Today in Islamophobia: In the UK, Hindu nationalism, misogyny and the “manosphere” have been identified as breeding grounds for extremism in a leaked report commissioned by Yvette Cooper, elsewhere in the UK, according to a newly leaked report, a British construction company chaired by a major Conservative Party donor has been tied to the manufacture and sale of bulldozers used to demolish Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank and Muslim homes in India occupied Kashmir, and in Canada, today marks eight years since a gunman stormed Quebec City mosque and killed six Muslim men. Our recommended read of the day is by Sarah Taaffe-Maguire for Sky News on new reporting from the UK-based Muslim Charities group, which found that 68% of Muslim charities reported difficulties opening bank accounts. This and more below:
United Kingdom
Muslim charities still being debanked despite Farage furore | Recommended Read
Muslim charities say they are still having their bank accounts closed without warning or explanation and face difficulties opening an account despite the political backlash after Nigel Farage's high-profile debanking. It means charities face obstacles in carrying out their work, with some even being blocked from providing humanitarian aid and life-saving operations, according to a report from the Muslim Charities Forum (MCF). It found 68% of Muslim charities reported difficulties opening bank accounts, 42% experienced a complete withdrawal of banking services and 42% also had significant challenges with transferring funds. This delayed payments which damaged humanitarian work, the report said. Real-life harms were outlined by charities anonymously interviewed for the research. read the complete article
UK extremism commission solicits Prevent complaints from far-right social media
The UK's Commission for Countering Extremism (CCE) is soliciting complaints about the Prevent counterterrorism programme from anonymous far-right social media accounts, Middle East Eye can reveal. A review of the commission's recent activity on the social media platform X found it has engaged with posts purportedly written by people critical of public sector Prevent training, including posts which suggest that the programme is "turning a blind eye to Islam" while exaggerating the threat posed by the far right. In one case, the commission intervened in response to a comment from an account named British Lionness posted as part of a thread reacting to unrest in the English city of Leeds in July last year, when hundreds took to the streets and a double-decker bus was set on fire. Major far-right commentators online blamed Muslims and "third world" migrants for the events. MEE's findings appear to raise further questions about the role of the commission, currently headed by Robin Simcox, which was made responsible for overseeing Prevent by the previous Conservative government following a contentious review of the programme by William Shawcross. Shawcross' review had called for a renewed focus within Prevent on "Islamist extremism" while suggesting it had concentrated too much on the far right. Simcox, whose appointment in 2022 drew widespread criticism owing to his record of working for think tanks accused of Islamophobia, has also previously criticised Prevent for putting too much emphasis on the far right - advocating for a greater focus on Islamist extremism. read the complete article
Misogyny identified as a breeding ground for extremism in UK, says leaked report
Hindu nationalism, misogyny and the “manosphere” have been identified as breeding grounds for extremism in a leaked report commissioned by Yvette Cooper after last summer’s riots. The home secretary’s “rapid analytical sprint” also dismissed claims of “two-tier policing” as a “rightwing extremist narrative”. It argued that the authorities should adopt a “behaviour-based and ideologically agnostic approach” to clamping down on extremism rather than focus resources primarily on “ideologies of concern”. The report, which was leaked to the right-leaning thinktank Policy Exchange, comes amid deepening scrutiny of the government’s approach to extremism. On Sunday, it emerged that counter-terrorism officers did not believe the Southport killer Axel Rudakubana was “in danger of being radicalised”. Cooper commissioned the rapid review in August. For the first time, it identifies Hindu nationalist extremism, and Hindutva, as ideologies of concern after unrest in Leicester in 2022. “Hindu nationalist extremism is an extremist ideology that advocates for Hindu supremacy and seeks to transform India into an ethno-religious Hindu state. “Hindutva is a political movement distinct from Hinduism which advocates for the hegemony of Indian Hindus and the establishment of a monolithic Hindu Rastra or state in India,” the report said. “Tensions between Hindu and Muslim communities in the UK are still evident and the events in Leicester show how disinformation can play a role in offline action,” it said. read the complete article
Home Office ministers reject their own department's review of counter-extremism policy
Fresh confusion surrounded the future direction of the UK government’s counter-extremism strategy on Tuesday as Home Office ministers were forced to reject the conclusions of a leaked internal review which called for a focus on “behaviours and activity of concern” rather than ideology. Details of the review, which also called for the scope of counter-extremism work to be widened to cover a range of causes and activities including Hindutva (Hindu nationalism), extreme misogyny and a fascination with violence, were published on Monday by Policy Exchange, a right-wing think tank. But on Tuesday it was reported that Home Secretary Yvette Cooper did not agree with the recommendations of her own department’s review and would order the focus of policy to remain directed towards Islamist and far-right extremism. Security Minister Dan Jarvis also said the review was not policy and that the government had no plans to expand the definition of extremism. Speaking in parliament, he reiterated comments by Cooper last week when she suggested there were too few referrals to the Prevent programme for cases relating to Islamist extremism. read the complete article
Minister spoken to over attending Muslim Council event
A minister has been spoken to for attending a Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) event, despite a government ban on engagement with the group. Labour's leadership "reminded" Sir Stephen Timms of his "duty to uphold collective responsibility" after he attended an MCB annual leadership dinner last week. Sir Stephen was one of four Labour MPs to attend alongside backbenchers Afzal Khan, Naz Shah and Abtisam Mohamed. In 2009, the Labour government severed ties with the MCB after a senior figure reportedly backed Hamas. Links resumed in 2010 when the MCB condemned violence, but recent Conservative and Labour governments have refused any official engagement. Sir Stephen's appearance at the event prompted questions from Conservative MP Nick Timothy about the government's stance on the group. read the complete article
United States
We fought back against Trump’s Muslim ban. We’ll fight his new assault on immigrant rights, too.
I still remember the anxiety I felt before hitting “send” on the mass email to legal clinics and pro-bono attorneys around the country. “URGENT — Protect refugees arriving at airports,” read the subject line, with a call to be prepared to head to international airports to provide legal support to refugees who may be detained upon landing in the United States. That was Jan. 25, 2017. Within 24 hours, more than 1,600 volunteers had responded — just in time. On Jan. 27, a newly inaugurated President Trump announced what came to be called his “Muslim ban,” affecting even thousands of travelers who had their permission to enter the U.S. revoked while they were already on flights here. These were mothers, fathers and children, some who had lived in the U.S. for years, while others were just arriving as refugees to restart their lives. It was pure chaos, but the outpouring of support made all the difference. Instead of a victory lap for Trump’s politics of hate, we demonstrated that Americans show up for their neighbors and don’t cower in the face of intimidation. This is what got us through the first Trump administration. I’m proud that the organization I founded played a key leadership role in the fight against Trump’s Muslim ban. We filed two legal challenges and spent the last eight years tirelessly working to undo the damage it inflicted on Muslim and refugee families. One of the most important lessons of the fight against the Muslim ban was how much we gain when we don’t give in to fear — when we fight together to uphold our shared values. read the complete article
SoCal Muslim community on guard amid Trump administration's immigration policy changes
The Muslim community is closely monitoring changes in immigration policy underway by the Trump administration. Amr Shabaik, the legal director of the Council on American Islamic Relations with the Greater LA office (CAIR-LA), said among those on their radar so far was the executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for some. That was temporarily blocked Thursday by a federal judge. One change already in effect ended a long-standing policy that once blocked immigration arrests in sensitive locations like schools, hospitals and places of worship. "That has caused some concerns in terms of - can we see ICE raids coming to our local mosques and religious centers, religious schools? Things of that nature. Then another one that has been on folks' radar is the one deemed to be protecting the U.S. from foreign terrorists," Shabaik said. The concern being - if the Trump administration doesn't agree with certain ideological, political or religious beliefs, that individual or group may be classified as a terrorist. Civil rights leaders are watching closely to see whether the administration targets demonstrators who have advocated for Palestinians. Several took place on university campuses like UCLA, USC, UCI and Chapman University. read the complete article
Pete Hegseth's Worldview Is Even Worse Than His Personal Behavior
Let’s be clear: this atrocious behavior is just one reason that Hegseth should not have been made the Secretary of Defense. An even more important reason that he should not be Secretary of Defense is that his political beliefs are likely to contribute to atrocities and aggressive war. A person accused of being an abuser and having alcohol problems who also had “benign” beliefs might not do much damage to the world at large in a government post, although the people around them will certainly be affected. Hegseth, however, holds Nazi-like views on Muslims. He makes Donald Rumsfeld look like Mahatma Gandhi. He should not be anywhere near power, even if every single one of the behavioral allegations against him was proven conclusively false. First, Pete Hegseth is a rancid bigot whose “clash of civilizations” view of humanity will sanction aggressive warfare against the Muslim world. It is fair to say that if Hegseth said any of the things about Judaism that he says about Islam, it would be transparently obvious that he held neo-Nazi beliefs that could easily justify genocide. But there is a double standard on the treatment of the two religions, so that one can get away with horrific comments about Muslims that would (rightly) be career-ruining if spoken about Jewish people. He specifically says that the very presence of Muslims in a society is harmful: “Islam itself is not compatible with Western forms of government. [Some] countries want to stay free, so they are fighting like hell to block Islam’s spread. In this age, it’s incredibly difficult to remain clear-eyed about the fact that some ideas for society are better than others. And that is where the real fight lives.” While he cursorily acknowledges the existence of “moderate” Islam (“When appropriate, I am careful to separate individual moderate Muslims from the radical element”), he says that ordinary, non-jihadist Muslims are essentially misinterpreting their own religion, because “the real heart of Islam is much closer to Islamists than to moderates.” read the complete article
Ron DeSantis says illegal aliens will be sent to Gitmo, and Florida can help
Florida’s Governor spent some time before entering politics at Guantánamo Bay, as a Navy lawyer. Now, he sees the detention center as being potentially part of the federal solution for the illegal immigration crisis. “I do think they’re gonna use Guantánamo Bay for (an) illegal alien processing site and then they’ll repatriate from their own country from there. What better state to take advantage of that than the state of Florida,” Gov. Ron DeSantis told podcaster Dave Rubin Tuesday. DeSantis was on Rubin’s show as part of a media blitz Tuesday messaging against the TRUMP Act, the Legislature’s replacement for a raft of Special Session bills DeSantis wanted that the Governor thinks is insufficient. In recent months, the Florida Governor defended his actions at Gitmo during the Global War on Terror, specifically honing in on “interventions” to stop hunger strikes from suspected Al Qaeda captives interred there for years as enemy combatants, and describing Guantanamo Bay as a “professionally-run” operation. Asked about the actions being “torture” by an Iowa interlocutor when campaigning, the Governor pushed back against the characterization. read the complete article
International
British company's bulldozers destroy Palestinian, Kashmiri and Indian Muslim homes
A British construction company chaired by a major Conservative Party donor manufactures bulldozers used to demolish Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank and Muslim homes in India and occupied Kashmir, according to a new report. JC Bamford Excavators Limited (JCB), which received a royal warrant of appointment from King Charles earlier this month, is chaired by billionaire Anthony Bamford. A Conservative Party donor, Bamford is reportedly close to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. A report by a coalition of British civil society groups, released on 25 January as part of a campaign called "JCB: Stop Bulldozer Genocide", details how from 2006 onwards "the Israeli military has been photographed demolishing Palestinian homes with JCB bulldozers". Building on several previous studies, it shows that JCB equipment has been used in the construction of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Between 2018 and 2022, JCB equipment destroyed at least 767 structures on Palestinian territory, including 262 homes. The report also details how the Indian government "has consistently used JCB bulldozers to demolish Muslim homes, shops and places of worship across various Indian states". read the complete article
Canada
'Duty to remember:' Events to mark eighth anniversary of Quebec City mosque attack
Only one bullet hole remains in the wall of the Centre culturel islamique de Québec, eight years after a gunman stormed into the mosque and killed six Muslim men who had come to pray. While a major renovation erased most traces of the attack, the mosque's president, Mohamed Labidi, says the one hole was left there as a reminder to never forget the Jan. 29, 2017, shooting that claimed the lives of Ibrahima Barry, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Azzedine Soufiane and Aboubaker Thabti. But as time passes, he worries that the wider population is no longer heeding the message of remembrance. "Unfortunately this year, there was not much enthusiasm from our Quebec brothers who did not answer the call of our mosque open house and open door conferences," he said. Attendance at the events and lectures, which were organized to build bridges between communities in the lead-up to the anniversary, was disappointing, he added. "It seems like people are starting to forget," he said. On Wednesday, more events are planned in Montreal and Quebec City to mark the anniversary. Mayor Valérie Plante will preside over a ceremony and moment of silence at Montreal City Hall, while the events in Quebec City include a discussion on Islamophobia, prayers, and a couscous dinner in memory of the victims. read the complete article