Displaying Author: Bridge Initiative Team
27 Jun 2023
Italy: Meloni’s Islamophobic policies are pushing Muslims to the margins
This op-ed by Bridge Initiative Senior Researcher Farid Hafez originally appeared in Middle East Eye. Since taking office in October following the general elections, Italian Prime Minister and leading co-founder of the neo-fascist Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy),… read the complete article
21 Jun 2023 | Event
The Criminalization of Islamophobia Studies
The Bridge Initiative brings together a panel of experts who have faced targeted harassment for their scholarly work on the state’s role in promoting Islamophobia, to discuss this growing and dangerous phenomena and the impact it’s having on academic freedom and civil society. read the complete article
05 Jun 2023
Five Questions on Canadian Islamophobia with Amira Elghawaby
In Episode six of "Unpacking Islamophobia," our guest is Amira Elghawaby who is Canada’s first-ever Special Representative on Combating Islamophobia. In the past few years, Canada has experienced more mass killings motivated by Islamophobia than any other country in the G7. read the complete article
22 May 2023
Five Questions on Islamophobia and the Future of Muslims in India
In Episode Five of "Unpacking Islamophobia," our guest is Kashmiri Muslim journalist, Raqib Hameed Naik, who discusses Hindu nationalism in India and the growing violence and intolerance against the country's 200 million Muslims. Naik provides an important historical overview of Hindu nationalism, the ideologues behind this political movement and their goal of achieving a Hindu-only nation. He talks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is an openly Hindu nationalist party and under whose rule India has witnessed a drastic rise in anti-Muslim violence and polarization. read the complete article
02 May 2023
Opinion | How German conservatives are waging a crusade against Muslim civil society
This op-ed by Bridge Initiative Senior Researcher Farid Hafez originally appeared in Middle East Eye. It was one of the latest initiatives of the German conservatives in the midst of the election campaign in 2021: a crusade against organised Muslims… read the complete article
11 Apr 2023
Five Questions on China’s Genocide of Uyghur Muslims
Nury Turkel is a Uyghur Muslim attorney who currently serves as Chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) after being appointed by U.S. Congressional House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in May 2020. He has testified before the US Congress, speaking about Uyghur Muslim internment camps, and advocating a legislative response to China’s atrocities. His policy recommendations have been incorporated into US law and pending bills relating to Uyghurs and China. read the complete article
14 Mar 2023
Five Islamophobia Questions with Rep. Ilhan Omar
In Episode #3 of “Unpacking Islamophobia,” our host Arsalan Iftikhar sits down with Congresswoman Ilhan Omar to discuss Islamophobia within American & European politics and address the rise of genocidal Islamophobia in places like India, Myanmar, and China. read the complete article
21 Feb 2023
Quebec: Why are politicians attacking an effort to combat Islamophobia?
This op-ed by Bridge Initiative Associate Director Mobashra Tazamal originally appeared in The Middle East Eye. Just days before World Hijab Day, Quebec’s politicians took aim at Canada’s newly appointed special envoy to combat Islamophobia, Amira Elghawaby, calling on… read the complete article
20 Feb 2023
Sweden: The Quran burning incident is hate speech, not free speech
This op-ed by Bridge Initiative Associate Director Mobashra Tazamal originally appeared in The Middle East Eye. This is how it generally follows: some far-right figure looking to garner attention and cause controversy carries out a spectacle… read the complete article
14 Feb 2023
Five Islamophobia Questions with Peter Beinart
In the past two decades, there’s been a demonstrable rise in Islamophobia and Antisemitism across the globe. Not only has this manifested in discriminatory and dangerous rhetoric, including the promotion of far-right conspiracy theories by politicians, it has resulted in a number of deadly attacks on Muslim and Jewish communities. read the complete article