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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the United Kingdom, during a virtual meeting, Reform UK Councillor, Carl Abbott, questioned whether teaching Muslim children to pray in schools could lead to them being radicalized or bring about a spike in crime, meanwhile in India, Muslims in Bhonkera village in UP report finding pamphlets containing explicit death threats, and in the United States, a Muslim woman from West Philadelphia filed a federal lawsuit recently against Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, alleging that the junior college discriminated against her because of her gender and faith. Our recommended read of the day is by Middle East Eye, which reveals new information that the United Arab Emirates paid for British politician Nigel Farage to travel to Abu Dhabi to meet senior officials, reportedly over a shared opposition to the Muslim Brotherhood. This and more below:
International
Nigel Farage met senior UAE officials to discuss Muslim Brotherhood on funded trip | Recommended Read
The United Arab Emirates paid for British politician Nigel Farage to travel to Abu Dhabi to meet senior officials over a shared opposition to the Muslim Brotherhood, it has emerged. Farage, the leader of Reform UK - a populist right-wing party that is topping national opinion polls - visited Abu Dhabi in early December. On Wednesday the Financial Times reported that Abu Dhabi gave Farage accommodation and passes to attend a Formula 1 race, valued at around £1,000 - according to the register of MPs' interests. Farage had meetings with senior Emirati officials during the two-day trip, the register said. According to the FT, sources said the Emirati leadership wanted to speak to Reform "owing to a shared opposition to the Muslim Brotherhood". At Reform's annual conference in September Farage announced that his party will ban the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation if it is elected. Dr Andreas Krieg, an associate professor at the Defence Studies Department of King's College London, said it was "sad that Farage has become a useful idiot for the UAE's political subversion campaign in Europe amid Abu Dhabi becoming [the] Club Med of Europe's far-right." read the complete article
UAE cuts funds for citizens to study in UK over refusal to ban Muslim Brotherhood
The United Arab Emirates has restricted funding for citizens to study at British universities over tensions with the UK for its decision not to ban the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation. Abu Dhabi has excluded British universities from a list of institutions eligible for state scholarships while including universities in Israel, France and the US, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. In the year ending September 2025, 213 students from the UAE were granted visas to study at British universities, a drop of 55 percent from the year ending September 2022. The move indicates a serious deterioration in relations between the UAE and Britain, with the FT quoting sources saying Emirati officials "don’t want their kids to be radicalised on campus". read the complete article
India
How A Hindu Monk Set the National Template For The Extralegal Use Of Bulldozers As Punitive Action Against Muslims
Under Yogi Adityanath, bulldozers in Uttar Pradesh transformed from construction tools to instruments to collectively punish Muslims and ingredients of political theatre. This approach became a national template, celebrated by the BJP and copied in other BJP-run states and Congress-run Karnataka, with little judicial oversight. Victims and witnesses described fear, humiliation, and the flattening of homes, while authorities turned demolitions into a public spectacle. read the complete article
Sambhal administration orders removal of mosque and shrine from graveyard land
The Sambhal district administration in Uttar Pradesh has issued a 15-day ultimatum to the committee managing a shrine and mosque in Chaudhary Sarai, directing them to demolish the structures deemed “illegal” as they stand on land officially recorded as a graveyard, officials announced on Wednesday. In response, Mohammad Sultan, a member of the Dada Fakhruddin Rehmatullah shrine committee, defended the structures, asserting that the shrine has existed for generations and is tied to their ancestors. He highlighted its interfaith significance, with visitors from all communities coming to pray. read the complete article
‘Leave in 24 hours or be burnt alive’: Inside pamphlet threat that terrorised Muslims in UP’s Bhonkhera village
According to the First Information Report accessed by Maktoob, registered at Sikandrabad police station on January 2, 2026, the complainant informed police that pamphlets containing explicit death threats were found near Muslim homes in the village. The FIR states that the pamphlet warned Muslims that if they did not vacate the village within “24 hours”, they would be “burnt alive,” and sought immediate legal action against the unknown persons responsible. Bhonkhera village is home to at least 15 Muslim families. read the complete article
Anguish Among Muslims as Ahmedabad Authorities Want Over 300 Graves Shifted
A major row has broken out in the Gomtipur area of Gujarat’s Ahmedabad after the Municipal Corporation issued a notice seeking the removal of more than 300 graves from the historic Char Toda graveyard. The civic body says the move is part of a road widening plan under the Road Development Plan (RDP). Local Muslims say the action hurts their faith, ignores the law, and shows bias against Muslim burial places. read the complete article
United States
Islamophobia Exposed: The Multimillion Dollar Industry Fueling Anti-Muslim Hate in the U.S.
Across the nation, government officials have used policies and public statements to suggest that Islam has no place in American society, putting basic religious freedom and equal treatment at risk. From extremists spreading vitriol and hate online, to elected officials writing anti-Muslim bigotry into public policy, Islamophobia has become ingrained in our country’s societal, educational, and political landscapes. This isn’t an accident; Islamophobic rhetoric and policies are often fueled and funded by special interest groups. The anti-Muslim agenda pushed by the Islamophobia Network has helped fuel a hostile climate that American Muslims have had to endure for decades, where hate and bigotry have led to horrific attacks targeting the Muslim community. read the complete article
Woman Says She Was Unwelcome at Main Line College Because She’s Muslim
A Muslim woman from West Philadelphia filed a federal lawsuit recently against Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, alleging that the junior college discriminated against her because of her gender and faith. Ashley Davis was hired as a campus safety officer at Harcum in August 2024. According to the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, her work environment changed in 2025 after she began wearing a headscarf and other clothing reflecting her Muslim religion. In May 2025, Davis alleges, her male supervisor told her not to wear “Muslim stuff” to the school’s graduation, adding “I have seen you with your hair and makeup done – you should just come like that.” read the complete article
United Kingdom
'Openly Islamophobic': Reform UK Councillor slammed for linking Muslim prayer to crime
A senior Reform UK councillor in Leicestershire has been accused of making Islamophobic remarks during a council training session on extremism. Footage of the virtual meeting, obtained by ITV News Central, shows the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Cllr Carl Abbott, questioning whether teaching Muslim children to pray in schools could lead to them being radicalised or bring about a spike in crime. Cllr Carl Abbott said: "It really worries me when we see children in primary schools being taught to pray the Muslim way." He adds: "If the Government are allowing this to be taught in schools, is this not a start of radicalisation of these children?" Labour Group Leader, Cllr Jewel Miah, said: “I was shocked that a Cabinet member of Leicestershire could be so openly Islamophobic and tar children without any evidence. read the complete article