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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the Netherlands, far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders has rolled out a sweeping 10-point programme aimed at drastically cutting migration to the country, with one of the points being the expulsion of Syrians on temporary visas, meanwhile in the United States, surveillance video has captured someone spray-painting the Star of David at the Nueces Mosque in the city of Austin (TX) on Thursday evening, with authorities being asked to investigate the incident as a hate crime, and in the United Kingdom, the newly appointed mayor of a northern English town has been targeted by a racist disinformation campaign on social media by members of the far-right, attacking her for her religious beliefs and questioning her abilities to take on the post. Our recommended read of the day is by Emma Graham-Harrison and Quique Kierszenbaum for The Guardian, on this past weekend’s state-funded Flag Day march through the Muslim quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, in which large groups of Israelis chanted racist slogans including “Gaza is ours”, “death to the Arabs”, “Mohammed is dead”, and “may their villages burn”. This and more below:
International
Thousands of Israelis join violent, racist march through Jerusalem’s Muslim quarter | recommended read
Thousands of Israelis have joined a state-funded march through the Muslim quarter of the Old City in Jerusalem, where large groups chanted racist slogans including “Gaza is ours”, “death to the Arabs” and “may their villages burn”. The annual march, paid for and promoted by the Jerusalem city government, celebrates Israel’s capture and occupation of East Jerusalem and its holy sites in the war of 1967. The Israeli takeover is not recognised internationally. The Jerusalem municipality advertises the event, known as the flag march, as a “festive procession”, part of a broader programme of events celebrating the “liberation” of the city. The march has been marred by racism and attacks on Palestinians for years, and is preceded by a campaign of violence in the Old City that in effect shuts down Palestinian majority areas, particularly in the Muslim Quarter. From before midday on Monday small groups of young Israeli men attacked and harassed shopkeepers and passersby inside the city, spitting at women in hijabs, stealing from cafes, ransacking a bookshop and entering at least one home by force. From midday, groups of Jewish men inside the city shouted racist chants including “may their villages burn”, “Mohammed is dead” and “death to Arabs”. One large group arriving at the Damascus Gate chanted “Gaza is ours”, and carried a large banner reading “Jerusalem 1967, Gaza 2025”, in effect threatening full military annexation of the strip to echo the capture of East Jerusalem. Another banner read a “without a Nakba there is no victory”, referring to the forcible expulsion of about 700,000 Palestinians when the state of Israel was created in 1948. read the complete article
United States
Georgetown scholar recalls terror and ‘mockery of due process’ in immigration jail
One of the lowest moments of Badar Khan Suri’s two months in federal custody was being crammed onto an airplane with hundreds of other shackled prisoners. The Trump administration was trying to deport the Georgetown University scholar over statements he made against Israel’s war in Gaza. The guards wouldn’t say where they were headed, but the Indian national was convinced it was out of the United States. Then Khan Suri had to use the plane’s bathroom. He said the guards refused to unshackle his wrists. “They said, ‘No, you have to use it like this or do it in your trousers,’” Khan Suri recalled of the trip, taking him to a Louisiana detention center. “They were behaving as if we were animals.” Khan Suri, 41, was released on bond last week as his lawsuit against the U.S.'s deportation case continues. In an interview with The Associated Press, he spoke Thursday of a cramped cell, crowded with other detainees, where he waited anxiously, fearful about what would happen next. He also addressed the Trump administration’s accusations that he spread “Hamas propaganda.” Khan Suri said he only spoke in support of Palestinians, who are going through an “unprecedented, livestreamed genocide.” “I don’t support Hamas,” he said. “I support Palestine. I support Palestinians. And it is so deceiving for some people who just publish canards ... They will just replace Palestine with Hamas.” Yet, because of his comments, he said U.S. authorities treated him as if he had committed a high-level crime. Fellow inmates said his red uniform was reserved for the most dangerous offenders. read the complete article
3 Austin mosques vandalized in 1 night, drawing concerns from Muslim community
The Muslim community in Austin, Texas, is on edge after three mosques were vandalized in one night. Now they’re asking police to step in. Surveillance video captures a subject with his face covered as he spray-painted blue symbols that appear to be Stars of David at the Nueces Mosque in North Austin, Thursday evening. “It’s so sad and very scary.” said Shaimaa Zayan, operations manager for Austin’s Council on American-Islamic Relations. “It’s a shame. It’s a shame to target worship places.” Around the same time the Nueces Mosque was targeted, mosque leaders found similar signs of vandalism at the Islamic Association, near the University of Texas at Austin, and the Turkish Diyanet Center. “Hundreds of Muslims already saw these, you know, symbols on our facilities, so it was really disturbing for them,” said Zayan. The three mosques are part of more than two dozen in Central Texas represented by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR-Austin. Collectively, more than 60,000 practicing Muslims worship inside these mosques. Zayan said these latest instances of vandalism are part of a larger pattern that’s been on the rise in Central Texas and across the country over the past year. The Nueces Mosque alone has reported four hate incidents since last October. read the complete article
The number of hate groups in the US is shrinking — but their voice is growing louder
The number of white nationalist, hate, and anti-government groups in the U.S. declined slightly in 2024, not because their influence is fading. Many believe that racist ideologies and narratives of Christian persecution are becoming more accepted in government and mainstream conversations - allowing their voice to grow while the number of groups shrinks. The Southern Poverty Law Center reported a 5 percent decrease in hate and extremist groups in its annual “Year in Hate and Extremism” report released Thursday. The nonprofit organization attributes the decline to a reduced need for formal organization, as hateful beliefs have increasingly permeated politics, education, and general society. According to the report, the influence is evident in efforts to ban diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, restrict books and protest drag story hours. read the complete article
France
France’s Muslim Brotherhood report is manufacturing a threat
A new government report, presented by France's Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, revives the spectre of the Muslim Brotherhood as an underground Islamist threat poised to capture local and national institutions. But behind this alarmist framing lies a deeper political strategy: to delegitimise non-compliant Muslim political participation ahead of the 2026 and 2027 elections, and to bolster the far right parties as the most credible guardians of the republic against a manufactured enemy. On 21 May, a confidential report - drafted by two civil servants and initially classified as "Secret Défense" before being leaked to Le Figaro - was presented to France's National Security Council. It warned of an alleged strategy of "entrism" by Muslim Brotherhood-linked actors to infiltrate and gradually transform public institutions, including schools, town halls, and sports associations. While the report offered no specific names or data, it was swiftly amplified by government officials and conservative media figures. Retailleau described it as evidence of "Islamist submersion", while former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal called for new legislation on "separatism", including a hijab ban for girls under 15. The narrative is familiar - and so is the timing. With the far right gaining traction and the left showing signs of revival in urban constituencies, the French President Emmanuel Macron's government and the traditional right are converging around a securitarian consensus. Retailleau's dual role crystallises this alignment. The objective is not to counter Islamist influence, but to control electoral dynamics. After the near-defeat of the Rassemblement National (Le Pen's National Rally) in July 2024 - due largely to high turnout in left-leaning, working-class, Muslim-majority districts - the executive fears a repeat. read the complete article
France's sports headscarf ban violates rights, targets Muslim women
The 27-year-old former point guard is among thousands of young Muslim women in France who are sidelined from competitive sport because of bans on uniforms and other clothing that have religious or political significance. These rules, critics say, disproportionately target hijab-wearing Muslim athletes. Now, a contentious bill backed by right-wing politicians that would ban headscarves in all sporting competitions has cleared its first legislative hurdle in the Senate. If passed by the lower house, it would enshrine into law what has until now been decided by individual sporting federations. Supporters say the proposed law is a necessary step to protect laicism – a strict form of secularism and a pillar of the French Republic. Opponents denounce it as discriminatory, Islamophobic, and a violation of both the rule of law and the very concept of secularism. "We know that sport is a vehicle for emancipation, especially for girls," Sylla told The Associated Press (AP). "So what are they really trying to tell us? They think we're oppressed because we wear our headscarf? But in the end, they're also oppressing us because they've excluded us from basketball courts. We chose to be Muslims. Under no circumstances should you tell me what we should or shouldn't wear." read the complete article
India
‘Bangladeshis’: Harassed By Hindu Vigilantes & Police, Bengali-Speaking Muslims Flee 4 BJP-ruled States
Thousands, mostly Muslim, have been detained in a crackdown announced in February 2025 by home minister Amit Shah on illegal Bangladeshi immigrants nationwide. Hindu extremists have attacked and police have detained Bengali-speaking Muslim migrant workers in four states run by the BJP, where Hindu nationalist vigilante gangs operate without restraint. To those who do not speak Bengali—and even to those who do—distinguishing Bengalis from West Bengal and Bangladesh may be difficult. read the complete article
Israel
Leaked audio reveals anti-Muslim incitement by newly appointed Shin Bet chief David Zini
A leaked recording broadcast by Israel's Channel 12 on Sunday has revealed incendiary remarks made by Major General David Zini, the newly appointed head of Israel's internal security agency, Shin Bet, in which he openly incites against Muslims. The audio, recorded during a recent meeting with Israeli settlers near the Gaza border, captures Zini claiming that Israeli intelligence regularly detects alleged threats from Muslims planning attacks against Jews. He framed this as a continuous pattern dating "from the birth of Ishmael until further notice," invoking the biblical figure traditionally regarded as the ancestor of Arabs - a claim that is not supported by historical or archaeological evidence. The leak adds fuel to the growing backlash against Zini’s appointment and highlights internal divisions within the Shin Bet. Field coordinators responsible for the Jerusalem and West Bank areas have reportedly threatened to resign, describing Zini's worldview as "messianic" and incompatible with the agency's core values. They fear his leadership could politicise the Shin Bet and damage its nonpartisan character. In the same recording, Zini addressed Israel's ongoing war on Gaza and criticised the prioritisation of captive recovery over the objective of destroying Hamas. read the complete article
Netherlands
Anti-Muslim lawmaker Wilders unveils 10-point migration crackdown plan, threatens coalition exit
Far-right Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders has rolled out a sweeping 10-point programme aimed at drastically cutting migration to the Netherlands, ratcheting up pressure on the fragile four-party coalition that swept into power in 2023. At the heart of Wilders’ proposals is a demand to deploy the army to guard land borders and to turn away every asylum-seeker who attempts to enter the country. Other measures include a temporary halt to family reunification for recognised refugees, a “one strike you’re out” deportation policy for migrants convicted of violent or sexual crimes, and the expedited return of Syrians on temporary visas—on the grounds that “much of Syria is now safe,” Wilders said on Monday. Drawing comparisons to policies already adopted by Germany’s new interior minister, Wilders said some European neighbours have “taken the gloves off” on migration and urged the Dutch coalition to follow suit. read the complete article
United Kingdom
'Not British Enough': Far-right launches racist campaign against Hijab-wearing UK mayor
The newly appointed mayor of a northern English town has been targeted by a racist disinformation campaign on social media by members of the far-right, attacking her for religious beliefs and questioning her abilities to take on the post. Councillor Rukhsana Ismail, who wears the Islamic hijab and is of Pakistani heritage, was named mayor of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, on 16 May and is set to serve during the 2025–2026 civic year. Councillor Ismail has an extensive background in public service and the charity sector, having worked in schools, police services, and non-profit organisations. Her appointment as mayor, however, has subjected her to racist vitriol on X from numerous far-right accounts and trolls, who have used the social media platform to accuse her of being "fanatical about Islam", "unable" to speak English and that a "new legislation was needed to ensure that only "English people" were allowed to occupy such posts. Most search results for her name on social media platforms are flooded with racist, Islamophobic remarks and far-right conspiracy theories. read the complete article