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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In India, new research conducted by the organization Bellingcat found 499 social media posts shared by the BJP’s official accounts which meet the UN’s definition of hate speech in the region of Assam and West Bengal in December of last year, meanwhile in Israel, a new Israeli bill has passed the Israeli Parliament which would allow the execution of Palestinians convicted on terror charges for deadly attacks, but not Jewish extremists accused of similar crimes, and lastly in the United Kingdom, a cross-party group of MPs has concluded that the government’s anti-terrorism programme, Prevent, is “outdated and inadequately prepared” to deal with modern challenges such as extremists adhering to no particular ideology. Our recommended read of the day is by Aisha Khan for The Globe and Mail, on her personal testimony as a Muslim Quebecker and wife and mother of two who like many Muslims in Quebec is being made to feel unwelcome and ostracized in her own country due to Quebec’s Bill 94. This and more below:
Canada
Quebec’s Bill 94 overwhelmingly affects Muslim women like me | Recommended Read
I’m a Quebecker. I’m an occupational therapist. But above all, I am a wife and a mother of two. I was born in Quebec. It is where I built my life and where I am raising my family. It is also where I studied and chose a profession that reflects my deepest values. As an occupational therapist, I dedicate my work to helping those who need it most. My profession allows me to help individuals regain their independence after hardship, to help them rebuild physically and cognitively. I use my skills to make a real, tangible impact in people’s lives. Now, I’m being told because I’m a Muslim who wears a headscarf, I’m no longer welcome. I’m being told that the way I dress is a problem. That the rules have changed for women like me. That my volunteer work is no longer acceptable unless I change how I look. Under Quebec’s Bill 94, adopted by the Coalition Avenir Quebec government in October, 2025, mothers who wear a headscarf are prevented from volunteering in our children’s schools. Unless we remove it, we are excluded from being valuable members of our community by helping in classrooms and at school events. Under this law, my headscarf – which has never interfered with my work, my integrity, or my commitment – is suddenly being treated as something children need protection from. read the complete article
International
King Charles 'might be a Muslim', says former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani, a former New York City mayor and personal lawyer to US President Donald Trump, has said that the king of England might be a Muslim and that Muslims "wanna take over" Britain, calling the Quran a "cult of death". Giuliani made the outburst in an interview on British journalist Piers Morgan's YouTube show on Monday, while arguing in favour of the US-Israeli war on Iran. "I have people from England telling me you're gonna be a Muslim country in 10 years," he told Morgan. He said that "the Roman Catholic church is bigger now in England than the Anglican church. And Charles III might be the Muslim monarch of England." The notion that the king is secretly Muslim is a popular online conspiracy theory. Charles, the head of the Church of England, is known to be a great admirer of Islam, and even learnt Arabic in order to read the Quran. Charles has previously argued that Islam, Judaism and Christianity are three great monotheistic religions that have far more in common than is generally appreciated. Giuliani told Morgan that Muslims in Britain are "taking over and they wanna take over, and it's their aim. And Iran is the fuel behind that. You take out the Islamic Republic of Iran, the whole thing moves in the other direction." read the complete article
‘Discriminatory’ Israeli death penalty law would be war crime, says UN rights chief
A new Israeli law that would allow the execution of Palestinians convicted on terror charges for deadly attacks, but not Jewish extremists accused of similar crimes, would constitute a war crime if enacted, according to one of the UN’s most senior human rights officials. Speaking amid mounting international condemnation of the bill, the UN’s high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, described the law as “patently inconsistent with Israel’s international law obligations, including in relation to the right to life”. He added that it “raises serious concerns about due process violations, is deeply discriminatory, and must be promptly repealed”. “Its application in a discriminatory manner would constitute an additional, particularly egregious violation of international law. Its application to residents of the occupied Palestinian territory would constitute a war crime,” Türk said. read the complete article
She Spoke Out About Gaza. Now She Can’t Use a Credit Card.
Francesca Albanese was on stage receiving a standing ovation when she first learned how the United States was going to punish her. It was July 9 last year. The Italian legal expert, who is the U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, was in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana wrapping up a two-hour talk on her most incendiary report yet. When the talk ended, Albanese stood to accept the crowd’s adulation. One of the organizers walked across the stage, leaned close and said into her ear: “The United States has imposed sanctions on you.” Albanese’s head dropped. She stared at the floor, absorbing what it meant, thinking that she needed to call her husband and children. Sanctions would cut her and her family off from U.S. banking, travel and tech. Would they be okay? But the crowd was still there. Clapping. Hollering. Her head snapped up. She stretched her arms wide, palms facing her supporters, with a wry smile that said, “What are you gonna do?” A few seconds later, she raised a fist in the air. “I was scared and I thought: ‘What a mafia,’” she told me when we spoke in March, referring to the U.S. administration. “‘But they will not break us.’” read the complete article
India
‘Gerrymandering’ in India’s Assam cuts Muslim representation before vote
Following a 2023 order from the Election Commission of India to redraw the boundaries of parliamentary and state legislature constituencies in Assam, the electoral math of Katigorah – bordered by the ancient Borail hills to the north and the Barak River to the south – has dramatically changed. The constituency’s population was previously split almost equally between Hindus and Muslims. Of the state’s main parties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party – which also rules Assam state – would pick a Hindu candidate. Now that balance has been upended. Before delimitation – the process of redrawing constituency boundaries is called – Katigorah had about 1,74,000 voters. “But about 40,000 Hindu voters from the neighbouring legislative constituencies have now been merged with Katigorah, making it a predominantly Hindu majority constituency,” Khalil Uddin Mazumder, former Katigorah legislator from the Congress party, told Al Jazeera. “The chances of electing a Muslim candidate from here have suffered significantly.” Indeed, major parties have chosen Hindu candidates for Katigorah. But the constituency is not alone. Across the state’s 126 legislative constituencies, borders have been redrawn in a way that – activists like Uddin fear – could politically marginalise Assam’s 11 million Muslims further at a time when the ruling BJP has already targeted them through eviction drives, expulsion policies and vitriolic rhetoric. To many political analysts, Assam is the latest laboratory of the BJP’s Hindu majoritarian policies. What works in the state could offer a template for the rest of India. read the complete article
How India’s Ruling Party is Using AI to Boost Hate Speech in States Near Bangladesh
Bellingcat has seen several dozen videos posted by the BJP that use generative artificial intelligence (AI) alongside anti-Muslim and anti-Bangladeshi messaging in the border states of Assam and West Bengal in December last year, ahead of legislative elections scheduled in both states for April. Bellingcat analysed 499 social media posts containing photos and videos shared on Facebook, Instagram and X by the BJP’s official accounts in the two states for this time period, finding 194 posts that appeared to meet the United Nations’ definition of hate speech: discriminating against persons or communities based on inherent characteristics such as religion and national origin. Of these, 31 (about one in six of the hateful posts) contained the obvious use of AI-generated imagery. read the complete article
United Kingdom
UK accused of ‘intimidation tactics’ against bailed pro-Palestine activists
Civil rights groups and Palestine solidarity campaigners are accusing the United Kingdom of “intimidation tactics” after two young pro-Palestinian activists were recently arrested while on bail. On Monday, 21-year-old Qesser Zuhrah was detained after sharing a social media post calling on people to take “direct action”. Masked officers handcuffed Zuhrah at her home in Watford at dawn. Just a month ago, she was released on bail following 15 months in prison awaiting trial, during which she participated in a lengthy hunger strike. Four days earlier, on Thursday, plainclothes police officers in south London also arrested Audrey Corno, 23, accusing her of tampering with her electronic tag in breach of bail conditions – a charge she denies. “They just grabbed me,” Corno told Al Jazeera. “I broke down into tears. This was a complete shock and very re-traumatising.” read the complete article
Anti-terrorist programme Prevent ‘outdated and inadequately prepared’, report finds
The government’s anti-terrorism programme, Prevent, is “outdated and inadequately prepared” to deal with modern challenges such as extremists adhering to no particular ideology, an influential cross-party group of MPs has concluded. The home affairs select committee has called for a reset to the approach for dealing with fast-evolving online subcultures promoting antisemitism, anti-Muslim hostility, misogyny and violence, as well as an over-representation of neurodiverse people and those with mental health conditions. A report released on Wednesday said ministers should veer away from “a counter-terror mindset” and instead establish a multi-agency strategy to triage referrals to appropriate services. The report follows concerns that the £40m programme, which forms a key part of the UK’s counter-terror strategy, has failed to escalate concerns about individuals involved in recent extremist attacks. read the complete article
What Riz Ahmed’s New TV Show 'Bait' Gets So Right About Muslim Representation
As a South Asian Muslim woman, seeing myself reflected on screen was rare. When I did, it was a stereotype that depicted people of my faith as violent terrorists, oppressed housewives or suspicious foreigners. For a young woman still figuring out where she fit, that absence felt noticeable – like I didn’t belong. Riz Ahmed's new series, Bait, is different. Where other shows and films have resorted to harmful stereotypes (I’m looking at you, Homeland), Bait is a nuanced, thoughtful and heartfelt depiction of what it means to be a British-Asian and Muslim today. From the ease of slipping between Urdu and English, the unspoken negotiations of code-switching, the quiet, lasting impact of discrimination – Bait doesn’t try to brush over the British-Asian experience; it refuses to simplify it. Even the decision to release the series after Eid adds another layer, grounding Bait in a cultural rhythm that feels intentional rather than incidental. It’s clear in its voice that this series was a labour of love, led by Ahmed who has single-handedly changed the face of representations of Muslims on screen. read the complete article