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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the United States, the trial of a suburban Chicago landlord accused of murder, attempted murder and a hate crime in an October 2023 attack on a Palestinian American woman and her son has begun, while The Washington Post highlights the story of three migrants detained in the re-tooled Guantánamo Bay detention center and the inhumane treatment they endured before being redirected to Venezuela, and in the United Kingdom, the founder of a new organization set up to represent British Muslims in public life has told Byline Times that it is needed to change the status quo in which Muslims are predominantly featured in policy and media discussions on issues of extremism, counter-terrorism and Islamophobia. Our recommended read of the day is by Diana Cariboni for Open Democracy who writes that when examining the history of the Guantánamo Bay prison facility, it’s clear that international law has “never been a red line for the U.S. government.” This and more below:
United States
In Guantánamo, the law has never been a red line for the US | Recommended Read
Seven days into his second administration, Donald Trump ordered the preparation of the US naval base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to detain up to 30,000 immigrants. So far, 177 Venezuelans labelled “illegal aliens” have been transferred to the base in shackles and deported to their country days after. Another 17 migrants were sent to Guantánamo last Sunday. Trump’s decision sparked outrage, and rightly so. But, none of this is anything new in Guantánamo. I arrived in Guantánamo on 27 January 2017, just a week after Trump became president for the first time. In his campaign, he had said “torture works” and promised to fill the illegal military prison with “bad dudes”. Soon after his election win, the prison’s commander Peter Clarke convened his officers at the US military base’s open-air cinema to address their concerns. By then, Barack Obama’s administration had attempted the shutdown of the prison, where up to 780 Muslim men (and children) allegedly involved in terrorist activities had been indefinitely detained by the George W. Bush government in the 2000s. At the time of my visit, 41 prisoners remained – 15 are still there today. Bush chose Guantánamo, “the legal equivalent of outer space”, to dodge the Geneva Conventions for the treatment of the prisoners of war and the US courts and constitution. Detainees were “illegal combatants” and deserved no rights at all. In many cases, they were tortured to obtain doubtful intelligence and evidence that would never be admissible in court. In 2015, after many high-profile investigations into the practices of CIA ‘black sites’ including Guantánamo, a federal law banned torture. It was about time. But nothing else really changed during the Obama years. His administration reduced the number of Guantánamo detainees, sending dozens back to their or third countries, and ordered the military officers overseeing the prison to grant the rest their rights under the Geneva Conventions. They would be prisoners until the end of the war on terror. Forever prisoners. read the complete article
Joseph Czuba Murder Trial Begins Today in Illinois: What to Know
A trial is scheduled to begin on Tuesday for a suburban Chicago landlord accused of murder, attempted murder and a hate crime in an October 2023 attack on a Palestinian American woman and her son. The case, which has drawn national attention, comes amid rising concerns over anti-Muslim sentiment in the U.S. Joseph Czuba, 73, faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi and the attempted murder of the boy's mother, Hanan Shaheen. Authorities allege that Czuba targeted the family because of their Islamic faith and that his actions were influenced by the Israel-Hamas war that began on October 7, 2023. Shaheen and Alfayoumi had lived on the ground floor of a house in Plainfield Township, about 40 miles southwest of Chicago, for two years. According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), prior to the attack, they had no previous issues with Czuba, their landlord. Czuba, said to be enraged about the war, allegedly knocked on his tenants' door and attacked Shaheen when she opened it. "He tried to choke her and proceeded to attack her with a knife while yelling 'you Muslims must die,'" CAIR-Chicago said in a statement. read the complete article
They dream of building Muslim-centric neighborhoods near Dallas. Will it work?
“We are not forming a cult. We’re not forming big barriers between the rest of society,” he said. “We’re going to be giving back to this state and this country, and we’re going to be showing what it means to be a Muslim neighborhood.” The dream is growing — but also facing questions from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and commenters on social media. Qadhi announced via video on Feb. 12 plans for EPIC Ranches One and Two on 200 acres nearby. His two-minute video received about 1.5 million views, according to X, and almost 2,000 comments. Community Capital Partners, the group created by the mosque to manage the EPIC City project, said it received dozens of hateful calls and messages. Dozens of commenters suggested the project’s organizers don’t belong in the U.S. Several commenters tagged Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, asking them to shut the development down. On Monday, Abbott posted on X: “To be clear, Sharia law is not allowed in Texas. Nor are Sharia cities. Nor are ‘no go zones’ which this project seems to imply. Bottom line: The project as proposed in the video is not allowed in Texas.” Earlier this month, some on social media also accused the community of instituting “sharia,” or Islamic, law. “An Islamic developer in Texas is making a Sharia-compliant Islamic community,” posted Laura Loomer, a political activist who once called herself a “proud Islamophobe” and referred to the religion as a “cancer on humanity.” Qadhi told The News the only laws the community will enforce will be Texas and federal ones, and they are not seeking to impose religion on anyone. A message on the developer’s website appeared to lay out who is eligible to purchase lots in the community. read the complete article
Invasive frisks, suicide attempts: Three migrants describe Guantánamo detention
He couldn’t tell when the days started and ended within the windowless, peeling yellow four walls of his prison cell in Guantánamo. Diuvar Uzcátegui kept track of them by putting a small tear in the last, blank page of a Bible after every third meal. The book was given to him by the military guards along with a blanket and a ¾-inch foam pad to sleep on. He went to the bathroom in a bucket connected to a tap in the cell. And though he couldn’t see his fellow detainees, he could hear them. Some of the men screamed. Others threatened to kill themselves. One interviewed by The Washington Post said he attempted it. During his two weeks at the Guantánamo Bay naval station, Uzcátegui, 27, said he was rarely let outside. Both times, he was shackled and placed in what he described as a cage. It was the only sight of the blue Cuban sky he got, so otherworldly it felt like a dream. “They didn’t treat me like a human being,” he said, his voice flustered with indignation. “They threw me in a cage.” Uzcátegui, José Daniel Simancas and Franyer Montes said they were denied calls to lawyers or loved ones after repeated pleas. They said they were subjected to humiliating and invasive strip searches. They described prolonged periods in isolation, with only two one-hour opportunities to go outside over two weeks. read the complete article
United Kingdom
British Muslim Network Launches Amid Rising Far-Right Threat and Record High Islamophobia in the UK
The founder of a new organisation set up to represent British Muslims in public life has told Byline Times that it is needed to change the status quo in which followers of the Islamic faith are frequently only featured in policy and media discussions, on issues of extremism, counter-terrorism and Islamophobia. The British Muslim Network (BMN) is a new association launched today (25 February) following “extensive consultation” with Muslims across the country over the past year. Co-chair Akeela Ahmed MBE, a social entrepreneur and equality campaigner, says the primary motivation for creating the BMN is a recognition that Government engagement with British Muslims has been “inconsistent” and “lacks depth,” limiting Muslim voices in national conversations to specific topics. Ahmed set out to this newspaper her motivations for launching the group. “British Muslims were not having a voice in the national conversation, particularly on issues broader than hate crime, Islamophobia, counter-terrorism, or counter-extremism. We just wouldn’t see or hear from British Muslims on everyday debates on the economy, the NHS, or education.” read the complete article
‘It’s abhorrent’: Students voice concerns over Islamophobia in Exeter Uni society
Exeter’s Freedom Society, a place “for intellectually curious right-wing students”, is under fire for alleged instances of Islamophobia. Earlier this month, it was revealed that a speaker at a Freedom Society event made a number of Islamophobic comments. The speaker said White British people are facing an “ethnic displacement” by Muslims, adding: “We’re being genocided.” The event was about “two-tier policing”, and when the speaker asked what he’d do if he were in charge, he said: “There would be no minorities to police”. The society was investigated, and has faced significant backlash from students since Exeposé’s article on the event. However, this is not the first time Freedom Society has faced similar student-led opposition. In 2022, an open letter published by the Feminist Society condemned the society’s talk titled “Daddy Issues: The Crisis of Fatherlessness”, calling it “inflammatory” and of “deep concern”. Other more recent talks included Trumpnomenon, Immigration: The Forever Lie, and Woke Academia. read the complete article
New film tells the story of the people affected by UK riots 2024
A BOURNEMOUTH university student is exploring the chaos and impact of the UK riots 2024 in his film project. The riots that ravaged the UK in 2024 will be at the heart of a feature film by Dominic Mills. Dominic is studying BA (Hons) Film at Bournemouth University and currently in his final year. The film is a part of his final project at university. It is called ‘Riot - short film’ follows a story of Miriam, a Muslim woman, attempts to navigate her normal life during the time of the 2024 UK riots. Dominic said: “It's basically just about well raising awareness for like Islamophobia and obviously, based on what happened last year to the people living in this country.” For the 21-year-old, this film is an opportunity to explore his passion in making films and introducing a very crucial topic among audiences to talk about. The film explores the life of Miriam, a university student who has been shattered by the riots happening outside her window which resulted in her isolation. Dominic said: “After the 2024 UK riots, it became dreadfully apparent just how much Islamophobia exists in our society. “It became my goal to create a short film based on what it would have been like living during this time.” He added: “I think it's important for people to understand that and that's kind of what I'm trying to show, like in the film, obviously showing her emotions, I'm trying to show that she just is a person been affected by riots.” read the complete article