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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the UK, two additional candidates for the upcoming general election from the right-wing Reform UK party have been dropped after they were found to have made racist, anti-Muslim comments, meanwhile in the U.S., the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) a prevalent civil advocacy organization has released a recent report showing a significant increase in anti-Muslim discrimination following the October 7th attacks, and New York City has settled a class-action lawsuit on Thursday which was brought by two Muslim women against the NYPD’s policy for removing their head coverings for arrest photos. Our recommended read of the day is by Maha Akeel for Arab News on how general elections for high office in several countries are being heavily influenced by public opinion concerning support for Israel’s war efforts in Gaza. This and more below:
International
Islamophobia, Gaza prominent as millions go to the polls | Recommended Read
The year 2024 is the ultimate election year, with at least 64 countries plus the EU all holding elections. In some of these countries, particularly the US, the war on Gaza and the surge of Islamophobia as a consequence of it will be played out in election campaigns and will have an impact on voters. Elections to the European Parliament in June seem set to increase Islamophobia within the institution, posing risks for European Muslims. With the expected far-right gains and a lack of representation for European Muslims in the EU institution, Islamophobic rhetoric is likely to increase. This comes at a time when far-right parties with a distinct anti-Islam, anti-immigrant attitude have increased in influence and power in European countries such as Italy, the Netherlands and France. read the complete article
United States
Stateside Podcast: A surge in discrimination against Muslims
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) tracks acts of bigotry against Muslims in the United States. In the past six months, they’ve noticed a disturbing trend. "In our existence as an organization since 2000, this has been a record year of discrimination complaints into our office and a significant portion of those came after October 7th," said Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of CAIR. CAIR recently published a report that details an upsurge in anti-Muslim incidents. On this episode of the Stateside podcast we spoke with Dawud Walid about the data, the kinds of discrimination CAIR is tracking, and what we need to do to make Michigan safer. read the complete article
Texas Man Is Accused Of Stabbing Palestinian American Attending Cease-Fire Protest
A man accused of stabbing a Palestinian American while attacking a group of people leaving a cease-fire rally in Austin was arrested last weekend in the latest U.S. incident of violence amid an escalation of Islamophobia, antisemitism and anti-Arab sentiment. A group of four Palestinian and Muslim Americans were driving home from a pro-Palestinian protest Sunday near the University of Texas campus when a white man on a bicycle approached their vehicle at a stop sign, began shouting racial slurs and tried to rip a “Free Palestine” flag off their car, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights group. The attacker then reportedly pulled a 23-year-old Palestinian American out of the car and stabbed him in the chest. Austin police said Zacharia Doar was taken to a hospital, where his wounds were determined to be non-life-threatening. CAIR, which has been in contact with the affected protesters and the Doar family, said Monday that the young man was recovering from surgery. read the complete article
New York City to pay $17.5M settlement to Muslim arrestees forced to remove hijabs
New York City settled a class-action lawsuit on Thursday that was brought by two Muslim women against the New York Police Department’s (NYPD) policy for removing their head coverings for arrest photos. The women filed a motion on Friday with presiding Judge Analisa Torres of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, asking her to approve the settlement. In the $17.5 million settlement agreement, though city did not admit to any wrongdoing, the NYPD changed its policy so that arrestees are no longer required to remove their head coverings. Those previously impacted by the policy will receive money damages to compensate for having to remove their head covering before the policy change. Depending on how many eligible people sign up, affected individuals could receive between $7,824 and $13,125 “for each instance of removal,” the plaintiffs said. read the complete article
United Kingdom
UK election candidates from right-wing party Reform UK dropped after making racist, anti-Muslim comments
LONDON: Two more candidates for the UK’s upcoming general election from right-wing party Reform UK have been dropped after they were found to have made racist, offensive and anti-Muslim remarks. Pete Addis, a candidate for the South Shropshire constituency, was suspended after comments he made online were uncovered by the Mail on Sunday newspaper in which he referred to “brown babies.” The party also removed Amodio Amato from the list of candidates in the Stevenage constituency after he said that London was an “Islamic State” and that there would be “a Muslim army run by Sadiq Khan.” A party spokesman said in a statement: “Amodio Amato and Pete Addis have been removed from their candidature with immediate effect, for comments that clearly breach any basic idea of decency.” read the complete article