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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In Germany, anti-Muslim attacks and discrimination cases in Berlin rose by nearly 70% in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to a new report by Germany’s Alliance Against Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Hate (CLAIM), meanwhile in France, the trial of 16 members of a far-right group, Action des Forces Operationnelles (AFO), accused of participating in a terror conspiracy targeting Muslims, has begun and in Canada, the Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia Amira Elghawaby has publicly denounced the recent vandalizing of the Canadian Institute of Islamic Civilization-MAC center in downtown Montreal. Our recommended read of the day is by Johana Bhuiyan for The Guardian on how many Muslims working in the big tech sector are wrestling with the possibility that, due to big tech’s involvement with Israel’s genocide in Gaza, their jobs may be at odds with their moral and religious beliefs. This and more below:
United States
As big tech grows more involved in Gaza, Muslim workers are wrestling with a spiritual crisis | Recommended Read
Before Ibtihal Aboussad was fired by Microsoft for protesting the company’s work with the Israeli military during a celebration of the firm’s 50th anniversary, she sent two emails. The first went to all of her colleagues. She appealed to their universal humanity and urged them to stand against Microsoft’s contracts to provide cloud computing software and artificial intelligence products to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). She sent the second to the “Muslims at Microsoft” email list. Its subject line read: “Muslims of Microsoft, Our Code Kills Palestinians.” With her email, Aboussad told the Guardian, she wanted Muslim staff of companies such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon to stop regarding the question of whether they organize against their employer’s work with the IDF as an issue of secular or professional ethics. It was a question of Islam, of their faith, she argued. “I wanted to say, ‘Hey, remember, your rizq [livelihood] is from Allah,’” Aboussad said. “It should be clean, and you cannot be contributing to oppression.” There’s been protests within American tech companies against their contracts with Israel and its military since the start of the war in Gaza. But as the war endures and Palestinians in Gaza are being starved, forcibly displaced and killed, and the contracts have survived, there’s a growing group of Muslim staffers who are unsure whether they can religiously justify working at companies that they view as effectively defense contractors. The Guardian spoke with nearly a dozen Muslim employees of major tech companies who’ve been grappling with the question, many of whom asked not to be named for fear of professional repercussions or because they are continuing to organize inside the companies. read the complete article
Group puts Randy Fine on its 'Islamophobia hate list,' calls him an 'anti-Muslim extremist'
A national Muslim organization said on Tuesday, June 10, that it had designated Florida Congressman Randy Fine as an "anti-Muslim extremist" and put him on its "Islamaphobia hate list." Fine, who represents part of Volusia County and all of Flagler County as part of District 6, has criticized the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which made the comments, in the past. The nonprofit, which has its headquarters in Washington, D.C. and refers to itself as "the nation's largest Muslim civil rights advocacy organization," said Fine has used "unceasingly violent rhetoric directed at Muslims and Palestinians." The group's announcement focused in part on Fine's recent comments to the News-Journal. CAIR called the comments about Gazans "racist and dehumanizing." "For years, [Rep. Fine] has invoked Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian stereotypes and incited violence against Muslims and Palestinians at home and abroad without impunity," the organization said. The group has also called for Congress to censure Fine and condemn his "dangerously anti-Muslim, anti-American, and anti-Palestinian rhetoric." read the complete article
Muslim candidate Mamdani gains ground in NYC mayoral race
Zohran Kwame Mamdani, a 33-year-old Queens state assemblyman born in Uganda to Indian-Muslim and academic roots, is mounting a bold run for New York City mayor, one that has quickly turned him into a leading progressive contender. Now neck-and-neck with former Governor Andrew Cuomo ahead of the 24 June Democratic primary, Mamdani’s path, from Kampala to South Africa to New York, has shaped a campaign grounded in housing justice, transit equity, and Palestinian solidarity. "Working‑class New Yorkers are being pushed out of the city they built," he once declared at a campaign street rally. Mamdani’s Muslim identity and outspoken stance on Palestine have thrust identity politics to the centre stage. More than 60 Jewish leaders condemned State Senator John Liu for endorsing Mamdani, calling him anti‑Israel and accusing him of anti‑semitism. The campaign rails over Israel’s war on blockaded Gaza, with Mamdani’s critique fanning debate: "Why do we find money to kill kids," he asked at a rally. read the complete article
India
In India, war came dressed in feminist camouflage
When two female officers of the Indian armed forces – one Hindu, one Muslim – took centre stage to announce Operation Sindoor, the government celebrated it as a landmark moment for gender inclusion. The image of uniformed women addressing the media from the front lines, avenging the deaths of 26 civilians, all men, and symbolically restoring the sindoor (vermilion) of widowhood, was widely praised as feminist iconography in service of the nation. The moment echoed a historical parallel: during the 1971 Indo-Pak War, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was famously likened to the Hindu warrior Goddess Durga, a symbol of feminine power and nationalist resolve, in recognition of her decisive role in the creation of Bangladesh. That invocation of Durga underscored how Indian political power is often framed through a gendered and mythologised lens, blending statecraft with religious symbolism. Today’s military feminism, in which women gain visibility in war zones, follows this same path: celebrating women’s ability to “be like men” while leaving untouched the masculine and patriarchal foundations of militarism itself. This can be observed in Operation Sindoor, which projects the spectacle of two women in uniform as feminist optics, while the script they perform remains deeply patriarchal, demanding women prove their worth through masculine-coded nationalism. Such feminist optics align neatly with the ideological framework of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). read the complete article
Why is an 11th-century Turkic warrior-saint in crosshairs of Indian right-wing?
The right-wing government of India’s BJP party has set its sights on a new target — a Muslim figure of Turkic origin who died nearly a thousand years ago. Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, has called for a “complete ban” on events named after Salar Masud, a warrior-saint who took part in the Ghaznavid conquest of India in the early 11th century. Originating from Central Asia, the Ghaznavids were of Turkic descent. Their conquests from the late 10th to early 11th centuries introduced Islamic governance, architecture, and cultural practices to India. Masud has become the latest symbol in the BJP’s crusade to reshape the cultural landscape of multi-ethnic India. Revered by many as a Sufi saint, he enjoys a semi-legendary status among Indian Muslims. Radical Hindu groups, however, view him as a foreign invader who took part in the Muslim conquest of India that popularised Islam in the Hindu-majority subcontinent a thousand years ago. “(The) glorification of foreign invaders should be stopped and the national heroes must be honoured. And 1,000 years ago, such a tale of courage and bravery was written by Maharaja Suheldev on this very soil of Bahraich,” the chief minister said, while referring to the Hindu king who killed Masud in a battle in Uttar Pradesh in 1033 CE. read the complete article
Canada
Canada’s anti-Islamophobia adviser calls for end to 'stigmatization of Canadian Muslims and Palestinians'
Canada's Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia denounced the recent vandalizing of the Canadian Institute of Islamic Civilization-MAC center in downtown Montreal. "Vandalism fueled by hate targeting community centres, public spaces and places of worship sends a frightening message that threatens our collective safety and well-being," Amira Elghawaby said Wednesday on X. Saying that the vandalism in Montreal reflects "the intersection of anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia," she said it "reminds us why it has been critical to name APR (Anti-Palestinian Racism) and combat it." "And how all Canadians of conscience can stand together in solidarity—because our rights and freedoms are at stake," Elghawaby said, stressing that "the ongoing stigmatization of Canadian Muslims and Palestinians must stop." Meanwhile, the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) also reported a "spike" in anti-Palestinian racism incidents across Canada. read the complete article
International
The Battle to Save the Uyghur Language From Extinction: China’s Plan to Erase a Civilization
June 15 marks Uyghur Language Day, which Uyghurs celebrate not only as a cultural event, but as a call to action, to ensure our language is not wiped out from the face of the earth. In light of China’s genocidal campaign to erase Uyghur identity, we know that preserving a language is preserving a people. Today, in our homeland, the Chinese government is doing everything possible to stop the Uyghur language from being passed down to the next generation. In East Turkestan, so-called “bilingual education” means children are taught in Chinese, not Uyghur. In state-run boarding schools, Uyghur children are forbidden from speaking their language or even using their own names. In short order, the children have lost the Uyghur language entirely, and this is no accident. This is linguistic erasure, a cultural genocide. When we lose a language, we lose a culture. Chinese authorities have dismissed the Uyghur language as “out of step with the 21st century.” China has ended the use of Uyghur as a language of instruction, closed libraries, and brutally persecuted editors and publishers. read the complete article
France
French ultra-right-wing activists on trial for terror conspiracy
The trial of 16 members of a far-right group, accused of participating in a terror conspiracy, begins in Paris on Tuesday. The defendants, who allegedly plotted acts of violence against Muslims, deny any terrorist intent. The defendants – 13 men and 3 women – are suspected of having prepared violent actions against Muslims in France between 2017 and 2018. They were members of the group Action des Forces Operationnelles (AFO, "action of operational forces") – dismantled in 2018. According to the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (Pnat), AFO was a "structured and hierarchical" organisation whose objective was to carry out “concrete acts of violence in symbolic places such as mosques" or by targeting halal food. The defendants include individuals from diverse backgrounds – a former police officer, antique dealer, teacher, nurse and diplomat. Many have a military background or have mentioned an attraction to the army. Prosecutors say they united around a common goal – to “combat Muslim influence in France". prosecutors argue the investigation uncovered “covert plans targeting members of the Muslim community,” driven by an ideology linking jihadist terrorism with Islam more broadly and by fears of the so-called "Great Replacement" theory – according to which white Europeans are being deliberately supplanted by non-white immigrants. read the complete article
Germany
Anti-Muslim attacks in Berlin surge by nearly 70% in 2024
Anti-Muslim attacks and discrimination cases in Berlin rose by nearly 70% in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to a new report by Germany’s Alliance Against Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Hate (CLAIM). The group recorded 644 incidents targeting Muslims in the German capital last year, ranging from verbal abuse to institutional discrimination in schools, workplaces and housing. “This new annual report paints an alarming picture for our city,” said Rima Hanano, co-director of CLAIM, at a press conference in Berlin. “There are now almost two anti-Muslim incidents occurring every day in Berlin.” Hanano stressed that Muslim women were disproportionately affected, accounting for approximately 64% of cases where the gender was known. Many were reportedly accompanied by children at the time of the incidents. The report also notes that the actual number of cases is likely much higher, as many victims choose not to report their experiences due to fear or lack of trust in authorities. read the complete article