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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the United States, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office has charged a Morgan Hill man with a hate crime after he verbally and physically assaulted a group of Muslim worshippers during Ramadan, meanwhile in India, a police inspector in northern India with a history of anti-Muslim bigotry and assault was arrested after an inquiry found him guilty of torturing a Muslim man in custody last year, and in the UK, a man whose parents are buried at a cemetery where Muslim graves and plaques were vandalized has described the response of a council and the police as “appalling”. Our recommended read of the day is by Radheyan Simonpillai for The Globe and Mail, who writes about the new animated TV show, #1 Happy Family USA, which features a young Muslim teen’s coming-of-age that Islamophobia colors in the days immediately following 9/11. This and more below:
United States
#1 Happy Family USA is a poignant, funny portrait of the post-9/11 Muslim experience | Recommended Read
You could probably count the Muslim characters who have appeared on popular American animated shows on one hand. There’s Baahir on South Park, the new kid in school whom Cartman accuses of being a terrorist. And then Bashir on The Simpsons, the new kid in school whose parents Homer accuses of being terrorists. And there’s Mahmoud on Family Guy, who actually turns out to be a terrorist. That pretty much sums up the breadth of the Muslim experience in the cartoon landscape – a huge swath of the U.S. population defined by their proximity to jihad. It also leaves a huge burden of representation on #1 Happy Family USA, a new animated sitcom on Prime Video about a Muslim-American family desperately trying to convince their neighbours that they are absolutely, in no uncertain terms, not terrorists. The show itself attempts to resist that burden, leading every episode with disclaimers that warn audiences not to use its alternately witty and juvenile gags – which are rated H for haram – as cultural representations of Muslims and Arabs. And yet the burden is still felt in its struggle to wring both humour and emotion out of its premise, where a young Muslim teen’s coming-of-age is coloured by Islamophobia in the days immediately following 9/11. read the complete article
Morgan Hill man charged for assaulting Muslim worshippers; 15th Santa Clara Co. hate crime of 2025
The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office has charged a Morgan Hill man with a hate crime after verbally and physically assaulting a group of Muslim worshippers during Ramadan. The Bay Area is one of the most culturally diverse communities in the country - yet hate is still very much present. And it's leading to attacks on people of different races and religions, including the Muslim community, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations of the Bay Area. "There's definitely been a lot of fear and a lot of discrimination," CAIR-SFBA Civil Rights Attorney Bismah Jaffer said. "We know the stereotypes against us and they're just amplified now. So, there is a general sense of is it safe to say you're a Muslim, to go to prayer and then incidents like this happen." In March during the holy time of Ramadan, a man in Morgan Hill brought that fear to life. After prayer at the Community and Cultural Center, a group of worshippers were allegedly confronted by the man shouting Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian slurs before he shoved an elderly Muslim man. read the complete article
Archewell Foundation Cuts Funding to Muslim Women’s Group Over Pro-Palestine Remarks
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell Foundation has halted its financial support to a prominent U.S.-based Muslim women’s organization after pro-Palestinian statements made by its founder, Janan Najeeb, came to light—igniting debate around the limits of advocacy, the silencing of Muslim voices, and the cost of standing up for Palestinian human rights. Since 2023, Archewell had extended two grants totaling approximately $55,700 to the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition (MMWC), a nonprofit led by Najeeb, a Palestinian-American woman known for decades of community leadership.The funds were designated for The Welcome Project, which supports Afghan women resettling in Milwaukee. The relationship was abruptly severed after U.S. broadcaster NewsNation contacted the foundation earlier this month with concerns over Najeeb’s political writings—specifically, her criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza and her call for Palestinian liberation. read the complete article
India
Indian police officer arrested for torturing Muslim man in custody
A police inspector in northern India was arrested after an inquiry found him guilty of torturing a Muslim man in custody last year. Radheshyam Sharma, head of the Palwal city police station in Haryana, was suspended and taken into custody on Saturday. His arrest stemmed from a complaint filed by a man from neighbouring Rajasthan state who accused the officer of inflicting severe physical abuse on him. Mr Sharma, formerly in charge of Haryana’s Special Cow Protection Task Force in the communally sensitive Nuh district, has faced similar allegations in the past. A separate inquiry is still ongoing into claims that he physically assaulted two suspects in a cybercrime case. His history as a cow protection officer has earned him support from far-right Hindu groups such as the Bajrang Dal. Hindu activists, including controversial cow vigilante Bittu Bajrangi, have threatened to block highways and hold mass protests if Mr Shyam is not cleared. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Response to damage of Muslim graves 'appalling'
A man whose parents are buried at a cemetery where Muslim graves and plaques were vandalised has described the response of a council and the police as "appalling". The damage in the Muslim section of Carpenders Park Lawn Cemetery in Hertfordshire is being treated as an Islamophobic hate crime. But Asim Masud, 51, from the Friends Of Carpenders Park Cemetery, said Brent Council had not tidied up and the promise of more police patrols had not been kept. Brent Council said it would repair the damage as quickly as possible and the police said there had been extra patrols every day since the vandalism on 13 April. Mr Masud said as well as his parents, other family members and friends were buried at the cemetery in Watford and he went there regularly. "When I visited yesterday I was quite appalled that the damaged graves were all exactly the same [as they were last week] and in the same state. "There was no clean-up and there has been no dignity shown to the graves and I just think it is appalling the way they have responded," he said. read the complete article