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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the United Kingdom, Sadiq Khan has accused the US president of being “racist, sexist, misogynistic and Islamophobic” after President Trump used a speech at the UN to call the London mayor “terrible” and claim the city was being steered toward “sharia law”, meanwhile in Israel, Israeli leaders facing isolation over the Gaza war are increasingly pointing the finger at Muslim populations in the West to explain a string of diplomatic defeats, and lastly, in the Netherlands, the Amsterdam city council has voted to bar sports teams from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank along with fans accused of supporting “racist and extremist views”. Our recommended read of the day is by Pastor Michael Woolf for Sojourners, who writes that “what we choose to teach about Islam will shape not only the safety of our Muslim neighbors but also our own integrity as followers of Jesus.” This and more below.
United States
Christians Shouldn't Burn the Quran. They Should Read It | Recommended Read
When a Texas Republican congressional candidate used a flamethrower to set a Quran ablaze as part of a political ad in August, I wasn’t shocked by the act itself. Unfortunately, burning the Quran as a political act has a long history. What made my heart sink was hearing the candidate claim the fire was “powered by Jesus Christ.” I’m not referring to the candidate by name because I do not want them to benefit politically from this act. As a pastor whose faith has been deepened by reading the Quran, I could not help but grieve the distortion of Jesus’ name to justify desecrating a text that shares so much with the Bible. The desecration of the Quran has been used not only as a political act but as an act of torture, such as when American service members intentionally desecrated the Quran at Guantanamo Bay in front of Muslim prisoners in 2005. High-profile instances of burning the Quran have taken place in Florida, Denmark, the U.K., and Sweden. The candidate’s ad might be the most striking embodiment of a rising tide of anti-Muslim hate that scholars have tracked over the past two years. It’s not hard to connect violence against a sacred object to violence against a community when the candidate herself says she “will end Islam in Texas so help me God.” In burning the Quran in the name of Jesus, the act also set ablaze many of the same stories and teachings that are contained in the Bible—although I doubt the candidate knew that. That shouldn’t be surprising. In my experience, most Christians have little understanding of what is actually in the Quran. As a tradition that emerged after Christianity, Islam has always been in dialogue with it and has even included, with reverence, many prominent figures of Christianity—including Jesus himself. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Sadiq Khan hits back at ‘racist, sexist, misogynistic and Islamophobic’ Trump
Sadiq Khan has hit back at Donald Trump, accusing the US president of being “racist, sexist, misogynistic and Islamophobic” after he used a speech at the UN to call the London mayor “terrible” and claim the city was being steered toward “sharia law”. Trump’s remarks on Tuesday night provoked anger among Labour figures, with the health secretary, Wes Streeting, praising Khan as someone who “stands up for difference of background and opinion”. However, Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary, a close ally of Keir Starmer, stopped short on Wednesday of commenting on Trump’s remarks about Khan. Instead, McFadden defended London’s reputation as a global city. Khan later launched a blistering attack on Trump. He said: “I think President Trump has shown he is racist, he is sexist, he is misogynistic and he’s Islamophobic.” The London mayor also subtly criticised senior Labour figures, including the prime minister, for not calling out Trump’s rhetoric. Trump has been publicly attacking the mayor of London since 2015, when Khan criticised the then presidential candidate for suggesting that Muslims should be banned from travelling to the US. read the complete article
‘This is hate, pure and simple’: Muslim pork ad pulled from awards
The Drum has removed a finalist from its Chip Shop Awards after it was called out for using the tagline: “Make a Muslim eat pork”. The full poster said “Make a Muslim eat pork” with an image of a skerrick of meat remaining on a plate. The brand tagline “Or start using Finish” was in smaller text at the bottom of the poster. The creative appeared to be advertising Finish dishwasher tablets, but Finish and its parent company Reckitt were not involved in the creative. Instead, it was communications students who had submitted the creative into the category Best Idea (Rejected by a Client). The idea of the Chip Shop Awards, according to The Drum, is to celebrate “raw, unfiltered creativity”. Zed Anwar, however, said the work should not be celebrated. “This isn’t clever. This isn’t provocative creativity. This is hate, pure and simple, taking my faith and my identity and reducing them to the punchline of a joke. It dehumanises Muslims everywhere,” the London-based creative art director said on LinkedIn. read the complete article
New wave of terrorism charges hits UK protesters against Palestine Action ban
Twelve people have been charged under UK anti-terrorism legislation following their involvement in a protest in Manchester against the proscription of direct action group Palestine Action. The charges come as activists prepare for nationwide demonstrations opposing the ban, due to begin at the Labour Party conference, which begins next week. Greater Manchester Police confirmed that twelve people were charged. Palestine Action was designated a proscribed terrorist organisation by the Home Office in July, making membership or support a criminal offence. The twelve defendants, who joined a demonstration in Manchester city centre against both the ban and Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 10 November. This latest wave of arrests comes amid mounting criticism from activists and human rights groups, who have accused the government of carrying out an “unprecedented assault on free speech” with the ban and engaging in legal overreach. read the complete article
Australia
University of Melbourne statement on Special Envoy’s plan to Combat Islamophobia
The University of Melbourne acknowledges the report handed to the Prime Minister by Mr Aftab Malik, Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia in Australia. We acknowledge the toll that Islamophobia takes for members of our Muslim community and the devastating impacts it has on people’s daily lives within Australian society. As a multicultural and multifaith community, the University of Melbourne is resolute in addressing and responding to Islamophobia and all forms of racism on our campuses through a range of specific, documented antiracism initiatives. read the complete article
Australia needs a register for all hate crimes including Islamophobia
Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia has released a landmark report highlighting the urgent need for improved reporting mechanisms as more than one-third of Australians now express negative attitudes toward Muslims, with hate crimes particularly targeting hijab-wearing women and those of Palestinian and Arab backgrounds. Beyond addressing Islamophobia specifically, Australia needs a comprehensive national hate crimes register covering all minority groups to combat growing social polarization and ensure equal protection for vulnerable communities. read the complete article
International
Isolated Israel blames Muslims in the West for shifting Europe's stance on Gaza
Israeli leaders facing isolation over the Gaza war are increasingly pointing the finger at Muslim populations in the West to explain rising anti-Semitism and a string of diplomatic defeats. They claim the West's Muslim population is engaged in an organised push to incite hatred against Israel and Jews, using their votes to influence policy and colluding with far-left politicians. It comes as a number of close Israeli allies have recognised a Palestinian state. Critics of the trend have told The National it is a racist attempt to absolve politicians of responsibility for Israel’s current position and make sense of a massive drop in global support for the country, as it bombs Palestinians and inflicts famine on Gaza. Amichai Chikli, Israel's Minister of Diaspora Affairs, has repeated the claim throughout 2025. In one interview he described some European leaders as “useful idiots” for trying to “appease” Muslim voters by adopting anti-Israel policies. Former Israeli diplomat Alon Pinkas told The National that the argument is “a cleanse-your-conscience type of nonsense” and “sheer dumbness”. “It absolves the self-righteous Israeli politicians from responsibility of what’s going on,” Mr Pinkas said. Palestinian-Israeli politician and historian Sami Abou Shahadeh told The National that Israel’s extreme right is fear-mongering by using anti-Muslim rhetoric to “prevent any objective and rational discussion”. read the complete article
Netherlands
Israeli sports teams banned by Amsterdam council amid growing outrage over Gaza
The Amsterdam city council has voted to bar sports teams from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank along with fans accused of supporting "racist and extremist views," Dutch media reported Wednesday. The move comes amid growing outrage within the sporting world and beyond at Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. The decision also includes blocking Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv from entering the city, according to Dutch outlet De Telegraaf . Sheher Khan, leader of the Dutch Denk party, said Maccabi supporters "support genocide, which is reason enough," referencing violent clashes in Amsterdam last November when the club’s fans were accused of chanting anti-Arab and racist slogans during their visit. According to further reports, an "urgent" letter will be sent this week to both the Dutch Football Association and the national Olympic Committee, requesting formal approval of Amsterdam’s decision and preventing such teams from entering the city in future. read the complete article
Spain
The rise of Vox — the voice of Spain’s anti-immigration right
growing political party harked back to the Middle Ages at a recent rally for the populist right. Santiago Abascal singled out the Reconquista, Spain’s centuries-long series of campaigns to recapture the country from Muslim forces that ended in 1492. The continent needed a new one, the Vox leader said, to fight an “Islamist invasion”, “climatic terrorism” and “woke ideology”. Thousands of his voters roared approvingly and waved Spanish flags. The enthusiastic reception for Abascal, at the event staged for Patriots for Europe, the European parliament’s third-largest voting bloc, reflects a national trend: Vox is on the march. A quarter of Spaniards under the age of 24 will vote for Vox in the next elections, according to state pollster CIS — a figure that rises to 36 per cent among young men. The Catholic nationalist party, which was formed in 2013 and is already Spain’s third-largest force in parliament, is at a historic high: polls suggest it will win between 16 and 18 per cent of the vote. Present at the rally, Andres Ventura, the head of Portugal’s populist right-wing Chega party, which is the country’s main opposition party and now tops the polls, praised Vox’s role in the violent anti-migrant protests in the southeast Murcia region in the summer. The anti-Muslim tone was echoed by Iñigo Fernandez, 19, from Vox’s youth wing, who is training to be a tailor. He said: “Immigration is one of Spain’s biggest problems, above all from Morocco and North Africa. I believe Spain should be a Catholic state. Also many migrants overstay visas or arrive without papers, and they take jobs. That is a big problem.” Tertsch admitted that Spain needed Latin American migrants, however. Official Spanish data from early 2024 suggests that foreign-born residents from the region made up approximately 7 per cent of the population. North Africans constituted about 3.14 per cent of the population. “We have to select our immigration. We are lucky enough that we can, we can have an immigration from Latin America, who speaks our language, have our civilisation easily,” he said. read the complete article