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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In Germany, the Muslim community has been left shaken by the killing of a 26-year-old Algerian woman in a possible racist attack in the city of Hanover, meanwhile in the United States, The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said that Speaker Mike Johnson has turned the House Foreign Affairs Committee into an “Israel First hotbed of Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism” after the committee added Rep. Randy Fine, and in Spain, Sílvia Orriols, the Mayor of the Catalan town of Ripoll, has signed a decree to ban the use of the burkini in municipal swimming pools. Our recommended read of the day is by Shane Burley for New Lines Magazine on how Laura Loomer weaponizes her Jewish identity to build relationships with white nationalists and push Islamophobia—all while rising in Trump’s MAGA ranks. This and more below:
United States
Laura Loomer and Jewish MAGA’s Dance With the Devil | Recommended Read
Within the Trump-era phenomenon of far-right internet celebrities who have maintained political influence while also lending credence to outlandish conspiracy theories, Loomer, whom we made several attempts to contact, is something of an enigmatic figure. She has kept her profile despite tensions with the pro-Trump far right in a couple of key areas: She is Jewish, staunchly pro-Israel and often supports aggressive military action against Muslim-majority countries as part of her vision of an “America First” agenda. This has helped to create a new model of far-right politics, one that aims to overcome the wariness and skepticism of many American Jews about the MAGA movement’s conspiratorial and white nationalist tendencies. Despite her relationship with the white nationalist movement, Loomer made nearly successful runs for the U.S. House of Representatives in both 2020 and 2022, and has been a presence in story after story about Trump’s efforts to rid the government of opponents and secure a loyalist cadre. And while she maintains a firmly pro-Trump attitude, her ideological position has meant that she also remains a loud and influential voice to Trump’s right, pushing him to live up to even the most extreme promises that he made on his way back into power. The question is whether her brand of conspiracist politics will now become the standard for the Jewish right, which has long been nervous about the kinds of conspiracy theories she brandishes wildly and which has generally dissented from the “America First” political model over its perceived isolationism and insufficient support for Israel. Loomer has made confronting Islam a key part of her brand, referring to herself as a “proud Islamophobe” and citing the violent acts of Hamas and other Palestinian factions as the reason. This is what aligned her with the Jewish right in particular, as she fashioned a MAGA politics that might appeal more fully to Jewish conservatives. While American Jews remain overwhelmingly progressive, especially on domestic issues, politics around Israel have traditionally pulled the community to the right. One example is the Jewish MAGA politician Randy Fine, who rode a staunchly pro-Israel, anti-Muslim message into the Florida House of Representatives and breaks with American Jews on most issues. Fine, a terminally online figure, has made Islamophobic comment after Islamophobic comment, such as calling a keffiyeh a “terrorist rag” and taunting U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, tweeting that it must have been “difficult to see us welcome the killer of so many of your fellow Muslim terrorists” when she objected to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s invitation to Washington, D.C. When Rep. Hakeem Jeffries responded to that insult, Fine posted that the “Hamas caucus is upset.” read the complete article
Why is Columbia University expelling pro-Palestine students?
The United States’s prestigious Columbia University has punished nearly 80 students who took part in protests against Israel’s war on Gaza with expulsions, one-to-three-year suspensions, and degree revocations. The University’s Judicial Board stated on Tuesday that it had completed disciplinary hearings for the May 7, 2025, Butler Library demonstration on its campus and the May 31, 2024, “Revolt for Rafah” encampment during the university’s annual alumni weekend. In 2024, pro-Palestinian student encampments at Columbia University became a flashpoint for a global wave of campus protests against Israel’s war in Gaza. The movement drew national attention before university administrators called NYPD officers to dismantle the camps, resulting in dozens of arrests. “Suspension from Columbia for protesting genocide is the highest honour,” said Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), an umbrella coalition of student groups, in a post on X. “We reject that Columbia has any reputation worth upholding and we categorically state that we do not wish to uphold it,” the student body said. So, why has Columbia expelled these students? And why has the Trump administration clamped down on universities? read the complete article
CAIR Calls House Foreign Affairs Committee ‘Hotbed of Islamophobia and Anti-Palestinian Racism’ After Randy Fine Added
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today said that Speaker Mike Johnson has turned the House Foreign Affairs Committee into an “Israel First hotbed of Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism” after the committee added Rep. Randy Fine, who is notorious for extremely racist, anti-Palestinian, and anti-Muslim statements and advocating Israel First policies. A post by the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Twitter welcomed Rep. Fine to the committee. The committee is led by Rep. Brian Mast, who previously compared the civilians of Gaza to Nazis and endorsed the bombing of civilian homes. As early as 2021, Fine openly endorsed violence against Muslims and Palestinians on his social media accounts. In June, in response to an X (formerly Twitter) post with an image of a Palestinian infant reportedly killed by an Israeli air strike, Fine responded with “Thanks for the pic!” That same year, Fine defended the bombing of a building with American journalists inside, publicly responding “Yes!” to a post inquiring if it was okay that reporters were among the targets. In another incident, he privately wrote “Go blow yourself up!” to a Florida Muslim after they challenged his social media posts, calling on an Islamophobic trope that Muslims are prone to violence or suicide bombings. Fine’s attacks on Muslim and Palestinian communities only increased following the latest escalation of violence in Israel and Palestine in 2023. read the complete article
Germany
Germany’s Muslim community in shock over murder of Algerian nurse
Germany’s Muslim community has been left shaken by the killing of a 26-year-old Algerian woman in a possible racist attack. Rahma Ayad, a trainee nurse who had been living in Germany for two years, was found stabbed to death in the stairwell of her apartment building in the village of Arnum, south of the city of Hanover, on 4 July. A 31-year-old German man — named Alexander K by authorities — who lived in the same building is currently in pre-trial detention. While initial news reports did not mention a suspected motive, Ayad’s mother told Al-Araby TV that her daughter complained two months before her death that she was being harassed by a male neighbour. This included verbal abuse related to her hijab and her Arab heritage. News of the case quickly spread across social media, striking a chord with many who feel German authorities are not doing enough to protect Muslims from racist and Islamophobic violence. According to Islamophobia monitoring network CLAIM, there was a 60% increase in anti-Muslim attacks in Germany in 2024, and 71% of affected individuals were women. In Hanover, feminist activists organised a rally in Ayad’s memory and the Muslim community staged a prayer event attended by the Algerian consulate. read the complete article
Canada
Anti-dog flyer resurfaces online, attracts hateful rhetoric toward Canadian Muslims
Images of a sign allegedly requesting people in British Columbia province restrain their dogs as a courtesy to Muslim members of the community circulated to much outrage online in July 2025. But the posts do not acknowledge that the pictures are more than eight years ago old and it remains unclear who originally made the flyers, which both the local government and the non-profit cited in the text deny sponsoring. The attached image shows a leaflet asking people to "be courteous to your Muslim neighbours" by keeping dogs on a leash and away from people practicing Islam supposedly due to religious convictions about the animals. Claims about the picture also appeared in online articles and on TikTok and Facebook where it was widely viewed in a post by American conservative commentator David J Harris Jr, who has previously spread misinformation. A reverse image search reveals images of the flyers have been online since 2017. That year, local media reported on the appearance of the signs at an off-leash park in the town of Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, outside of Vancouver. No one ever came forward to claim responsibility for the action, but the City of Pitt Meadows and the non-profit Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which were advertised as alleged sponsors of the campaign on the flyer both stated they do not endorse the leaflets' message. CAIR also speculated on whether the appearance of the leaflets was an Islamophobic trolling campaign, while disinformation researchers cited evidence that a similar 2016 anti-dog flyer incident targeting the Muslim community in Manchester England may have been hatched on 4chan (archived here). read the complete article
Spain
Mayor in Spain bans use of burkini in municipal swimming pool 'for safety reasons'
Mayor of the Catalan town of Ripoll - Sílvia Orriols - has signed a decree to ban the use of the burkini in the municipal swimming pool. Burkini is a type of swimwear designed for Muslim women. In a statement on her profile on X (formerly Twitter), Orriols cited "safety reasons" behind her decision. In addition, she advised other municipalities in the region to follow her example. "This is already going too far," she said. "Let's govern Ripoll, let's save Catalonia." read the complete article
India
India: Hundreds of Muslims Unlawfully Expelled to Bangladesh
Indian authorities have expelled hundreds of ethnic Bengali Muslims to Bangladesh in recent weeks without due process, claiming they are “illegal immigrants,” Human Rights Watch said today. Many of them are Indian citizens from states bordering Bangladesh. Since May 2025, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government has intensified operations to expel ethnic Bengali Muslims to Bangladesh, ostensibly to deter people from entering India without legal authorization. The government should stop unlawfully deporting people without due process and instead ensure everyone’s access to procedural safeguards to protect against arbitrary detention and expulsion. “India’s ruling BJP is fueling discrimination by arbitrarily expelling Bengali Muslims from the country, including Indian citizens,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities’ claims that they are managing irregular immigration are unconvincing given their disregard for due process rights, domestic guarantees, and international human rights standards.” read the complete article