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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the United Kingdom, Labour MP Sarah Owen has said that the British government’s failure to adopt a standardized definition of Islamophobia is “preventing women’s experiences from being properly reported or addressed”, meanwhile in the United States, Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist state assemblyman waging a progressive bid to become mayor of New York City, has accused an Andrew Cuomo Super Pac of “blatant Islamophobia” after a campaign ad altered his appearance, and in Canada, a new play “Our Muslim Family” addressing the impact of hate and the danger of Islamophobia in Canada is debuting Hamilton this weekend. Our recommended read of the day is by Oliver Mizzi for The New Arab on how anti-ICE demonstrations across the United States have seen growing support from Arab Americans and pro-Palestine groups in the wake of Trump’s crackdown on student activism. This and more below:
United States
Why Palestinian symbols are showing up at anti-ICE rallies | Recommended Read
Anti-ICE demonstrations across the United States have seen growing support from Arab Americans and pro-Palestine groups, particularly in the wake of Donald Trump’s crackdown on student activists advocating for Palestine on university campuses. Alongside protesters from Latin American communities, many waving flags of their countries of origin, pro-Palestine demonstrators have made their presence known by flying the Palestinian flag and wearing keffiyehs. At Chicago's Federal Plaza on Tuesday, CBS News reported that protesters waved both Mexican and Palestinian flags, with many donning keffiyehs. "I see the kuffiyahs in the streets of LA protesting against ICE. I see the flags of so many nationalities flying high in the face of white supremacy," Iman Abid, director of advocacy and organisation for US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, posted on X. "I see the intersectionality and how fighting against one oppressive system is a fight for us all. Abolish ICE. Free Palestine." The visible inclusion of pro-Palestine demonstrators comes after undercover ICE agents arrested student activists on visas, part of a broader clampdown that pro-Palestine groups have condemned as politically motivated and akin to kidnapping. Several advocacy groups have expressed formal support for the protests, including Students for Justice in Palestine, which said on Monday that it was a "duty to mobilise to defend the communities most targeted by police violence and the deportation machine". read the complete article
New York mayoral candidate accuses Cuomo donors of altering photo in act of ‘blatant Islamophobia’
Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist state assemblyman waging a progressive bid to become mayor of New York City, has accused donors to the frontrunner Andrew Cuomo of “blatant Islamophobia” after a mailer from their Super Pac altered Mamdani’s image giving him a darker, bushier beard. Mamdani, 33, posted a closeup of his face as featured in the mailer from the Cuomo-backing group Fix the City alongside the original photograph from which it was drawn. In the transition, the image’s visual contrast appears to be manipulated, slightly lightening Mamdani’s skin but also giving him the appearance of a longer and significantly fuller beard. The mailer, first revealed by a reporter from the Forward, was aimed at Jewish voters. It accuses Mamdani, who is openly critical of Israel’s war in Gaza which he calls a genocide, of refusing to recognize Israel and supporting the boycott movement against the state. A spokesperson for Fix the City, Liz Benjamin, said that the mailer had not been released in the form that Mamdani found objectionable. “The mailer was proposed by a vendor; upon review it was immediately rejected for production and was subsequently corrected.” read the complete article
Mamdani’s Delicate Quest to Become New York City’s First Muslim Mayor
For Mr. Mamdani, running to be New York City’s first mayor of Muslim faith has involved a delicate balancing act, especially as the war in Gaza drags on. His faith has always been a central part of his political identity, dating to his first campaign for State Assembly. But his various stances related to the war — he supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement; believes the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, should be arrested; and does not equate anti-Zionism with antisemitism — have proved divisive during the campaign and have sometimes drawn attention to his religion. Mr. Mamdani has been attacked by both Zionists and supporters of Palestinians, by rival mayoral candidates and by super PACs ready to spend millions of dollars on negative advertising in the last weeks of the campaign. Right-wing social media accounts have used dog-whistle language to attack his identity. Vickie Paladino, a Republican councilwoman from Queens, called for Mr. Mamdani to be deported, questioning whether he had been a citizen long enough to be elected mayor. “We know that to stand in public as a Muslim is also to sacrifice the safety that we can sometimes find in the shadows,” Mr. Mamdani, wearing a teal kurta, said Friday morning to hundreds of worshipers at the Parkchester Islamic Center in the Bronx. “I know what our community wants is what every community wants and deserves: safety, equality and respect. But in this city, in this country, you are not given those things; you have to win those things. And one of the clearest ways you win is at the ballot box.” read the complete article
United Kingdom
Equalities committee hamstrung by lack of Islamophobia definition, says chair
The government’s failure to adopt a standardised definition of Islamophobia is preventing women’s experiences from being properly reported or addressed, the chair of the women and equalities select committee has said. The warning comes after the cross-party House of Commons committee launched an inquiry on gendered Islamophobia in February exploring the barriers faced by women and girls in reporting such incidents. Labour MP Sarah Owen, who was elected chair of the committee in 2024, told Hyphen that the need for a definition had been heard “loud and clear” following oral and written evidence submitted to the inquiry. “It’s impossible to tackle something you cannot define. It’s like trying to nail down jelly — you can’t do it. We need that definition,” she said. Owen, who also chairs the all-party parliamentary group on British Muslims, highlighted the “huge” underreporting of Islamophobic abuse. “People may complain about Islamophobia but it may not be recorded as such,” she said. read the complete article
International
Finding Faith: How the Genocide Led Muslim Women to Wear the Hijab
The genocide in Gaza has profoundly shaped how many of us see the world. For some, it’s triggered a crisis of faith in liberal democracies and deep despair. For others, it’s sparked spiritual renewal, a firmer embrace of Islam, and pride in being visibly Muslim. Amid this, Palestinians and their supporters have faced dehumanisation and vilification, with Islamophobic hate crimes surging globally – all while the powerful continue to endorse genocide as self-defence. Inspiration from the Palestinians’ resilience and faith has been taken by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Gazans’ proclamations of ‘hasbi Allah wa ni’mal wakeel’ (God is sufficient for me) when faced with the lifeless bodies of their families following Israeli airstrikes have strengthened Muslims, both in their Islamic faith, and their defiance of imperial forces aiding and abetting the genocide, embodied in the sentiment ‘we’re not saving Palestine, Palestine is saving us.’ Moreover, in the last 19 months, we’ve seen countless examples of people researching Islam, as well as converting. The most visible online figure was Megan Rice, a TikTok content creator, who began her journey when she made a video expressing her awe at Palestinians’ resilience. When commenters explained that this resilience comes from faith and the Qur’an, she and others on TikTok shared their journey while they explored the faith for the first time, in October 2023 and expressed how they felt that they were ‘deprogramming’ themselves from a lifetime of Western anti-Islam propaganda. Similarly, following the 9/11 attacks, a reported 8,000 American women converted to Islam, despite the raging propaganda that presented Islam as antithetical to Western democracy. read the complete article
Canada
Play taking stage in Hamilton based on stories of real and 'tragic' impact of Islamophobia in Ontario
A local Muslim organization is aiming to help people "understand the impact of hate," while highlighting the case of the killing of a Muslim family in London, Ont., four years ago. Mishka Social Services, a group that supports Muslim newcomers in Hamilton, is hosting a free theatre event on Friday at the Zoetic Theatre exploring the consequences of Islamophobia. The event will include a panel discussion, a play and music. "I feel like this gives an alternative that's less tense, less confrontational, less controversial, really, to come together and show that we stand against hate in all forms," said Mishka's executive director, Omar Mahamed. Sofi Asali was in charge of writing and directing the play, which she called Our London Family. "I think my biggest hope for the play is that people walk away seeing more in common with the Muslim characters than different," she told CBC Hamilton. Our London Family is described by Asali as a piece of fiction inspired by what happened to members of the Afzaal family. read the complete article
Netherlands
Geert Wilders collapsed the Dutch government. He wanted power, but had no idea how to govern
Earlier this month, Geert Wilders decided he had had enough. “No signature for our asylum plans. No changes to the coalition agreement. The PVV is leaving the coalition,” he posted on X. The Netherlands now faces a familiar question: What is the 61-year-old politician trying to achieve – and how? Looking solely at his political platform, the answer seems relatively clear. With its emphasis on immigration, national identity, sovereignty, more direct democracy and stricter law enforcement, the PVV is a fairly typical radical rightwing populist party. In the European parliament, the PVV belongs to the Patriots for Europe group, alongside Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz and Matteo Salvini’s League. Within that circle, Wilders is one of the most prominent and pioneering ideologues, introducing a highly alarmist caricature of Islam as a totalitarian ideology of conquest. “Walk the streets of western Europe today … and you will often see something resembling a medieval Arab city, full of headscarves and burqas … Mass immigration is rapidly changing our culture and identity. Islam is rising, and I do not want Islam to rise! Islam and freedom are incompatible,” he proclaimed in his keynote speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Budapest in May. read the complete article