Today in Islamophobia

Today in Islamophobia: In the United Kingdom, Reform UK said it was “thoroughly investigating” after a newly elected councillor was accused of posting Islamaphobic material on social media, meanwhile in the United States, the government has returned the UN’s expert on the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, to a list of sanctioned individuals after a judge had granted a temporary injunction against the designation, and the Associated Press has reported that Bo French, a far-right activist whose rhetoric alienated Texas business and political leaders, has won the Republican runoff for a spot on the state’s influential oil and gas regulatory commission. Our recommended read of the day is by Bridge Initiative Senior Researcher Farid Hafez for Middle East Eye on how ‘terrorist labels’ exported from countries such as Egypt and the UAE to crush political opposition are now being deployed across Europe and the US to hollow out Muslim democratic life. This and more below:

International

The Brotherhood bogeyman: How Europe and the US criminalize Muslim civic life | Recommended Read

Across western publics, a dangerous claim is spreading that Muslim civic participation is secretly linked to a coordinated Muslim Brotherhood plot to subvert these nations from within. They claim that Muslims - many of them third-generation immigrants - who organise in communities, assert their rights as equal citizens, and engage in democratic politics are doing so as part of a hidden takeover scheme. It is a conspiracy theory, and a familiar one. Following the Trump administration's State Department designation of Muslim Brotherhood branches in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTO), several US state governors and European politicians have used this as a carte blanche to target their own domestic Muslim populations. These politicians celebrate how some Arab countries have "pushed out" the Muslim Brotherhood, providing intellectual cover for something far more corrosive than radicalism: the systematic exclusion of Muslim civil society from democratic participation. The practical effect is the chilling of an entire community's speech and civic participation - not the neutralisation of any genuine threat. In the decades since 9/11, Americans have seen how far the logic of terrorism designation can be stretched - from people being jailed illegally in Guantanamo Bay to ICE protesters being labelled domestic terrorists. The arbitrariness of the process is not a flaw. It is the point. read the complete article

United States

US returns Palestinian rights expert Francesca Albanese to sanctions list

The United States government has returned the UN’s expert on the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, to a list of sanctioned individuals after a judge had granted a temporary injunction against the designation. On Wednesday, an update appeared on the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) website, indicating that Albanese had been added to the agency’s list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN), without offering further details. Albanese’s criticism of Israeli policies has made her a target under US President Donald Trump. read the complete article

'Complete silence' from public officials: Muslims speak out against growing Islamophobia

Six leaders from Milwaukee’s Muslim community shared a stage last week at Milwaukee’s Islamic Resource Center. The event was to promote the new book Muslims in Milwaukee: Placemaking, Belonging and Activism. The panelists talked about the book's deep research of the community, which took place over nearly 15 years. After the talk, they opened up about issues facing Muslims and Muslim-Americans from outside of their community. Dr. Anisah Bagasra is an associate professor of psychology at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. For the past decade, she's been studying the rise of anti-Muslim rhetoric and how it spread from online spaces to public spaces. She says a big part of the problem is how Muslims are portrayed. “In terms of news coverage, if a news story focuses on Islam or Muslims, two-thirds of stories will be negative,” says Bagasra. “Then on social media, we have this rise of misinformation, disinformation, the fact that Facebook and other social media platforms have reduced their community standards.” read the complete article

Anti-Muslim Candidate Wins G.O.P. Runoff for Texas Oil Job

Bo French, a far-right activist whose rhetoric alienated Texas business and political leaders, won the Republican runoff for a spot on the state’s influential oil and gas regulatory commission, The Associated Press said Wednesday. The surprising outcome lifted state Democrats’ hopes for winning the seat in November’s general election. Mr. French beat Jim Wright, the commission’s chairman, who said Mr. French’s online comments against Muslims and immigrants had nothing to do with the office they sought. Mr. Wright was backed by the governor, lieutenant governor and the biggest names in the oil and gas industry, including Exxon Mobil and Chevron. But that support could not silence Mr. French’s message, which was amplified by far-right influencers like Steve Bannon, a former close aide to President Trump. The message portrayed Mr. Wright as a secret liberal who would overregulate the oil and gas industry. read the complete article

Hijabi Miss Wayne County draws Islamophobic frenzy in US

The first hijab-wearing Miss Wayne County rode through a Memorial Day parade in Michigan on Monday, drawing a wave of Islamophobic and racist backlash online, including from far-right and MAGA-aligned accounts. Ameera Hashwi, a Lebanese-American attorney, was crowned Miss Wayne County in 2025, becoming the first titleholder in the pageant’s history to wear a headscarf. She is set to compete in the Miss Michigan 2026 pageant later this year. Footage of Hashwi at the parade quickly circulated across social media platforms, particularly on X, where far-right accounts amplified the clips, generating thousands of views within 24 hours. The posts prompted a surge of hostile responses, with some users directing Islamophobic and derogatory comments at the 25-year-old. Among those engaging with the footage was anti-Islam influencer Valentina Gomez, who wrote: “She’d be stoned for showing her face in any sharia nation.” read the complete article

United Kingdom

Reform councillor's alleged Islamophobia probed

Reform UK said it was "thoroughly investigating" after a newly elected councillor was accused of posting Islamaphobic material on social media. Jonathan James Fox took the Bristnall ward on Sandwell Council at the local elections on 7 May, as the party took control of the authority ending almost 50 years of Labour rule. The post, which was made in 2019, featured a picture of bacon rashers along with comments apparently aimed at Muslims. read the complete article

Labour MPs urge ‘Islamophobia’ probe into Reform UK

Twenty-seven MPs have called for the equalities watchdog to investigate alleged Islamophobia in the Reform UK party. In their letter to Mary-Ann Stephenson, chairperson of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), the group called for a “formal investigation” into Nigel Farage’s party. They said Reform UK had potentially breached its obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and claimed it had no adequate disciplinary process for people in the party to raise their concerns. Afzal Khan, the Labour MP for Manchester Rusholme, who co-ordinated the letter, said: “Reform UK have consistently failed to tackle their growing Islamophobia problem.” He warned that “consistent attacks on Muslim communities are putting Muslims in Britain in danger and social cohesion at risk”. read the complete article

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