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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the UK, Reform is proposing to revoke visas for six mainly Muslim countries and create a mass deportations force, if the party wins the next general election, meanwhile in Australia, far-right politician Pauline Hanson’s anti-Muslim comments have been reported to federal police, and lastly in Israel, the government has signed a military order designating five Palestinian local online media platforms as “terrorist” organizations, without providing any evidence to support this claim. Our recommended read of the day is by Farid Hafez for Middle East Eye on how Tel Aviv is aligning with the same European far-right movements that once warned of a fabricated “global Jewish conspiracy” bent on world domination, who now recycle the very same conspiracy theory, but with new targets: Muslims. This and more below:
International
Why Israel is joining hands with Europe's far right | Recommended Read
Extreme right-wing parties no longer linger at the fringes of European politics. Post-fascist and right-wing extremist parties have entered government, supported governing coalitions, or even assumed leadership roles across the continent. Central to this transformation has been a deliberate effort to normalise their image - less by abandoning exclusionary politics than by repackaging them through the dominant racist imaginaries of the present. Where once these movements and their predecessors fantasised about a global Jewish conspiracy bent on world domination, they now claim to confront a different existential threat, using strikingly similar rhetoric. Muslims, according to this narrative, seek to “take over” Europe in coordination with globalist, woke elites. The conspiracy remains; only its targets have shifted. Against this backdrop, the European far right has worked persistently to gain acceptance in Israel. In 2010, for the first time in the 21st century, a delegation of far-right leaders from Austria, Belgium, Germany and Sweden traveled to Israel to meet with Israeli politicians. The delegation signed the so-called “Jerusalem Declaration”, signalling a strategic pivot away from explicit antisemitism and towards Islamophobia as the basis for alliance-building. The declaration boldly claimed that “we stand at the vanguard in the fight for the western, democratic community” against the “totalitarian threat” of “fundamentalist Islam”. read the complete article
Man drives across Europe to honour promise and explore Muslim history
In his 20-year-old Toyota Yaris, Haris set off from the United Kingdom to Bosnia and Herzegovina to fulfil a promise made to friends who had passed away prematurely and to honour their memory, as well as that of his grandfather. His journey took him across Europe, sleeping in his car, facing breakdowns and cold weather, and encountering people and congregations that consistently offered him support. He documented lost Muslim history in Europe en route — and even raised funds for Sudan. For Haris, Bosnia and Herzegovina is not just a destination, but also the heart and ‘Andalusia’ of the Balkans — a place where history, suffering, faith, and belonging converge. read the complete article
How Modi ‘broke down walls’ between India, Israel – at Palestine’s expense
Nine years later, as Modi prepares to fly to Israel on February 25 for his second visit, he can largely claim to have accomplished that mission, analysts say. A relationship that was once frowned upon in India, and then carried out clandestinely, is now one of New Delhi’s most public friendships. Modi has frequently described Netanyahu as a “dear friend”, despite the International Criminal Court having issued an arrest warrant in late 2024 for the Israeli premier over alleged war crimes carried out during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. Indian diplomats and officials have justified the country’s pivot towards Israel as a “pragmatic approach” – Israel, with its tech and military expertise, has too much to offer to be ignored, they argue – balanced by efforts from New Delhi to strengthen ties with its Arab allies. Yet, it has come at a cost, analysts say: to Palestine, and India’s relationship with it, and, according to some experts, to India’s moral credibility. Modi’s rise to power in India in 2014 proved to be the catalyst for the biggest shift in relations. Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has an ideology rooted in the vision of making India a Hindu nation, a natural homeland for Hindus anywhere in the world – an approach that mirrors, in many ways, Israel’s view of itself as a Jewish homeland. Both Modi and Israel view “Islamic terrorism”, which critics say is also shorthand for justifications needed to pursue broader anti-Muslim policies, as major threats. Under Modi, India has become Israel’s largest weapons buyer. And in 2024, as Israel waged its war on Gaza, Indian weapons firms sold Israel rockets and explosives, according to an Al Jazeera investigation. read the complete article
Israel designates five Palestinian news outlets as ‘terrorist’ groups
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz has signed a military order designating five Palestinian local online media platforms as “terrorist” organisations, alleging links to Hamas, according to local Israeli media. The order announced by Katz on Monday targets Al Asima News, Quds Plus, Alquds Albawsala, Maraj and Maydan Alquds. It said the outlets are used to incite unrest, particularly in Jerusalem. The decision comes as media monitors and rights groups continue to highlight Israel’s crackdown on freedom of speech, including in the occupied Palestinian territories. Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, said the order targets vital sources of information for Palestinians, serving as their “eyes and ears, especially in Jerusalem”. “The occupied West Bank is divided by over a thousand gates and checkpoints, while entry into occupied East Jerusalem for most Palestinians is basically impossible – certainly not without an Israeli permit,” she said. “These media outlets provide Palestinians with minute-to-minute updates of what is happening in Jerusalem, of Israeli violations, of the atmosphere.” Odeh noted that the Israeli Ministry of Defence has not provided “any evidence” regarding the accusations against the five media outlets. read the complete article
United Kingdom
What is Reform UK's proposed visa ban for six mostly Muslim countries?
Reform UK is proposing to revoke visas for six mainly Muslim countries and create a mass deportations force, alongside a raft of other hardline anti-immigration measures, if the party wins the next general election. The party’s new home affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, revealed details of the “visa freezes” plan during a speech in Dover on Monday morning. Pakistan, Eritrea, Somalia, Syria, Afghanistan and Sudan were all named as nations that could be hit by what would effectively be a Donald Trump-style visa ban. All illegal migrants in the UK would be deported if Reform come to power, Mr Yusuf vowed as he claimed Britain was being “invaded”. He revealed proposals for an ICE-style agency dedicated to deporting people, as well as cancelling the status of those with indefinite leave to remain. read the complete article
Disinformation was ‘central accelerant’ in Leicester Hindu-Muslim clashes, inquiry finds
Violence between Hindus and Muslims in Leicester in 2022 was fuelled by online disinformation and met with a failure of leadership from the city’s mayor, council and police, an independent inquiry has said. Researchers from the School of Oriental and African Studies and the London School of Economics carried out the study after the unrest between predominantly young Hindu and Muslim men in Leicester between May and September 2022. The disorder in the East Midlands city, long regarded as a model of community cohesion, involved vandalism, attacks and assaults on homes and businesses. More than 50 people have been charged with offences linked to the violence, according to police. The inquiry, chaired by the human rights expert and former UN special rapporteur Juan Méndez, conducted in-depth interviews with about 80 people and consulted many others, including witnesses and individuals involved in the unrest. read the complete article
Australia
Pauline Hanson’s Muslim comments have been reported to federal police – but could she face charges?
Pauline Hanson’s recent remarks about Muslims dominated political debate last week – and federal police said it had received reports of a “crime” in relation to the Queensland senator’s comments. As Hanson discussed the thwarted attempts by Australian women and children stuck in Syria to return home on Sky News on Monday last week, she said: “You say, ‘Well, there’s good Muslims out there’ – how can you tell me there are good Muslims?” Anthony Albanese linked Hanson’s remarks with a series of threats to the Lakemba mosque. Hanson’s own One Nation colleague Barnaby Joyce has not endorsed the inflammatory comments. Bilal El-Hayek, the mayor of Canterbury Bankstown, which includes Lakemba, said the senator should face charges over her “highly inflammatory” comments about Muslims. read the complete article
Muslim Australians fear rising Islamophobia as Ramadan begins
Omar Abdo has been fighting the idea of a "good or bad Muslim" for nearly a decade. He has spent time within Islamic organisations and on government advisory boards fostering interfaith dialogue. The father of four said he was not surprised when he heard One Nation leader Pauline Hanson suggest there were no "good Muslims", but he worried about what it signalled to the public. In the wake of her remarks, Islamophobia envoy Aftab Malik said he invited Senator Hanson to meet for iftar — the meal eaten after breaking fast — ahead of Ramadan. Mr Malik said he was yet to hear back from Senator Hanson but stressed the invitation did not change what he thought about her comments. "In no way does it try to diminish or conceal what is ultimately speech that legitimises hostility, which creates fear and engenders alienation," Mr Malik said. "I feel as though … it's become a lot easier to leverage the divisions of our societies than to heal them," Mr Abdo said. "The 'political theatre' that I refer to is very much couched in the idea that these are the divisions at play — how do we leverage these divisions to further our agendas, whatever those agendas might be?" Islamophobia Register Australia executive director Nora Amath said the organisation's data showed a link between divisive language and an increase in reported incidents. read the complete article
United States
Despite the mainstreaming of bigotry, Muslims run in midterm elections
As midterm election races heat up across the U.S., more Muslim Americans are venturing to run for office, navigating the odds of success at a time of increasing polarization and political violence. Although President Donald Trump’s administration has adopted policies that have unevenly disadvantaged about 4.5 million Americans practicing Islam, the community appears to be galvanized into action as in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks when suspicion of Muslims spiraled. Since his return to power in January 2025, Trump’s immigration restrictions, crackdown on civil liberties and foreign policy decisions have haunted American Muslims, as well as other minority groups. His June presidential order banning nationals of 12 countries from entering the U.S. was an updated version of the “Muslim Ban” he rolled out in his first term after he called for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” as a candidate. Amid the government’s normalization of hostility toward one of the three Abrahamic faiths, several Muslims have chosen to enter politics. This year, gubernatorial elections will be held in 39 states and territories, and voters in 435 congressional districts will decide their representatives at the House in addition to 35 Senate seats that will be contested. Despite historically low trends of public representation, several Muslim candidates are on the ballot in the midterm race, including a contender for the governor of Georgia. read the complete article