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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In Denmark, a new bill that would make it illegal for someone to burn or desecrate a holy book such as the Quran is drawing criticism from free speech advocates, meanwhile in Germany, the Interior Ministry has published findings which show that police in the country have recorded over 250 hate crimes targeting Muslims within the first have of 2023 alone, and in India, an investigation is underway following a viral video that showed a teacher encouraging students to slap their 7-year-old Muslim classmate. Our recommended read of the day is by Aurelien Breeden for The New York Times on how critics are calling attention to the discriminatory nature of the French government’s announcement that it will ban the wearing of the abaya in state schools, describing it as a “discriminatory policing” of Muslim students’ clothing. This and more below:
France
France to Ban Full-Length Muslim Robes in Public Schools | Recommended Read
France will bar children in public schools from wearing the abaya, a loosefitting, full-length robe worn by some Muslim women, the government said this week. It said the measure was necessary to stem a growing number of disputes in its secular school system. But critics called the ban a discriminatory policing of teenagers’ clothing, fueling yet another debate in France over the way Muslim women dress, which has become a recurring flashpoint in the country’s relations with its Muslim minority. Since 2004, middle and high-school students in France have been barred from wearing “ostentatious” symbols that have a clear religious meaning, like a Catholic cross, a Jewish skullcap or a Muslim head scarf. Since 2011, it has also been illegal to wear a face-covering veil in public in France. French people broadly agree with those rules. The abaya, however — a long dress that covers the legs and arms, but not the hands, feet or head — falls into a gray area. While it is popular in the Gulf and in some Arab countries, it does not have a clear religious significance. 3) Outrage in India as teacher tells students to slap classmate who is Muslim (India) Police in India are investigating a teacher after a video of her encouraging students to slap their 7-year-old classmate, who is Muslim, sparked widespread outrage in the country. The video of the incident, which took place in the Muzaffarnagar district in northern Uttar Pradesh state, shows the boy fearfully standing in front of his classmates as the teacher calls on students to hit him. The boy cries as his classmates take turns to slap him, while the teacher is heard telling the students to do it “properly.” A man can be heard laughing as the boy wails while the slapping continues. Muzaffarnagar’s superintendent of police, Satyanarayan Prajapat, on Friday said the teacher told students to hit the boy “for not remembering his times tables.” The teacher also referenced the boy’s religion, according to Prajapat.“The female teacher declared: ‘When the mothers of Mohammedan (one who follows Islam) students don’t pay attention to their children’s studies, their performance is ruined,” he said. Police in the district have registered a case against the teacher and an investigation is underway. The teacher has not been formally charged. read the complete article
Denmark
Will Denmark ban the burning of the Quran?
It is a controversial bill that could deepen political divisions in Denmark. The proposal to ban the desecration of holy books is being considered after a series of burnings of the Quran. The government has condemned the incidents and the small groups behind them. But despite the criticism, they are protected under Denmark’s freedom of speech laws. Critics say the government is giving up on its liberal values too quickly. read the complete article
India
Outrage in India as teacher tells students to slap classmate who is Muslim
Police in India are investigating a teacher after a video of her encouraging students to slap their 7-year-old classmate, who is Muslim, sparked widespread outrage in the country. The video of the incident, which took place in the Muzaffarnagar district in northern Uttar Pradesh state, shows the boy fearfully standing in front of his classmates as the teacher calls on students to hit him. The boy cries as his classmates take turns to slap him, while the teacher is heard telling the students to do it “properly.” A man can be heard laughing as the boy wails while the slapping continues. Muzaffarnagar’s superintendent of police, Satyanarayan Prajapat, on Friday said the teacher told students to hit the boy “for not remembering his times tables.” The teacher also referenced the boy’s religion, according to Prajapat.“The female teacher declared: ‘When the mothers of Mohammedan (one who follows Islam) students don’t pay attention to their children’s studies, their performance is ruined,” he said. Police in the district have registered a case against the teacher and an investigation is underway. The teacher has not been formally charged. read the complete article
Modi’s ‘Tiger Warrior’ Diplomacy Is Harming India’s Interests
India’s diplomacy is increasingly courting controversy, thanks to the Modi government’s Hindu nationalist agenda. The government’s right-wing ideological beliefs are increasingly driving the country’s actions inside and outside India. While some diplomats resist the push, others—including the country’s own foreign minister—adopt it. We might dub them the “tiger warriors” after the infamous “wolf warrior diplomacy” of India’s neighbor, China. Increasingly, there is pushback—from parliamentary resolutions to full-blown protests, from subtle digs by friends to whispers in the corridors of foreign governments. The BJP’s ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, openly propagates Hindu supremacy over other religions and has reiterated its belief that India is a Hindu rashtra, or a Hindu nation, in defiance of the country’s secular constitution. This notion of Hindu supremacy is causing a widening tear in India’s secular fabric—hate crimes against religious minorities such as Christians and Muslims are increasingly commonplace, and hate speech against them is even more rampant. This mural controversy came just weeks after the United States made public that Modi’s BJP and Hindu nationalist groups affiliated with it were propping up demands by Nepali Hindu groups to ditch Nepal’s secular constitution and turn it into a Hindu state. The disclosure, made in the U.S. State Religious Freedom report launched by Secretary of State Antony Blinken in May, also recorded Nepali civil society actors saying that Modi’s BJP could even be funding some of the organizations driving this demand. India’s domestic media, mostly submissive toward the Modi government, ignored the report, but foreign capitals have taken note. There is growing recognition that these instances are damaging India’s standing globally even if few might be willing to say it aloud. read the complete article
Germany
Germany reports over 250 anti-Muslim crimes in first half of this year
German police have recorded 258 anti-Muslim crimes in the first half of 2023, according to figures by the parliament. The German Interior Ministry released the figures on Monday in response to a parliamentary question by the opposition Left Party. According to the information provided by the ministry, the cases included hate crimes, threatening letters, verbal and physical assaults, vandalism or property damage. More than a dozen mosques were attacked between January and June, and dozens of Muslims were physically assaulted or verbally harassed on the street or in public places. Seventeen people were injured in these attacks. Some 124 of these cases were reported between January and March this year, and 134 others were registered between April and June. read the complete article
China
Xi urges more work to ‘control illegal religious activities’ in Xinjiang on surprise visit
The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, has made a surprise visit to Xinjiang, urging officials in the region to conserve “hard won social stability” and deepen efforts in controlling “illegal religious activities”. It was only his second visit since launching an extreme crackdown on the area’s Uyghur and Turkic Muslim population almost a decade ago. During his visit, Xi urged officials to “more deeply promote the Sinicisation of Islam and effectively control illegal religious activities”. Xi’s crackdown on the region and its Uyghur population has been labeled an attempted genocide by some governments, human rights groups and legal bodies. Chinese authorities have detained at least 1 million people in detention and reeducation centres and enacted mass surveillance and systematic oppression of religious and cultural expression. Religious and cultural sites have been destroyed or largely closed off to religious observers, according to research groups. The UN last year found credible evidence of torture and other human rights abuses of Uyghur people, while Human Rights Watch and legal watchdogs say crimes against humanity have been committed. Xi and other senior officials categorically reject the accusations, which they say are part of a western plot to smear China. Instead, they say the policy is an anti-extremism and poverty alleviation programme. However, there is overwhelming evidence that Beijing’s policies frequently target benign and everyday acts of religious observance, including the wearing of beards or studying the Qur’an. read the complete article
United States
How some Muslim and non-Muslim rappers alike embrace Islam’s greeting of peace
Ever since the United States’ “war on terror” began, American media has been rife with stereotypes of Muslims as violent, foreign threats. Advocates trying to push back against this characterization sometimes emphasize that “Islam means peace,” since the two words are derived from the same Arabic root. Indeed, the traditional Muslim greeting “al-salamu alaykum” means “peace be upon you.” Some Americans were already familiar with the phrase, thanks to an unexpected source: hip-hop culture, which often incorporated the Arabic phrase. This is but one example of Islam’s deep intertwining with the threads of hip-hop culture. In her groundbreaking book “Muslim Cool,” scholar, artist and activist Suad Abdul Khabeer shows how Islam, specifically Black Islam, was a crucial part of hip-hop’s roots – asserting the faith’s place in American life. From prayerlike lyrics to tongue-in-cheek references, Islam and other religions are woven into hip-hop’s beats. In Muslim cultures, “al-salamu alaykum” is more than a way of saying hello. It points to the spiritual peace of submitting to God – and not only in this life. Saying “peace be upon you” is a prayer that God will grant heaven to the person with whom you are speaking. Many Muslims believe that “salam” is also the greeting heard upon entering heaven. read the complete article
International
Moroccan women’s football team confronts Islamophobia at the World Cup
In recent years, the world of sports has increasingly become a platform for inclusivity, diversity, and breaking down barriers. However, the unfortunate reality is that discrimination and bias can still rear their ugly heads, even in the most unexpected places. The Women’s World Cup, a stage where athletes from around the globe showcase their skills and determination, has been marred by instances of Islamophobia directed towards the Moroccan women’s football team. Nouhaila Benzina’s choice to wear a hijab during the Women’s World Cup sparked Islamophobic remarks from French channel CNews. A columnist insinuated that the hijab represented a regressive stance on modesty. This incident, deeply rooted in cultural misunderstanding, garnered criticism for attempting to impose one culture’s norms on another. The hijab ban’s history in international football further complicates the matter. Although FIFA lifted the ban in 2014, differing opinions within certain countries continue to cloud the issue, exposing the challenges athletes like Benzina face when embracing their identity on an international stage. Media outlets, including sports journals, play a pivotal role in shaping public perceptions. When L’Equipe labeled Benzina’s hijab “highly controversial,” it perpetuated harmful stereotypes and failed to acknowledge the athlete’s agency in her personal choice. Such rhetoric not only undermines the achievements of women athletes but also perpetuates discriminatory views that have no place in modern sports. read the complete article
Six years of Rohingya exodus: Food crisis and fears of a ‘lost generation’
The United Nations says 2022 was one of the deadliest years for the Rohingya at sea after nearly 400 refugees perished while making treacherous boat trips from Myanmar and Bangladesh across the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Jalil’s close shave with death and his desperation to flee Bangladesh underscores the plight of nearly a million Rohingya, most of whom fled their native Myanmar on August 25, 2017 after its military launched what the UN described as a campaign with “genocidal intent” against the mostly-Muslim minority. As the Myanmar military began to kill Rohingya men, rape women and burn their villages that day, more than 750,000 of them fled to neighbouring Bangladesh where they were sheltered in the southern Cox’s Bazar district – now the world’s largest refugee camp. Since then, the refugees observe August 25 as “Genocide Day” to demand justice and seek safe and voluntary repatriation to their homes in Myanmar, which is facing a genocide trial at the International Court of Justice at The Hague. read the complete article
TIME TO PAY UP, META
Meta should immediately pay reparations to the Rohingya for the role that Facebook played in the ethnic cleansing of the persecuted minority group, Amnesty International said today, on the sixth anniversary of the Myanmar military’s brutal operation during which they raped Rohingya women and girls, burned down entire villages, and killed thousands. Facebook’s algorithms and Meta’s ruthless pursuit of profit created an echo chamber that helped foment hatred of the Rohingya people and contributed to the conditions which forced the ethnic group to flee Myanmar en masse. “Six years have gone by since Meta contributed to the terrible atrocities perpetrated against the Rohingya people. Yet although this stands out as one of the most egregious examples of a social media company’s involvement in a human rights crisis, the Rohingya are still awaiting reparations from Meta,” said Pat de Brún, Head of Big Tech Accountability at Amnesty International. “Our investigations have made it clear that Facebook’s dangerous algorithms, which are hard-wired to drive “engagement” and corporate profits at all costs, actively fanned the flames of hate and contributed to mass violence as well as the forced displacement of over half the Rohingya population of Myanmar into neighbouring Bangladesh. “It is high time Meta faced its responsibilities by paying reparations to the Rohingya and by fixing its business model to prevent this from happening again.” read the complete article
Netherlands
Muslims in Netherlands protest against Quran desecration
Muslims have participated in a protest organised by Islamic organisations in the Dutch city of The Hague amid ongoing anti-Islam incidents around Europe. Protesters carried copies of the Quran on Saturday and gathered in Malieveld Square. They had signs that read: "The Quran gives us light to guide us, fire cannot burn the Sun" and "I love the Quran" as demonstrators walked toward the Danish and Swedish embassies. Protesters criticised governments that enable hostile acts against the Quran. They shouted: "Stop burning our book and holy books," and "Shame on the Danish and Swedish governments!" Demonstrators also recited verses from the Quran. Serdar Isik, a psychologist, read a statement in front of the Swedish Embassy and said attacks on the Quran in Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands hurt Muslims very much and tearing the Quran under police protection is a racist act. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Dunmurry: Anti-racism rally after Nazi flags flown near mosque
Anti-racism campaigners have gathered to challenge those who erected Nazi flags near a mosque in Dunmurry on Tuesday. The Community Rally Against Fascism began at 14:00 BST on Saturday in Dunmurry Park. Three flags bearing the swastika and the symbol of the SS were erected on lampposts near the Iqraa Mosque. Police say they are treating the incident as a racially-motivated hate crime. Those representing the Muslim community told BBC News NI that they were not going to be deterred to live peacefully and the demonstration was a reminder that they are part of the community. Ali Khan, from Belfast Multi-Cultural Association, said the community felt "so heartened" to have an "absolutely amazing" turnout at the rally. read the complete article