Search
SearchToday in Islamophobia: In United Kingdom, research carried out by pollsters Survation found that 30% of Muslim respondents said they did not feel safe going out at night, while more than half said politicians in the UK had made them feel less welcome, meanwhile in the US, former Republican candidate Valentina Gomez disrupted a Muslim community event at the Texas State Capitol on Tuesday by storming the stage, grabbing the microphone, and making offensive comments, and in Germany, the Bundestag’s Green Party has submitted a motion to abolish Berlin’s Neutrality Act (“Neutralitätsgesetz”), a law which prohibits public employees from wearing visible religious symbols while on duty. Our recommended read of the day is by Corey Robin for The Intercept, who critiques The New York Times’ coverage of Harvard University’s reports on campus discrimination noting that the paper frames antisemitism “as a serious, objective social force whereas bias against Arabs, Muslims, and Palestinians is presented more as a matter of subjective student perception.” This and more below:
United States
How the New York Times Distorts the Antisemitism Debate on College Campuses | Recommended Read
On Tuesday, when it issued a lengthy report about antisemitism at Harvard, the university also issued a lengthy report on Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias at Harvard. The reports reveal a profound imbalance at Harvard. One group, overwhelmingly, feels unwelcome and unsafe. You’d never know which group that is, however, from reading the New York Times. For all the articles, claims, reports, think pieces, op-eds, statements, and speeches from elected politicians and other worthies about rampant antisemitism on campus, these two massive reports discover that the one group on campus — whether we are talking about faculty, students, or staff — that most consistently feels nervous about expressing its views and most consistently feels physically unsafe on campus are … Muslims. We are often asked to take the feelings and perceptions of Jewish students, faculty, and staff as proxies for the objective safety and security and sense of welcome that Jewish people do or do not feel on campuses across the country. Yet, according to their self-reported experiences in the new Harvard studies, Jewish students, faculty, and staff at Harvard consistently feel more welcome, safer, and freer to be Jews, including being Zionist Jews, than do Muslims at Harvard. The Times leads with the report on antisemitism, giving second billing to the report on anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, and anti-Palestinian sentiment. Given the statistics the Times itself reports deep into the piece, it seems like an odd choice of order. Also notice the terminology. On the one hand, we have “antisemitism.” Antisemitism is an “ism,” in the family of racism, so it instantly calls to mind the worst social evil. There’s nothing comparable when it comes to the triptych of “anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, and anti-Palestinian bias.” According to the syntax of the paragraphs, the “ism” of antisemitism is the actor and the agent. It can do grave harm, infiltrating and influencing the entire campus. It is an objective thing — what Émile Durkheim called a social fact. When it comes to anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, and anti-Palestinian bias, the objective reality of the thing of racism dissolves into the feelings of students. It becomes a subjective perception or opinion of the alleged victims, who may or may not be victims at all. read the complete article
Harvard taskforces on anti-Muslim bias and antisemitism find widespread hostility on campus
Muslim and Jewish students at Harvard University experienced bigotry and abuse as the Massachusetts campus was roiled by protests last year, according to two reports released on Tuesday that found many felt shunned by peers and professors for expressing political beliefs. Harvard and other universities face extraordinary pressure from Donald Trump’s administration over allegations of antisemitism and leftist bias. The reports, jointly amounting to more than 500 pages, were the result of two taskforces Harvard set up a year before Trump took office, one on combating antisemitism and anti-Israel bias, the other on combating anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian bias. Garber wrote that Harvard would begin a research project on antisemitism and support “a comprehensive historical analysis” of Muslims, Arabs and Palestinians at the university. He said the school would also make its disciplinary processes more “fair, consistent and effective”. The survey found 47% of Muslim respondents and 15% of Jewish respondents did not feel physically safe on campus compared to 6% for Christians and non-believers, while 92% of Muslims and 61% of Jews felt there were academic or professional repercussions for expressing their political beliefs. The taskforce on anti-Muslim bias said Arab-American students reported being called “terrorist, baby-killer, towelhead and antisemite” after they wore a keffiyeh to show solidarity with Palestinians. They heard repeatedly about a culture of fear and intimidation exacerbated by the doxxing of pro-Palestinian students falsely accused of supporting terrorism, the marginalization of Palestinian perspectives in official university discussions, and anxiety around retribution for expressing their political beliefs. read the complete article
David Horowitz, Muslim-hating conservative, dies at 86
David Horowitz, a conservative commentator and founder of the David Horowitz Freedom Center who spent decades promoting anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian rhetoric, died Tuesday at age 86 after a long battle with cancer. Though once a Marxist in his youth, Horowitz became better known in his later years for what critics widely condemned as Islamophobic activism, incendiary writings, and a central role in pushing far-right ideological narratives across college campuses and media platforms. Horowitz’s Freedom Center, originally established to combat what he described as “leftist indoctrination,” evolved into a hub for conspiracy-driven, anti-Muslim content. The Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled the organization an 'anti-Muslim' hate group, citing its persistent campaigns against Muslim student organizations and its propagation of discredited claims about Islamic law infiltrating the U.S. legal system. One of Horowitz’s most controversial initiatives was his “Islamofascism Awareness Week,” which he promoted on college campuses, warning students of what he alleged was a jihadist threat from Muslim student groups like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). read the complete article
'I only fear God': Failed MAGA candidate Valentina Gomez disrupts Muslim event with anti-Islam rant
Former Republican candidate Valentina Gomez disrupted a Muslim community event at the Texas State Capitol on Tuesday by storming the stage and grabbing the microphone making offensive comments. The incident happened during a civic engagement event for Muslims. Videos shared on social media showed Gomez grabbing the microphone and delivering anti-Islam rant. Later, the failed MAGA candidate shared the footage on X stating: "Islam has no place in Texas. Help me to Congress so we can end the Islamisation of America. I only fear God." The incident took place during Texas Muslim Capitol Day, a one-day event that includes a rally, prayer, training sessions, lunch, and meetings with local officials. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), alongside other civil rights groups, denounced Gomez's behaviour, demanding accountability whilst stressing the significance of religious liberty protection. read the complete article
Columbia protest leader Mohsen Mahdawi released from US custody
A judge in the United States has ordered the release of Columbia University student and pro-Palestine protester Mohsen Mahdawi as a case challenging his deportation proceeds. Mahdawi walked out of the court with both hands in the air, flashing peace signs as supporters greeted him with cheers. As he spoke, he shared a message for President Donald Trump, whose administration has led a crackdown on student protesters who have denounced Israel’s war in Gaza. “I am not afraid of you,” Mahdawi said to Trump. He also addressed the people of Palestine and sought to dispel perceptions that the student protest movement was anything but peaceful. “We are pro-peace and antiwar,” Mahdawi explained. “To my people in Palestine: I feel your pain, I see your suffering, and I see freedom, and it is very soon.” Mahdawi, a legal US resident who had been a leader in the protests at Columbia University, was detained on April 14 while attending a citizenship interview. A video of him being led away in handcuffs has been shared widely across social media. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Poll suggests growing fear among Muslim women in the UK
Almost half of British Muslim women feel less safe than they did a year ago, blaming a rise in Islamophobia, according to a new poll. Research carried out by pollsters Survation found that 30% of Muslim respondents said they did not feel safe going out at night, while more than half said politicians in the UK had made them feel less welcome. Hina Khan, 27, told ITV News she regularly encounters Islamophobia online, including accusations that she supports extremism. The Londoner said the experience has made her feel unwelcome in the UK. “I sometimes feel loathed and unwelcome just walking through the streets of London — not because of anything I’ve done, but simply because of who I am – a Muslim woman.” Its Director, Iman Atta, said the findings of the poll, along with Tell Mama’s own data, highlighted the growing problem of Islamophobia and its influence on daily decision-making for British Muslims. “This sense of a collective self-enforced sense of restraint of what they can do and when they can go out is troubling since it has mental and emotional impacts, as well as economic impacts that are acutely felt by British Muslim women,” Iman Atta said. read the complete article
International
The power of switching off: how to navigate motherhood in the digital age
I have often found myself doomscrolling, feeling judged by posts that seem to target me as a Muslim mother — whether it is by non-Muslims who find it strange that I allow my faith to guide the way I parent, or my own community for not being “Islamic enough” in my parenting. So when I came across a new collection of essays by Mariya bint Rehan, The Muslim (M)other: Social and Political Commentary on Contemporary Muslim Motherhood, I felt less isolated. Rehan is a writer and mother of three from London. Her new book looks at the experience of mothering in the digital age, amid a backdrop of Islamophobia and misogyny. “The digital world has irreparably changed the way we interact, the way we perceive ourselves and, fundamentally, how we perceive our faith,” she tells me. Rehan notes that the online world has become a digitised form of mother-and-baby groups, where white mothers see your hijab and make assumptions on how you parent your child as a Muslim — something I experienced myself when my son was a baby. But we also face additional online pressures such as the tradwife movement or the trend of Muslimah girl bosses, who try to convince us that we can “have it all” — a high-paying career and motherhood. The part of the book that struck me most was how Muslim mothers have become politicised beings, in that our ability to conceive and have children is considered to be a threat by the state. Rehan references Lord Pearson of Rannoch’s statement in July 2024 that Muslim radicals will take over Britain through the “power of their wombs”. read the complete article
From Spain to Sweden: European countries diverge on religious symbols in public office
In the heart of Germany’s capital, a heated political debate has reignited over the boundaries of religious freedom in the public sphere. The Bundestag's Green Party group has submitted a motion to abolish Berlin's Neutrality Act ("Neutralitätsgesetz"), a law that prohibits public employees — including teachers, police officers, and judicial staff — from wearing visible religious symbols while on duty. The proposal has thrust Berlin into a larger European conversation about the intersection of secularism, religious freedom, and workplace neutrality. Across the continent, different legal and cultural approaches highlight a lack of consensus on whether religious symbols — most notably, Islamic headscarves and veils — should be allowed in state institutions. In a divided Europe, national identities, historical experiences, and political priorities deeply influence how societies respond to religious expression in public life. From blanket bans in Belgium and France to more permissive stances in Sweden and Spain, the continent's handling of the issue remains a study in contrast. Where some nations have aimed for neutrality, others are prioritising inclusion — and many are struggling to find a balance between the two. read the complete article