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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In Australia, an uninvited man who entered a community dinner in Ballarat and allegedly started punching guests while shouting racial death threats is under arrest and facing “sufficient evidence” of violating hate speech laws, meanwhile in Europe, politicians across the EU are celebrating the victory of Hungary’s Prime Minister-elect Péter Magyar after his conservative Tisza party won Sunday’s parliamentary elections, ousting long-time leader Viktor Orbán, and lastly in India, a recently released report from a panel of experts examining international law violations against Indian Muslims at the hands of the Indian state found that there is “credible evidence of widespread and systematic human rights violations against Muslims”. Our recommended read of the day is by Anna Piela for The Conversation, on how the medieval Christian portrayals of Islam as violent and extremist have persisted into modern times, and can be seen in recent U.S. political and religious rhetoric around the conflict with Iran. This and more below:
International
The enduring legacy of medieval Christian depictions of Islam in today’s political discourse | Recommended Read
The war with Iran is not just a geopolitical conflict. We see religious rhetoric used to cast strategic interests as a moral or sacred matter. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson described Iran’s majority faith tradition, Shiite Islam, as a “misguided religion” while discussing the ongoing U.S. strikes against Iran on March 4, 2026. A complaint made to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation alleged that same month that an unnamed military commander had said that “President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth.” In the Book of Revelation, Armageddon represents the final battle between good and evil, associated with the second coming of Jesus Christ. Soon after the U.S. attack on Iran, right-wing pastor Andrew Sedra commented that “Trump is going after the head of the snake, which is Islam.” He added that “God is using President Trump in a prophetic moment of time to execute judgment on evil and wicked civilizations.” In part, such religious rhetoric draws on older narratives about Islam in Christian thought. In medieval times, Islam was often portrayed as a violent and extremist faith. Over the past few decades, many American politicians and Christian clergy have disparaged Islam and its believers. My research shows that these earlier portrayals remain recognizable in the rhetoric today. read the complete article
Israel is trying to change Jerusalem’s religious identity
On Holy Saturday as Palestinian Christians tried to reach the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, Israeli security forces started attacking and arresting them. On the following day, Orthodox Easter, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and his supporters stormed into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, where they performed prayers despite a ban on non-Muslim religious rituals there. These incidents followed Israel’s unprecedented closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for 40 days under the guise of “safety” during the United States-Israeli war on Iran. As a result, prayers at Al-Aqsa did not take place on Fridays or during Eid al-Fitr while Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, and other religious figures were prevented from reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday to lead services. By now it is clear that Israel does not simply violate the Status Quo on occasion. Instead, it is actively trying to impose new rules – under which Muslim and Christian worship would be subject to full Israeli control. Despite what Israeli officials may claim, it is clear that Israeli control over Jerusalem would not guarantee “equality”. Rather, it would normalise a profound disregard for the Palestinian people and their Muslim and Christian heritage. In essence, the Israeli occupation considers Palestinian Christians and Muslims as “residents” rather than a people with ancient roots in the city and the right to self-determination. Their existence conflicts with the Zionist idea of Jerusalem being an exclusively Jewish city. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Mental health in mosques: the GP tackling the unmet needs of Muslim patients
As a GP for a diverse and deprived community in Newham, London, Imrana Siddiqui saw first hand the huge unmet need for mental health support among her patients. At her practice and in her role as clinical lead for mental health for the local integrated care board she noticed the disconnect between what was being presented in board rooms around mental healthcare and the reality for patients. She found that services were not working for her Muslim patients, in particular. Rates of recovery from mental health conditions were lower for people from Muslim communities in her area and nationally, and particularly low in those with Bengali and Pakistani heritage, she says. From this, and her work volunteering with the British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA), Siddiqui decided to develop an initiative that could better meet the needs of the local Muslim community. She led the creation of the Mindsavers programme which incorporates Islamic principles and teachings into contemporary, evidence based knowledge of mental healthcare. read the complete article
United Sates
Brookfield Alderman Kris Seals resigns over anti-Muslim posts
Kris Seals, the Brookfield alderman who initially refused requests to step down following backlash over LinkedIn comments he made referencing violence against Muslims and others, has decided to resign after all. "I would like to apologize to the Muslim community for my insensitive and inappropriate statements I made online," Seals said in an emailed statement Merten shared April 13 with local media. "I spoke to a member of the Community over the weekend, and he educated me on the Community and their willingness to forgive. I appreciate they are willing to forgive me for the rude statements I made. I look forward to meeting with them and to get an even better understanding of the Community." Seals had made at least two dozen posts riddled with hate speech and violent calls to action on a LinkedIn account under his real name and real employer, according to screenshots obtained and reviewed by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. In one post he wrote Islam is a "sick religion" and referenced a need to "extinguish" those who observe the religion in another post. read the complete article
India
Amb. Stephen Rapp on How the Ground Is Being Prepared for Ethnic Cleansing in India
Anti-Muslim violence in India is not a recent phenomenon. However, since 2014, when the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power with a strong mandate, the systematic and widespread targeting of Muslims, India’s largest religious minority, has assumed alarming proportions. Muslims are being beaten and lynched. Their homes and shops are being bulldozed and their livelihoods destroyed. Their way of living, cultural and religious practices are being systematically undermined. Muslims are routinely dehumanized even by top political leaders, who publicly incite violence against them. Laws have been enacted to strip Muslims of their Indian citizenship. Worryingly, the violent, widespread, and systematic targeting of Muslims is being orchestrated with the active support of state institutions. As the recently released Report of The Panel of Independent International Experts to Examine Information About Alleged Violations of International Law Committed Against Muslims in Assam and Uttar Pradesh, India—2022–25 noted, there is “credible evidence of widespread and systematic human rights violations against Muslims, and reasonable grounds to believe that international crimes, including persecution, torture, and deportation as crimes against humanity, may have been committed.” The study, which focused on the situation in Uttar Pradesh and Assam, pointed out that the chief ministers of these two states could be preparing the ground for ethnic cleansing. read the complete article
Australia
Police weigh up charges over alleged Islamophobic attack
Victoria Police has completed its preliminary investigation into an alleged Islamophobic attack where a man allegedly threatened to kill community members, and is weighing up what charges could be laid. On March 8, an uninvited man entered a community dinner in Ballarat, where he allegedly started punching guests, intimidating children and shouting racial death threats such as "f*** Allah, f*** Islam, death to Allah" and "go back to the s***hole where you come from". Ballarat Police Acting Superintendent Jason Templar said if there was sufficient evidence, the man could be charged under hate speech laws. "The brief of evidence is currently with our legal services division for review to identify the most appropriate charges," he said. read the complete article