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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the United Kingdom, during a visit to a community centre in London, Green Party leader Zack Polanski speaks out against Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy’s post on X which criticized Muslim men praying in public, meanwhile in Australia, the Victorian city of Ballarat has experienced its second alleged Islamophobic attack in the space of a week, after a man hurled abuse at female staff at a pharmacy, and lastly, Muslims around the world will soon celebrate Eid al-Fitr marking the end of Ramadan, but with the specter of the U.S./Israel war on Iran, many Muslims are celebrating under a cloud of worry. Our recommended read of the day is by Sophia Forster for Trill Magazine, who warns that in the wake of the US’s unpopular war against Iran, the same Islamophobic rhetoric and dehumanizing logic that characterized the post-9/11 era is resurfacing, threatening not only Muslim communities abroad but the civil rights and social fabric of Muslim Americans at home. This and more below:
United States
Islamophobia At Home, Intolerance Abroad | Recommended Read
An American president stands before his country, trying to defend a war in the Middle East that in most circles is unpopular, confusing, and unnecessary. To win their support, he tells them, “As we struggle to defeat the forces of evil, the God of the universe struggles with us.” This isn’t our current president. This isn’t the war in Iran. This is a quote from George W. Bush, attempting to justify the Iraq War. Although most Americans had supported retribution against al-Qaeda, the Islamist terrorist network responsible for the September 11th terrorist attacks, the Iraq War was more difficult to sell. Lacking a genuine threat, top officials made dubious claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. The president also occasionally invoked religious messages in what was supposed to be a secular war against terrorism. Roughly 4,500 American service members were killed, and 32,000 more were wounded. Yet, not even twenty years later, America is again at war in the Middle East, and again for vague reasons. How did we get here? And what consequences will this conflict have, not just outside our borders, but within? It means something that many Republicans are invoking Islamophobia right now, while Americans fear the war ahead. It paints a picture of who is to blame: not the administration that started the war, but Muslims. Hegseth’s comments paint this picture, too. His comparison of Iranian soldiers to “rats” suggests they are not only cowardly, but vermin-like, and potentially less than human. And when he talks about a disfigured villain, note that this is a very common movie trope, meant to associate “abnormality” with “evil.” Arguably, GOP rhetoric about the Iran War is not just about the Iran War. It’s about who is an American, and who is the “other.” read the complete article
'How Can She Be This Dumb?': MAGA Islamophobe Roasted For Highly Ironic Post
Self-described IslamophobeLaura Loomer became the subject of much mockery this week for praising a Muslim cultural landmark. Loomer, a former congressional candidate and top Donald Trump confidant, was in India this week to speak at the India Today Conclave in New Delhi. Considering her well-known animosity toward Islam, many people found it ironic when she posted a photo of herself in front of the Taj Mahal, calling the Islamic structure “the most incredible monument” she “has ever seen” in her life. Though Loomer has apologized for previous racist comments against Indian people, she also declared Muslim politicians like Zohran Mamdani and Ilhan Omar shouldn’t be allowed to hold public office in the U.S. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Polanski: Rising Islamophobia is unacceptable
During a visit to a community centre in London, Green Party leader Zack Polanski speaks out against Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy's post on X which criticised Muslim men praying in public. read the complete article
Starmer and Badenoch clash over shadow justice secretary’s anti-Muslim comments
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has criticised Tory leader Kemi Badenoch for failing to act over “appalling” comments against Muslims made by her shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy. The remarks were made by Timothy on X on Tuesday evening, alongside a video of worshippers, including London mayor Sadiq Khan, praying in Trafalgar Square as part of an open iftar organised by the Ramadan Tent Project. Timothy said that the prayers, held near the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields as part of the event, were an “act of domination”, that they “do not belong in our churches and cathedrals” and were “straight out of the Islamist playbook”. He later appeared on Sky News to defend his comments. Starmer said during prime minister’s questions (PMQs) on Wednesday that Badenoch should “denounce his comments and she should sack him”. “If he were in my team, he would be gone,” he said. “It’s utterly appalling.” In response, Badenoch said: “My shadow justice secretary is defending British values.” read the complete article
Starmer claims Tory party has ‘problem with Muslims’ after Nick Timothy tweet
“He said last night that Muslims praying in public, including the mayor of London practising his faith, are not welcome,” the prime minister said. “If he were in my team he would be gone. She should denounce his comments and she should sack him.” Badenoch defended Timothy, saying he was “defending British values”, but the remarks have reignited a longstanding controversy surrounding alleged Islamophobia in the Tory party. The leader’s spokesperson sought to link the comments to a recent speech by Badenoch in which she claimed there was growing “separatism” in society and denied that Timothy’s intervention signalled a new policy. Decisions on whether events such as the one in Trafalgar Square could go ahead would be for the party’s London mayoral candidate if elected, they said. Former Tory MPs and members voiced criticism. Sayeeda Warsi, a former co-chair of the Conservative party who resigned the Tory whip in the House of Lords in 2024 citing concerns of double standards against minorities, said she had been getting messages all day from Conservatives who are Muslims. “They are asking where this is all heading, and they include people who are in senior leadership positions,” said the peer, who continues to be a member of the party. “It makes British Muslims feel they are not welcome any more. On top of that, this is a sectarian approach, which is electoral suicide.” Starmer said in parliament: “I have never seen her [Badenoch’s] party call out anything other than the Muslim events. It is only when Muslims are praying … the only conclusion is that the Tory party has got a problem with Muslims.” read the complete article
Australia
Female workers targeted in second alleged Islamophobic attack in Ballarat
The Victorian city of Ballarat has experienced its second alleged Islamophobic attack in the space of a week, after a man hurled abuse at female staff at a pharmacy. It comes after a man gatecrashed a Muslim Iftar dinner on March 8, allegedly screaming death threats to guests and children and physically attacking community members. Sarah, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, was working at the pharmacy with an intern on March 14 when a regular customer expressed frustration about a dispensing protocol. She said the customer began yelling Islamophobic and racial remarks including "go back to where you came from". "He said 'F*** you, f*** this pharmacy, f*** all of you Muslims — I'm going to another Aussie pharmacy from now on, f*** Islam'." read the complete article
China
China’s Repression Still Haunts Uyghur Exiles
This Ramadan, as I sit down with a hot bowl of lentil soup and freshly made Uyghur noodles to break my day-long fast, I try very hard not to think about my father, thousands of miles away, in a prison, and what he does not get to eat, and if he even knows it is his favorite time of the year. This Ramadan marks a decade since I last broke my fast with my father. Also, my last visit to my homeland, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwest China, where the authorities have committed atrocity crimes. I chose to speak out for my father and others and that choice cost me a disconnection, maybe forever, from those I love back home. The Chinese government has carried out egregious human rights violations in the region since late 2016—including mass arbitrary detention, unjust imprisonments, mass surveillance, and forced labor—amounting to crimes against humanity. In June 2018, what I dreaded most happened: I lost contact with my father, Memet Yaqup. Later, I learned he had received a prison sentence of 16 years —one among hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs incarcerated simply for being who they are – in addition to my uncles, cousins, and other relatives who are also serving sentences from 15 years to life. What the world does not see is what happened to the hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs living in the diaspora, like me, my mother, sister, and wife, whose lives were turned upside down during these years. During the height of the Chinese government’s “Strike Hard Campaign,” people back home were detained for contacting relatives abroad; authorities confiscated Uyghurs’ passports, and made it impossible to escape from the region. read the complete article
International
A look at Eid al-Fitr and how Muslims celebrate the Islamic holiday
Muslims around the world are bidding farewell to the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and will soon start celebrating the holiday of Eid al-Fitr. Eid is typically greeted with joy and excitement and is marked with congregational prayers and festivities that usually include family visits, gatherings, outings and new clothes. But this year, Eid is approaching amid the Iran war , which has been roiling many countries in the Middle East and leading to far-reaching consequences beyond. In the United States, many Muslims observed Ramadan’s religious and social traditions this year under a cloud of worrisome domestic and international events. Those include immigration crackdown fears and anti-Muslim rhetoric in the U.S. as well as the war in the Middle East, where many have loved ones. read the complete article