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SearchIn the United States, Nerdeen Kiswani, the pro-Palestinian activist who was the target of an assassination plot thwarted by law enforcement spoke out for the first time on Monday since police arrested a suspect, elsewhere in the country, police have launched a hate crime investigation in Brooklyn New York after someone spread feces onto the door of a Mosque earlier this month, and lastly, Texas Congressman Chip Roy is under fire after publishing a social media post calling for “No more Muslims.” Our recommended read of the day is by Brian Lyman for Alabama Reflector, on the anti-Muslim rhetoric of politicians running for office in Alabama, noting that “Tuberville and Allen are running to represent all Alabamians. If they think they only serve those who answer the altar call, they don’t believe in democracy.” This and more below:
United States
This election is a referendum on Alabama politicians. Not Muslims.
We’re not making the 2026 election another referendum on some Alabamians’ right to exist. Uh-uh. No damn way. We’re not letting our Muslim neighbors become content for Republican politicians. Not stepping stones for Fox News hits. Not fodder for white nationalists. If Tommy Tuberville and Wes Allen want to proclaim their faith in Jesus Christ, or Donald Trump, or if they wish to keep confusing the two, they can do so. But if they want to attack Alabamians for how they worship God, patriotic Americans should draw a line. Tuberville’s despicable attacks on a school for Muslim children in Hoover should have been disqualifying. His grossly offensive attempt to pair the 9/11 attacks with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim, would have finished him in a state that values basic decency. It did not. Instead, Allen, seeking the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor, jumped into the sewer with Tuberville on Tuesday. The Alabama Secretary of State attacked John Wahl, his main rival for the nomination, for attending an interfaith program at an Islamic center in Anniston. “You will never find me in an Islamic center or a mosque,” Allen’s statement said. “I am a committed Christian. I want no part in Islam and the vast majority of Republicans in this state and across this country agree with me.” Now this is an actual problem. Allen considers mosques illegitimate and, by implication, does not consider Muslim Alabamians worthy of political representation. At a minimum, it’s a profound abdication of public responsibility. But really, it’s something worse. The white ghosts of the South’s Jim Crow past are nodding at Allen and applauding his actions. They, too, held some Americans in contempt for who they were. read the complete article
Pro-Palestinian activist speaks out after foiled New York City assassination plot
The pro-Palestinian activist who was the target of an assassination plot thwarted by law enforcement spoke out for the first time on Monday since police arrested a suspect. Police say the suspect was planning to firebomb the home of Nerdeen Kiswani. She spoke outside of City Hall on Monday morning after the arrest of 26-year-old Alexander Heifler last Thursday. He is accused of assembling eight Molotov cocktails working with an undercover New York City police officer to target Kiswani and her child. Kiswani was supported by an arsenal of pro-Palestinian activists, human rights activists and Islamic activists Monday. They are all calling on lawmakers to more strongly denounce the attacks. Kiswani said she is still getting attacks on her life and said some threats have called Heifler an amateur. read the complete article
Police launch hate crime investigation after man smears feces on door of Brooklyn mosque
Police have launched a hate crime investigation after someone spread feces onto the door of a historic mosque in Brooklyn, and now cops have released video of the suspect they are looking for. Steps away from the bustling Atlantic Avenue, nestled on a quiet residential street, is the Daoud Mosque, also known as the Islamic Mission of America. It's nearly a century old and is a beloved place of worship for Muslims in Brooklyn Heights. Officials say around 430 a.m. on March 9, in the midst of Ramadan, the suspect threw torn pieces of what likely was a Quran at the mosque and then smeared an unknown substance on the door. The New York chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations says it is believed to have been feces. "It's a repulsive act by an individual who targeted an Islamic house of worship and did really what no one else would imagine," said Afaf Nasher, executive director of NY-CAIR. "Unfortunately, anti-Muslim hate is one of the largest increases that we've ever seen." read the complete article
Texas lawmaker ignites outrage after 'No more Muslims' message
A Texas congressman is under fire after a social media post calling for "No more Muslims," sparking outrage from critics who say he is abandoning the U.S Constitution he swore to uphold. U.S Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican who represents Texas' 21st Congressional District between San Antonio and Austin, posted on X Sunday night: "No more Muslims. No more criminals. No more marxists. No more corporatists. #SaveTexas." The post quickly ignited a wave of online backlash, with critics accusing Roy of Islamophobia and arguing his call to action tramples on rights laid out in the U.S. Constitution. "Your calls to remove the First Amendment guarantees of freedom of religion and speech for Muslims is a cowardly pander to the worst elements of our society," an X user by the name of John Graves wrote. "Criticism of Islam is one thing; what you are calling for is shameful bigotry." Numerous other comments echoed that same critique, with some even labeling Roy as a "traitor to the U.S. Constitution and to the American people." read the complete article
United Kingdom
Author Shahed Ezaydi Breaks Down Her Book ‘The Othered Woman’
Growing up between two cultures, navigating Islamophobia whilst trying to make sense of her own faith and identity, Shahed Ezaydi found herself in a place many young Muslim women will recognise: caught between worlds, with no book on the shelf that truly spoke to her experience. That book, it turns out, she would have to write herself. The Othered Woman is the result of years of unlearning, research and radical honesty. "Dealing with Islamophobia, while also trying to navigate the two cultures I was growing up with, left me feeling pretty lost. My friends didn’t really get me, and I was too nervous to talk to my parents about my confusion, as I didn’t want them to think I was rejecting our way of life. But constantly being told things about your religion, especially when it comes to women’s rights, meant I started to absorb some of it and believe in this Islamophobia." read the complete article
UK anti-Muslim hate move is welcome but now the real work begins
Earlier this month, the Labour government took the historic step of adopting a non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim hostility – seven years after the previous Conservative government committed to doing so. This definition was developed by an expert working group that spent months tirelessly consulting Muslims and non-Muslims, legal experts, academics, and sociologists. They were tasked with devising a definition that could, as accurately as possible, encompass the structural discrimination, inequality, and exclusion Muslims face in political, social, and civic life. The definition also recognises that “engaging in unlawful discrimination” that is “intended to disadvantage Muslims in public and economic life” constitutes anti-Muslim hostility. This is significant, given that in the UK Muslims are more likely to live in poverty; have to submit an average of 60% more job applications to get a positive response from an employer than a white British person, and are even charged more for car insurance if their name is Mohammed, than if their name is John. Of course, we already have legislation that provides important protections for everyone, but legislation alone is not enough – especially as much of the hostility many Muslims face on a daily basis falls below the criminal threshold, from being abused on social media for wearing traditional Arab clothes in an ad campaign to being accused of trying to dominate British society by praying in Trafalgar Square. A UK-wide, government-endorsed, non-statutory definition should form the basis of wider cultural, educational, and preventative efforts necessary to prevent this hatred from becoming further entrenched in our society. read the complete article
International
‘Dangerous escalation’: World reacts to Israel passing death penalty law
Human rights groups and Palestinian leaders have condemned Israel’s passage of a law approving the use of the death penalty against Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks, calling the measure a violation of international law and inherently discriminatory. The legislation, passed on Monday by Israel’s Parliament, the Knesset, makes the death penalty by hanging the default punishment for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank who have been found guilty of killing Israelis. It was championed by far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who was seen celebrating with champagne in the parliamentary chamber after the law was passed with 62 votes to 48. The legislation comes amid a surge in Israeli military and settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank, as well as thousands of arrests, in the shadow of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. The Association for Civil Rights in Israel said it had filed an appeal against the law with Israel’s Supreme Court. read the complete article