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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In Australia, a man has been charged with sending letters that called for violence against Muslims and other groups on Australia Day in the form of a document posted outside of a Sydney mosque, meanwhile in France, the fast food giant KFC has decided to adjust the menu in some of its restaurants towards being halal which has triggered a rise in Islamophobic backlash, and lastly in the United States, Aaron Reitz, a candidate for the GOP primary in Texas aired his first television ad Wednesday targeting Muslim minorities in the state and stoking anti-Muslim fears. Our recommended read of the day is by Scroll.in on how a new study out by South Asian feminist organization Equality Labs shows that more than 4.7 million anti-Muslim social media posts were documented in the U.S. in 2025 alone. This and more below:
United States
4.7 million Islamophobic posts in US in 2025, ‘Muslim invasion’ theory among prevalent themes: Study | Recommended Read
More than 4.7 million Islamophobic social media posts targeted the Muslim community in the United States during 2025, a study by South Asian feminist organisation Equality Labs showed on Tuesday. The organisation said that the 4.7 million posts it had identified had generated 34.8 million engagements, including likes, shares, comments, saves, taps and clicks on 12 social media platforms. With approximately 279,000 posts, Texas was the leading US state for disinformation targeting Muslims during the year, the study found. It was followed by Florida with 150,000 posts and California 117,000. Based on a sample set of 1,500 posts, the study identified the Muslim invasion theory, the imposition of Sharia law, calls to investigate Muslim organisations and leaders, and calls to deport Muslims among the 10 most prevalent themes. The Muslim invasion theory is a far-right narrative in the US, which claims that the increase in Muslim population and immigration is a conspiracy to take over the country to undermine Christian values and American identity. The study found that Islamophobic content was becoming increasingly widespread among officials of US President Donald Trump’s Republican party. The content frequently overlapped with anti-immigrant attacks, including calls to pause visas, denaturalise citizens and deport persons born outside the US. read the complete article
Azeez Al-Shaair’s anti-genocide note: Muslims tackle NFL fine with charity
Palestinian rights advocates are raising charitable donations in the name of American football player Azeez Al-Shaair, who was fined by the National Football League for displaying an anti-genocide message on his nose tape. Nimrah Riaz, founder of Siraat Strategies, a sports consulting firm focused on Muslims, said people in the community wanted to turn the $11,593 penalty against the Houston Texans’ linebacker into something positive. Al-Shaair wore nose tape captioned “Stop the Genocide” during a pre-game TV interview last week, without specifically referring to a particular conflict. But the message was widely understood to be about the atrocities in Gaza and Sudan. “If Azeez was going to use his platform to stand up for humanity, and there was going to be a financial consequence, instead of that moment ending in punishment, the community chose to redirect it, so we can all collectively raise funds towards Palestine and Sudan for those who actually need it,” Riaz told Al Jazeera. read the complete article
Cy-Fair ISD let Muslim kids play ping-pong. Then Gov. Greg Abbott freaked out
Gov. Greg Abbott has brought his fight against Islam to the Houston area. Wednesday he sent a letter to Cy-Fair ISD bridling with righteous indignation over the district’s apparent collaboration with the national Council on American-Islamic Relations, a group that Abbott recently dubbed a terrorist organization. Trouble is, at least according to CFISD, there is no such event planned, much less one that the school district is co-hosting. The confusing and, we’ll say it, embarrassing back and forth is the latest in Abbott’s effort to rile up anti-Islamic fervor. The state has gone after a planned neighborhood development in north Texas, decried the supposed influx of Sharia law here, and more recently, declared CAIR to be a terrorist group. Each time, it seems, Abbott and company take a seed of truth — yes, CAIR has had some troubling associations in the past, for example — and grows it into a magical beanstalk, scaling his political fearmongering ever higher. This latest incident comes after a north Texas district canceled plans for the Islamic Games, for the group's apparent connection to CAIR. Trouble is, the Islamic Games said it has no affiliation with CAIR. “We are deeply concerned that a sporting event for children is being targeted,” Salaudeen Nausrudeen, president of Islamic Games, said in an email to the Fort Worth Report. “It is our hope that better minds prevail.” Stretching the truth is a political pastime but this apparent distortion goes too far. Shame on our governor for going after kids. Muslim students and community members are put at risk while Abbott and other state officials make boogeyman out of them. read the complete article
County leaders respond to Islamophobic, anti-Palestinian graffiti at Whitman
Students, administrators and teachers arrived at Walt Whitman High School early Friday morning to find Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian hate speech graffiti spray-painted on the exterior of the school auditorium. Whitman administrators responded to the incident alongside police and building services staff, and over the weekend, county leaders released statements in response. The graffiti spanned several yards and also included the Star of David. The individual or individuals responsible have not yet been identified. Montgomery County police confirmed with WUSA9 that a Whitman surveillance video depicted multiple people leaving the campus past the football field around 2:30 a.m. Principal Gregory Miller addressed the incident in a schoolwide announcement the same morning, calling the act “profoundly offensive.” read the complete article
Anti-Islam rhetoric takes center stage in Texas Republican primary
Aaron Reitz aired his first television ad Wednesday pitching himself to voters as the best Republican candidate for Texas attorney general. But his commercial didn’t highlight his endorsement from outgoing attorney general Ken Paxton or his work under President Donald Trump. He didn’t discuss border security or election law. Instead, Reitz pledged to target a religion practiced by hundreds of thousands of Texans. “Politicians have imported millions of Muslims into our country,” Reitz said in the ad. “The result? More terrorism, more crime and they even want their own illegal cities in Texas to impose Sharia law. Not on my watch.” Reitz’s ad is the latest example of Texas GOP candidates making anti-Muslim rhetoric a central piece of their messaging this cycle. As conservative activists push Republicans to take a harder line against Muslims, and the GOP and its factions debate what constitutes American identity, opposition to Islam has become a key campaign pillar for some Texas Republicans in statewide races and beyond. read the complete article
Oklahoma bills would ban Sharia law, declare CAIR as terror organization
Muslim leaders in Oklahoma say some state lawmakers are trading fear for votes after introducing bills that would prohibit state courts from adopting Islamic law and declare the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group as a terror organization. Republican state lawmakers have revived attempts to prohibit the use of Sharia Law or any similar foreign legal code in Oklahoma courts. In 2013, a federal judge prohibited Oklahoma officials from certifying the results of a 2010 statewide election that approved a constitutional amendment to prohibit state courts from considering international or Islamic law when deciding cases. Another law would declare the Council on American-Islamic Relations as a terror organization, echoing attempts in Congress and states like Texas and Florida. These laws are being introduced amid an uptick in Islamophobic discrimination and attacks coinciding with the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Calls for government to define Islamophobia
A Muslim leader is calling on the government "to do more" to help his congregation feel safe. Abdul Chaudhuri, chairman of Peterborough's Joint Mosque Council, said hate crimes against members of the community had "significantly increased" and he called on ministers to "adopt a definition of Islamophobia". In December, Alexander Hooper, 57, of Dogsthorpe Road, was handed a 27-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, after he admitting to a religiously and racially aggravated offence at the Darassalaam Mosque. The court heard he told a classroom of children at the Alma Road mosque that their prophet "was a paedophile" and that "white people will destroy you". Chaudhuri said the incident caused "great concern and upset", particularly among women and children, calling the situation concerning. "What we ask the minister is that there is no definition of Islamophobia by the parliament in this country and she should push hard on that," he said. "Parliament must approve a definition the same way they have done for antisemitism. "Reporting the hate crime should be made easier. And.. unless there is a proper definition, the police can't take action against them." read the complete article
'Little is being done' - Group urges Scottish Government to prevent mosque hate crimes
A Muslim organisation has called on the Scottish Government to prevent the spread of extremist content after claiming “little is being done to stop” rising cases of hate crimes at mosques across Scotland. It comes following a graffiti attack on the Edinburgh Central Mosque earlier this month. An investigation has been launched by Police Scotland after the site on Potterrow was targeted with the words “leave Scot” and “get out of Scotland” in red spray paint. Edinburgh Central Mosque said it was deeply concerned by the incident, while Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND) said attacks on mosques, including graffiti, vandalism and threats, are becoming increasingly common. The organisation added that the attack in Edinburgh was “sadly one of many” in recent months, pointing to a wider rise in anti-Muslim hatred and the spread of extremist far-right content online. read the complete article
Australia
Exclusive: One Nation calls for Muslim ban and ‘net zero’ migration
The resurgent One Nation party has renewed its call for Australia to ban people from a number of Muslim nations, following a recent similar decision by the United States government. Last week the Trump administration announced it would indefinitely suspend the approval of immigrant visas for people from 75 countries. Australia should be looking at something similar, says James Ashby, chief of staff to One Nation leader Pauline Hanson. Whereas the US cloaked its decision in economic language, saying it was targeting immigrants deemed a burden on the welfare system, One Nation’s position is on overtly religious terms. Speaking with The Saturday Paper ahead of this week’s parliamentary vote on new hate speech laws, Ashby said that instead of tightening those laws, Australia should end migration from some Muslim nations. He also called for a halving of overall migrant intake, to 130,000. “We certainly know that Islamic terrorism is being allowed into the country because we’re not doing proper vetting on the backgrounds of some of these people. Extremism is alive and well. We know that, because ASIO had at least 200 people on their terrorism watchlist, and guess what? They all come from the same ideology, the same hateful religious ideology that is bred in certain countries from around the globe.” read the complete article
Man charged over 'abhorrent' threat to Sydney mosque
A man has been charged with sending letters that called for violence against Muslims and other groups on Australia Day. The material posted to Sydney's Lakemba Mosque also singled out Middle Eastern communities, Indigenous people and left-wing politicians, putting locals on high alert. A 70-year-old man was charged with three counts of sending a document threatening death or grievous bodily harm and is due to appear in court on Sunday. NSW Multiculturalism Minister Steve Kamper said the incitement of violence on Australia Day was "abhorrent", urging people to celebrate what united them and not let hatred divide. In a second incident, a man handing out religious flyers escaped serious injury after being assaulted in what police called a religiously motivated attack. read the complete article
Canada
Muslim Awareness Week returns to Montreal for 8th year
Montrealers gathered for the launch of the 2026 edition of Muslim Awareness Week (MAW) at City Hall on Friday. The 8th edition of MAW takes place from Jan. 23 to 31, across Montreal and Laval. The event was created, in response to the Quebec City mosque attack on Jan. 29 2017, to tackle Islamophobia by promoting solidarity and a safe space to learn more about the diverse lived experiences of Quebecers of Muslim faith. Last November, the Coalition Avenir Québec government expanded secularism laws by presenting Bill 9, an Act representing the reinforcement of laicity in Quebec. The controversial bill has placed restrictions on public prayer, and has targeted daycare workers by extending a ban on wearing religious symbols. read the complete article
France
Is Halal KFC crisis about to bring down France's Fifth Republic?
KFC turning some of its restaurants halal in France should not have caused a national meltdown. It is a basic business move, one global fast-food chain adjusting its menu to what customers are already buying. Instead, it has triggered a loud and familiar backlash, with critics claiming the change threatens French traditions. What is being presented as a cultural or political crisis is, in reality, nothing more than a profit-driven decision that has been twisted into yet another debate about Islam and Muslims in France. In recent weeks, French media and social media platforms have been flooded with denunciations claiming that halal KFC locations “threaten secularism” or signal the “rise of extreme Islamism”. Some critics have even gone as far as arguing that the decision undermines democracy itself. These claims collapse under the slightest scrutiny. KFC is not a public institution, halal food is not a religious imposition, and consumer choice is not a constitutional crisis. The reality is much simpler: halal food sells. read the complete article
International
My Rohingya People Are Running Out of Time
If you’ve heard of my people, the Rohingya, it is probably as faraway, faceless victims of violence, displacement and possible genocide — a people defined by their suffering. Yes, we are in crisis. We are a predominantly Muslim minority from western Myanmar who have been persecuted for decades. In 2017, the country’s military began a campaign that drove hundreds of thousands of us across the border into Bangladesh, where a generation of Rohingya is growing up in refugee camps with no end in sight. Global indifference prolongs our plight. Humanitarian crises from Gaza to Ukraine to Sudan are debated, condemned and covered extensively by the media. Yet if the Rohingya are noticed at all, it is as part of a distant “forgotten” crisis — not as the people living within it. But we are not just victims. We are a people with our own long, distinctive history, defined by faith, resilience and a determination to shape our future — a people worth fighting for. read the complete article