslims, culminating in this summer’s riots. She describes how Islamophobia, which she calls “Britain's bigotry blind spot”, not only passes the “dinner table test”, but has been enacted into policy. In a moving conversation about her journey in the public eye, she talks about her lifelong effort to challenge racism and why she’s finally resigned the whip. read the complete article
France
France is 'spearhead of Islamophobia and discrimination' in Europe, Muslim groups say
Muslim civil society organisations have raised the alarm about a rising tide of state suppression of pro-Palestinian activism across Europe at a major security conference in Poland. Speakers at this week’s Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) Warsaw Human Dimension Conference have included Elias d’Imzalene, a prominent French Muslim activist set to stand trial later this month over a speech in which he called for “intifada in Paris” during a pro-Palestine demonstration in September. Addressing the conference on Monday, d’Imzalene said France had become “the spearhead of Islamophobia and discrimination in Europe”. read the complete article