Today in Islamophobia

Today in Islamophobia: In the United Kingdom, new reporting by Hyphen finds that fewer than 200 of the UK’s 1,800 mosques were granted government funding to bolster security in the wake of the 2024 riots, meanwhile in Israel, a campaign advertisement for Minister Chikli’s Likud party features British anti-Muslim and far-right activist Tommy Robinson, and lastly in Canada, strict measures to prevent terrorism financing are prompting Muslim charities in Canada to withdraw humanitarian assistance from countries in need. Our recommended read of the day is by Zainab Chaudry for The Hill on how “powerful elected officials have escalated troubling rhetoric that portrays Muslim Americans as inherently disloyal or un-patriotic,” simply due to their religious identity. This and more below:

United States

Muslims in public office are not a threat to America. The attacks on them are | Recommended Read

A dangerous line is increasingly being crossed in American politics. A litmus test is taking hold that labels the faith of 2 billion people as grounds for suspicion, treats Muslim public service as a threat, and paints Muslim participation in our democracy as something to fear. This test deserves to be unequivocally rejected by everyone who believes religion should never be a deciding factor in who gets to serve in society. Recently, powerful elected officials have escalated troubling rhetoric that portrays Muslim Americans as inherently disloyal or un-patriotic. This isn’t because of anything they’ve done, but because of their names, their ethnicity and how they worship. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) recently called Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim American who received his medical degree from Columbia University and is former public health official, a “terrorist.” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) took it even further, describing “every single Muslim holding public office in America” as a threat to national security. President Donald Trump declared that “jihadists” are “being elected all over the place.” This requires a swift and strong response regardless of which candidate or party one supports, because demonizing Americans based on faith is a fundamental civil-rights issue regardless of which political party engages in it or which candidate is targeted by it. Rather than focusing on political stances or policy agendas, these officials resorted to character assassinations of individuals they deemed “un-American” simply because they’re Muslim. read the complete article

The real estate kernel of Texas Republicans’ mounting legislative attack on Muslims

The Texas Legislature is convening in January, and a slice of the state’s Republican majority has settled on a new target: Muslim Texans. The far-right True Texas Project hosted a conference earlier this month in which lawmakers proposed legislative responses to what they’re calling a “Muslim invasion,”which seems to an echo of the white supremacist “great replacement theory.” The Dallas Morning News reported on the conference and detailed the proposals, including regulations specifically intended for Muslim organizations, banning hijabs and halal foods and denying professional licenses to Muslims. It’ll be the first legislative session for the new “Sharia Free Texas” caucus, launched by state Rep. Brent Money of Greenville in March. There’s a national version, the “Sharia Free America” caucus, started by U.S. Reps. Keith Self and Chip Roy, both Republicans from Texas. This particular wave of anti-Muslim sentiment in Texas coalesced around the kernel of a proposed Muslim-centric master-planned community, originally pitched as EPIC City, now known as the Meadow. read the complete article

Facebook Is Drowning In Islamophobic AI Slop Calling for Violence Against Muslim Americans

When far-right white nationalist Jake Lang rolled up to a peaceful religious procession in Dearborn, Michigan earlier this month with a sign calling to “deport 100 million” Muslims, he clearly didn’t plan on making any friends. Predictably, the repeat-agitator of Michigan’s Arab-American community — who served four years in prison for his role in the January 6 insurrection — got into a scuffle with a small but angry crowd, resulting in three arrests. In other words, he came looking for a fight, and he got one. But for Lang and his supporters on the far right, the fracas was proof positive of the “Islamification of America,” and Dearborn’s large Arab community made an obvious target. In response to the tussle, Lang announced a “Christian Crusader March on Dearborn,” using an AI-generated poster depicting Christian paladins drawing swords and charging at a crowd of Muslims On Facebook, word of Lang’s “crusader march” spread like wildfire, manifesting in a disturbing outpouring of posts cheering on the racist cause — and in some cases, acts of violence against Muslim Americans. An anti-Muslim video featuring AI-generated imagery of Dearborn’s police chief, Issa Shahin, racked up over 600 angry comments calling on patriots to “take back Michigan” and “f**k the Muslims.” read the complete article

Trump has become the very thing he fears most

Oh look, it’s a Republican lawmaker spouting Islamophobic rhetoric over a Democratic candidate who’s Muslim. And over there, it’s President Donald Trump mocking transgender athletes. There’s another Republican on the television telling you the economy has never been better. And there’s Trump again on your phone screen saying America has full control of the Strait of Hormuz while you’re pumping $4-per-gallon gas. Blah. Blah. Blah. With high food and gas prices, a weak labor market and an unpopular war started by a wildly unpopular president, the Grand Old Party has little to talk about, save bigotry and bald-faced lies. And that routine, as evidenced by polling and low GOP primary turnout, has gotten old. Trump has become the thing he fears most: dull. read the complete article

‘CANARY IN A COALMINE’: Mehdi Hasan explains the rise of Islamophobia in political discourse

The Center for the Study of Organized Hate reports that anti-Muslim attacks against Abdul El-Sayed increased 20-fold following his win in Michigan’s Democratic Primary Election for U.S. Senate. On the day he won, social media platform “X” saw the highest volume of Islamophobic posts in the entire summer; some of which came from U.S. elected officials. Mehdi Hasan joins Jacob Soboroff to discuss the sudden increase and how it’s not a coincidence at all. read the complete article

Editorial: Proposed anti-Muslim bills would violate Constitution, and our country’s core values

The Rio Grande Valley is one of our nation’s most homogeneous, with a population that is 92% Latino, and a majority of that population remain loyal to their Latin roots, with 75% identifying themselves as Roman Catholic. As a main entry point for immigrants from around the world including the Caribbean and Asia, the Valley’s population is changing, and to their credit most local residents have welcomed our new neighbors. Those changes, and that admirable tolerance, isn’t just ethnic or national. Our region has enjoyed growing and active adherents of various faiths including Jewish, Bahá’í and Islam, among others. We trust that people of all religions have found the Valley to be a place that allows them to practice their religion openly and safely. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case everywhere, especially in government, where intolerance appears to be growing in size — and in virulence — at both the national and state level. Texas’ biennial legislative session begins in January and lawmakers can start prefiling bills on Nov.9, a week after the Nov. 3 election, and several legislative and political groups have started their planning. One alarming activity is a declared effort to wage war against Islamic Texans. read the complete article

Florida venue cancels rally with Palestinian American lawmaker Rashida Tlaib

A ‌South Florida site backed out of hosting a rally with Democratic US Representative Rashida Tlaib, a vocal critic of Israel’s government, after complaints by a Democratic state lawmaker in the party’s latest flashpoint over its stance on Israel. Tlaib, the first Palestinian American member of Congress, was scheduled to appear on Friday at a rally for three candidates in Florida’s upcoming Democratic Party primary. However, The Venue Fort Lauderdale, which was scheduled to host the event, suddenly ‌canceled it ‌after State Representative Michael Gottlieb, chairman of ‌the ⁠Florida Legislative Jewish Caucus, ⁠posted a statement on Thursday calling the planned rally an “anti-Jew” gathering. Tlaib has condemned antisemitism and says criticism of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and its attacks in Gaza and Lebanon is not antisemitic. read the complete article

The smear campaign against Abdul El-Sayed is built on lies, Islamophobia and hate

It took Republicans only hours after Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate to begin portraying him as something far more sinister than a political opponent. President Trump called him a communist who hates Jews. Republican senators branded him a terrorist, a “radical Islamist,” and a “jihadist sympathizer.” Mike Rogers, his Republican opponent, falsely claimed El-Sayed believes America deserved the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and accused him of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood. One Republican senator warned that people like El-Sayed are “infiltrating from within.” Another simply called him a terrorist. None of it’s grounded in reality. But barely more than a week into the general election, the attacks have become a defining and ugly feature of one of the most consequential Senate races in the country. Most claims are demonstrably false. Others rely on misleading associations or stretch El-Sayed’s positions far beyond what he has actually said. And many invoke familiar anti-Muslim themes that portray the Michigan-born son of Egyptian immigrants as foreign, dangerous, disloyal, or sympathetic to terrorism. read the complete article

How Islamophobia Moved From the Fringe to the Mainstream in Texas

The promise to combat “radical Islam” has long been a part of Republican politics. The rhetoric has only intensified nationally, as Muslims like Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist mayor of New York City, and Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan, won major races. But politicians in Texas have gone beyond words, turning the power of the state against some Muslim groups. A major turning point arrived in early 2025, after members of the East Plano Islamic Center unveiled plans for a real estate development centered on a new mosque in farmland east of Dallas. The opposition was immediate and intense. Efforts by Republican state leaders to restrict Islamic practice have coincided with a push to expand Christianity’s place in public life. In June, Texas became the first state to mandate Bible readings in public schools, where lawmakers had already required prayer time and the posting of the Ten Commandments. For many conservative voters in Texas, Islam has replaced the border as a major concern since early last year, Republican consultants have said. Anti-Muslim activists and hard-right candidates have increasingly described Islam as incompatible with American values. They warn that the United States could soon look like Europe, where Muslim populations are larger. “I won’t rest until every Muslim is gone,” one statewide Republican candidate, Bo French, wrote on social media this summer. read the complete article

International

Anti-Muslim U.K. Activist Tommy Robinson Stars in Minister Chikli's Likud Campaign Ad

Likud's Knesset primary has reached the United Kingdom, where Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli enlisted far-right activist Tommy Robinson for a campaign ad urging party members to vote for him. On Saturday, Chikli posted Robinson's endorsement video, with the minister, whose portfolio includes Israel's ties with the Jewish diaspora and combating antisemitism, writing: "I had the privilege of breaking the foolish boycott of conservative right-wing movements in Europe, many of whose leaders are among our best friends around the world." "I will continue to strengthen Israel's strategic ties with the European right and European street, such as Tommy Robinson, who leads a movement of millions of British patriots – they are the hope of Europe, the hope of the West," Chikli continued. The minister has cultivated ties with far-right European parties previously boycotted by Israel over antisemitism and neo-Nazi legacies. Many of these parties have supported Israel since Hamas' October 7 attack and have sought to crack down on Muslim migration in their countries amid turmoil in the Middle East. Chikli has also established an annual conference on antisemitism, inviting representatives from right-wing and nationalist movements in Europe and casting the pro-Palestinian movement and Muslims as the main instigators of antisemitism. read the complete article

Islam Is Not the Enemy of Europe

There’s this kind of story, told with more and more confidence in Europe’s political rooms: that the continent is stuck in some ancient, nonstop fight against Islam, and that Muslims whether crossing a border right now, or just living in a European city for three generations are an existential danger to a Christian civilization that’s supposedly besieged. It’s a really convincing tale. But it’s also a lie by omission, you know, built by leaving out almost everything that actually did happen. The real history between Europe and the Islamic world isn’t one continuous sword line of warfare. It’s messier, richer, and honestly more human too: trade routes and treaties, scholarship and rivalry, marriage and migration, conquest and coexistence often all at once, and sometimes between the same powers, again and again. Turning more than a thousand years of that tangled back-and-forth into a “clash of civilisations” doesn’t only smooth things over. It creates a present-day enemy out of people who, in truth, are neighbours, coworkers, and fellow citizens. read the complete article

Israeli PM Netanyahu calls UK ‘the Islamic Republic of Britain’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has referred to the United Kingdom as the “Islamic Republic of Britain”, a dig at one of Israel’s historically closest European allies. Netanyahu made the remark on the Israeli podcast Melech Blitzer Haim that aired on Thursday as he objected to British media coverage of Israel. As an example, Netanyahu pointed to British writer Randolph Churchill, who he praised for his “positive” coverage of Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War. Netanyahu then added sarcastically: “Go find that in Britain today, which you could call the Islamic Republic of Britain,” according to translated comments published by Israeli media. Later in the podcast, Netanyahu appeared to reference comments made by JD Vance in 2022 that the UK may constitute the first nuclear-armed “Islamist country”. “Someone said the first Islamic republic with nuclear weapons will be the Islamic Republic of Britain,” Netanyahu said. “We are making sure there won’t be another one here, in Iran,” he added. read the complete article

Australia

How this Muslim community is cementing growth in rising One Nation region

"We're Australian - and here to stay." That's the message from a Muslim community that is growing in a town where One Nation's popularity is, too. As multiculturalism is being hotly debated, SBS travelled to Young, in the southwestern slopes of New South Wales, where the country's largest regional mosque officially opened. read the complete article

Canada

Anti-terrorism measures hindering Muslim charities' humanitarian efforts: study

Strict measures to prevent terrorism financing are prompting Muslim charities in Canada to withdraw humanitarian assistance from countries in need, such as Syria and Yemen, because they fear losing access to banking services if they operate there, a new study warns. The study by University of Toronto law and history professor Anver Emon makes a dozen recommendations, aimed at various federal agencies, to help charities and other non-profit organizations provide assistance abroad without fear of repercussions. The treatment of Muslim charities has come under scrutiny in recent years. Critics claim they have been unfairly singled out in the fight against terrorist financing. A National Security and Intelligence Review Agency report released last October found “a lack of rigour” in the way the Canada Revenue Agency selects charities for audits over terrorism concerns. The report said the process introduces risks of bias and discrimination. Emon, who co-authored an influential 2021 report on audits of Muslim charities, takes a broader look at Canada’s anti-terrorism financing measures and sanctions regime in the latest study. read the complete article

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