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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the United States, President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing a task force aimed at eradicating “anti-Christian bias,” which rights activists warn “will misuse religious freedom to justify bigotry, discrimination and the subversion of our civil rights laws,” while according to new reporting out by CAIR-MA finds that nearly half (48%) of Muslim students in Massachusetts reported experiencing bullying due to their religious identity, and lastly, MSNBC’s Katie Phang and contributor Paola Ramos have described President Donald Trump’s plan to house illegal immigrants at Guantánamo Bay a “new chapter in the War on Terror.” Our recommended read of the day is by Jonah Valdez for The Intercept on how, due in no small part to several executive orders signed by President Trump in his first two weeks in office, far-right groups such as Betar U.S. have begun organizing fear and intimidation campaigns targeting Pro-Palestine human rights activists and their families. This and more below:
United States
The Far-Right Group Building a List of Pro-Palestine Activists to Deport | Recommended Read
Emboldened by the pair of orders, Betar U.S., the American branch of an international organization founded by the early Zionist writer and settler colonialist Ze’ev Jabotinsky in 1923, took to social media ahead of the vigil for Rajab, which it derogatorily dismissed as a “Jihad rally.” Betar invited its supporters to show up and “assist @ICEgov in deportation efforts,” promising to “document all attendees” to submit to the Trump administration as a part of his recent orders. At the vigil, a small group heckled attendees, yelling, “Show us your faces so we could get you deported” and “We’re with ICE,” then repeatedly chanting, “ICE, ICE, ICE,” according to video posted on the group’s accounts. “We’re here for a 6-year-old girl,” one vigil attendee pleaded to an NYPD officer, before being drowned out by counter-protesters accusing them of a “fake genocide” and using “human shields.” After the vigil concluded, Betar claimed on social media to have identified the attendee using face-recognition technology and said it had reported him to the Department of Homeland Security. Free speech experts and Muslim and Palestine solidarity advocates worry that such harassment and discrimination from Betar and other far-right groups will only spread thanks to Trump’s recent orders. Amid growing calls to deport political foes and defenders of human rights, they fear a new climate where political speech is silenced — and those brave enough to speak out risk severe punishment. read the complete article
Trump Signs Order to Fight ‘Anti-Christian Bias’
President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday aimed at eradicating “anti-Christian bias” in the federal government by having agencies review policies and practices that he says have tried to squelch religious activities and activism. Mr. Trump, who announced the order at the National Prayer Breakfast, appointed his new attorney general, Pam Bondi, to lead a task force at the Justice Department to spearhead the effort. Mr. Trump said the task force would “fully prosecute anti-Christian violence and vandalism in our society” and “move heaven and earth to defend the rights of Christians and religious believers nationwide.” “Rather than protecting religious beliefs, this task force will misuse religious freedom to justify bigotry, discrimination and the subversion of our civil rights laws,” Rachel Laser, the president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said in a statement. She added, “If Trump really cared about religious freedom and ending religious persecution, he’d be addressing antisemitism in his inner circle, anti-Muslim bigotry, hate crimes against people of color and other religious minorities.” Mr. Trump said he would also convene a new presidential commission on religious liberty, which he called “a very big deal.” He also plans to create a new faith office in the White House led by the Rev. Paula White, a televangelist and longtime faith adviser to Mr. Trump whose populist interpretation of the Gospel has proved divisive among Christians. read the complete article
ICE raids are the 'new chapter in the War on Terror,' MSNBC guest alleges
MSNBC’s Katie Phang and contributor Paola Ramos attacked President Donald Trump’s plan to house illegal immigrants at Guantanamo Bay as a "new chapter in the War on Terror." "Convicted felon President Trump's terror campaign through heightened mass deportation efforts has led to an increase in arrests while deportation flights remain at typical pre-Trump levels," Phang began a segment on her Saturday show. "So with more arrests, the federal government has to house those in custody somewhere." Phang referenced Trump announcing on Wednesday that he signed a presidential memorandum to send "criminal illegal aliens" to a 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay as deportation raids continue. Trump emphasized Guantanamo Bay will be used to house illegal immigrants who "are so bad, we don’t even trust their countries to hold them," Phang lamented the rights of people in the prison. Ramos said, "Look, I think if you take a step back, you know, and you look at all of these images that we have been bombarded with just this week, Katie, you know, you see the ICE raids -- you see troops deploying to the border. You see images of military planes carrying migrants and now the image of Guantanamo Bay. The point is precisely to get this country to believe that we are entering this new chapter in the War on Terror." read the complete article
‘Political stunt’: Feasibility of Trump plan in limbo as first migrants are sent to Guantanamo
While Guantanamo Bay is mostly known for having been used to detain almost 800 terror suspects in the wake of the September 11 attacks, it has a separate facility that has long been used for migrants, mainly those from Haiti and Cuba intercepted at sea. In the wake of 9/11, “Gitmo” earned a reputation for human rights abuses, including detention without charge and torture. And the Trump announcement brought a swift response from advocacy groups. Vince Warren, the executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, said in a statement that the order “sends a clear message: migrants and asylum seekers are being cast as the new terrorist threat, deserving to be discarded in an island prison, removed from legal and social services and supports”. Warren has already pledged to file a lawsuit challenging the proposal. Trump officials have repeatedly stated that the island would be used to house “the worst of the worst”. But Trump’s own defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has also touted Guantanamo’s suitability for those awaiting deportation. “It’s the perfect place to provide for migrants who are traveling out of our country … but also hardened criminals,” Hegseth said on a visit to the southern US border on Monday. read the complete article
Nearly Half of Muslim Students in Massachusetts Bullied for Their Religious Identity
Muslim students in K-12 schools face persistent, faith-based bullying at alarming rates, according to a new report from the Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MA). Nearly half (48%) of Muslim students in Massachusetts reported experiencing bullying due to their religious identity during the 2023-2024 school year — that’s nearly one in two students. The incidents of bullying included verbal abuse and physical violence. CAIR-MA surveyed 325 Muslim students from 6th to 12th grade across eleven counties in Massachusetts. The findings reveal staggering levels of religious-based bullying and mistreatment that far exceed national bullying averages. read the complete article