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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the United States, Muslim students at the University of Houston are calling for action after an alleged Islamophobic attack during a campus event left the community shaken, elsewhere in the US, as the gap between New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani and his chief opponent Andrew Cuomo narrowed over the past month, more anti-Muslim, anti-Mamdani posts emerged on X, leading to more than a 450 percent increase in such content from September to October, and in India, the country has launched a sweeping coast to coast revision of its voter rolls on Tuesday, sparking concerns that the exercise could further marginalize minorities and disenfranchise millions of Muslims. Our recommended read of the day is by Sahar Aziz for Middle East Eye on how the Islamophobic attacks on the New York City mayoral frontrunner recall the xenophobic campaigns waged by political rivals against Jewish and Catholic candidates a century ago. This and more below:
United States
How race-baiting against Zohran Mamdani continues an American political tradition | Recommended Read
"Terrorist supporter", "antisemite", "foreign invader". These are just a few of the anti-Muslim racial tropes frequently hurled at Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim-American frontrunner in the New York City mayoral race. While such overt anti-Muslim racism recalls the rapid surge in Islamophobia after 9/11, race-baiting against religious minorities has a far longer history in American politics. One need look no further than the grandparents of today's Irish, Italian, and Jewish-American politicians. The similarities between the anti-Catholic and anti-Jewish race-baiting of a century ago and the rampant anti-Muslim attacks against Mamdani today are glaring. That they come from members of communities once excluded from politics on account of their Irish, Italian, Jewish or Catholic identities offers another lesson: deploying racism against the newest wave of immigrants has long been the price of entrance into America's political elite. A hundred years ago, Catholics and Jews were race-baited when they entered politics. Today, it is Muslims. Perversely, it is the descendants of these same minority communities who are now perpetuating xenophobia against the newest immigrants to the US. read the complete article
Auntie Fa? Media Scrambles to Find Absolute Dumbest Way to Smear Mamdani as Finish Line Approaches
A Muslim immigrant from Uganda of Indian descent, a democratic socialist, and an outspoken critic of U.S. imperialism and Israeli apartheid, Mamdani unapologetically embodies everything the American political establishment—Republican and Democrat alike—has long demonized, racially, religiously and ideologically. He is, quite literally, America’s worst nightmare. The latest controversy centered on a story Mamdani told at the Islamic Cultural Center of the Bronx during a campaign speech about Islamophobia in the city. He spoke about his “aunt”—a female relative who, after September 11, stopped taking the subway because she no longer felt safe wearing her hijab. Within hours, critics pounced on what they framed as a “gotcha” moment: someone had found a photo online of his only biological aunt (who neither wore a headscarf nor lived in New York City) and declared that Mamdani had lied. Except Mamdani didn’t lie. The woman he referred to was his father’s cousin, technically his first cousin once removed. But more importantly, South Asians and many other communities of color understand “Auntie” and “Uncle” as terms of respect—titles that express affection for elders who offer care, support, and guidance, whether or not they are related by blood. I couldn’t tell you the wallet names of so many aunties or uncles in my life, or what our precise biological ties might be (if any!). The fact that Mamdani referred to his father’s cousin as his “aunt” is, quite frankly, the most boring “scandal” imaginable. As a left-leaning South Asian-American Muslim, and as a former New Yorker, I am exhilarated by Mamdani’s rise. And as a scholar of Islam and Muslims in North America, I am unsurprised by the blatant Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism that have defined much of the opposition to his candidacy—tolerated, if not eagerly stoked, by Republicans and establishment Democrats alike. read the complete article
Muslim students report alleged hate incident at University of Houston
Muslim students at the University of Houston are calling for action after an alleged Islamophobic attack during a campus event left the community shaken. According to the UH Muslim Student Association (MSA), the incident occurred Thursday, October 30, at Lynn Eusan Park. An individual reportedly entered the group's reserved space, shouted anti-Islamic messages through a megaphone, and threw a copy of the Qur'an into a bonfire. "Our members were in the middle of prayer—a moment of sacred stillness where we face one direction and cannot look around, speak, or react," the MSA said in a social media post. Video of the event shows the disturbance unfolding sometime in the evening. Quickly, however, UH MSA said, one of its members was able to recover the Islamic holy book from the flames. The alleged perpetrator has not been identified by authorities but is known on social media as "Saint Chris," the UH MSA said, with a documented history of targeting Muslim Student Associations in Texas. read the complete article
In American politics, being Muslim is worse than being a sexual predator or corrupt politician
New York City is facing an unprecedented election on November 4, one it has never seen. A race driven by racism, Islamophobia, and vicious attacks against Democratic Party nominee Zohran Mamdani by two rivals accused of corruption and sexual harassment. Mamdani won the Democratic Primary nomination on June 24, easily defeating controversy-plagued former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo with 56 percent of the vote, which would have guaranteed an easy walk on a political red carpet to Gracie Mansion, the home built in 1799 to house the city’s mayor in luxury and style. Mamdani must win the General Election on November 4, where he faces 11 challengers, to become Mayor. Ordinarily, that victory would be routine for a Democratic candidate, considering Democratic voters outnumber Republicans and Independents by a huge 6 to 1 ratio. But there is nothing routine about this particular New York City mayoral election. Mamdani is a Muslim. Instead of being cheered as a Democratic Party champion, Mamdani is being vilified as an “anti-Semite,” a “socialist,” an “outsider,” and many of his critics are quick to throw in his religion to pander to growing Islamophobia that continues to sweep America. It is ironic that the election has come down to his critics attacking his religion, especially since his critics have been consumed with federal criminal charges. read the complete article
Virginia could make history with first Muslim woman elected to statewide office
Virginia state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi could make history Tuesday night as the first Muslim woman ever elected to statewide office in the United States. Hashmi is running to become Virginia’s next lieutenant governor in a competitive race against Republican John Reid, a former conservative talk radio host, who could make history himself as the first openly gay Republican elected to statewide office in the country. Virginia will also elect its first woman governor Tuesday in a two-woman contest between former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger and Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. Both lieutenant governor candidates have largely steered clear of the history-making potential of their campaigns, focusing rather on the issues they hope will animate their respective parties. For Hashmi, that is a rebuke of President Donald Trump’s second term alongside boosting funding for public education; for Reid, it’s lowering taxes and regulations for business and keeping transgender girls out of girls’ sports. At the same time, looking back on her campaign as it comes to a close, “the most gratifying part to me has been the level of excitement I’ve seen from so many people — but most especially young women and young women of diverse backgrounds,” Hashmi said. “They are excited to know that we are making history, both with Abigail and my election. They see this as opening up a new chapter in Virginia — responding to centuries of bigotry and misogyny. We are demonstrating quite effectively that women are critical and essential leaders.” read the complete article
Will the attacks on Zohran Mamdani awaken a “sleeping giant”?
As the New York City mayoral election enters the final stretch, with the Muslim American Democratic Party nominee Zohran Mamdani maintaining a sizable lead in all of the polls, a familiar beast has reared its head: blatant Islamophobia. Most of those dabbling in outright bigotry are unsurprising: right-wing shock-jocks and the pro-Trump New York Post. But what has made many of these forays into the gutter most surprising — and disconcerting — is that they’ve been endorsed, either tacitly or explicitly, by Mamdani’s chief rival, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who lost to Mamdani in the Democratic Party’s primary election but has continued running as an independent candidate. When, for example, a right-wing radio host told Cuomo that Mamdani would be “cheering” if there were another 9/11-style terrorist attack on New York, Cuomo did not only fail to challenge this bigoted smear; he chuckled, then added, “That’s another problem.” And when Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo suggested that Mamdani would force women in New York City to “cover up” — which, she claimed, was already the case in “largely Muslim” London — Cuomo not only let the smear go unchallenged, but noted that Mamdani is “dual citizenship” (he was born in Uganda) before saying he “just doesn’t understand the New York culture,” including “what 9/11 meant.” Recently, I spoke with Almontaser about political Islamophobia, what it’s like to be a Muslim New Yorker watching Mamdani’s campaign, and the potential significance of him becoming the first Muslim mayor in the city’s history. Our conversation has been edited for clarity and length. read the complete article
Anti-Muslim posts on X about Zohran Mamdani have increased by more than 450 percent
As the gap between New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani and his chief opponent Andrew Cuomo narrowed over the past month, more anti-Muslim, anti-Mamdani posts have emerged on X, leading to more than a 450 percent increase in such content from September to October, a new report shows. The Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) revealed in a 20-page document on Monday that Islamophobic and xenophobic discourse surrounding Mamdani on X had a reach of some 1.5 billion between his Democratic primary win in June and the end of October. The content stemmed from 35,522 original posts, authored by 17,752 unique accounts on X. The organisation is now calling on the platform to implement election-specific safeguards, enforce community guidelines against attacks on race and religion, and enhance corrective counterarguments in its algorithm. Forty-five percent of all the posts the study looked at were authored by verified blue badge users, usually meaning they are paid subscribers of the platform. However, this is not always the case, given that tens of thousands of accounts with blue checkmarks have long been suspected of being bots. read the complete article
United Kingdom
UK priest admits posting Islamophobic messages in neo-Nazi chat
A Catholic priest from Cardiff who posted Islamophobic and racist messages in a neo-Nazi chatroom, including calls to "bomb mosques" and "shoot black people in the head", has been sentenced to a 12-month community order. Father Mark Rowles, 57, of St John Lloyd Catholic Church, admitted three counts of sending menacing or offensive messages on the encrypted app Telegram in May and June 2024. Using the alias "skinheadlad1488" in a chatroom called Aryan Reich Killers, Rowles shared violent and racist messages targeting Muslims and Black people. Prosecutor Rob Simkins said the messages showed "hostility based on religion and race". Rowles was ordered to complete 150 hours of community service, pay £199 in costs, and will be subject to a three-year Criminal Behaviour Order. The Catholic Church in Wales confirmed that he has not been in active ministry since the allegations emerged and that it is conducting an internal review. read the complete article
Fact Check: No evidence of Muslims in UK calling for Ramadan public eating ban
There is no evidence to support widely viewed online posts that claim Muslims in Britain are calling for a ban on eating in public during the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims abstain from eating or drinking, opens new tab from dawn until sunset. “Muslims in the UK are calling for a BAN of people eating in public during Ramadan daylight hours,” said an October 28 post, opens new tab on Facebook, which shared a composite image, one a picture of British radical Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary and another of a bacon sandwich. “They argue that seeing people eating food increases their temptation. What's your message to them?" The social media post does not source its claim, and there is no evidence that Muslims in Britain, including Choudary, have called for a public eating ban during Ramadan. As a pork product, bacon is forbidden by Muslim dietary laws. The precise timing of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, varies each year. In 2026, it will begin in mid-February. Two prominent organisations representing Muslims in Britain said the claims are false. “There is absolutely no truth to the claim that Muslims in the UK are calling for a ban on people eating in public during Ramadan daylight hours,” said a spokesperson for the Muslim Association of Britain, which has thousands of British Muslims as members. read the complete article
India
How a new law in India targets Muslim parents in the name of 'love jihad'
The government in the northeastern state of Assam in India has announced plans to enact legislation that analysts say targets the minority Muslim population. Dubbed an anti-“love jihad” measure, the proposed law promises life imprisonment for coerced religious conversions through marriage and allows for the arrest of the accused man’s parents. Analysts say the legislation is designed to vilify Muslim men as predators and fracture the fragile communal harmony in a state already scarred by ethnic strife. The announcement, made on October 22, bundles the “love jihad” bill with others, targeting polygamy and land rights for tea tribes. But it is the former that has ignited outrage. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who belongs to the right-wing BJP party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, declared the proposed legislation “historic,” while framing it as a shield for “social harmony”. Yet, beneath the rhetoric lies a pattern of exclusionary politics, which paints Assam’s 34 percent Muslim population as an existential threat to the state's “indigenous” identity. read the complete article
India launches massive voter roll overhaul amid fears of Muslim and minority disenfranchisement
India launched a sweeping revision of its voter rolls on Tuesday, sparking concerns that the exercise could deepen marginalisation of minorities and disenfranchise millions of Muslims in the world’s largest democracy. The three-month voter registration overhaul — known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) — kicked off in 12 states and territories, many of which are slated to hold local elections next year. Officials say the aim is to ensure accuracy and remove duplicate or fake entries. But opposition leaders and rights groups view the drive as part of a broader campaign by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to consolidate political control by excluding those from marginalised communities. Members Modi's Hindu nationalist party have long claimed that undocumented Muslim migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh have fraudulently registered as voters. Critics, however, argue that stringent documentation requirements could result in large numbers of Indian citizens being wrongly removed from the rolls. Activists have reported cases of living voters declared dead and entire families being struck off draft lists. read the complete article
International
Counter-terror police investigate claim UK university halted research after Chinese pressure
An investigation into allegations that a British university was subjected to pressure from Beijing authorities to halt research about human rights abuses in China has been referred to counter-terrorism police. The Guardian reported on Monday morning that Sheffield Hallam University, home to the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice (HKC) research institution, had ordered professor Laura Murphy to cease research on supply chains and forced labour in the country in February. Murphy’s work focuses on Uyghurs, a persecuted Muslim minority in China. A South Yorkshire police spokesperson said the force had referred the investigation on because the “allegations fall under Section 3 of the National Security Act”, the BBC reported. Section 3 of the act deals with “assisting a foreign intelligence service”. An offence is committed if someone behaves in a way that “intends that conduct to materially assist a foreign intelligence service in carrying out UK-related activities”, or in conduct likely to assist that service. In October the university apologised and said it was lifting the ban on Murphy’s work on China and forced labour. read the complete article