Displaying Author: Bridge Initiative Team
13 Feb 2023
OPINION – I am not Charlie: Satire and dehumanization of Türkiye earthquake victims
This op-ed by Bridge Initiative Senior Researcher Farid Hafez originally appeared in Anadolu Agency The author is a distinguished visiting professor of international studies and senior researcher at Georgetown University’s The Bridge Initiative. He is also… read the complete article
24 Jan 2023
Opinion | Why Is the Far Right Obsessed With Burning the Koran?
This op-ed by Bridge Initiative Senior Researcher Farid Hafez originally appeared in Haaretz. Far-right leader Rasmus Paludan is a serial Koran-burner. In 2019, he staged public burnings of the Muslim holy book in several locations across… read the complete article
18 Jan 2023
How Austria Made the Study of Islamophobia a Crime
This op-ed by Bridge Initiative Senior Researcher Farid Hafez originally appeared in Middle East Eye. Operation Luxor was the largest police operation Austria had witnessed since 1945. Targeting alleged terrorists, more than 100 defendants were included in the preliminary investigation… read the complete article
31 Oct 2022 | Policy/Law
Is a Genocide of Muslims Underway in India?
Over the past decade, India has experienced a dangerous rise in Islamophobia. There are near daily episodes of harassment, public beatings and mob assaults, destruction of property, and lynchings that have created an atmosphere of fear for the country’s 200+ million Muslims. read the complete article
24 Oct 2022 | Event
Mosques Under Threat
In the aftermath of 9/11, there was a drastic increase in Islamophobia with countless cases of harassment and violence against Muslims in western countries. In addition to the attacks against Muslims or those perceived to be Muslim, mosques too became targets of Islamophobic violence. read the complete article
20 Oct 2022
Five Questions with Dr. John L Esposito
In our first episode of “Unpacking Islamophobia,” host Arsalan Iftikhar sits down with Dr. John L. Esposito who discusses the roots of Islamophobia, its impacts on Muslims and non-Muslims, the role of the media in promoting anti-Muslim racism, and what the future looks like if things go unchanged. read the complete article
20 Sep 2022 | Event
Genocide and the Ongoing Persecution of Rohingya Muslims
Earlier this year, the U.S. government declared Myanmar’s mass killing of the Rohingya Muslim population to be a “genocide”. This designation comes 6 years after the first incidence of mass violence was carried out by Myanmar’s military against the long-persecuted and marginalized community. read the complete article
19 May 2022
Austria’s Operation Luxor: Anti-terrorism or Islamophobia?
Bridge Senior Research Fellow, Dr. Farid Hafez was interviewed in this May 18, 2022 documentary by Al Jazeera. “Operation Luxor: Anti-terrorism or Islamophobia?” investigates the November 2020 dawn police raids in Austria, which targeted the homes of nearly… read the complete article
16 May 2022
Statement: Mass shooting targeting Black Americans in Buffalo, NY
The May 14, 2022 mass shooting in Buffalo, New York is a horrific tragedy. The Bridge Initiative sends our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those whose lives have been taken. We grieve… read the complete article
18 Apr 2022
Update on Austria’s targeting of Prof. Farid Hafez
A statement by leading academic scholars and lawyers previously expressed their deep concern about the Austrian government’s use of counter-terrorism powers to target prominent Islamophobia expert Professor Farid Hafez. Following Austria’s largest ever peacetime police raids on 11 November… read the complete article