Search
SearchToday in Islamophobia: In Canada, Ottawa police have arrested and charged a 30-year-old man in connection with last week’s alleged assault against a young Muslim woman on an OC Transport bus in Kanata, meanwhile in Spain, the far-right Vox party has launched an anti-migrant campaign targeting Spain’s 2.5 million Muslims, and in Israel, Sheren Falah Saab writes for Haaretz on the horrifying normalization of the murder of Arabs living in Israeli occupied territories and how Hebrew language outlets make such crimes an “almost invisible story”. Our recommended read of the day is by Stephen Prager for Common Dreams on how the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has stripped American Muslim organizations of more than $ 8 million in grant funding after a smear report was released by the anti-Muslim group, Middle East Forum (MEF). This and more below:
United States
DHS Strips Security Grants From Muslim Nonprofits Based on Report From Islamophobic 'Hate Group' | Recommended Read
The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that it has suspended more than $8 million in grants to Muslim organizations it claims have "alleged terror ties" following a report from a notorious anti-Muslim group. The money comes from FEMA's Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), which provides aid to religious groups at risk of hate-based terrorist attacks, including security alarms, cameras, and armed guards. DHS said it made the decision following a report from the Middle East Forum (MEF), a pro-Israel group, which alleged that DHS had given $25 million to "terror-linked groups" between 2013 and 2023. According to DHS, it has already suspended the funds to 49 different projects based on this report. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) describes MEF as an "anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim hate group" and its leader, Daniel Pipes, as "racist." The foreign policy commentator was nominated to the board of the United States Institute of Peace by former President George W. Bush in 2003 despite a long history of anti-Muslim rhetoric. This has included referring to Muslims as "brown-skinned peoples cooking strange foods and maintaining different standards of hygiene" and blaming the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, which was committed by a US-born white supremacist, on Muslim "fundamentalists." In the report, MEF described CAIR, which it says received $250,000 from FEMA, as a "Hamas-aligned" group. But the only evidence it cites is the organization's naming as an "unindicted co-conspirator" in the 2007 trial of the Holy Land Foundation for allegedly funnelling money to Hamas. CAIR was never charged with a crime, but that case has nevertheless been used to tie it and many other Muslim nonprofits to terror groups with little to no evidence of wrongdoing. MEF also singled out other organizations like the Islamic Society of Baltimore, merely because it was once "previously under FBI surveillance." Others MEF singled out for their harsh rhetoric towards Israel. read the complete article
Letters to the Editor: CAIR’s national deputy director defends the group against L.A. Times op-ed
To the editor: Contributing writer Josh Hammer’s recent column repeats bigoted, discredited conspiracy theories about American Muslims (“Label the Muslim Brotherhood’s branches as terrorist organizations,” Aug. 15). Just as extremists once smeared Catholic and Jewish Americans as disloyal and accused Black civil rights leaders and Vietnam War protesters of being communist agents, Islamophobes today falsely claim that American Muslim institutions are part of a global terrorist conspiracy. The main target of Hammer’s article was my civil rights group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations. For more than 30 years, CAIR has defended free speech, racial equality and religious liberty while consistently condemning all forms of bigotry — including antisemitism and Islamophobia — and unjust violence. We have spoken out against terrorism so often that ISIS once put a target on our executive director. Like other American Muslim institutions, CAIR is an independent nonprofit, not an agent of any foreign group. If Hammer’s real grievance with CAIR is our advocacy for Palestinian human rights, polls show that most Americans oppose U.S. support for Israel’s devastating war in Gaza. Does Hammer smear American Muslim groups because he fears our growing civic engagement will continue to reorient U.S. policy on Israel and Gaza in a more just, humane direction? read the complete article
Australia
Fact Check: Video shows religious procession, not evidence of Muslim takeover
A social media video shot in Melbourne, Australia, shows Shi’ite Muslims paying homage to the Prophet Mohammad’s grandson, not migrants chanting “we are awaiting orders”, contrary to online posts. Posts sharing the footage - or a screenshot of it - suggested it was evidence of a conspiracy for Muslims to take over the Western world. The posts exaggerated the number of people seen in the video and said they were all migrants, while in reality many are Australian citizens. “50,000 Muslim migrants marched in Melbourne at the weekend,” said an August 11 post, on Facebook. “They chanted together, ‘We are awaiting orders’. Even in Australia... they are here to take over and destroy the Western World and all other religions.” However, the footage shows an Ashura procession in Melbourne on July 7, 2025, according to a spokesperson for the Ashura Committee, which organised the event. The spokesperson added between 15,000 and 20,000 people took part and the majority of attendees were Australian nationals. Ashura is the holiest event in Shi’ite Muslims’ calendar and commemorates the death of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Mohammad’s grandson, in the 7th century Battle of Karbala. read the complete article
Canada
Police make arrest in 'hate-motivated' assault on Muslim woman in Kanata
Ottawa police have arrested and charged a 30-year-old man in connection with last week's alleged assault against a young Muslim woman on an OC Transpo bus in Kanata. Police announced on Wednesday that they charged the Ottawa man with three counts of criminal harassment, as well as one count each of assault, uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, and inciting hate in a public place. Police are not naming the man, saying mental health issues were a contributing factor. He appeared in court on Wednesday. The attack took place on Aug. 11. At the time, police referred to it as a "hate-motivated incident" and said the victim was a Muslim woman in her late teens. They described the suspect as a thin white man and said he had no relationship with the victim. While the victim did not speak to media, members of the city's Muslim community told CBC that she was shaken by the incident. The Kanata Muslim Association held a rally last week condemning Islamophobia and pushing for safety on public transit. read the complete article
Spain
Spain’s neo-fascist Vox party launches anti-Muslim campaign
Spain’s Vox party, the third-largest parliamentary force with 33 seats, has launched a vicious anti-migrant campaign targeting Spain’s 2.5 million Muslims. Exploiting the PSOE-Sumar government’s anti-migrant policies, Vox is reviving the most reactionary traditions of the Spanish ruling class. Last month, Vox national spokesperson Rocío De Meer demanded the mass deportation of migrants, including naturalised citizens, declaring: “All the millions of people who have recently arrived and have not adapted to our customs and in many cases have contributed to insecurity in our neighborhoods ... will have to return to their countries.” Vox leader Santiago Abascal called to deport “everyone who came to commit crimes, who tries to impose a foreign religion [i.e., Islam], who mistreats or demeans women, who wants to live off the work of others, and all unaccompanied minors.” Within weeks, fascist violence escalated. In July, several hundred far-right militants launched a pogrom in Torre Pacheco, Murcia, attacking Moroccan agricultural workers with bats and pepper spray, smashing cars, and vandalising immigrant-owned shops. Abascal reacted by blaming “mass immigration,” claiming it had “stolen our borders, stolen our peace, and stolen our prosperity.” In Catalonia, a Mosque ready to open its doors was set on fire, burning it down. The campaign continued in August. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Hijab-wearing jockey to make amateur debut
The first hijab-wearing jockey to win a horse race in Britain is to make her amateur debut. Khadijah Mellah, then aged 18, made history by winning the Markel Magnolia Cup in 2019, months after riding a horse for the first time. She is to ride in her debut race as an amateur jockey at Goodwood Racecourse on Friday. "When I got the call, I completely lost my mind. This is just such a beautiful way to emerge again on the racing scene," she said. By taking part in the Markel Magnolia Cup – an all-female, novice charity event – Ms Mellah became the first British Muslim woman to win a horse race. Since then, she has helped set up the Riding A Dream Academy – an initiative to help young people from diverse communities and disadvantaged backgrounds get involved in horse riding. "Visibility and seeing it to believe it is so important, but also having a relatable person to go to for advice makes a massive difference," she said. "Diversity can bring so much excitement into this sport. There are going to be some kids who want this so badly, just as I do, and really bring out the best in racing. read the complete article
Israel
In Israel, Every Time I Stop at a Gas Station or Store, I'm at Risk of Being Shot
On August 4, Mohammed Hijab, 19, from the village of Sheikh Danun, was shot and killed. That same day, Saher Ibrahim, 29, from Sajur, was also murdered. Later that night, Daya Abu Sharif, 25, from Jaljulya, was gunned down too. The following day, Tareq Bidas, 18, from Lod, met the same fate. On August 16, Ali Hadid, 26, from Daliat al-Carmel, died from wounds sustained in a shooting a few days earlier. That same day, Omar Abu Jamaa, 50, from Segev Shalom, was shot dead. Just two days ago, Rosette Jarban, 23, from Jisr al-Zarqa, was murdered. A surveillance camera recorded her final moments: she was walking through a narrow alley in the village when a car passed by. A man stepped out, pulled a pistol, and fired several shots. She collapsed slowly to the ground. The video lasts 19 seconds. That's how long it takes to kill someone with a gun. This grim reality mostly exists in WhatsApp groups and Arab media. For Hebrew-language outlets, murdered Arabs are a marginal, almost invisible story. Their deaths are often reduced to brief mentions. No photos, no background, no community voices, no human context. They appear as cold, disposable statistics. When I read these names, day after day, something inside me tightens. But it seems most people in this country feel nothing. They've learned to treat murders in Arab communities like they treat weather reports. This isn't the result of "information overload." It's a public, moral, and media-driven choice. When an entire society becomes numb to the death of others, it is in fact declaring that those lives are worth less. The Israeli government's abandonment of Arab citizens is not theoretical. It's concrete tangible. read the complete article