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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In Spain, a local authority in the south-east has banned Muslims from using public facilities such as civic centres and gyms to celebrate the religious festivals Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, meanwhile in the United Kingdom, new research out by Amnesty International into X’s algorithm has revealed how the platform played a “central role” in spreading false narratives fueling riots in the country last summer, and in Israeli Occupied Palestine, a lead contractor for a company providing security at the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s deadly food distribution sites has recently been discovered to be an American member of a Crusader-inspired motorcycle gang with anti-Muslim leanings. Our recommended read of the day is by TRT Global on a new report out by Canada’s York University, which found that anti-Palestinian and Islamophobic hate crimes spiked by as much as 1,800 percent in some regions of the country. This and more below:
Canada
Islamophobic, anti-Palestine hate crimes surged by 1,800% in Canada since October 7 — report | Recommended Read
A new report has warned of an alarming surge in hate incidents across Canada since the start of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, with Islamophobic and anti-Palestine hate crimes spiking by as much as 1,800 percent in some regions. The report, released early on Wednesday and titled "Documenting the 'Palestine Exception'" by author Nadia Hasan of York University's Islamophobia Research Hub, outlines what it calls a "sharp and dangerous" rise in Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian racism (APR) and anti-Arab racism (AAR) over the past 21 months. "In the aftermath of Oct. 2023, Canada saw a rise in anti-Palestinian racism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism that affects many areas of life and work for Canadians," Hasan said during a news conference in Ottawa. Based on consultations with 16 Canadian organisations, public data and media reports, the report revealed that Toronto Police Services saw a 1,600 percent year-over-year increase in anti-Palestinian and Islamophobic hate crimes between October 7 and November 20, 2023. According to Statistics Canada, a 94 percent spike in anti-Muslim hate crimes and a 52 percent rise in hate crimes against Arabs and West Asians were recorded in 2023. The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) reported a 1,300 percent increase in Islamophobia cases in the month after October 7, rising to 1,800 percent over the year. read the complete article
Report on anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab racism will inform recommendations to government, special representative says
Canada’s special representative on combatting Islamophobia says a new report that tracks anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism in this country since Hamas’s 2023 attack on Israel will help shape her recommendations to the government on the issue. Amira Elghawaby was referring to a report from York University’s Islamophobia Research Hub that looks at cases of harassment from 2023 and 2024 and was released in Ottawa Wednesday. “This report will help inform the advice that I provide to the federal government,” Ms. Elghawaby told a news conference, adding that she will be reviewing the 15 recommendations in the document. “We will be looking at where they are related directly to my mandate and then we will be having discussions with decision makers on these.” Researchers say the incidents include the targeting of young people in schools and postsecondary institutions and hate-motivated crimes. The report also refers to what it calls the “Palestinian exception,” referring to incidents of censorship, discipline and punishment for those speaking out against violence by the Israeli state and for Palestinian human rights. The report’s 15 recommendations include adopting a definition of anti-Palestinian racism at all levels of government, as well as related curriculum development, training and education. There’s also a call for political and institutional leaders to speak out against such racism, provincewide reviews of how schools and school boards have handled reports of anti-Palestinian racism in schools, and creating a fund to support victims of hate-motivated crimes. read the complete article
United Kingdom
How Musk’s X fuelled racist targeting of Muslims and migrants after Southport attack
New analysis investigating X’s algorithm has revealed how the platform played a “central role” in spreading false narratives fuelling riots in the UK last summer. Amnesty International’s analysis of the platform’s own source code, published in March 2023, has revealed how it “systematically prioritises” content that “sparks outrage” - without adequate safeguards to prevent harm. The human rights group said the design of the software created “fertile ground for inflammatory racist narratives to thrive” in the wake of the Southport attack last year. Before official accounts were shared by authorities, false statements and Islamophobic narratives began circulating on social media last summer, the report said. The consequences of this misinformation resulted in weeks of racist riots which spread across the country, with a number of hotels housing asylum seekers targeted by the far-right. Amnesty International said that in the critical window after the Southport attack, X’s algorithm system meant inflammatory posts went viral, even if they contained misinformation. read the complete article
United States
This Group’s Definition of Antisemitism Is Providing Cover for Genocide
In 2016, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), a group of 35 mostly European countries, drafted what it called a working definition of antisemitism. The IHRA had been founded in 1998 to promote Holocaust education and, in its own words, to “strengthen governmental cooperation to work towards a world without genocide.” All too sadly, right now, its definition is being used to do the opposite: It’s helping to criminalize opposition to genocide. Most anti-racist organizations, like the NAACP, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the League of United Latin American Citizens, and Stop Anti-Asian and Pacific Islander Hate, do not, in fact, offer a specific definition of racism. Instead, they simply work to combat discrimination and fight for equal opportunity and basic human and civil rights. Jews in the United States don’t, in fact, face the same kinds of systemic racism the people that formed the above organizations face. Unlike them, Jews tend to be disproportionately high-income, highly educated professionals. So, in the IHRA’s list of examples of antisemitism, not one refers to inequality or structural discrimination. Instead, they focus mostly on ideas and speech—and in particular things said about Israel. And what those examples tend to do is turn the definition of antisemitism into a thinly veiled tool for use in prohibiting criticism of any sort of Israel. What follows, however, is a confusing and contradictory amalgam of 11 “examples of antisemitism in public life,” six of which focus on political debate that raises questions about Zionism, Israel as an ethnostate, or Israel’s actions. Creating legal avenues to suppress what would otherwise be protected political speech about Israel is a major reason that the IHRA and its allies have felt the need to turn their definition into law. read the complete article
Spain
Outrage as Spanish town bans Muslim religious festivals from public spaces
A local authority in south-east Spain has banned Muslims from using public facilities such as civic centres and gyms to celebrate the religious festivals Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha. The ban in Jumilla, in Murcia, is a first in Spain. It was introduced by the conservative People’s party (PP) and passed with the abstention of the far-right Vox party and the opposition of local leftwing parties. The proposal states “municipal sports facilities cannot be used for religious, cultural or social activities alien to our identity unless organised by the local authority”. The local Vox party posted on X: “Thanks to Vox the first measure to ban Islamic festivals in Spain’s public spaces has been passed. Spain is and will be forever the land of Christian people.” Mounir Benjelloun Andaloussi Azhari, president of the Spanish federation of Islamic organisations, told El País newspaper the proposal was “Islamophobic and discriminatory”. “They’re not going after other religions, they’re going after ours,” he said. Referring to the recent rise of racist rhetoric and attacks, he added: “We’re rather surprised by what’s happening in Spain. For the first time in 30 years I feel afraid.” read the complete article
International
Team Leader at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites Belongs to Anti-“Jihad” Motorcycle Club, Has Crusader Tattoos
A lead contractor for a company providing security at the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s controversial food distribution sites is a member of a Crusader-inspired motorcycle club that touts its opposition to the “radical jihadist movement.” Johnny “Taz” Mulford belongs to a Florida chapter of the Infidels, a biker group for veterans of U.S. wars and private military contractors like Blackwater. In May, Mulford began recruiting among his Facebook network for an unspecified job opportunity, asking anyone who “can still shoot, move and communicate” to contact him. Reached by phone on Friday, Mulford confirmed to The Intercept that he is currently in Israel, adding that he was “on his way to a checkpoint,” but declined to comment further. Two sources directly familiar with the Gaza operations of UG Solutions, including former contractor Anthony Aguilar, confirmed Mulford’s employment to The Intercept. Mulford’s ties to the motorcycle group were first reported by Zeteo. Mulford’s membership in the Infidels and numerous tattoos widely linked to the Crusades and contemporary far-right movements raise questions about his role as a contractor for the GHF mission. Among other posts on Facebook, Mulford nods to Christian Zionism by sharing a post calling Israel “God’s chosen nation” and a video mocking pro-Palestine protesters. read the complete article