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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the United States, The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reiterated its call for the firing of Sequoia Capital partner Shaun Maguire after he accused a U.S. veteran of lying about Israeli forces killing a child in front of him, meanwhile in the United Kingdom, a new survey commissioned by Better Communities Bradford (BCB) has revealed that 46% of UK adults most often encounter negative stereotypes or misinformation about Muslims on social media, and in Canada, a new study from the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS), found that discrimination is becoming “increasingly acceptable,” as more Canadian youth are likely to see prejudicial comments on social media and in real life. Our recommended read of the day is by Pranav Baskar for The New York Times on how Democratic Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani has found “himself on the receiving end of attacks by an army of Modi supporters, both in India and the United States.” This and more below:
International
In Delhi and New York, Hindu Right Wing Lines Up Against Mamdani | Recommended Read
"Save NYC from global intifada,” it read in letters five feet high. “Reject Mamdani.” The banner, seemingly aimed at the city’s Jewish voters, touched on the campaign’s most charged foreign policy issue: Mr. Mamdani’s criticism of Israel. But the group behind it wasn’t Jewish or Israeli. Its members are Indian-American Hindus, who accuse Mr. Mamdani of pushing an anti-Hindu and anti-Indian agenda. For years, Mr. Mamdani, a Muslim, has assailed the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, a populist whose political ideology inextricably links nationalism with Hinduism at the expense of the country’s Muslim minority. The efforts reveal how sectarian politics in Delhi can affect an election in New York. In India, attacks on Mr. Mamdani blare from pro-Modi news outlets across millions of TVs and smartphones. In the United States, Indian American groups, some with direct ties to Mr. Modi and his governing Bharatiya Janata Party, are taking a more subtle approach — raising money for Mr. Mamdani’s opponents. Rohit Chopra, a professor at Santa Clara University who studies Hindu nationalism, said Mr. Mamdani’s Muslim identity and sharp criticism of Mr. Modi have been enough to “discredit him among Indian Americans while also being played to maximum effect for political capital within India.” read the complete article
The Muslim world has been strong on rhetoric, short on action over Gaza and Afghanistan
When it comes to dealing with two of the biggest current crises in the Muslim world – the devastation of Gaza and the Taliban’s draconian rule in Afghanistan – Arab and Muslim states have been staggeringly ineffective. Their chief body, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in particular, has been strong on rhetoric but very short on serious, tangible action. The OIC, headquartered in Saudi Arabia, is composed of 57 predominantly Muslim states. It is supposed to act as a representative and consultative body and make decisions and recommendations on the major issues that affect Muslims globally. It calls itself the “collective voice of the Muslim world”. Yet the body has proved to be toothless in the face of Israel’s relentless assault on Gaza, triggered in response to the Hamas attacks of October 7 2023. The OIC has equally failed to act against the Taliban’s reign of terror in the name of Islam in ethnically diverse Afghanistan. read the complete article
United States
CAIR Reiterates Call for Firing of Anti-Muslim Extremist Shaun Maguire After He Denigrates U.S. Veteran Exposing War Crimes in Gaza
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today reiterated its call for the firing of Sequoia Capital partner Shaun Maguire after he accused a US veteran of lying about Israeli forces killing a child in front of him. In a video, Green Beret veteran Anthony Aguilar recounted how a 5-year-old Palestinian kissed his hands to thank him for the food Aguilar gave him. Seconds later, Aguilar says, Israeli soldiers shot and killed the starving child while firing on the crowd. In response to a tweet with a video of Aguilar discussing what he saw, Shaun Maguire accused Aguilar of lying. Maguire by comparison has used his social media platform to uplift Amy Mek, an anti-Muslim activist who has reportedly praised white supremacist groups and encouraged her readers to follow a Holocaust denier. Maguire has also engaged with the notorious and proud Islamophobic figure Laura Loomer to promote a false Islamophobic narrative. This week after a tragic mass shooting in New York during which a Muslim NYPD officer was killed, Loomer promoted a false anti-Palestinian racist narrative about the shooter. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Yorkshire charity survey highlights how social media is main source of anti-Muslim bias
A new survey commissioned by Better Communities Bradford (BCB)* has revealed that 46% of UK adults most often encounter negative stereotypes or misinformation about Muslims on social media, highlighting the outsized role of digital platforms in the spread of Islamophobia. Additionally, 20% of respondents reported that they most frequently observe such stereotypes in public spaces, such as shops, transportation, or events. Another 20% reported encountering them in political debates or statements, while 16%experience it most often in their workplace or place of study. The findings underscore the scale and reach of anti-Muslim rhetoric in both online and everyday physical environments. They also reflect a growing public awareness: in related research, 22% of people agreed that Muslims are demonised more than any other religious group in the UK. read the complete article
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Bosnia under threat: Strategic Islamophobia and legitimized oversight
Thirty years after the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, which formally ended the 1992-1995 war, Bosnia-Herzegovina is once again in the international spotlight. But this time, the threat is not open violence. It is a subtle, calculated assault carried out through geopolitical narratives, foreign lobbying campaigns and the strategic manipulation of history in international media and politics. The country’s sovereignty, identity and European future are increasingly under pressure, not only from internal political forces but also from actors in Washington, Moscow, Belgrade, Zagreb and Brussels. In this context, former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich recently sparked international debate by publishing an op-ed in the conservative Washington Times, describing Bosnia as a “spiritual outpost” of the Iranian Revolution. He claims that Iran has infiltrated Sarajevo through cultural centers and scholarship programs, a message tailored to right-wing Western audiences, aiming to recast Bosnia-Herzegovina not as a partner, but as a security threat. The claims are not supported by reliable sources. Nevertheless, the language resonates in Western political circles where fear of "radical Islam" is often politically instrumentalized. Adnan Kapo, director of the Institute for Geopolitics, Economy and Security in Sarajevo, warns that such portrayals are part of a broader campaign to reverse historical memory and undermine Bosnia-Herzegovina’s democratic trajectory. “It’s an attempt to turn aggressors into victims,” Kapo says, “and those who defended a multicultural European Bosnia into destabilizing radicals.” Linking Bosniaks with extremism is, in Kapo’s words, “first-degree Islamophobia,” a calculated move to attract sympathy from far-right actors in the West. A recent investigation by Bosnian news portal Klix.ba reveals how Blagojevich and Primorac are cooperating to delegitimize Christian Schmidt, the current High Representative. They deploy buzzwords like “Hamas,” “terrorism” and “Iran” to frame Bosnia-Herzegovina as a breeding ground for extremism, shifting attention away from domestic governance issues and economic stagnation. read the complete article
Canada
‘Serious risk for our society,’ Poll finds that young Canadians are more likely to be exposed to Islamophobia, antisemitism
A study from the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS) based on a survey by market research company Leger, found that discrimination is becoming “increasingly acceptable,” as more Canadian youth are likely to see prejudicial comments on social media and in real life. According to the poll, responded by 1537 Canadians, 46 per cent of those between the ages of 18 and 24 have heard Islamophobic comments online or from those around them since the beginning of the Hamas-Israel conflict in October of 2023. Meanwhile, 39 per cent have heard Anti-Semitic comments. The study also revealed that Canadians are more likely to be exposed to discrimination than Americans, given that only 20 per cent of young southern neighbours have heard anti-Semitic comments and 24 per cent Islamophobic. These numbers are high in relation to other age groups, with 34 per cent of 25 to 34 year-olds having heard comments involving Islamophobia and 25 per cent anti-Semitism, and only 14 per cent of 65-plus Canadians having heard discriminatory comments. read the complete article
Australia
Adass Synagogue Proxy Arsonist Arrested, as Repeatedly Attacked Mosque Largely Ignored
The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team arrested a second suspect involved in the Adass Israel Synagogue of Melbourne arson attack on 6 December 2024. Officers allege that Giovanni Laulu and two others torched the place of worship, as they acted as criminal proxies on behalf actors overseas, while a string of recent attacks on Islamic premises in the same city have largely gone unnoticed. a number of recent potentially Islamophobic incidents in Naarm-Melbourne, which include “a string of serious security incidents” over recent days at the Islamic Council of Victoria’s mosque in Naarm-Melbourne, as well as an attempted knife attack at an Islamic youth centre, aren’t resulting in the same moral panic as the “antisemitic” attacks have been or the official response to them. The ICV points out that since October 2023 Islamophobic incidents have “skyrocketed”. In March, the Islamophobia Register of Australia reported that in-person Islamophobic incidents had spiked by 150 percent over January 2023 to November 2024. Online incidents had risen by 250 percent. And the percentage increase surges even further in terms of statistics going back closer to October 2023. The point being that if a similar political and media focus was given to local Islamophobic incidents since October 2023, Australian constituencies might consider there is an Islamophobia crimewave underway in our cities. read the complete article