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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the UK, a United Nations report has slammed the UK’s counter-terrorism policies and called for the suspension of Prevent, as well as advocating reparations for people abused under the program, meanwhile in Spain, the Mayor of Ripoll, Silvia Orriols, who’s known for her anti-Muslim views, received a 10,000 euro fine ($11,160) for remarks made on a recent broadcast with 8TV where she claimed that Muslims living in Catalonia “pose a threat to Catalan identity”, and in the US, a hate crime indictment was filed against a man in New York City on Monday in what Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg described as an anti-Muslim attack. Our recommended read of the day is by Bridge Initiative Senior Research Fellow Farid Hafez for New Lines Magazine who writes on his personal experience with racism and Islamophobia in Austria, all of which culminated in him being targeted by the Austrian government in 2020 resulting in him leaving the country. This and more below:
Austria
How Prominent Muslims in Austria Were Painted as Enemies of the State | Recommended Read
In the early morning hours of Nov. 9, 2020, I woke to the sound of banging at the door of my family home in Vienna, Austria. As I made my way to the window of my bedroom — still half asleep in the morning darkness — to investigate the commotion, I witnessed a sight unlike any I could have ever imagined. Below my window were dozens of heavily armed police officers, preparing to breach my front door. When they saw me these men began screaming, gesturing and pointing their weapons at me. The laser sights from their guns bathed my body and the room behind me in a terrifying red glow. At that moment, my mind racing, I could think only of my wife and three children, now waking up to the sounds of these armed men, and the unknown terror that had arrived in the night for us. As I learned later, the police raid on my home was part of a broader operation named Operation Luxor, a wide-ranging crackdown on Muslim civil society activists in Austria. I had been born and raised in Austria, growing up in a small town of fewer than 500 souls, before rising to become a well-known public commentator and academic, often writing as an interlocutor on Muslim issues for the Austrian public. In my mind, I was part of the diverse democratic fabric that gave voice to the unheard. I considered Austria not just my home but a place where I enjoyed the trust and respect of my compatriots, among them many influential figures in Austria’s government and civil society who knew me well. Following the raids, I left Austria for the U.S. to take up a teaching position that had been offered to me at a university. I was no longer able to work in my home country, where, while I was never charged with any crime, I had been turned into a pariah by the government and its media apparatchiks. This experience took a deep emotional toll on me, compounded by my own incomprehension of how I had become the subject of such sensational accusations. It would take years to find out what forces were at work behind Vidino and the Austrian authorities in this campaign to snuff out Muslim civil society in Austria. read the complete article
United States
Democrats Don’t Know Their Own Voters on Israel-Palestine
Since she took over as the de facto and now the official Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris and her campaign have been almost completely silent about Gaza, outside of a brief reference to Palestinian rights, dignity, and self-determination in her acceptance speech Thursday night. Over the past year, two prominent Democratic critics of U.S. policy in Gaza have been taken out in intraparty primaries. Given that Harris appears to be winning this election, albeit narrowly, it is understandable why her campaign might not want to fix what isn’t broken. But the decision to exclude a Palestinian speaker from last week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago was not just morally indefensible—it was also a sign that senior Democrats are almost completely unaware of how much their own voters have changed over the course of this century. Inviting a Palestinian to speak at the convention should have been an even easier lift than executing a policy pivot. Wednesday’s moving speech by the parents of Israeli American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin included a pointed call to end the suffering of innocent Palestinian civilians. Both Jon Polin and Sarah Goldberg-Polin have been vocal supporters of a cease-fire agreement that would bring the remaining hostages, including their son, out of captivity alive. There is no reason that the DNC could not have offered space to a Palestinian speaker with a similar message—one that calls for the release of hostages, an end to the suffering of civilians in Gaza, and movement toward a negotiated solution to the broader conflict. The Uncommitted National Movement, after all, explicitly supported the DNC’s decision to give a speaking slot to the family members of hostages. read the complete article
Hate crime indictment filed in New York City assault on Muslim man
A hate crime indictment was filed against a man in New York City on Monday in what Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg described as an anti-Muslim attack where the suspect abused and assaulted the victim. David Grinblat, 34, was indicted for repeatedly punching a 25-year-old Muslim man in Midtown, while making anti-Muslim remarks, Bragg said in a statement on Monday. Grinblat could not immediately be reached for comment. The victim was not identified in the statement. "David Grinblat attacked a man because of his perceived religion and national origin and spewed racist, anti-Muslim words at him," Bragg said. The incident took place on Aug. 5 and the suspect was arrested on Aug. 8. The suspect spat on the victim, called him a "terrorist," said he wanted "death to Muslims" and punched the victim in the face several times leading to a cut in his lips along with "redness, swelling and pain to his face and ear," Bragg added. read the complete article
The Muslim American vote matters and it can no longer be taken for granted
As the United States presidential election approaches, the race to attract voters has intensified. Among the different constituencies the Democrats and Republicans are battling over, there is one that stands out: the Muslim community. Although Muslims constitute roughly 1 percent of the American population, they are an important voting bloc because they are concentrated in swing states, which are often narrowly won in elections. In this election cycle, the Muslim community seems more united than ever over a single political issue: the war in Gaza. Any candidate hoping to win over large segments of Muslim voters would have to address community demands for an end to the bloodshed in Palestine. This is according to a new study published by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) in partnership with Emgage and Change Research. What we found is that President Joe Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza has turned Muslims, who in 2020 were some of his biggest supporters, into his sharpest detractors. The Muslim community’s mobilisation on Palestine has come at a heavy cost for many. The Council on American Islamic Relations reported an unprecedented spike in incidents of bias: a 56 percent increase in reports of Islamophobia in 2023. Anti-Palestinian racism has also skyrocketed, a worrying trend reflected in the shooting of three Palestinian students in Vermont who were wearing the keffiyeh scarf. Thousands – many of them Muslim students – were arrested at campus protests, and many were threatened with expulsion or faced criminal charges for their pro-Palestinian activism at colleges and universities across the US. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Muslim wrestlers hit out at uniform rules
Female members of a wrestling club have been unable to compete in international competitions because they refuse to wear a singlet for religious reasons. Haniyah Kousar, who coaches at Impact Fitness Academy in Birmingham, said the singlet exposed the full leg and arms, with the neck line also being too low. To compete at United World Wrestling (UWW) competitions, including the Olympics, participants must comply with uniform guidelines, which require women to wear a singlet. "Religiously, we can't show that skin," Ms Kousar said. However, students at the Impact Wrestling Academy said the restrictions would not stop them from aiming to compete on a global stage. Student Asia said: "I dream of representing team GB in the Olympics one day and the singlet will not stop me from trying." One woman who could not take part in the final Team USA trials for the Paris Olympics due to the UWW rules was Jamilah McBryde. She said: "Even though we were denied the opportunity to compete in the Olympic trials... we're still going to fight for the right to compete, not only or myself, but for my younger sisters, for all young girls [not just Muslims], all young women for who wearing the singlet doesn't feel comfortable." read the complete article
UN report calls for UK to pay reparations over Prevent abuses
A United Nations report has slammed the UK’s counter-terrorism policies and called for the suspension of Prevent, as well as advocating reparations for people abused under the programme. This significant intervention heavily criticises the previous Conservative government’s approach to “counter-terrorism” and “counter-extremism” for negatively impacting British Muslims. It also places the new Labour government under renewed pressure to reform the policies. The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) is expected to publish its concluding observations on submissions made by the UK government in Geneva on 13 and 14 August. An advance copy of the report, seen by Middle East Eye, says that British counter-terrorism strategies “have created an atmosphere of suspicion towards members of Muslim communities and continue to have a negative impact on the exercise of their rights to freedom of expression, education, health and freedoms of religion and peaceful assembly.” read the complete article
Sweden
Swedish Far-Right Extremists at Protests demand Deportation of Muslims to their Countries
A group of far-right extremists held a protest in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, demanding that Muslims be deported to their countries. The group gathered in Odenplan and chanted the slogan “We don’t want Muslims in our country.” They then marched towards Sergels Torg (“Sergel’s Square”), calling for a ban on Islam in Sweden. On the other hand, in the same area, a rally against racism and discrimination was held, organized by the Stockholm Anti-Fascist Association. read the complete article
Spain
Far-right mayor in Spain's Catalonia fined for anti-Muslim remarks
The far-right mayor of a town in the Catalonia region in Spain received a fine for her Islamophobic remarks insulting Muslims. Mayor of Ripoll, Silvia Orriols, who’s known for her anti-Muslim views and is the founder of the anti-immigrant Catalan separatist party Alianca Catalana, received a 10,000 euro fine ($11,160) for her racist remarks on a broadcast on 8TV. She claimed that Muslims living in Catalonia “pose a threat to the Catalan identity.” In 2023, after her victory in Ripoll, she declared that the “reconquest of Catalonia” began in her town, located near the border of France. In August 2023, Orriols urged the Catalan government to ban ‘burkinis’ in municipal swimming pools. The same month, she also hosted an event in Barcelona to further her plan to expand across Catalonia, according to El Pais. In January, she called for the removal of halal meat from public schools. read the complete article
New Zealand
Anti-Wellington Council pamphlet contains 'malicious misinformation', Muslim group says
The Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ) says a pamphlet by campaign group Better Wellington is "malicious misinformation". But a supporter of the group says they are only saying what has been reported about Wellington City Council in the media. Eighty thousand copies of a flyer by Better Wellington were to be delivered to Wellington homes this week. It made claims of wasteful council spending, city-wide speed limits, and asserted that "the council wants the city's six mosques to broadcast the Islamic Call to Prayer across the city". read the complete article
Australia
‘Bizarre and disturbing act’ in front of Adelaide mosque leaves community shaken
An Adelaide Muslim leader said a “bizarre” act in which a dead kangaroo was left outside a local mosque was a message to “intimidate or express hate” towards the community. South Australia Police are investigating the incident from Thursday morning, when a man left the dead animal in front of the Marion Mosque in Park Holme. CCTV shows the man covering his face, pushing a wheelbarrow and leaving the kangaroo in front of the place of worship before walking away. read the complete article
International
UK riots: How the far-right movement became mainstream
A wave of misinformation and rumours spread on social media in the wake of the knife attack led to vandalism against British mosques and Muslim graveyards. The riots also came on the heels of an election campaign in which right-wing media outlets and politicians like Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform Party, scapegoated Muslims and further incited against immigrants. A poll released last week found that 92 percent of British Muslims feel "much less safe" after the far-right riots. Many expressed fear of leaving their homes, as one in six people reported to have personally experienced a racist attack, and two-thirds stated that they witnessed one against a fellow Muslim. The election campaign in France last month and those previously across Europe, including Italy and Spain, have also seen a wave of far-right politicians winning support among large segments of the electorate. To understand these recent dynamics, four aspects of the European far-right should be considered: its ideology, objectives, and political agenda; the threat it presents; the impact of such parties at the ballot box; and, most importantly, the reasons people vote for them. read the complete article