Today in Islamophobia

In the United Kingdom, Bristol University Professor Dr. David Miller won a landmark judgement, upholding a 2024 ruling that he was unfairly dismissed for his anti-Zionist beliefs critical of Israel, meanwhile at a meeting in Jordan, Arab and Muslim foreign ministers have agreed to establish a permanent mechanism to document and expose Israeli violations in occupied East Jerusalem and at its Islamic and Christian holy sites, and lastly, during a recent interview with Middle East Eye, Palestinian political analyst Ahmed Najar said that Israel and Europe’s far right have “forged a mutually beneficial relationship” despite the far right’s long history of antisemitism. Our recommended read of the day is by Sharon Zhang for Truthout on how Michigan Democratic Senate primary winner Abdul El-Sayed is handling the onslaught of Islamophobic attacks after his historic win. This and more below:

United States

El-Sayed Hits Back at GOP’s Islamophobic Attacks: “That’s the Best You Got?” | Recommended Read

Republicans nearly immediately resorted to Islamophobic attacks after voters chose Abdul El-Sayed as Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate candidate on Wednesday, sparking defiance from El-Sayed as he taunted the GOP’s inability to speak to real issues. In a statement on El-Sayed’s win on Wednesday morning, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) referred to El-Sayed using his full name — a move that hearkens to Republicans’ anti-Muslim references to Barack Obama using his middle name, Hussein. The statement refers to El-Sayed as Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed and attempts to smear him as a “radical.” The press release links to the NRSC’s new ad against the Democratic candidate in which a voiceover also uses his full name. The ad further goes on to repeat a baseless conspiracy theory that El-Sayed is supportive of the Muslim Brotherhood, and flashes excerpts of an op-ed he wrote in 2011 where he does not express any such opinion. El-Sayed’s opponent, Mike Rogers, also referenced such debunked claims in a bigoted statement on the primary results. Rogers’s statement was even more overt in its Islamophobia, making claims about El-Sayed that are demonstrably untrue and even throwing in a seemingly violent threat. read the complete article

Muslim Americans Celebrate Abdul El-Sayed’s Win in Michigan Primary

Muslim American voters celebrated Abdul El-Sayed’s narrow victory in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary on Wednesday, declaring they had found a place in American politics even amid a rise in fiercely anti-Muslim political rhetoric, especially in the South. Dr. El-Sayed’s win against a centrist congresswoman funded by pro-Israel groups and backed by the party establishment was especially sweet in Eastern Michigan, where Arab and Muslim Americans have long lived. Dr. El-Sayed, a Michigan-born son of Egyptian immigrants, could become the nation’s first Muslim senator if he wins the general election in November against a former Republican House member, Mike Rogers. “Growing up as a Muslim American, you’re often told to conceal that part of your identity if you want to get ahead,” Bilal Baydoun, 36, a writer and political strategist from Dearborn, Mich., said Tuesday night at Dr. El-Sayed’s election party in Detroit. “To see him bear his name with his full chest — even saying his full name at times — it still feels revolutionary in a way.” read the complete article

US DOJ antitrust nominee grilled over comments on Muslims, FCC actions

U.S. senators grilled President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Justice's antitrust division on Wednesday over an article he wrote calling Muslim immigrants "prone to terrorism" and his views on political speech. Adam Candeub, ‌currently general counsel at the Federal Communications Commission, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The panel will vote on whether to send his nomination to the full Senate. Democratic senators at the hearing focused on Candeub's past statements ⁠on gender and religion, including: "Muslim immigrants and their children seem prone not only to terrorism, but to cultural separatism." "I wrote those articles in defense of Donald Trump's travel ban, which protects against terrorism. And I thought that terrorism continues to be a tremendous threat to all Americans," Candeub said when asked if he stood by the statement. read the complete article

Abdul El-Sayed could be the first Muslim senator. Here are 5 religion takeaways from his campaign.

El-Sayed’s victory is a watershed moment for Muslim political representation in the country. There are only four Muslims serving in the U.S. House. The 41-year-old epidemiologist succeeded in the Tuesday (Aug. 4) primary amid rising anti-Muslim hate, intimidation and discrimination incidents across the country. At the same time, his victory follows that of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, also the first Muslim to serve in his role, who won the mayoral contest in 2025. He follows a now established pattern of progressive Muslims such as Mamdani, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. “Abdul’s victory shows that Muslims belong in American politics,” said Nada Al-Hanooti, a Michigan native and deputy organizing director at Emgage, a Muslim political group. “Candidates like Abdul are proving that Muslims are Americans. We’re Americans just as anyone else. And when we are in positions of leadership, we are not only serving the Muslim community; we’re serving all Americans.” read the complete article

International

How Israel and Europe's far right have found common cause

"It's a relationship where it’s based on benefits." Speaking to MEE Live's Mathilda Mallinson, Palestinian political analyst Ahmed Najar argues that Israel and Europe's far right have forged a mutually beneficial relationship despite the far right's long history of antisemitism. Najar says Europe's far right benefits by using support for Israel to legitimise anti-immigration and anti-Muslim politics, presenting itself as defending Europe from what it calls an "Islamic invasion". He argues that Israel, in turn, benefits by portraying its war as part of the same struggle and by labelling critics of its policies as antisemitic. He warns that the relationship reinforces both sides' political narratives while fuelling growing Islamophobia across Europe. "They're benefiting from building up this sort of relationship," he says. “We will probably see more Islamophobia attacks." read the complete article

Top Arab, Muslim diplomats launch plan to protect Jerusalem religious sites

Arab and Muslim foreign ministers have agreed to establish a permanent mechanism to document and expose Israeli violations in occupied East Jerusalem and at its Islamic and Christian holy sites. A joint declaration adopted at a meeting in Jordan on Wednesday said plans include a media platform to broadcast Israeli violations against holy sites and worshippers and bring them to the attention of international organisations and the global public. The joint declaration condemned Israeli policies aimed at altering Jerusalem’s Arab, Islamic and Christian identity as well as its legal and demographic status and called them illegal. “Jerusalem is in escalating danger, and its Islamic and Christian sanctuaries are threatened as never before,” the statement said. “Israel is entrenching its illegitimate occupation of East Jerusalem. It is building settlements, annexing lands, confiscating properties, squeezing the Jerusalemites, and severing Jerusalem from the rest of the occupied Palestinian land.” read the complete article

United Kingdom

The human cost of Britain’s rising Islamophobia crisis

After years of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim protests and riots, as well as a general surge in racist violence, it’s no wonder that many British Muslims are feeling unsafe. Aliya, 30, tells Dazed that the current climate makes her feel scared when she goes out in her hijab. “I don’t always wear a hijab day-to-day, but I do when I’m going to the mosque, and now I feel more unsafe being recognised as visibly Muslim. I also worry about my loved ones going to the mosque, because you never know when you’ll run into the wrong people,” she says. The British Muslim Trust (BMT) says that 7 in 10 Muslim women felt more worried about their personal safety following the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rallies organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson. Speaking on the race riots in Belfast, Aliya adds that “seeing videos of emboldened racists going door-to-door attacking anybody non-white reminded me of the stories my parents would tell me about the National Front doing the same in the 1970s. I can’t believe this is where we are 50 years later.” According to new figures published by the BMT, which monitors anti-Muslim hate crimes in partnership with the government, a mosque is attacked in Britain every five days. Human rights group Amnesty International, meanwhile, say that Islamophobic attacks in the UK have now reached emergency levels. read the complete article

Tommy Robinson defends Muslim student subject to social media hate campaign

Anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has defended and apologised to a Muslim student at Oxford University after she faced a barrage of abuse and anger from prominent right-wing personalities in Britain and the US, over a video clip from an Oxford Union debate which was taken out of context. read the complete article

David Miller wins landmark case as UK tribunal confirms anti-Zionism as protected belief

Anti-Zionism is now a protected philosophical belief in the UK after Bristol University professor, Dr David Miller, won a landmark judgement on Tuesday, upholding a 2024 ruling that he was unfairly dismissed for his anti-Zionist beliefs critical of Israel. The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) found that anti-Zionism constitutes a protected belief under the Equality Act 2010 and dismissed the University of Bristol’s appeal. It concluded that Miller was discriminated against because of his beliefs. Miller’s victory solidifies the legal precedent his case first set over two years ago in 2024. Miller worked as a lecturer in political sociology specialising in Islamophobia and propaganda. His work also analysed state and corporate lobbying, setting up Spinwatch, a UK lobbying watchdog that investigates and tracks corporate and state lobbying particularly in relation to Israel. He was dismissed from The University of Bristol on 1 October 2021 after a two-year-long campaign to oust the professor. The campaign began after a 2019 lecture where Miller explained how the Zionist movement fosters Islamophobia, leading to demands for the university to censor him. read the complete article

Australia

Anti-Labor critics mislead with claims about Australia teaching Islam in schools

The Australian government announced in July it will work to stamp out Islamophobia with a series of long-term efforts related to education and intercultural exchanges, but social media users misleadingly claimed this meant the ruling Labor Party will "teach Islam to all children at schools". There is no mention of introducing mandatory religious classes in official documents about the government's plans. An Education Department spokesperson also told AFP the goal is to address antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism and discrimination in classrooms by providing resources to educators and helping students to "learn to empathise with others, respect differing perspectives and build self-awareness". read the complete article

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