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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the United States, the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating an act of vandalism reported earlier this week at an Islamic prayer space at New York University, meanwhile in India, the country’s parliament has passed a bill introducing sweeping changes to laws governing Islamic charitable assets, triggering sharp opposition and accusations of state overreach, and in Lebanon, the resignation of a hijab-wearing Muslim reporter from a state-run television channel has reignited public outrage over what critics describe as outdated and discriminatory media practices that marginalise visibly religious women. Our recommended read of the day is by Sania Mahyou for Middle East Eye on legislation proposed in France, which, if adopted, would bar Muslim women who wear the hijab from competing in any sport at any level in the country. This and more below:
France
‘Down with the veil’: Muslim athletes outraged by French bill to ban hijab in sports | Recommended Read
The hijab may soon be banned from all sports competitions in France, as the lower house of parliament is due to vote on a bill widely condemned by Muslim athletes and human rights advocates as Islamophobic. The so-called “law on secularism in sport” was first adopted by the Senate, the upper house of parliament, in February. It prohibits "the wearing of any sign or clothing that ostentatiously displays political or religious affiliation" during all sports competitions, excludes any use of sports equipment made available by a local authority to practice a religion, and imposes "respect for the principles of public service neutrality and secularism" in swimming pools. Until now, individual sports federations were responsible for setting their own rules on these matters. Some of them - such as basketball, volleyball and football - have already banned the hijab during competitions. The proposed law aims to extend that ban across all sports federations. The bill has been backed by Prime Minister Francois Bayrou and government heavyweights, including Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin and Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who described the wearing of the hijab as a form of “entryism”. Last week, at a meeting held “against Islamism” in Paris, Retailleau emphasised his support for the bill, declaring: “Long live sports and down with the veil.” The bill caused some upheaval within the government, with a few members expressing criticism, such as Sports Minister Marie Barsacq, who stressed women’s right to “exercise their religious freedom”. As the new bill has captured media and political attention in recent weeks, athletes who wear the hijab worry it is very likely to be adopted given the configuration of parliament, which is dominated by an alliance of the centre-right presidential party and the far right on these issues, as well as rising Islamophobia in the country. read the complete article
United States
Vandalism at NYU Islamic prayer room under investigation as hate crime
The NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force is investigating an act of vandalism reported earlier this week at an Islamic prayer space at New York University. A student who entered the space inside the Elmer Holmes Bobst Library on Thursday afternoon said they found "urine and obscene, lewd images defacing the walls," according to a statement from Faiyaz Jaffer, the associate chaplain of Global Spiritual Life at the university. "This was not simply an act of vandalism; it was a malicious and deeply disrespectful attack driven by anti-Muslim hatred," Jaffer said in the statement. The vandalism coincides with the Trump administration's efforts to deport international students and scholars, some of whom are Muslim and have expressed support for Palestinian human rights amid the war in Gaza, including Mahmoud Khalil and Rumeysa Ozturk. Pictures posted to the Instagram account of NYU's Black Muslim Initiative show the vandalism, which appears to include a large drawing of a phallus. Another image shows what appears to be a wet stain near Islamic prayer mats. read the complete article
From India to US detention: Trump's campus crackdown sends warning to foreign students
Indian academic Badar Khan Suri met his Palestinian wife during a humanitarian mission to Gaza in 2011. More than a decade later, his lawyers say his wife’s identity led to his arrest, part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on anti-Gaza war protesters on US campuses. It sends a chilling message to international students eyeing US university degrees. read the complete article
Amid ICE detention, Georgetown professor worried most for his class, colleagues and students say
Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown University professor and postdoctoral scholar who was arrested and targeted for deportation by the Trump administration last month, was most concerned for his students after he was detained, according to members of the Georgetown community. Suri, who was born in India and in the U.S. on a student visa, had been teaching a course on minority rights in South Asia at the university’s School of Foreign Service (SFS). A student and faculty members told NBC News that amid the shock of his arrest, Suri still kept his class at the forefront of his mind. One of his students, Roudah, who requested to be identified by her first name out of fear of retaliation, said she spoke to his family not long after he was detained. “As he was being arrested by these masked men in normal clothing who just pulled up in front of their apartment building, he told her, ‘Take care of my students. Make sure that they have someone to teach the class,’” Roudah said of his final conversation with his wife before he was taken away. “He wasn’t worried about what’s going to happen to him and his reputation. He was worried about his students.”Suri, whose attorneys filed a petition challenging his detainment, is currently being held in Texas at an ICE detention center. He was sent there after first being detained at a Virginia facility and then transferred to Louisiana due to a lack of space, according to court documents. The government this week filed a motion to dismiss or move his case to another jurisdiction. Attorneys for Suri have asked the court to return him to Virginia and release him pending the proceedings. “He was not a public intellectual. He was just a humble young academic scholar,” said Hashemi, who was among the first people contacted by the family during the ordeal. “The shock and the trauma of this entire arrest … is just a reflection of the brutal authoritarianism of this Trump administration that is trying to inflict terror and trauma on society.” read the complete article
Ex-husband of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene apologizes to Muslim women
The man caught on camera shouting offensive remarks at a group of Muslim women in Alpharetta issued a public apology Friday afternoon during a press conference organized by the Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Georgia), following backlash over the now-viral video. Perry Greene, the ex-husband of U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, publicly apologized Friday to three Muslim women he verbally attacked. read the complete article
Who is Laura Loomer, the far-right influencer behind Trump’s national security firings?
Laura Loomer, a rightwing extremist and political influencer known for her incendiary social media presence, appeared to have been sidelined at points by Donald Trump’s election campaign and then by his new administration. But she has long had the US president’s ear and may have it again, at least for now. In an Oval Office meeting on Wednesday, the infamous white nationalist and conspiracy theorist urged Trump to fire national security council officials for being insufficiently loyal, as the team struggled to answer questions not only about why Trump’s top security leaders were using Signal, a publicly available encrypted app, to discuss a military operation in Yemen, but also how a journalist was mistakenly added to the group chat. Trump endorsed her assessment, people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press. He later then fired the director of the National Security Agency and his deputy director, several outlets reported, with Loomer posting on X about it on Friday morning with a screed of ad hominem attacks against Democratic appointees. It was the latest sign of Loomer’s influence, even as she has faced criticism for entertaining 9/11 conspiracy theories and her history of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim posts. Here’s what to know about Loomer and what both she and Trump said about the latest incident. read the complete article
Canary Mission’s Newest Funders
On March 27th, two days after masked immigration officers nabbed Tufts graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk off the street as part of the Trump administration crackdown on noncitizen activists, Canary Mission—the shadowy organization that operates a blacklist of Palestine solidarity activists—took credit for Ozturk’s targeting, tweeting that “her Canary Mission profile [w]as the primary cause [of her detention].” In this work, Canary Mission has been supported by significant recent donations from American Jewish donors. On Wednesday, the Intercept reported that the Natan and Lidia Peisach Family Foundation, a nonprofit that backs mainstream pro-Israel groups, gave $100,000 to Canary Mission in 2023. But this was not the only recent donation Jewish American foundations made to the doxxing outfit: According to tax filings, the Ann and Robert Fromer Charitable Foundation also donated $20,000 to Canary Mission in 2023. One of the family foundation’s directors is corporate lawyer Robert Fromer, who is also a board member of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP)—one of the most prominent pro-Israel think tanks in the country, whose employees have gone on to to shape Middle East policy under numerous presidential administrations. The Peisach Family Foundation, whose recent grant was slated to provide “general support” to Canary Mission, likewise regularly donates to institutions like Birthright Israel, the Republican Jewish Coalition, and notably, the University of Pennsylvania, which has received millions from the family. As The Intercept reported, Cheryl Peisach—the wife of the treasurer of the family foundation—is also a UPenn trustee. “It’s totally inappropriate that these academic institutions have relationships with people who are trying to destroy the lives of their students,” said Rifqa Falaneh, an attorney at Palestine Legal. The Canary Mission website was launched in 2015 to ensure, in the group’s own words, that “today’s radicals are not tomorrow’s employees.” To further this goal of rendering pro-Palestine activists unemployable, the group posted profiles of thousands of students who spoke out for Palestinian rights, often including their photos, resumes, and links to their LinkedIn pages and published work. read the complete article
India
India passes controversial bill on Muslim properties after fierce debate
After hours of heated debate, India's parliament has passed a controversial bill that seeks to change how properties worth billions of dollars donated by Muslims over centuries are governed. The upper house passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 early on Friday, a day after the lower house cleared it amid strong opposition criticism. Muslim leaders and opposition parties say the bill is "unconstitutional" and infringes on the rights of India's Muslim-minority community. But the government says the bill aims to make the management of waqf (Muslim properties) more transparent. The bill will now be sent to India's president for her assent before it becomes law. This approval is expected to come soon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the passing of the bill a "watershed moment". However, the opposition has been vociferous in their condemnation of the bill and allege that it is another ploy by the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to dilute the rights of minorities. read the complete article
India’s crackdown on Muslim charitable trusts sparks fears for religious freedom: ‘It’s about control’
The Indian parliament has passed a bill introducing sweeping changes to laws governing Islamic charitable assets, triggering sharp opposition and accusations of state overreach. The Narendra Modi administration says the reforms to the system of waqf properties – religious and charitable assets governed under Islamic law – will address bureaucratic gaps, clarify ownership disputes, improve transparency and reduce encroachments on public land. Critics, however, say it is a thinly veiled attempt to seize Muslim-controlled properties, weaken the autonomy of the country’s 200 million-strong Muslim minority and increase state oversight of religious assets. The term “waqf” refers to property donated for religious or charitable purposes under Islamic law. Once declared waqf, ownership is transferred from an individual to Allah, and the asset becomes inalienable, managed by a trustee for the benefit of the community. Opposition leaders slammed the bill as an attack on democratic values and religious freedoms. One of the most contentious changes is the removal of the “waqf by user” clause. This provision currently allows properties to be deemed waqf based on their long-standing religious use, even in the absence of formal documentation – a critical safeguard for older properties predating modern records. “The aim is clear,” Ahmed continued. “To take control of waqf institutions and dilute Muslim authority. It undermines religious autonomy and the very purpose of waqf.” read the complete article
Protests break out in India over new bill that would change Muslim land endowments
India’s political opposition on Saturday protested a controversial bill moved by prime minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government to amend laws governing Muslim land endowments. The Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 was passed on Thursday after a 12-hour debate in parliament’s lower house with 288 votes in favour and 232 against. The contentious bill later sailed through the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Indian parliament. Under the bill, the government is seeking to add non-Muslims to boards that manage Waqf land endowments and allow the Hindu-led government a larger role in validating their land holdings. Muslim groups and opposition parties protested the move, with India’s three opposition parties – Indian National Congress (INC), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), challenging the bill in the country’s Supreme Court. The groups have called it an overreach by Mr Modi and pointed out that the move will further undermine the rights of the minority Muslims. They said it will be weaponised to confiscate historic mosques and other property from India’s past Islamic rule. read the complete article
Lebanon
Hijab-wearing reporter resigns from Lebanon's state TV over 'bias'
The resignation of a hijab-wearing Muslim reporter from Lebanon's state-run television channel has reignited public outrage over what critics describe as outdated and discriminatory media practices that marginalise visibly religious women, particularly those who wear the Islamic headscarf. Zeina Yassine, a journalist who joined Tele Liban (TL) three years ago, submitted her resignation last month in a letter addressed to Information Minister Paul Morcos. She was the first hijab-wearing reporter to appear on the country’s only state-run broadcaster and contributed to coverage during the 2023 Israeli assault on Lebanon. In her letter, which the journalist shared online this week, Yassine thanked TL for the professional experience but cited institutional bias as the main reason for her departure. "Perhaps the hijab I wear is causing discomfort to some of my partners in the country," she wrote, describing what she saw as a hypocritical media environment that praises successful veiled women abroad but marginalises them at home. read the complete article