Mobashra Tazamal, Author at Bridge Initiative

26 Apr 2019 | Politics

The Tories have an Islamophobia problem

Anti-Muslim sentiment is rife in the UK’s Conservative Party, from disparaging comments on social media platforms to political campaigns. Despite the overwhelming evidence, the party’s leadership has failed to take the necessary steps in addressing its... read the complete article

Article

10 Apr 2019

Christchurch, immigration & the fear mongering that incites hate

On March 15, 2019, a 28-year-old white Australian man carried out a massacre targeting two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. Brenton Tarrant entered the mosques during Friday prayers, shooting Muslims as they prayed, killing 50 and injuring dozens of others. The eldest victim, Haji Daoud Nabi, was 71 years old, and the youngest, Mucad Ibrahim, was just 3 years old. The shooter live-streamed the entire attack on Facebook and published a 74-page manifesto detailing his reasoning for the attack and its focus on Muslims as his target. read the complete article

Editorial

18 Mar 2019

Fox News: a megaphone for anti-Muslim hatred

In her March 9 segment, Fox’s Jeanine Pirro questioned Congresswoman’s Ilhan Omar loyalty, stating: “Think about it. Omar wears a hijab, which according to the Quran 33:59, tells women to cover so they won’t get... read the complete article

Article

12 Jan 2019 | Law Enforcement

China justifies its Concentration Camps using “War on Terror” discourse

China has adopted and intensified Islamophobia, identifying the practice of Islam as extremist and the root cause of terrorism, to justify repressive measures aimed at erasing the Uighur Muslim identity. As a result of the... read the complete article

Article

10 Sep 2018

Is ACT for America really a grassroots organization?

Isabelle Canaan recently completed her MPhil in Politics (Comparative Government) at the University of Oxford. Her Masters thesis explored social movement trajectory, employing a case study of ACT for America. Using interview and primary source data,... read the complete article

Article

01 Aug 2018

Tommy Robinson, Islamophobia, and the Global Far-Right Movement

When it comes to Islamophobia, aren’t far-right narratives really just mainstream? Within a span of two months, central London experienced two violent rallies in support of imprisoned British anti-Muslim and anti-immigration activist, Tommy Robinson. The... read the complete article

Research

04 Jun 2018

How anti-Muslim rhetoric drives the imperialist “Global War on Terror”

Nine days following the deadly attacks on September 11, 2001, then-president George W. Bush publicly announced the “war on terror.” In the pivotal speech, the former president vowed to defend American freedoms in the face... read the complete article

Research

20 Mar 2018

Robert Mercer’s financing of Islamophobia

The release of Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House led to an explosive media cycle as excerpts from the book were published. They also led to the announcement that Steve Bannon,... read the complete article

Article

14 Feb 2018

Erasing Muslims from the “West”: Islamophobic campaigns across Europe and the US

Anti-Islam movements are becoming increasingly visible across Europe and the US. These movements differ from country to country, but their aim is the same: to create nationalist identities that exclude Muslims. In both the... read the complete article

Article

02 Feb 2018

How Russian Bots Instrumentalized Islamophobia (But Don’t Just Blame the Bots)

The role of social media is becoming central to the U.S. Congress’ investigation into whether (and to what extent) a foreign entity interfered with the 2016 presidential election. On October 31st, and November 1, 2017,... read the complete article