Mobashra Tazamal, Author at Bridge Initiative

20 Oct 2023 | Policy/Law

Timeline: France’s targeting of Muslim women’s dress

Over the past two decades, the French government has passed a number of laws that have significantly impacted the rights of French Muslim women, namely their right to free expression and freedom of religion. Under... read the complete article

Editorial

11 Aug 2023 | Policy/Law

Burning the Quran is not free speech

Over the past several weeks a number of individuals in Sweden and Denmark have desecrated and burned copies of the Quran, the holy book of nearly 2 billion Muslims worldwide. While these acts have rapidly increased in the past few weeks, they’re sadly not new as such displays of hatred have taken place throughout Europe for decades. read the complete article

Article

27 Jan 2023 | Policy/Law

Secularism and sinicization: two concepts used to eradicate Muslim identity

In 2021, a European Muslim youth led organization created a campaign to counter discrimination and promote pluralism by showcasing a European woman wearing a hijab. The ad highlighted that freedom means having the ability to... read the complete article

Article

09 Jan 2023 | Policy/Law

2022 Islamophobia in Review: China

In 2022, China’s repression against Uyghur Muslims continued. There was growing international concern over the use of forced labor in the camps and how the international supply chain could be tainted with human rights violations.... read the complete article

Article

29 Dec 2022 | Policy/Law

2022 Islamophobia in Review: Canada

Islamophobia in Canada was a combination of localized incidents of hate crimes and government policy that discriminated against Muslims, especially Muslim women who were left to choose between their faith and their jobs. Bill 21... read the complete article

Article

22 Dec 2022 | Policy/Law

2022 Islamophobia in Review: Europe

2022 was another turbulent year for Europe. There were a number of elections, and new heads of state were chosen in France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. A new refugee crisis occurred as millions of... read the complete article

Article

21 Dec 2022 | Policy/Law

2022 Islamophobia in Review: United States

2022 in the United States marked the twentieth anniversary of the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, which rights organizations and academics have described as an “enduring symbol of Islamophobia.” The detention center was opened in... read the complete article

Article

20 Dec 2022 | Policy/Law

2022 Islamophobia in Review: India

2022 marked the 75th anniversary of India’s independence, and the occasion offered an opportunity to reflect on the country and its accomplishments. Many scholars, journalists, and rights activists noted that the momentous occasion was marred... read the complete article

Article

23 Nov 2022 | Policy/Law

On the Politicization of Muslim Women’s Bodies

The politicization of women’s bodies has been a fixture in nation-building. Throughout history, women’s bodies have been used as political and ideological battlegrounds, upon which ruling elites debate and issue laws aimed at defining a... read the complete article

Article

31 May 2022 | Policy/Law

The Misappropriation of Islamic Terminology

Phrases such as “Christian Sharia Law” and “election jihad” do two things: 1) use Islam and Muslims as a point of reference for all things bad, evil, and unjust, and 2) acknowledge the negative connotations around Islamic terminology in the post-9/11 world and misappropriate these terms to manufacture a threat. Both scenarios are successful because the association of Islam and Muslims with danger is already ingrained in the public’s mind. It’s not only a replay of age-old orientalist thinking — everything “over there” is bad/uncivilized, and “we” are not “them” — but it’s also a sort of linguistic Islamophobia, instrumentalizing Islamic terminology to connect Muslims with danger, violence, and oppression. read the complete article