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SearchToday in Islamophobia: The world’s Catholics and others mourn the passing of Pope Francis who’s last act before death was to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the oppression of the marginalized, meanwhile in India, despite being dead for more than 300 years, the Mughal dynasty ruler Aurangzeb is making waves in the nation’s politics after a film on the historical figure is stoking violence against Indian Muslims, and in Italy, the far-right League party has been referred to the country’s communications watchdog after opposition parties filed a complaint over “racist, Islamophobic and xenophobic” images generated by artificial intelligence and shared on social media by deputy prime minister and party leader Matteo Salvini. Our recommended read of the day is by Faisal Kutty for Middle East Eye, who writes on how a proposed Muslim neighborhood in Texas has been branded as a “threat”, once again exposing the enduring machinery of American Islamophobia more than two decades after 9/11. This and more below:
United States
How a Muslim housing plan in Texas became the target of right-wing hysteria | Recommended Read
America is once again manufacturing a moral panic - this time over a neighbourhood that has not even been built. In Texas, the mere proposal of Epic City, a Muslim-friendly housing development spearheaded by the East Plano Islamic Centre (Epic), has ignited a political and media firestorm. It bears all the hallmarks of a familiar playbook: the "Ground Zero mosque" hysteria of 2010 reborn, weaponised by the same actors and fuelled by the same undercurrents of racism, Islamophobia and white nationalist anxiety. Texas Governor Greg Abbott launched the initial salvo in February when he posted on X: "Sharia law is not allowed in Texas." His post came shortly after Amy Mekelburg, a far-right agitator known for spreading anti-Muslim disinformation, falsely labelled the proposed development a "Sharia City". Rather than reject the smear, Abbott amplified it, treating Muslim families building homes as a threat to be taken seriously. A month later, on 25 March, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton followed suit, launching a formal investigation into Epic City and demanding records from its developers and local officials. Though framed as a routine legal step, the inquiry targeted supposed violations of state law - despite no evidence of illegality or any attempt to establish a parallel legal system. That did not stop Texas officials from invoking national security language to criminalise what is, in essence, a housing development. Shortly after, Abbott escalated matters further, instructing the developers to confirm "within seven days that they are immediately ceasing any construction of their illegal project". It was a baseless demand that added fuel to an already manufactured panic. This isn't about zoning, infrastructure or legal compliance. It's about who is allowed to live together - and on what terms. The backlash rests on an unspoken but deeply racist logic: that Muslims, by organising a community, are inherently suspicious. The mere act of coming together to live, worship and raise families is framed as threatening, as if Muslim presence itself destabilises the American social fabric. read the complete article
Harvard sues the Trump administration, taking the fight over federal funding and academic freedom to court
Harvard University sued the Trump administration Monday in a new escalation of the fight over institutional oversight, independence and federal funding for the Ivy League school. University President Alan M. Garber said in a letter to the Harvard community that the administration’s recent actions — including a $2.2 billion federal funding freeze at Harvard, with even more money potentially on the line — “have stark real-life consequences for patients, students, faculty, staff, researchers, and the standing of American higher education in the world.” The Trump administration is demanding Harvard give it access to all university reports on antisemitism and anti-Muslim bias on campus generated since October 2023, as it ramps up a confrontation with the school that risks billions in federal money amid a broader push to bring elite US colleges in line with its political ideology. Harvard emerged as the first elite US university to publicly rebuke the White House’s demands, which Trump officials have said aim to combat antisemitism following contentious campus protests in response to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. read the complete article
How a Muslim housing plan in Texas became the target of right-wing hysteria
America is once again manufacturing a moral panic - this time over a neighbourhood that has not even been built. In Texas, the mere proposal of Epic City, a Muslim-friendly housing development spearheaded by the East Plano Islamic Centre (Epic), has ignited a political and media firestorm. It bears all the hallmarks of a familiar playbook: the "Ground Zero mosque" hysteria of 2010 reborn, weaponised by the same actors and fuelled by the same undercurrents of racism, Islamophobia and white nationalist anxiety. Texas Governor Greg Abbott launched the initial salvo in February when he posted on X: "Sharia law is not allowed in Texas." His post came shortly after Amy Mekelburg, a far-right agitator known for spreading anti-Muslim disinformation, falsely labelled the proposed development a "Sharia City". Rather than reject the smear, Abbott amplified it, treating Muslim families building homes as a threat to be taken seriously. A month later, on 25 March, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton followed suit, launching a formal investigation into Epic City and demanding records from its developers and local officials. Though framed as a routine legal step, the inquiry targeted supposed violations of state law - despite no evidence of illegality or any attempt to establish a parallel legal system. That did not stop Texas officials from invoking national security language to criminalise what is, in essence, a housing development. Shortly after, Abbott escalated matters further, instructing the developers to confirm "within seven days that they are immediately ceasing any construction of their illegal project". It was a baseless demand that added fuel to an already manufactured panic. This isn't about zoning, infrastructure or legal compliance. It's about who is allowed to live together - and on what terms. The backlash rests on an unspoken but deeply racist logic: that Muslims, by organising a community, are inherently suspicious. The mere act of coming together to live, worship and raise families is framed as threatening, as if Muslim presence itself destabilises the American social fabric. read the complete article
Ramy Youssef’s latest show finds absurdity in post-9/11 Islamophobia
The Husseins are in trouble. The Egyptian American household, central to the new animated series “#1 Happy Family USA,” faces rampant Islamophobia in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Everyone copes differently: The paranoid patriarch, whose first name is also Hussein, waves American flags and pretends to chug beer in desperate attempts to prove he belongs. His proud wife, Sharia, forms a stronger connection with her faith and starts wearing a hijab in public. Their teenage daughter, Mona, hides her queer relationship and flatirons her curly hair to better assimilate with her peers, while her younger brother, Rumi, focuses most of his energy on getting his middle school teacher to fall in love with him. You’d be right to point out that the last approach is quite unlike the others. To a child with raging hormones, a punishing crush can seem as big a deal as, say, ensuring you aren’t the victim of a hate crime — or at least that’s how co-creator Ramy Youssef remembers the skewed thinking of his youth. In trademark fashion, the comedian takes big, silly swings with “#1 Happy Family USA,” which premiered Thursday on Prime Video. Similar to his live-action Hulu series “Ramy” and stand-up comedy specials, the new show balances several tones by reaching for outlandish humor amid more unnerving explorations of bigotry. “The tone of the show is emotionally grounded insanity,” Youssef said in a recent interview. “I mean, it’s crazy.” read the complete article
India
How do Indians navigate through misinformation on WhatsApp?
Nidhi,* a 26-year-old from India's capital, New Delhi, was once very close to her uncle, but after he started forwarding anti-Muslim messages containing misinformation in their family's group chat, their relationship soured. They always got into healthy political debates during family dinners, but his posts on WhatsApp were becoming "intolerable," she said. "He would forward what was clearly false information, twisted historical facts to fit a certain kind of propaganda," she told DW. Nidhi said that her uncle never showed any open hate towards Muslims, but on WhatsApp, it was a different story. "Some of us would call him out for it and fact-check him. But that seemed to make no difference. He once sent a message calling people from the Muslim community 'infiltrators' and that was it for me." India is WhatsApp's largest market. The messaging application has over 530 million users in the country, making it one of the most popular social media platforms across age groups. WhatsApp is a leading platform for news and information in India. However, it is also becoming a medium for misinformation. "WhatsApp University," for instance, has become a buzzword in colloquial Indian vocabulary in recent years, referring sarcastically to the widespread dissemination of misinformation and fake news on the platform. "There is a lot of information or misinformation, which is being put out through WhatsApp. Information is education. Where you get information from, makes your world view," Pratik Sinha, co-founder of India fact-checking website Alt News, told DW. "A lot of political misinformation or socio-political misinformation is aimed at creating divisions, aimed at vilifying the Muslim community that has led to deep polarization in the society. It has led to attacks on minorities," Sinha added. read the complete article
India Muslims protest against changes to waqf laws
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board, a leading Muslim organisation in India, organised a huge protest in a southern Indian city against recent changes to legislation governing Islamic charitable endowments. A large group gathered in Hyderabad on Saturday to protest the changes. Dozens of petitions have also been filed with the Supreme Court. Indian parliamentarian and President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, Asaduddin Owaisi, said the protest was "a great show of unity against the Waqf Amendment Act." The government this week assured the country's top court that non-Muslims will not be part of Waqf boards until the next hearing in the Supreme Court in May. The controversial bill passed both houses of the parliament despite sharp resistance from opposition parties and Muslim groups. Protests have taken place in several areas against the changes. read the complete article
He’s been dead for more than 300 years. So why is this emperor angering millions today?
Despite being dead for more than 300 years, this Indian ruler is still making waves in the nation’s politics. Aurangzeb Alamgir has become so central to India’s fraught political moment, his memory is leading to sectarian violence across the country. The sixth emperor of the famed Mughal dynasty, he is considered by many detractors to be a tyrant who brutalized women, razed Hindu temples, forced religious conversions and waged wars against Hindu and Sikh rulers. And in a nation now almost entirely under the grip of Hindu nationalists, Aurangzeb’s “crimes” have been seized upon by right-wing politicians, turning him into the ultimate Muslim villain whose memory needs to be erased. Sectarian clashes erupted in the central city of Nagpur last month, with hardline Hindu nationalists calling for the demolition of his tomb, which is about 400 kilometers away. Seemingly spurred on by a recent Bollywood movie’s portrayal of Aurangzeb’s violent conquests against a revered Hindu king, the violence led to dozens of injuries and arrests, prompting Nagpur authorities to impose a curfew. As tensions between the two communities continue to mount, many right-wing Hindus are using Aurangzeb’s name to highlight historical injustices against the country’s majority faith. And they are causing fears among India’s 200 million Muslims. read the complete article
International
How a fake news story about Islamist anti-dog-walking leaflets circulated in Canada and the UK
Did people really post Islamist anti-dog leaflets in Canada and the United Kingdom? Since early April, several photos of leaflets and fliers asking people to no longer walk their dogs out of respect for their Muslim neighbours have inflamed Islamophobic discussions online. However, all of these photos are old and were flagged as potential fakes even when they first came out. We take a look at how three different fake news items have circulated. "Do not walk your dog here! Muslims do not like dogs. This is an islamic area now,” reads a flyer shown in a photo posted on X on April 15 by Ashlea Simon, the chairman of the British far-right political party Britain First. "I’d prefer to keep the dogs and deport the Islamists if I’m honest,” she said in her post, which garnered more than 300,000 views in two days. But where did this flyer come from? It turns out that this flyer isn’t recent. The conservative account Update News already shared it back in July 2024 in a post that garnered more than 1.5 million views on X. However, this isn’t the first time that there has been a stir about leaflets that appear to be from someone within the Muslim community, requesting a ban on dog walking. But their origin is much more murky. read the complete article
Before he died, Pope Francis called for peace in Gaza. Will anyone listen?
Pope Francis died today at the age of 88 following a prolonged illness. Just yesterday, in his Easter Sunday address in Saint Peter’s Square in Vatican City, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church chose to express his “closeness to the sufferings of Christians in Palestine and Israel, and to all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people”. That said, the pope deserves praise for utilising what would be his final platform to call for a ceasefire in Gaza – at a time when the world appears all too content to allow the mass slaughter of Palestinians to proceed indefinitely. Though he did not pinpoint who precisely is to blame for the fact that there are now “starving people” in need of aid, this is naturally a reference to Israel’s decision in early March to cut off all humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip – a move amounting to enforced starvation and a war crime. Pope Francis’s call for a ceasefire yesterday came just a month after Israel’s definitive annihilation of the existing ceasefire that ostensibly took effect in January, which the Israeli military had already taken the opportunity to violate at every turn. Incidentally, Pope Francis’s final day on Earth also included a brief meeting with said superpower’s second-in-command: US Vice President JD Vance. The encounter came after the head of the Catholic Church openly and repeatedly criticised US President Donald Trump’s administration and its maniacal deportation schemes. In a February address, he noted that its immigration policies were causing a “major crisis” that “damages the dignity of men and women”. Unfortunately, however, contempt and dehumanisation are pillars of a hopeless global system – led by the United States – that prioritises elite tyranny and profit over any semblance of human decency. Whether it’s the arms industry making bank off of Israel’s genocide in Gaza or the US making life hell for the undocumented folks on whose labour the country’s own economy depends, institutionalised contempt is good for business. read the complete article
A Pope Who Prays for Palestine
It was the latest signal that the 88-year-old pontiff is recovering from a brutal, months-long bout with double pneumonia, and that he will continue to be an essential moral voice for a world that desperately needs his advocacy for peace—especially in the Middle Eastern regions where Christianity, Judaism, and Islam find their historic roots. This campaign has made Pope Francis arguably the most consistent high-profile defender of the humanity of the Palestinian people during a period when the Israeli assault on Gaza has been pursued with relentless violence. While too many other world leaders look away, or in the case of Donald Trump, propose to make an awful circumstance even worse, the pontiff has remained engaged on a daily basis with the plight of the Palestinians. This was in keeping with the long mission of Pope Francis, whose leadership of the Catholic Church over the past dozen years has challenged not just the church’s 1.4 billion faithful but public servants of all faith traditions to be “artisans of a new era of peace, justice and fraternity.” With a boldness and specificity that has often sparked controversy, this pope has challenged economic injustice, racism, environmental neglect, militarism, and the abuses of new technologies that increase inequality. He has faced his share of criticism, not just from conservatives who disapprove of his views but also from reformers who sincerely wish that he would do more to modernize the church. Yet, in a time of too much indifference and impunity, this pope has remained uniquely engaged with the embattled regions that political and media elites neglect or abandon. That’s been especially true when it comes to Gaza, where Pope Francis has long argued for ceasefires, arms blockades, aid convoys, and a diplomatic urgency that recognizes that Palestinians and Israelis are “fraternal peoples [who] have the right to live in peace.” read the complete article
United Kingdom
Where does the UK media draw the line on platforming far-right voices?
On BBC Newsnight last week, an intriguing concept was raised by former BBC presenter Matthew Stadlen as he criticised the platforming of anti-Muslim “extremist” Douglas Murray on the programme. As he expressed his concern about the BBC interviewing the assistant editor of The Spectator – who previously accused ex-first minister Humza Yousaf of “infiltrating” the UK political system – he mentioned how the Overton window had shifted “so significantly” that Murray had been given an eight-minute interview on prime time television. Stadlen said he didn’t want to criticise the BBC for bringing Murray on, but seemed to suggest the mainstream media was at a tricky juncture where far-right voices have now become so acceptable to the public, major broadcasters are being left with little choice but to platform them. The Overton window is the range of subjects and arguments deemed politically acceptable to the mainstream population at a given time. It is a term named after American policy analyst Joseph Overton, who proposed that the political viability of an idea depends mainly on whether it falls within an acceptability range, rather than on the individual preferences of politicians using the term or concept. What Stadlen said left me pondering what seems to be a chicken and egg situation; does the media feed the public or does the public feed the media? And how much should one feed the other? While there is a responsibility to platform the figures people want to hear from, is there not is also a responsibility to protect them from misinformation and harmful voices? read the complete article
Canada
Canada election: Muslim voters demand ‘real commitments’ on Islamophobia
As the country’s federal election enters its final stretch, Muslim Canadians are making it clear that they want the next government to do more than merely acknowledge Islamophobia, calling for decisive action to combat it. The grim statistics underscore the dangers Muslims face in Canada, a country that, as of 2024, held the unfortunate distinction of experiencing the highest number of targeted killings of Muslims among G7 nations. Among these incidents was the killing of six Muslims at a Quebec mosque in 2017, and the deliberate murder of four members of a Muslim family, run down by a truck in London, Ontario, in 2021. Despite these harrowing events, the critical issue of Islamophobia has struggled to find substantial space in the political discourse leading up to the April 28 elections. According to Reem Sheet, an official of the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), which has approximately 200,000 supporters among Canada’s 1.8 million Muslims, the stakes have never been higher. In an interview with Anadolu, she emphasized the urgency of concrete policy actions that Canadian Muslims expect from political leaders. “Canadian Muslims are looking for real commitments on issues like a national strategy to combat Islamophobia, concrete action on hate crimes, and a clear stance on global human rights, especially when it comes to Gaza,” said Sheet. read the complete article
Italy
Italy’s far-right League faces complaint over ‘racist, Islamophobic’ AI-generated images
Italy’s far-right League party has been referred to the country’s communications watchdog after opposition parties filed a complaint over “racist, Islamophobic and xenophobic” images generated by artificial intelligence and shared on social media by deputy prime minister and party leader Matteo Salvini. The complaint was submitted to Agcom, Italy’s communications regulatory authority, on Thursday by the center-left Democratic Party, along with the Greens and Left Alliance. It alleges the images published by the League contained “almost all categories of hate speech,” according to The Guardian, which first reported the story. “In the images published by Salvini’s party and generated by AI there are almost all categories of hate speech, from racism and xenophobia to Islamophobia. They are using AI to target specific categories of people — immigrants, Arabs — who are portrayed as potential criminals, thieves and rapists,” said Antonio Nicita, a PD senator. Nicita also criticized the decision to blur the faces of the supposed victims, calling it “deceptive” and accusing the League of intentionally misleading users into believing the images were real. read the complete article