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SearchToday in Islamophobia: The U.S. House of Representatives passes H.R. 4039, the “No Dollars to Uyghur Forced Labor Act”, which prohibits USAID from financing international projects that import or trade in products manufactured through the use of forced labor by Uyghur Muslims, meanwhile in Canada, an act of hate-motivated graffiti targeting an Islamic Centre in Cambridge has brought the broader community of Cambridge out in support of the local Muslim community against such hateful acts, and Actor Selma Blair officially apologizes for comments she made online conflating Muslim Americans with terrorism last week on Instagram. Our recommended read of the day is by 5Pillars correspondent Musa Farooqi on a deadly escalation of anti-Muslim violence occurring in Haldwani India after the illegal demolition of a mosque and madrassah last week. This and more below:
India
Haldwani: Muslims live in fear after India mosque demolition | Recommended Read
Haldwani in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun district remains tense with tight police and paramilitary deployment, as well as internet suspension for the sixth day after communal tensions erupted over the demolition of a mosque and a madrassah in the Banbhoolpura area. The unrest has so far led to the deaths of six people, five of them Muslim. The Abdul Razzaq Zakariya Madrasa and Mariyam Mosque were demolished on the pretext that they had been built without permission, even though a local court was due to deliberate the case at a later date. The buildings were integral to the cultural and religious identity of Muslims in the area. “The mosque and madrassah were not just buildings; they were the heart of the Muslim community, providing both spiritual solace and education,” explained a local resident to 5Pillars. “Their destruction is a blow to our cultural and religious identity.” read the complete article
Mosque demolition sparks deadly protests in India
Indian authorities bulldozed a mosque and a religious school in Haldwani sparking deadly protests by residents who say Muslims are being targeted. read the complete article
International
U.S. House passes Rep. Moran’s No Dollars to Uyghur Forced Labor Act
Congressman Nathaniel Moran (TX-01), member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, celebrated the passage of his legislation, H.R. 4039, No Dollars to Uyghur Forced Labor Act, which prohibits funds to the Department of State or the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to finance international projects in partnership with entities that import products mined, produced, or manufactured in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China, commonly known for the genocide and forced labor of the Uyghur people. On June 21, 2023, H.R. 4039 was marked up in the House Foreign Affairs Committee and was reported favorably out of the committee. This week, the No Dollars to Uyghur Forced Labor Act passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote. “The passage of No Dollars to Uyghur Forced Labor Act is an important step in showing the U.S. government’s commitment to confronting the abuses of the Chinese Communist Party. As a Chinese dissidents and human rights activist, I’ve experienced first-hand the extent that the Chinese government is willing to go to maintain power. After years of evidence and brave survivors speaking out, the world can no longer ignore the Uyghur genocide. It is imperative for our consciences to remove all U.S. funding from the Uyghur region. I am grateful for Representative Moran’s leadership on this resolution and the cosponsors who endorsed it,” said Dr. Rev. Bob Fu, Founder and President of ChinaAid. read the complete article
Canada
Islamic Centre of Cambridge thankful for community support after hate-motivated graffiti left on building
The chairperson of the Islamic Centre of Cambridge says they are thankful for the support people have shown to them in light of a police investigation into graffiti on the centre's building. "This was a very small incident, someone marking a cross on the exit pillars. This is the first incident since we started work here during the 1980s," Mohammad Darr said in an email to CBC News. "We are so fortunate to have so much community support." Police said they were called on Monday afternoon to the building in the area of Dunbar and Hespeler roads in Cambridge. "The graffiti included hate-motivated symbols," police said in a release. read the complete article
United States
Selma Blair apologizes after Islamophobic comment
Actor Selma Blair apologized Tuesday for what she said was a mistake in judgment after comments condemned as Islamophobic went viral this month. “I mistakenly and inadvertently conflated Muslims with Radical Islamists and fundamentalists, a terrible err in my words, and resulted in hurting countless people I never meant to, and I deeply regret this,” Blair wrote on Instagram. Blair, who played Vivian Kensington in "Legally Blonde" and Liz Sherman in "Hellboy," among other films, sparked the controversy last week in commenting on a social media post by Abraham Hamra, an immigration reform advocate. read the complete article