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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In Austria, an anti-Muslim social media post shared by the Austrian People’s Party (OVP) has drawn widespread criticism from across the political spectrum, meanwhile in the United Kingdom, an NHS doctor says she was “strangled” by police officers at a protest outside a British prison demanding an ambulance for a critically ill Palestine Action-linked prisoner on hunger strike, and in the United States, CAIR-NJ strongly condemned Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s “delusional and dangerous” attacks on Islam and the American Muslim community. Our recommended read of the day is by Marc Owen Jones for his Substack, which takes a deep dive into the AI-powered influence network linking Emirati influencers, pseudo-news sites, and the far-right, all of which promote and amplify anti-Muslim conspiracy theories. This and more below:
United Arab Emirates
Amjad Taha, Muslim Brotherhood Maxxing and the Emirati Dysinfluencer Factory | Recommended Read
Until late 2024, most people had never heard of Rauda Altenaiji. Then, almost overnight, she, and a small group of similarly styled young Emirati social media personalities, began appearing everywhere: posting slick videos, publishing op-eds, promoting books, and weighing in on global conflicts with aggressive, sardonic conviction. United by a shared disdain for the Muslim Brotherhood and a seeming love of ChatGPT, they present themselves as independent thinkers with a striking deference to everything UAE - a message they’ve been eager to amplify. They’ve travelled the world, participating in events by the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, and met with folk at the Heritage Foundation. They’ve taken trips to Geneva, attended the right-wing Alliance for Responsible Citizenship Conference in London, spoken at the Pinsker Centre at the University of Cambridge and hosted panels at Georgetown University in Washington DC. Yet what may look like to some a handful of young influencers expressing strong political views turns out to be something far more organised. Behind the personal brands sits what appears to be a tightly interconnected media ecosystem: newly created or reactivated X accounts, a cluster of English and Arabic pseudo-news sites spreading disinformation, AI-generated articles and a constant churn of content that circulates through the same channels, using the same type of language, the same visuals, and often the same studios. Perhaps most bizarrely, it even involves a series of books that look to have been written by AI. In their content, the Muslim Brotherhood appears obsessively, as does Sudan, migration, protest, and Islam in Europe. Israel is positioned as a defensive outpost of Western order, UAE as an exemplar state. In short, they are a cluster of people pushing narratives that closely resemble those of the UAE government, but also of Israel and the European right and far right. A number of them have even gone as far as to promote content by the anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Police arrest and assault doctors supporting Palestine Action hunger striker
An NHS doctor says she was “strangled” by police officers at a protest outside a British prison demanding an ambulance for a critically ill Palestine Action-linked prisoner on hunger strike. Olivia Brandon, an Accident and Emergency doctor at a London hospital, told Middle East Eye that she was dragged by the hood of her coat by police, causing arterial compression and resulting in her losing consciousness. She also reported that another doctor, Ayo Moiett, who had been repeatedly demanding that Bronzefield prison call an ambulance for prisoner Qesser Zuhrah, was arrested by two police officers after he declined to attend a “voluntary interview” following allegations that he had assaulted a prison officer. Both doctors were among a group of supporters who waited outside HMP Bronzefield throughout the night on 17 December, demanding an ambulance for Zuhrah, who had been on hunger strike for over 46 days. She is among six prisoners who launched hunger strikes over their treatment and the proscription of the direct action group. read the complete article
'Abusing Muslims is not going to fix this country': rising hate in the UK
Hate crimes are rising around the UK, after a summer of flags going up on lamp-posts across the country and racist riots in 2024. Taj Ali is a Muslim journalist who has been collating evidence of these attacks. Even in big diverse areas there is a sense of fear, but what is life like for smaller ethnic minority communities in smaller towns? On his journey with video producers Christopher Cherry and Maeve Shearlaw he finds a sense of anger about the loss of community but people everywhere determined to roll up their sleeves and make things better. read the complete article
Austria
Austrian politicians apologise to Muslims after coalition party's controversial post
An anti-Muslim social media post shared by the Austrian People’s Party (OVP), a member of Austria’s coalition government, has drawn widespread criticism from across the political spectrum. Several politicians condemned the post, which was shared on the party’s official social media account, and suggested that “two-thirds of people find it difficult to live alongside Muslims.” Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer from the Social Democratic Party (SPO) apologised to Muslim communities, particularly Bosnians living in Austria. “Austrians of Bosnian origin have for decades worked in hospitals, trade and industry and are an integral part of this country,” Marterbauer said. “I apologise. This is not who we are.” read the complete article
Israel
Israel's Wave of anti-Arab Violence Is a Feature, Not a Bug
The Israel of 2025 is not facing a "series of anomalous incidents" or dealing with "fringe violence." It is living within a widespread, systematic pattern of racist, ultranationalist violence against Arab citizens that is supported by political silence, the powerlessness of the police and sometimes even direct or indirect encouragement from those in authority. The silence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not accidental. It's a shot in the arm for the hooligans committing the attacks. A conspiracy of silence. This wave of violence has a clear context, deep roots and an unmistakable target. The attacks on Arab bus drivers in Greater Jerusalem, videos of which have become a trend on social media, are not spontaneous. They are the product of prolonged incitement and the normalization of violence against Arabs. The message from the top is clear: Their blood is cheap and their dignity is expendable. The violence inside Israel is closely connected, both ideologically and practically, to the Jewish terrorism against Palestinians in the occupied territories. A violent reality that has normalized murders, shootings, assaults, arson, preventing Palestinians from harvesting their olives and expelling Palestinians from their lands – especially in the Masafer Yatta area and the Jericho Valley – has raised a generation of thugs who recognize no boundaries. read the complete article
Australia
Islamophobia runs rampant in post-Bondi Beach Australia
The heinous terrorist attack on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, resulting in 15 deaths, was a gruesome, glaring crime against humanity which was universally and unequivocally condemned. The perpetrator was a Hyderabadi, Indian, Naveed Akram, who launched a cowardly assault on the Australian Jewish community celebrating Hanukkah. While this vile act is reprehensible, the crass Islamophobia in Australia that followed was unfathomable and unwarranted. The brazen desecration of mosques and cemeteries from Perth to Sydney took place despite Australian-born, Syrian citizen Ahmed al-Ahmed successfully disarming the terrorist and saving more Australian lives. The swathe of attacks against the Muslim community, however, has only served to widen cleavages in a country that often prides itself on multiculturalism and pluralism. The attacks also took place despite the Australian Muslim fruit shop owner being hailed by President Anthony Albanese as an example of "Australians" coming together. In truth, the severity of the Islamophobic attacks, which include the dissemination of disinformation, underlines how anti-Muslim hate remains an existential threat in Australia, with the Bondi Beach terrorist attack in 2025 acting as a trigger. read the complete article
United States
CAIR-NJ Condemns Tulsi Gabbard’s ‘Delusional and Dangerous’ Attack on New Jersey Muslims
The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today strongly condemned Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s “delusional and dangerous” attacks on Islam and the American Muslim community, specifically including Muslims in Paterson, New Jersey. In a speech at Turning Point USA AmericaFest on Dec. 20th, Gabbard falsely claimed that Muslims in Paterson are plotting to impose “sharia law” and “Islamic principles” on the city through the “use of laws or violence.” Gabbard also attacked the broader American Muslim community, conflating an entire faith community with terrorism and violence. CAIR-NJ called her rant targeting Islam and American Muslims “delusional” and “disqualifying.” read the complete article