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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the U.S., a man shouted hateful words at a group of Muslim women who were praying inside a parking garage at a shopping center in Alpharetta, GA, meanwhile in New Zealand, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is standing by Chief Human Rights Commissioner Stephen Rainbow, despite calls for him to be sacked for remarks characterized as Islamophobic, and in Germany, a new documentary tells the story of two Muslim women who describe how they are increasingly feeling torn between cultures and what their religion means to them, as well as their experience of discrimination and racism in the country. Our recommended read of the day is by Karen J. Greenberg for The Nation on how the antidemocratic policies put in place after 9/11 by George W. Bush have come home to roost under the second Trump Administration. This and more below:
United States
Trump Is Exploiting the Paranoid Fantasies that Drove the War on Terror | Recommended Read
Four years ago, I published Subtle Tools, a book on the erosion of American democratic norms in the face of what came to be known as the Global War on Terror. Both what had been done in the name of “national security” in response to the 9/11 attacks and how it had been done—through the willing neglect of procedural integrity, the exploitation of all-too-flexible norms, a remarkable disregard for transparency, and a failure to call for accountability of any sort—left the country wide open to even more damaging future abuses of the rule of law. And—lo and behold!—now, that future is all too distinctly here. What happened in the first quarter of this century is already being weaponized in a startling fashion in the second era of Donald Trump. In fact, the deluge of eye-opening, antidemocratic policies that we’ve witnessed in just the first 50 days of his presidency should be considered nothing short of a perverse escalation of the recent past. Think of it, in fact, as—if you don’t mind my inventing a word for this strange moment of ours—the “perversification” of War on Terror era law and policy, which might once have been hard to imagine in this country. Among the numerous antidemocratic trends of this century, state-sponsored racism has been a constant concern. Of the many low points in the response to 9/11, the unleashing of government policies of racial and ethnic discrimination stands out. Fearing a follow-up attack, law enforcement targeted Muslim Americans, surveilling mosques and casting a startlingly wide net of suspicion with a sweeping disregard for civil liberties. That approach was only strengthened by the militarization of police forces nationwide in the name of targeting Arabs and Muslims. A dangerous template for discrimination based on race, religion, or national origin was thereby set in place. Nor, in Trump’s first term, was discrimination limited to those from Arab and Muslim countries. As the Costs of War project has pointed out, the Islamophobia of the war on terror years had set a racial-profiling precedent and example for the more broadly racist policies of the first Trump administration. read the complete article
Florida special elections pit pro-Israel Zionist against Muslim maths teacher
Florida will hold high-stakes special elections today, with the Republicans fighting to defend their slim 218-214 House majority by winning the two contested congressional seats. However, recent political developments in Washington – such as the frustration generated by the federal employee layoffs – have heightened Republican concerns, after the seat was vacated by Mike Waltz to assume his new position as National Security Advisor in the White House. Competing for the seat are Republican candidate Randy Fine, a Jewish pro-Zionist state senator whose controversial social media comments about the killing of Turkish-American citizen Aysenur Eygi sparked fierce criticism. His Democratic opponent, Josh Weil, is a progressive mathematics teacher who managed to exceed Fine in fundraising, amassing $9.5 million. Weil has also received endorsements from celebrities Patti LaBelle and rapper Killer Mike. Weil, 40, first ran for office in the 2021 US Senate primaries. He converted to Islam in 2011 after marrying a Muslim woman in 2010 and moving with her to Florida. He spoke about his faith during a primary debate in January explaining that he had started visiting mosques and engaging with local Muslim groups to support his wife after they moved. read the complete article
EXCLUSIVE: Group of Muslim women remain strong after man hurls hateful words caught on camera
Hateful words were spewed at a group of women on Sunday inside a parking garage at a shopping center in Alpharetta. A metro Atlanta chapter of a national civil rights group is demanding justice. The women said they were praying when a driver approached them and started cursing. In the video the man can be heard yelling out hurtful words, like “nobody really wants y’all (explicit) here.” The man is also heard asking them “where you from?...because you’re worshipping a false God.” “I was really just shocked honestly. I was shaken up, I wasn’t expecting anything,” said one of the women. The women said they had set up their prayer rug in an empty parking spot. They were getting in a quick prayer before enjoying Avalon on their Eid day, a celebration marking the end of Ramadan. “One of the women explained, “first thing I thought was either I’m going to get shot right now or I’m going to get run over. I was scared and my heart dropped. And saw him trying to stay calm as possible to avoid any situation like that.” She added that they were “trying to walk away and not escalate the situation.” The women said the incident lasted three minutes. In the video the man told the women multiple times to “go back to your country.” read the complete article
New Zealand
Chief human rights commissioner accused of Islamophobia by Jewish groups
Three New Zealand community groups, two representing Jewish voices, are calling for Stephen Rainbow to resign from his role as chief human rights commissioner after what they believe were Islamophobic comments made during an official meeting with a Jewish community leader. At the time of Rainbow’s appointment last year, he was questioned about his history of pro-Israel statements and writing. Rainbow told RNZ that his views on Israel weren’t “particularly relevant” to his role as chief human rights commissioner. In January 2024, Rainbow wrote an op-ed for the Israel Institute about New Zealand’s changing relationship with Israel. “Now, in New Zealand, to be on the Left it seems -if the kaffiyeh wearing antics of Labour and Green MPs of late are any indication- to be anti-Israel has become an integral part of the Leftist creed. “The Left has found a new underdog to replace the Jews -the Palestinians- in spite of the fact that the treatment of gay people, women, and political opponents wherever Palestinians have control is barbaric.” On February 24, Philippa Yasbek met with Rainbow, race relations commissioner Melissa Derby and two Human Rights Commission staffers to discuss the Jewish community and race relations in New Zealand. Yasbek was attending as the spokesperson for Alternative Jewish Voices and Dayenu: Jews Against Occupation. In an email of complaint sent to justice minister Paul Goldsmith, who hired Rainbow after an independent panel deemed him “not recommended” for the role, Yasbek laid out what happened at the meeting. “Dr Rainbow disputed my assertion that white supremacists are still the greatest threat to the Jewish community in Aotearoa. He told me that the SIS threat assessment shows that Muslims pose a greater threat to the Jewish community in New Zealand than white supremacists.” In the letter to Goldsmith, Yasbek detailed how she told Rainbow she found it hard to believe but admitted she hadn’t read the assessment in full herself. read the complete article
Chief Human Rights Commissioner apologises to Muslim community
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is standing by Chief Human Rights Commissioner Stephen Rainbow, despite calls for him to be sacked for remarks characterised as Islamophobic by some groups. Rainbow had since apologised to Muslim community members and declared there was no place for Islamophobia in Aotearoa, while the minister said he would meet the commissioner to encourage him to take greater care with his comments in future. The controversy arose from a 24 February meeting between Rainbow, Race Relations Commissioner Melissa Derby, two Human Rights Commission staff and Philippa Yasbek, who was representing anti-Zionist Jewish groups Alternative Jewish Voices and Dayenu. Yasbek said Rainbow disputed her assertion that white supremacists were the greatest threat to the Jewish community in Aotearoa. read the complete article
Germany
Young Muslim women in Germany
Miriam and Tua, two young Muslim women who grew up in Germany. They tell their very personal stories. Germany is home to around 5.5 million Muslims. Studies estimate that approximately 30 percent of Muslim women wear a headscarf. The veil is a frequent topic of debate in Germany. Courts have ruled against general bans, citing violations of religious freedom guaranteed by the German Constitution. But many people believe that Islam and headscarves don’t belong in Germany. Another widespread opinion is that women who wear the veil are oppressed and of a weak disposition. Miriam und Tua vehemently oppose this view. In this documentary, they describe how they feel torn between cultures and what their religion means to them, as well as their experience of discrimination and racism and not least, their hopes for the future. read the complete article