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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the United States, Austin, Texas has seen a series of three attacks on local mosques in one night, rattling Muslim residents as the suspect remains at large, with surveillance footage showing a masked white man spray-painting the Star of David on a mosque, meanwhile in the United Kingdom, Better Communities Bradford (BCB) has launched Project Unity, a bold initiative to educate against Islamophobia, challenge harmful myths, and build more inclusive communities, and lastly, an investigation from The New York Times, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, and Der Spiegel reveals that the Chinese government is finding a way around the U.S. ban on imports from Xinjiang — by moving Uyghurs to jobs in factories outside the region. Our recommended read of the day is by Haris Jeelani Toogo and Qadri Inzamam for The New Arab on how the Islamic Foundation in the Czech Republic’s capital, Prague, has been rejected by property owners at least ten times, each time after disclosing their intention to establish a mosque. This and more below:
Czech Republic
After ten rejections in six months, Prague’s Muslims struggle with isolation as Czech anti-Muslim sentiment derails efforts to establish a central mosque | Recommended Read
Over the past six months, the Islamic Foundation in the Czech Republic’s capital, Prague, has been rejected by property owners at least ten times, each time after disclosing their intention to establish a mosque. Their unsuccessful search for a space to set up a mosque continues. According to the 2021 census, the Czech Republic has a Muslim population of roughly 5,000. Although there are no official figures for the total size of the Muslim community, including refugees and immigrants, some estimates place it at around 20,000, with most concentrated in Prague — a city known for its architecture, landscapes, and historic castles, and one of the most visited tourist destinations in Europe. Importantly, Prague has previously had a mosque in the city centre. The last one, located on the ground floor of a hotel, was closed after the property owner received over 500 complaints from neighbouring residents and businesses. Lazhar Maamri, Chairman of the Islamic Foundation in Prague, stated that some locals disliked Muslims due to a lack of understanding of Islam and added that the building owner informed him of local residents' objections to Muslims gathering outside after Friday prayers. In saying this, Lazhar highlighted that the issue goes beyond mere discomfort and is partly rooted in racial prejudice. He stated, "When some local Czechs see a group of people with different skin tones and hair colours, they view it as a problem." read the complete article
United Kingdom
Prosecuting man for burning Qur’an ‘reintroducing blasphemy law’, UK court told
Prosecuting a man for burning the Qur’an is “tantamount to reintroducing a blasphemy law” in Great Britain, a trial has heard. Hamit Coskun, 50, shouted “fuck Islam”, “Islam is religion of terrorism” and “Qur’an is burning” as he held aloft the burning Islamic text outside the Turkish consulate in London on 13 February, Westminster magistrates court heard. Coskun denies a religiously aggravated public order offence of using disorderly behaviour “within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress”, motivated by “hostility towards members of a religious group, namely followers of Islam”, contrary to the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and the Public Order Act 1986. At his trial on Wednesday, Katy Thorne KC, defending, said: “The prosecution, in bringing this prosecution at all, is seeking to introduce a law unknown to this land, namely blasphemy in relation to Islam.” Coskun, giving evidence via a Turkish interpreter, told the court he had the “right” to criticise Islam but said he does not like using swearwords. Thorne said burning the Qur’an “cannot be a criminal offence” and accused the Crown Prosecution Service of an abuse of process in its decision to bring the case against Coskun. read the complete article
Yorkshire initiative launches to fight Islamophobia through education and dialogue
Project Unity aims to tackle hate, challenge misinformation, and promote genuine inclusion across Yorkshire and North England With anti-Muslim hate reaching record levels in the UK, Better Communities Bradford (BCB) has launched Project Unity — a bold initiative to educate against Islamophobia, challenge harmful myths, and build more inclusive communities. The project arrives at a critical time. Muslims comprise just 6.5% of the UK population, yet account for 42% of all religious hate crime victims. In 2024, Islamophobic assaults rose by a staggering 74%. A recent analysis found that there is 400% more negative coverage about Muslims media than about other groups in the media. In the workplace, 40% of Muslims report facing discrimination in performance reviews and promotions while 60% of Conservative Party members believe Islam “threatens British life”. read the complete article
China
How China Uses Work to Reshape Uyghur Identity and Control a Strategic Region
The Uyghurs arrive in Chinese factory towns by train and plane, often in groups wearing matching caps or jackets. They are sent by the government to work where they are needed, whether it is molding rubber slippers, assembling automotive wiring or sorting chicken carcasses. A joint investigation by The New York Times, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and Der Spiegel has revealed that Uyghurs are being sent out of their homeland, Xinjiang, on government work programs, more widely than previously documented. We found that workers are now involved in making a variety of goods for many well-known brands in factories across the country, presenting a challenge to international regulators looking to identify and purge forced labor from supply chains. Uyghur workers were traced to more than 70 factories in at least five major industries. Experts estimate that tens of thousands of Uyghurs have been transferred under these programs. While the precise conditions faced by these workers remain unclear, United Nations labor experts, academics and human rights advocates assert that the programs are coercive in nature. “For these Uyghurs being forced and dragged out of their homes to go to work, it’s hell,” said Rahima Mahmut, a Uyghur activist in exile and executive director of Stop Uyghur Genocide, a British-based rights group. “It’s like you’re being taken from one country to another. That’s how different it is,” she said. “From the language, to the food, to the way of life.” The Chinese government has long played a central role in the transfer of Uyghurs from their homes to both jobs elsewhere in Xinjiang and in other parts of China. The jobs strategy was initially aimed at reducing poverty and unemployment, but in recent years it has become a crucial part of Beijing’s efforts to reshape Uyghur identity in the name of security. read the complete article
How Uyghurs in China are Coerced to Work in Factories
The Chinese government is finding a way around the U.S. ban on imports from Xinjiang — by moving Uyghurs to jobs in factories outside the region. David Pierson, a foreign correspondent for The New York Times, investigated — alongside the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and Der Spiegel — how workers are being moved to factories producing goods for major global brands. read the complete article
United States
Three mosques in Austin, Texas attacked across one night, suspect still at large
The city of Austin in Texas has seen a series of three attacks on local mosques in one night, rattling residents as the suspect remains at large. This all took place in on 22 May, with surveillance footage showing a masked white man spray-painting the Star of David on the mosque walls. These attacks come amid a rise in anti-Muslim bias incidents in the wake of the outbreak of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023. "We don’t see this as an isolated incident. We’ve seen a pattern in the rise of Islamophobia and anti-Arab and anti-immigrant sentiment," Shaimaa Zayan, operations manager with the Austin chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told The New Arab. "Nueces Mosque has reported four incidents since October. What is disturbing is having it happen at three mosques in one night," she said. "It's not clear what the motive is." Though there have been other reported bias incidents in Austin and other parts of Texas over the past several years, this latest series of attacks took place in an area known for its diversity and inclusivity. Many of the members of Nueces Mosque are international students from the University of Texas at Austin. read the complete article
International
Europe’s Muslim leaders express hope that Pope Leo will be a peacemaker
On Sunday 18 May, Pope Leo XIV held his first official mass in St Peter’s Square, attended by some of the world’s most powerful figures including US vice-president JD Vance, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. The next day, he met leaders from the other major religions, including Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism. Imam Yahya Pallavicini, vice-president of Coreis, one of the main associations representing Italy‘s Islamic community, attended both events. He described a promising start to a new papacy in which interreligious dialogue and the promotion of peaceful resolution to global conflict are urgent priorities. Imam Benjamin Idriz, chair of the Munich Forum for Islam, went further, voicing hopes that the new pope may exert a restraining influence over the US administration. “[Leo] is an American pope and he has a certain authority with Trump that will make Trump more cautious in the future,” he said. “He could also be a kind of American that defends European perspectives, which would make him a counterpoint [to Trump].” A few days after his inauguration, Pope Leo made an appeal for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and for humanitarian aid to enter the besieged Palestinian enclave, in an indication that he plans to continue the high-profile efforts of his predecessor Pope Francis to bring about peace in Israel and Palestine. read the complete article