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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the United States, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) has strongly criticized the U.S. based news network CNN after regularly televised commentator Scott Jennings claimed on Tuesday that Omar was a “public relations agent for Hamas” on CNN’s “NewsNight” program, meanwhile in Australia, March 15 marks five years since an Australian man killed 51 Muslims while they were praying at their mosques in the southern New Zealand city of Christchurch, and The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary-General Hussein Ibrahim Taha issued on Friday a message emphasizing the need for global unity against the rising threat of Islamophobia. Our recommended read of the day is by Apoorvanand for Al-Jazeera on the writer claims that India is moving a step closer to formalising itself as a majoritarian country with the announcement of the rules to operationalise the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). This and more below:
India
India’s Citizenship Amendment Act is a devious anti-Muslim dog whistle | Recommended Read
India moved a step closer to formalising itself as a majoritarian country with the announcement of the rules to operationalise the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which was passed back in 2019 with much controversy. This is yet another move by the Indian government led by the Hindu-supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to stir the simmering communal cauldron. The move has reignited the debate about the objective of the Act itself. Passed in 2019, the CAA was criticised by jurists and others for being discriminatory against certain communities, mainly Muslims. The Act claims to provide a faster pathway to Indian citizenship for Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Buddhists and other minorities who have come to India illegally from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. The absence of Muslims in this list has been causing outrage and communal tensions since the conception of the Act. In a clear violation of the Indian Constitution, which demands all people to be treated equally under the law, the CAA changes the very concept of Indian citizenship and makes it faith-based. It opens a new path to Indian citizenship for all, except Muslims. read the complete article
Hindu nationalists attack foreign students for offering Ramazan prayers in India
An investigation has been initiated by authorities in western India following reports of an attack allegedly carried out by far-right Hindu nationalists against foreign university students observing prayers during the holy month of Ramazan, CNN reported. This incident comes amidst simmering religious tensions preceding a crucial general election. According to Ahmedabad police, clashes erupted at Gujarat University on Saturday when students from various countries, including Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Tajikistan, commenced prayers on campus grounds. Two people were detained following clashes. Commissioner GS Malik stated that a group of 20-25 individuals confronted the students, insisting they should pray in a mosque instead. This confrontation escalated into stone-pelting and vandalism of the students' accommodations. The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed at least two foreign students were injured. In response, the state government vowed strict action against the perpetrators, as stated by spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on social media. This incident adds to a series of communal clashes in India, reflecting the growing religious polarisation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government. read the complete article
International
India abstains from voting on Islamophobia in UNGA
India on Friday (local time) chose to abstain from a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) vote on a resolution addressing Islamophobia, which was introduced by Pakistan and supported by China. The 193-member UNGA adopted the resolution, calling for "measures to combat Islamophobia," with 115 countries supporting it and no opposing votes. However, at least 44 countries remained absent from voting, including India, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. read the complete article
UN calls for united action to combat rising Islamophobia
The new resolution, tabled by Pakistan, calls for, among other things, concerted action to fight ongoing violence against Muslims and requests the UN Secretary-General to appoint a special envoy to combat Islamophobia. The world body created the International Day through a resolution adopted following attacks on two mosques Christchurch, New Zealand, that left 51 people dead on this day in 2019. Prior to adopting the new resolution, by a vote of 113 in favour to none against, with 44 abstentions, a divided Assembly rejected by a close margin two amendments proposed by a group of European nations. The proposals would have replaced key language in the resolution, including calling for a focal point instead of a UN special envoy and removing references to the desecration of the Quran. read the complete article
OIC Secretary-General Urges Global Solidarity to Combat Islamophobia
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary-General Hussein Ibrahim Taha issued on Friday a message emphasizing the need for global unity against the rising threat of Islamophobia. On International Day to Combat Islamophobia, he declared: "This day is a chance to stand with victims of Islamophobia." He condemned acts of violence, harassment and intimidation fueled by religious hatred and fanaticism. He urged "all concerned parties" to take concrete steps to counter these "forces of evil" that undermine peaceful coexistence between religions. Taha applauded the 2022 UN General Assembly resolution adopted on March 15 as International Day to Combat Islamophobia. He called this a crucial step in tackling religious incitement, discrimination and violence. read the complete article
United States
Rep. Ilhan Omar Blasts CNN Over Pundit’s ‘Blatant Islamophobia And Racism’
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) lambasted CNN on Friday after a pundit on the news network claimed, without pushback from anyone on set, that the congresswoman was a “public relations agent for Hamas.” Scott Jennings, a Republican strategist who previously worked as a special assistant to President George W. Bush, said Tuesday night on CNN’s “NewsNight” that he was “surprised, that in the year of our Lord 2024, there is a public relations agent for Hamas sitting in the United States Congress.” Jennings went on to say that he “didn’t hear a word of concern” from Omar about the roughly 250 hostages taken by Hamas during the Oct. 7. attack on Israel. Israeli forces responded with an aggressive bombing campaign that killed more than 30,000 Palestinians read the complete article
Australia
Australian efforts on Islamophobia flag despite Christchurch wake-up call
March 15 marks five years since an Australian man killed 51 Muslims while they were praying at their mosques in the southern New Zealand city of Christchurch. Although the killer, who was jailed for life without parole, was born and radicalised in Australia, there has been little reflection on Islamophobia and racism in his country of origin. “I think we’re looking for honesty and for reckoning. That honest reflection and accountability,” Rita Jabri Markwell, legal adviser to the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network (AMAN), told Al Jazeera. “The Christchurch massacre didn’t happen because of just some crazed individual. It happened because of a culture that has been created in Australia for at least 20 years,” she added. read the complete article