Today in Islamophobia

Today in Islamophobia: In the United States, members of the Greater Milwaukee community are calling for the resignation of New Berlin Mayor Dave Ament after numerous reposts of hate filled social media posts were found on his social accounts, meanwhile in the United Kingdom, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced fresh funding to tackle extremism as antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate rises across the capital, and lastly in India, a United Nations watchdog has said that the country must step up protections for tribal peoples and disadvantaged castes facing extrajudicial killings, torture and other violence by law enforcement. Our recommended read of the day is by Farid Hafez for Anadolu Agency, who notes that multiple factors, including a shared white nationalist ideology, explain the unprecedented cooperation between the US Republican Party, Netanyahu’s Israel, and the European far right. This and more below:

International

Why Trump, Musk, and Netanyahu are taking such an active interest in European elections | Recommended Read

More than individuals, the Republican Party under the leadership of US President Donald Trump supports those forces that mirror MAGA. But it would be wrong to assume that this turn solely relies on a new US administration in the White House. Multiple facets explain why we got here in the first place: from ideological reasons to electoral gains. One doesn't have to cite Musk's Hitler salute and how symbols of white supremacy are being downplayed. It suffices to follow the words of leading figures in the oligarchy, such as Peter Thiel, or political leaders such as President Donald Trump. Thiel identified three main challenges for Europe: the "green (environmental justice movement), Shariah (Muslims) and the totalitarian communist state." And the US president argued during a trip to Europe that European leaders should "stop this horrible invasion" and that "this immigration is killing Europe." A shared idea of a Euro-Atlantic whiteness that has to defend itself against immigration threatening its imagined racial purity binds all of these ideological facets together. This ideological trend naturally leans into supporting its comrades in Europe. But these relationships have also evolved over the last 20 years, bringing a much more right-wing branded Republican Party together with far-right leaders in Europe. And with the Israeli Likud of Benjamin Netanyahu joining as an observer of the Patriots for Europe in the European Parliament, this ideological alignment has manifested across the globe, from the US to Europe to Israel. read the complete article

Israel's anti-Muslim propaganda push in the West

Amid a historic shift in Western public opinion over the Gaza genocide, is Israel weaponising anti-Islam propaganda to salvage its crashing popularity? read the complete article

Mamdani opposes NYC event with leader of India's Hindu nationalist group

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Tuesday he did not support an upcoming ‌event in his city featuring the leader of the Hindu nationalist group that is the ideological parent of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is scheduled to speak at a Manhattan event on Saturday, according to the event's website. The organizers, American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue, say the ‌event ⁠is backed by several Hindu American groups and promotes shared heritage and interfaith unity. Many local organizations have criticized it over Bhagwat's attendance and the RSS' history. The RSS, a powerful Hindu group from which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP emerged, said in May it had organised foreign visits, including to the U.S., to counter perceptions it is a paramilitary outfit ⁠involved in attacks on minority communities. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom says the RSS "has been involved in acts of extreme violence and intolerance against members of minority groups for decades." The RSS disputes intolerance accusations and says it is a "Hindu centric ⁠civilisational, cultural movement" whose goal is to "carry the nation to the pinnacle of glory," including by uniting Hindus. read the complete article

United States

Racist' Google AI? Gemini's 'Being Alone with a Muslim' Answer Sparks Fury

In this video, Firstpost explains how Google’s Gemini AI is facing criticism after screenshots appeared to show sharply different responses to similar prompts involving Muslims and Israelis. While one response advised caution when alone with a Muslim, a similar prompt about an Israeli produced a more neutral response. Google acknowledged the results were inconsistent and said improvements were underway. The controversy has renewed concerns over potential bias in AI-generated answers, particularly as Google’s AI Overviews increasingly place automated responses at the top of search results. The incident also highlights a wider challenge: AI systems learn from vast amounts of human-generated data, meaning human prejudices and stereotypes can potentially influence machine-generated answers. read the complete article

The Averted Anti-Muslim Terror Attack Everyone Should Be Talking About

Investigators found a printed copy of Tarrant’s screed, as well as homemade firearms, ammunition, components of explosives, and notes on making more firearms and bombs in two homes in Florida’s St. Johns County near Jacksonville, earlier this year. Someone had tipped off the sheriff’s office that 14-year-old Julian Davis and his friend, Charles Williams, 13, had discussed homemade weapons and armed robbery on Telegram. The sheriff’s office and St. Johns County School District investigated, searched the teens’ homes, and announced their arrests on August 7. Sheriff Robert A. Hardwick said, “We are thankful to have prevented a tragedy in St. Johns County.” These White middle schoolers were likely planning a terror attack on Muslim Americans. They seemingly saw themselves as the Christchurch shooter saw himself: defending against the purported replacement and annihilation of White people. read the complete article

Zahra Billoo: I spoke to high schoolers at a mosque. Now I’m named in a federal lawsuit

Being “exposed” to me is apparently a constitutional concern. That is the language a recently filed federal lawsuit used to describe what happened when Palo Alto High School students heard me speak during an educational visit to a local mosque. The visit was part of the religion component of the school’s Social Justice Pathway program. Students visited the Muslim Community Association’s mosque in Santa Clara, one of the region’s largest, where they interacted with mosque leaders and staff, observed prayers and had lunch. I was invited to speak about social justice and my civil rights work. I gave a talk about Islamophobia and protecting and empowering American Muslims, particularly in the current political climate. I had recently returned from visiting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, and I spoke about the connections between minority communities confronting discrimination and government overreach. I then took questions from students, most of which were general queries about Islam and the work I do as a civil rights lawyer. It was a routine part of my work. Imagine my surprise when I learned that I was named in a federal lawsuit over it. The complaint describes students as having been “exposed” to me, calls me a “controversial speaker” and alleges that I was given “unfettered access” to advocate my religious and political views. read the complete article

New Berlin mayor’s Islamophobic Facebook posts spark calls for resignation

Concerned citizens, faith group leaders and members of the Greater Milwaukee Muslim community plan to attend the New Berlin Common Council meeting this evening to call for the resignation of New Berlin Mayor Dave Ament after numerous reposts of Islamophobic, antisemitic, sexist and racist messages on his Facebook page drew attention. The Muslim Women’s Coalition issued a press release Friday morning about the reposts to Milwaukee media organizations. It included a link to his personal Facebook page where visitors saw “a slew of posts that criticized Islam, conflated Muslims with terrorists and said they were taking over America,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Monday. Multiple media outlets have reported on the shared posts. The Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance noted in a press release that one post shared by Ament said: “America needs to shut down all Mosques and ban Islam.” Another shared both antisemitic and Islamophobic content that stated, “How to protect your house from terrorism” and shows a woman pointing to a piece of bacon hanging from a door handle.” A different post states, “If you vote for a Muslim for elected office in this country, you are a traitor. In several of the reposts, offensive text appeared over young women in tight, low-cut T-shirts. (Ament has since made his page private.) read the complete article

The Metro: Why ‘the last vestige of acceptable racism’ is intensifying

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud told the council his own daughter didn’t go to daycare that day. Some businesses stayed closed. Sports practices were rescheduled. What brought all this on was a man with a megaphone who told the council that Muslims had come here to steal, and that their time in this country was running short. Jake Lang doesn’t hold office. But his words are not far from the ones spoken by people who do. Three weeks ago, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary. Within hours, a sitting U.S. Senator called him a terrorist. A sitting congresswoman called every Muslim holding public office in America “a Trojan horse.” Last year, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, logged over 8,600 complaints nationwide, more than in any year since the group started counting in 1996. In Michigan, the chapter recorded nearly 500 — also a record, up 25% from the year before. These are complaints people brought to an advocacy group, not hate crimes confirmed by police. But they’re climbing, and they have been for three years running. read the complete article

United Kingdom

Sadiq Khan pledges £875k in funding against extremism amid surge in antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes

Sadiq Khan has announced a further £875,000 to tackle extremism in London amid a rise in antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate. Reports of anti-Muslim hate and prejudice are meanwhile running at roughly twice the rate seen in 2023. There were 1,031 reports in the first six months of this year, already surpassing the 1,028 recorded across the whole of 2023. Police, community leaders and ministers have been working to address the rise in hostility, with the Mayor of London now committing a further £875,000 to efforts to tackle extremism. read the complete article

India

India faces criticism from UN discrimination watchdog

A United Nations watchdog has said India must step up protections for tribal peoples and disadvantaged castes facing extrajudicial killings, torture and other violence by law enforcement. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) also said that the world’s most populous nation urgently needs to tackle hate crimes against Bengali-speaking Muslims. “The committee was gravely concerned about reports of large-scale violations perpetrated by law enforcement officials against ethnic and ethno-religious groups, Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, including Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, particularly Dalits, and non-citizens,” it stated in a release on its findings on Tuesday. “These included racially motivated violence, excessive use of force, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary and prolonged detention without due process, torture, ill-treatment and sexual violence.” read the complete article

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