05 Jan 2024 | Organizations

Factsheet: Alp Services

Alp Services is a private global public affairs and intelligence firm based in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2023, it was revealed that Alp Services worked for the United Arab Emirates,  and carried out the largest disinformation campaign against Muslims in Europe, linking successful business people, organizations, and individuals to the Muslim Brotherhood in an effort to smear and blackmail them. The campaign relied on Islamophobic tropes as it framed Muslim individuals and organizations of being tied to an alleged “Islamist movement.” read the complete article

04 Jan 2024 | Organizations

Factsheet: Hindu Swayamsewak Sangh (HSS)

Hindu Swayamsewak Sangh (HSS) is a right-wing Hindu non-profit organization registered in New Jersey. On its website, the group states its mission is “to organize a diverse and vibrant Hindu American society that can collectively address its challenges and contribute to the welfare of the world.” As of November 2023, HSS claims it has 220 Shakhas (branches) nationwide. HSS’s website venerates the early ideologues of Hindu nationalism, including those who praised Nazi Germany. Additionally, HSS has hosted prominent figures from the RSS, an Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist, paramilitary volunteer organization. read the complete article

11 Dec 2023

Five Questions on Islamophobia in France

In Episode 10 of “Unpacking Islamophobia,” our guest is Rim-Sarah Alouane who is a French legal scholar and PhD candidate named one of the 2023 European Young Leaders Under 40 by the Friends of Europe and whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Foreign Policy, Al Jazeera, BBC and France 24. read the complete article

06 Dec 2023 | Event

Report Launch: Hindutva in Britain

Join The Bridge Initiative and Community Policy Forum as we launch a new report examining the presence of Hindu nationalism in the UK, and how last year’s events in Leicester were used by anti-Muslim voices to sow division in one of the UK’s most multicultural cities. read the complete article

24 Nov 2023 | Policy/Law

Hindutva in Britain

This report analyzes the historical and contemporary context that has cultivated the complex landscape in which Hindu nationalist influences have materialized in the UK. Our research provides an overview of Hindutva in India, the Islamophobia industry and its connection to Hindutva, UK-based groups and individuals who have expressed or supported Hindu nationalist sentiment, and the 2022 Leicester riots, the political response and fallout following the events in the city. read the complete article

02 Nov 2023 | Individuals

Factsheet: Nina Scholz

Nina Scholz is a German political commentator and writer on Islamism based in Vienna, Austria. Scholz is often presented as an expert on Islam and Islamism by the Austrian media and policy circles. She produces many texts with Heiko Heinisch, with whom she served as an expert for Operation Luxor, an unlawful raid targeting the homes of 60 prominent Austrian Muslims. read the complete article

03 Oct 2023

Five Questions on Europe Quran Burnings

In Episode 8 of “Unpacking Islamophobia,” our guest is Professor Farid Hafez, an Austrian academic who currently serves as a distinguished visiting Professor of International Studies at Williams College in Massachusetts and co-editor of the annual European Islamophobia Report, a collaborative work with 40 scholars covering more than 30 European countries. read the complete article

05 Sep 2023

Five Questions on Islamophobia in Australia

In Episode 7 of “Unpacking Islamophobia,” our guest is Professor Susan Carland, an Australian Muslim academic and television presenter who specializes on a wide array of topics, including issues related to women in Islam. Since Islamophobia manifests in different parts of the world in different ways, Professor Carland provides insight into how Islamophobia has shown up in Australia for the last several decades. read the complete article