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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney has eliminated the offices of the government envoys against Islamophobia and antisemitism, despite pledging he would not do so during his election campaign nearly one year ago, meanwhile in the United States, Megan Horne, 34, allegedly attacked three people in Bay Ridge last Friday within 11 minutes, while making anti-Muslim remarks, and in Australia, more than 30 mosques and Islamic centres across the state are opening their doors to combat hate and foster understanding as part of the 2026 Mosque Open Day. Our recommended read of the day is by Neve Gordon for Al Jazeera who writes that “Israel is tolerating violence against its Palestinian citizens to push them out, while weaponizing anti-Semitism to pull Jews in.” This and more below:
International
Here’s why Israel is allowing record murder rates in its Palestinian towns | Recommended Read
While the international media has rightly focused on the genocide and enormous displacement in Gaza alongside the ethnic cleansing in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, the 300 murders inside Israel in 2025, 252 of whom were Palestinian victims, garnered little to no media coverage outside Israel. Yet last year marked the deadliest year on record for murders among Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up 21 percent of Israel’s population but sustain 80 percent of the murders. That is one murder every 36 hours. The international media have also covered the rise in anti-Semitism across the world, even as there has been little to no media coverage of how Israel has been exaggerating and instrumentalising a Zionist notion of anti-Semitism to create moral panic among Jews everywhere. These two phenomena – the crime epidemic within Palestinian communities inside Israel and the weaponisation of anti-Semitism to amplify Jewish fear – might seem totally unconnected. Yet there is a clear thread linking them, and it is called demographic engineering. read the complete article
United States
'It's Profoundly Un-American': Tim Kennedy Demands Congress Stand Up Against Islamophobia
During House floor remarks on Wednesday, Rep. Timothy Kennedy (D-NY) spoke about Islamophobia. read the complete article
NYPD: Woman attacks 3 people in anti-Muslim rampage in Bay Ridge
According to police, 34-year-old Megan Horne of Staten Island attacked three victims in Bay Ridge last Friday, all within 11 minutes of each other. The NYPD said Horne approached a 33-year-old woman at 89th Street and Fifth Avenue at 2:25 p.m., pushed and kicked her, and made anti-Muslim remarks. Minutes later, Horne allegedly pushed a 39-year-old woman who was trying to board a bus on 92nd Street, according to the police. Horne’s last stop was outside a nearby school where police say she punched a 12-year-old girl in the face. Santosuosso said the attacker told all three victims to, “Go back to their country.” According to the latest NYPD crime statistics, there were seven anti-Muslim hate crimes reported last month compared to zero in January 2025. read the complete article
CAIR Calls on Alabama Leaders to Repudiate Sen. Tuberville’s Latest Racist, Anti-Muslim Comments Targeting Rep. Ilhan Omar
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on political and religious leaders in Alabama to repudiate Senator Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) latest racist, anti-Muslim comments, this time targeting Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN). In a press conference called “radical Islam” a “cult that has taken over every second of every day” and said of Rep. Omar, “if people like [her] love this way of life back home, why don’t you just move the hell back?” Tuberville is a member of a newly-formed anti-Muslim caucus in Congress. In a statement, CAIR said: “Senator Tuberville’s remarks are openly racist, dangerously misleading and wholly unbefitting any elected official. Telling a Muslim member of Congress to ‘move the hell back’ echoes some of the ugliest chapters in our nation’s history and fuels hatred and intimidation against Muslims and immigrants nationwide. Alabama’s political and religious leaders must make clear that this kind of bigotry does not represent their values or the values of our country.” read the complete article
Muslim state senator introduces Virginia bill defining Islamophobia as hate crime in assault cases
The bill, introduced by state Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim, would define "Islamophobia" "as it relates to the crime of assault and battery as malicious prejudice or hatred directed toward Islam or Muslims." The summary for Salim’s bill says that the Islamophobia definition "applies regardless of whether the victim is actually a practitioner of Islam, provided that the perpetrator targeted such victim based on a perceived adherence to such faith. The bill also clarifies that religious conviction includes Islam." The bill "directs the Department of State Police, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, to include the bill's definition of ‘Islamophobia’ in its hate crime reporting central repository." read the complete article
United Kingdom
The Islamophobic world of Matt Goodwin
When you have built a name as a right-wing agitator, making incendiary demands like “an immediate ban on all migration from predominantly Islamic nations”, it is rather hard to change into a career of public service. So Matthew Goodwin has set himself a challenge in standing as Reform’s candidate in the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election. One in three of his would-be constituents are Muslim, and they might think twice before voting for a candidate who not only wants to “ban the burqa” but who has also asked “to what extent – if at all – is Islam compatible with western liberal democracy?” This is a man who said “Trump is right” on immigration. Who is forever writing about 2063, the year he thinks white Britons will become a minority. Who has shaken hands with Steve Bannon, Trump’s anti-Islam advisor. Who is “very supportive” of Elon Musk. Tommy Robinson is endorsing Matthew Goodwin — and that should raise alarm bells. read the complete article
Palestine Action defendants acquitted of aggravated burglary over arms factory raid
A UK court has found six Palestine Action activists not guilty of aggravated burglary following a break-in at an Israeli-owned arms factory. On Wednesday, after more than 36 hours of deliberations, jurors at Woolwich Crown Court acquitted Leona Kamio, 30, Samuel Corner, 23, Fatema Rajwani ,21, Zoe Rogers, 22, Jordan Devlin, 31, and Charlotte Head, of charges of aggravated burglary. All six defendants had denied the charges of aggravated burglary, criminal damage, and violent disorder following the raid at an Elbit Systems' plant near Bristol on 6 August 2024. During the trial, the prosecution alleged that the six defendants entered the factory with sledgehammers, intending, if needed, to injure and incapacitate security guards. But the defendants disputed that the sledgehammers were “weapons of offence”, and insisted they were intended only to damage property. read the complete article
Australia
Victoria's Mosques Open Their Doors To Combat Hate
More than 30 mosques and Islamic centres across the state are opening their doors to combat hate and foster understanding as part of the 2026 Mosque Open Day with support from the Allan Labor Government. Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt is encouraging Victorians to visit their local participating mosque on Saturday, 7 February to learn more about our diverse Muslim communities and push back against harmful narratives. Visitors can take part in a range of activities throughout the day including guided mosque tours, prayer observations, hijab tutorials and henna art. At a time when our Muslim communities are facing distressing levels of Islamophobia, the annual day helps to build an understanding of the important role these centres play as places of connection and reflection. read the complete article
Canada
Canada eliminates Islamophobia, antisemitism envoys from government
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has eliminated the offices of the government envoys against Islamophobia and antisemitism, despite pledging he would not do so during his election campaign nearly one year ago. On Wednesday, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture Marc Miller announced that a "Rights, Equality and Inclusion" advisory council would instead tackle issues of racism in Canada across the board. The move comes just a week after Canada observed its National Day of Remembrance of the Québec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia on 29 January. Lyons' counterpart on Islamophobia, former journalist and human rights advocate Amira Elghawaby, was still at her post until the government's announcement on Wednesday afternoon, local time. She was appointed just three years ago by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Her term was due to end next year. It's unclear whether Elghawaby will be absorbed into the new advisory council. read the complete article