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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In Canada, Winnipeg police are investigating two crimes that featured physical damage and threatening messages, meanwhile in the United Kingdom, a nurse has been struck off after sharing anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant posts on Facebook, and in Australia, following the Bondi Beach attack, Indonesian Muslims the country are feeling anxious about stepping out of their homes amid a rise in reports of Islamophobic incidents. Our recommended read of the day is by Libby Brooks for The Guardian, on new data that reveals racial and religious hate crime on public transport in the UK is on the rise. This and more below:
United Kingdom
Racial and religious hate crime on UK public transport is growing, data shows | Recommended Read
Racial and religious hate crime on public transport is on the rise, according to new data obtained by the Guardian, as community groups report how people are restricting their daily journeys because they fear abuse or assault. Police forces across the country have recorded an increase in hate crimes over the past year, with a significant rise in racially motivated offences in Scotland as well as religious hate crimes targeting Muslims in England and Wales. read the complete article
Nurse struck off over anti-Muslim and immigrant online posts
A nurse whose career spanned nearly 45 years has been struck off after sharing anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant posts on Facebook. Roberta Batchelor posted a series of images including a boat filled with people arriving at a beach captioned "these give nothing and get everything" and a homeless veteran with the caption "these give everything and get nothing" in August 2024. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) said she also posted a picture of a child being chased by men, one wielding a knife, captioned "Next time when you pay your taxes, remember some of your money goes for the "Protection of Mosques". read the complete article
United States
Mamdani defends eliminating executive orders on antisemitism, boycotting Israel
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, after nixing a pair of executive orders that dealt with antisemitism and boycotting Israel, defended his actions amid fallout that has included sharp criticism from the Israeli government and concerns from local Jewish groups. As one of his first acts as mayor, Mamdani declined to renew two executive orders signed by former Mayor Eric Adams: One that adopted a broad definition of antisemitism and another that prohibited city employees from engaging in the boycott, divest and sanctions movement against Israel. read the complete article
Edward Ahmed Mitchell of Council on American-Islamic Relations says Texas and Florida governors abusing power
The deputy director of the US’s biggest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group warns that Republican governors’ steps to declare his organization a “terrorist organization” won’t stop with the Muslim community. “No governor should have the power to unilaterally declare a civil rights or advocacy group he disagrees with a terrorist organization, take punitive action against them, all in violation of due process and free speech,” Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told the Guardian this month. “If any governor can get away with abusing that kind of power, then no organization is safe.” read the complete article
'Inside Edition' execs and talent made racist, sexist, antisemitic, and anti-Muslim comments, former producer says in a new lawsuit
Joshua Bernstein said Lisa Guerrero, then a correspondent on the program, called him a "whiny Jew," "spoiled Jew," and an "old Jewish woman" and asked how he could have married a Muslim woman or worked for a "terrorist network" like Al Jazeera. She also called him homophobic slurs and made "countless other racist and offensive comments" about interview subjects and coworkers, Bernstein claimed in the lawsuit, which was filed earlier this month. Bernstein also claimed that Charles Lachman, the show's executive producer, was known as a "total homophobe" and showed bias against Black people and Muslims. According to Bernstein's lawsuit, after Bernstein showed footage of an interview with a female graduate student wearing a hijab, Lachman said, "Absolutely not! It looks like she's about to set off a bomb." read the complete article
Canada
'No place' in Winnipeg for hate-motivated crimes: Police probe vandalism at synagogue, Palestinian café
Winnipeg police are investigating two crimes that featured physical damage and threatening messages, including swastikas scrawled on a Winnipeg synagogue and graffiti accusing a Palestinian restaurant owner of being a terrorist. Insp. Jennifer McKinnon said the hate crimes unit of the major crimes division is investigating the incidents, which were reported on Friday and Sunday, respectively. "Within a matter of days, the Jewish community and Palestinian communities have been impacted by incidents that appear to be motivated by hate, but certainly cause fear and harm," McKinnon said during a Monday news conference. read the complete article
India
An Indian state wants to tackle hate speech with a law - can it work?
Last month, legislators passed a bill which aims to prevent hate speech and hate crimes that fuel communal tension or target individuals and groups. Hate speech is not new in India, but it has intensified in recent years as social media has spread and television channels amplify comments and reactions. A report last year found hate speech against minorities - mainly Muslims - rose 74% in 2024, peaking during the national elections. That's why the Karnataka government - led by the Congress party - says the move is necessary, arguing that hate speech can lead to real-life violence. But critics warn this could come at the cost of civil liberties and free speech. read the complete article
Australia
Anti-Muslim incidents rise after Bondi Beach attack, stirring anxiety among Indonesians in Australia
Sydney’s Bondi Beach shooting, in which two gunmen inspired by Islamic State targeted a Jewish celebration, has left some Indonesian Muslims in Australia feeling anxious about stepping out of their homes amid a rise in reports of Islamophobic incidents. For Neti (not her real name), a student studying at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, the days after the Dec 14 shooting were filled with fear. Across the country, in Perth, Hani Noor Ilahi, 36, a student at the University of Western Australia, said that while the environment at her multicultural campus has not changed, it is a different story beyond its walls. In city areas, especially during Friday prayers, mosques are now guarded by the police, she said. The police presence followed incidents in which mosques became targets of vandalism after the Bondi Beach shooting. On Dec 18, the walls of Bald Hills Mosque in Brisbane, Queensland, were spray-painted with hate graffiti and swastika symbols associated with Nazism. The perpetrators are still at large. read the complete article