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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In Ireland, the Irish nationalist Sinn Féin party has expelled a member over her possible link to a conspiracy to bomb a mosque — and stressed it won’t tolerate far-right racists in its ranks, meanwhile in the United States, at the Malikah Safety Center in Astoria, Queens, Muslim women and girls are learning self defense techniques and survival tools for combating bullying and anti-Muslim discrimination, and in the United Kingdom, British journalist Sami Hamdi arrived in London on Thursday after spending more than two weeks in US immigration detention. Our recommended read of the day is by Suha Musa for The New Arab on a new exhibit in New York City by curator Hiba Abid called Niyū Yūrk, which highlights the centuries-long role of MENA immigrants in shaping NYC and American culture. This and more below:
United States
From Ellis Island to Brooklyn Bodegas, Niyū Yūrk exhibition celebrates MENA immigrants' history and contributions to New York | Recommended Read
Following the historic election of Zohran Mamdani as New York City’s first Muslim mayor earlier this month, the legacy and contributions of Muslim Americans to the city have been a key point of discussion. While the mayor-elect is not himself from the Middle East or North Africa, the newfound platform extended to Muslims city-wide has been instrumental in addressing issues like Islamophobia and anti-Arab sentiment. Amid these lingering false assumptions is the belief that the arrival and assimilation of Arabs in New York and the US is only a recent phenomenon, but as a new exhibit at the New York Public Library explores, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Titled Niyū Yūrk — spelt to match the phonetic pronunciation of the city’s name in Arabic — the exhibit sits in the main building of the historic NYPL, exploring the reality of thousands of MENA New Yorkers, which dates back to the 19th century, and their enduring connection to the city. read the complete article
From DC to California, Pro-Israel Censorship Is Getting Worse
I spoke with attorney and podcaster Jenin Younes about free speech under Trump as well as her work as the new national legal director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, an organization which recently filed a major lawsuit in California challenging a new state law that restricts “antisemitic” speech without defining the term. Younes: "Given what some members of his [Trump] administration had been saying along those lines, I thought, “Oh, what they're gonna do is start deporting people who are critical of Israel,” which then started happening in March. It began with Mahmoud Khalil. Since then, it's been a multifaceted effort. It's not just the deportations, but also pressuring universities, threatening to withhold or withholding funds unless they stamp down on “antisemitic” activity (which clearly means criticism of Israel and pro-Palestine protests), scouring people's social media posts before letting them into the country, which is unprecedented, threatening to revoke people's green cards, or denying them adjustment of status if they've been "antisemitic." It's very clear, based on what this administration has done and said in the past, that they consider criticism of Israel to be antisemitism, or at least they pretend to consider it that. So, it's really the opposite of free speech. read the complete article
Queens self-defense class for Muslim women teaches more than just technique
At the Malikah Safety Center in Astoria, Queens, Muslim women are learning more than just self-defense. "After 9/11, I experienced a hate-based attack and started to think about my skills as a martial artist, not just as a sport but also as a survival tool," Rana Abdelhamid said. "We've seen such Islamophobic rhetoric, so much divisiveness, so much hate, and that actually translates to the streets. People are impacted," she said. Multiple generations learn side by side, including techniques like how to respond to having your hijab grabbed. Members are united by shared experiences from school bullying to workplace discrimination, and for many, the training has brought new confidence. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Hackney Muslims on their experience of Islamophobia
November is Islamophobia Awareness Month - and recent data from monitoring organisation Tell Mama and the Metropolitan Police shows there was a surge following the October 7, 2023, attacks in Israel. The month is held to combat anti-Muslim prejudice by challenging stereotypes, promoting understanding, and celebrating the contributions of Muslim communities. But do Muslims in east London feel it is a problem? We asked people on the streets of Homerton. Teacher Layla Muhmood, 29, said: “I do sometimes feel that Islamophobia is going on in this area but have not had any personal attacks myself. I do hear gossip from other people that they have suffered name calling like ‘go back to where came from’ or 'terrorist'.” Abdi Raheem, 35, a cleaner, said: “I don’t see any Islamophobia at all. Yes, I read things and heat things but do not se anything. But overall people are friendly and polite to each other.” “There is a lot of white middle class people moving into the area. They seem to mix with each other but not with other communities. Whether that is anything to do with Islamophobia, I don’t know. But they are friendly.” read the complete article
British journalist Sami Hamdi arrives to UK after weeks in ICE detention
British journalist Sami Hamdi arrived in London on Thursday after spending more than two weeks in US immigration detention. His family, who said they felt "great relief", met him at Heathrow before he addressed the press, ending a detention they describe as unnecessary, punitive and politically motivated. Hamdi was seized by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at San Francisco International Airport on 26 October while travelling for a speaking tour. The arrest came shortly after he addressed Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) California's annual gala, where he contrasted being "America First" with being "Israel First" and condemned Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Supporters immediately questioned the timing, and his family later said he had been “abducted and detained by ICE” despite holding a valid visa and committing no crime. US authorities insisted he was detained for overstaying his visa, but Hamdi's legal team maintain his documents were in order and argues he was targeted for his criticism of Israel. read the complete article
Ireland
Ireland’s Sinn Féin expels member over anti-immigrant terror plot
The Irish nationalist Sinn Féin party has expelled a member over her possible link to a conspiracy to bomb a mosque — and stressed it won’t tolerate far-right racists in its ranks. Sinn Féin, Ireland’s main opposition party, confirmed the expulsion Thursday hours after the party member’s partner was arrested on suspicion of involvement in an alleged plot to attack immigrants. Sinn Féin declined to identify the woman or her partner, but confirmed both of them this year had been guests of the party inside Ireland’s parliament building, Leinster House. The episode underscores how immigration has become a particularly tricky issue for Sinn Féin. Rising tension over immigration has sparked occasional rioting in Ireland, which a generation ago was virtually all-white but today has more than 1 million foreign-born residents in its 5.4 million population. Sinn Féin bills itself as a party of the left. Its leaders are traditionally pro-immigrant and have made support for the Palestinian cause a core issue. But surveys have found that many grassroots members take a hostile view of immigrants, particularly from Africa and predominantly Muslim nations. read the complete article
International
This Palestinian human rights group was sanctioned by Trump. Its chief wishes US allies would take a stand
Al-Haq, a leading Palestinian human rights organization based in the West Bank, is not new to adversity. But since the group was sanctioned by the Trump administration in September, its world has shrunk. Today, staff work without pay because their banks closed their accounts. US-based funders have pulled away. YouTube has pulled hundreds of the group’s videos documenting Israeli forces’ human rights abuses against Palestinians. Perhaps most upsetting, US-based groups that had long collaborated have gone quiet, fearful that communications with Al-Haq may draw the attention of an administration that has made clear they are a target. “I feel a deep, deep pain in my heart,” said Shawan Jabarin, Al-Haq’s director, of the silence from US-based organizations in the human rights and social justice sector. “Most of them – if not all – they stopped working with us or engaging with us formally and openly.” Speaking to the Guardian, Jabarin called on US-based rights groups to take a more defiant stance against the Trump administration. “Standing on the side of human rights and justice doesn’t mean that you have to respect draconian orders or laws,” he said. “You have to fight back with all means.” read the complete article