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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In Australia, cricket star Usman Khawaja has accused Peter Dutton of “fueling Islamophobia”, after the opposition leader said he was concerned about a future minority Labor government relying on crossbench support from “Muslim candidates”, meanwhile in the US, Senator Lindsey Graham is under fire after tweeting that “Palestinians in Gaza are the most radicalized population on the planet”, and in France, despite a “hung Parliament” being likely, the far-right Rassemblement National is projected to hold the most seats after snap elections on Sunday, worrying Europe’s largest Muslim and Jewish populations. Our recommended read of the day is by Soaliha Iqbal for Mising Perspectives on the targeting and vilification of Fatima Payman and other Australian Muslim public figures by the country’s political and media class. This and more below:
Australia
First Yassmin Abdel-Magied, Then Fatima Payman. I Am Tired Of Seeing Women Like Me Vilified | Recommended Read
After a week of public rebuking and vicious character assassinations, Fatima Payman has left the Labor party. But make no mistake: this has done nothing to end the racist onslaught against her, which has become more hysterical and frenzied by the day, and likely won’t stop until it feels it has adequately broken her spirit. How do I know this? Because it’s happened before. And sometimes I wonder if it’s only a matter of time before something like this happens again, but to me. When I was in first year university in 2017, I watched helplessly as Muslim media personality Yassmin Abdel-Magied was vilified for simply saying “lest we forget” regarding asylum seekers in offshore detention. Somehow, one sentence became a lightning rod for conversations about ungrateful, unassimilated Muslims. Her comment calling out racism was considered far more divisive and inflammatory than racism itself. I watched on, as an 18-year-old hijabi Muslim woman only weeks into my journalism degree, as she was tone-policed, harassed, bullied, threatened on live television and social media, and eventually left the country out of fear for her safety. And I was supposed to accept this as normal. And now, I’m watching this go down all over again with Fatima Payman.It’s been immensely triggering as a young, hijab-Muslim woman in media to watch one of us be yet again slandered and arguably chased out of her job for simply standing up for her beliefs (specifically, racism), with the Australian media and political class yet again adopting a “HOW DARE SHE” attitude. read the complete article
Cricketer Usman Khawaja accuses Peter Dutton of ‘fuelling Islamophobia’ over Muslim candidates comments
Australian cricket star Usman Khawaja has accused Peter Dutton of “fuelling Islamophobia”, after the opposition leader said he was concerned about a future minority Labor government relying on crossbench support including “Muslim candidates from western Sydney”. Dutton’s comments also prompted criticism from industry and science minister Ed Husic. “There’s not only been a Muslim candidate from western Sydney for more than a decade now, there’s also two of us who serve as ministers,” Husic said, refering to himself and early childhood minister Anne Aly. During a press conference on Thursday, Dutton claimed the Labor party would be reduced to minority government after the next election, and would rely on crossbench support that would “include the Greens, it’ll include green teals, it’ll include Muslim candidates from western Sydney, it will be a disaster”. Khawaja was scathing of Dutton’s comments in a post on X. “As a Muslim who grew up in Western Sydney I find this comment from someone who is running for PM an absolute disgrace. Bigotry at its finest. Fueling Islamophobia from the very top,” he wrote. read the complete article
United States
WBC expels Ryan Garcia after boxer’s racist and Islamophobic slurs on social media
Ryan Garcia was expelled by the World Boxing Council on Thursday after he repeatedly used racial slurs against Black people and disparaged Muslims in comments livestreamed on social media. “Exercising my authority … I am hereby expelling Ryan Garcia from any activity with our organization,” the WBC president, Mauricio Sulaiman, wrote on X. “We reject any form of discrimination.” Garcia posted an apology of sorts on X. “I was trolling I want all the killing to stop,” Garcia wrote. “I love everyone sorry if I offended you.” read the complete article
Senator Lindsey Graham slams Palestinians as ‘radicalised’ in social post
United States Senator Lindsey Graham has sparked anger after he responded to protests outside his home in Seneca, South Carolina, with anti-Palestinian remarks on social media. “The Palestinians in Gaza are the most radicalized population on the planet who are taught to hate Jews from birth. It will take years to fix this problem,” Graham said in a post on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “When I hear ‘from the river to the sea,’ it reminds me of ‘the Final Solution.’ The Hamas terrorists are the SS on steroids,” he added, drawing a comparison to a Nazi paramilitary organisation, the Schutzstaffel (SS). As part of the post, Graham shared a video of a small line of protesters — about 20 in total — who held up a large Palestinian flag on the road outside his home and chanted, “Lindsey Graham, we’re not done. Intifada’s just begun.” Thursday’s remarks fell on the July 4 holiday, when the US celebrates its Declaration of Independence, and Graham used his post to denounce the protest as disruptive. read the complete article
France
Rising extremism sparks fears among France’s Muslim and Jewish voters
At a rundown café in the Parisian suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis, Abdellah Bourezj is alarmed by the prospect of a far-right government that he says would be a “catastrophe for France”. “Since I’ve been in France, I vote,” said the Algerian-born 70-year old retiree, who is a French citizen. “People need to mobilise to beat the extreme right.” Although a hung parliament is likely, the far-right Rassemblement National is projected to hold the most seats after snap elections on Sunday, which could give party chief Jordan Bardella at shot at becoming prime minister. Bardella has vowed to “combat Islamist ideologies”, and said it “is not desirable in French society” for women to wear the veil. The RN has also proposed banning dual nationals from some “strategic” government jobs. France is home to Europe’s largest Muslim and Jewish populations. The election, called by President Emmanuel Macron after his alliance lost widely to the RN in European elections, is adding to strains on those communities, along with tensions that have been brewing since Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza. read the complete article