Today in Islamophobia

International

UN blacklists Israel over sexual violence against Palestinians | Recommended Read

The United Nations has placed Israel on its “blacklist” of entities suspected of committing sexual violence in conflict, placing the Israeli Prison Service and multiple other Israeli entities on the list. The UN's move follows mounting documentation by human rights organisations accusing Israel of the systemic use of rape and sexual violence by Israeli forces and prison guards, particularly in the context of the war on Gaza and mass detention of Palestinians. Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Dannon, condemned the move on Thursday as “outrageous”. Among the most widely cited cases is a July 2024 incident at Israel’s Sde Teiman detention facility, where CCTV footage showed Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee with a metal rod, leaving him with serious injuries. Rights groups and legal experts have pointed to the case as evidence of a broader pattern of abuse within detention facilities. read the complete article

Israeli minister confirms goal of large-scale expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza

Israel’s defence minister has said he is committed to the ethnic cleansing of Gaza through large-scale migration of Palestinians as part of Israel’s long-term plans for the territory. Israel Katz said the government would implement a plan for large numbers of Palestinians to leave Gaza “at the right time and in the right manner”, in a statement on Wednesday marking the targeted killing of Mohammed Odeh, Hamas’s most recent military commander. Pushing for mass departures violates Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan for Gaza, which Israel signed last year. The second point of the plan states: “Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough.” Israel’s government has promoted the prospect of Gaza without Palestinians since Trump suggested early last year that hundreds of thousands of people should leave to “clean out” the strip for reconstruction. read the complete article

United States

CAIR-SFBA Calls on State Sen. Wiener to Apologize for Amplifying Anti-Muslim Hate and Meet with Muslim Constituents

The San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on state Senator Scott Wiener to apologize for amplifying anti-Muslim hate and to meet with Muslim constituents. On X, Weiner reshared—and after facing criticism—deleted a post that expressed opposition to a potential deal to the end the U.S. war on Iran, derisively referred to collaboration among Sunni Muslim nations as the “Muhammad Accords,” and expressed panic about “the rise of Islamist power we have not seen since Islam conquered parts of Europe.” read the complete article

Hegseth names investor who made anti-Islamic remarks about Mamdani to Pentagon Tech Board

The Defense Department has appointed 33 members to its recently established Science, Technology and Innovation Board (STIB) — one of whom is a Silicon Valley venture capitalist accused of making Islamophobic remarks targeting New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. On Wednesday, the Pentagon announced on social media that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth named Shaun Maguire, a partner at Sequoia Capital, to the board along with 32 other appointees. A photograph with a biography of Maguire appears along with other board members on the STIB website. According to the announcement, the consolidation of the Defense Innovation Board, which was created in 2016, and the Defense Science Board, created in 1956, aims to bring “together top-tier talent that combines scientific and technical rigor with private-sector agility,” in order to serve “as a single, unified voice for innovation.” Maguire previously labeled Mamdani as an “Islamist” and attacked him on social media while Mamdani was running for mayor of America’s most populated city. In July, Maguire made a social media post accusing Mamdani — who is of Indian descent and born in Uganda — of coming “from a culture that lies about everything” to advance “his Islamist agenda,” after it was reported last year that Mamdani marked himself as both “Asian” and “Black or African American” on a college application. read the complete article

Miss Wayne County hits back at critics upset she wore a hijab at Memorial Day parade

Ameera Hashwi has held the title as Miss Wayne County for nearly a year while working as an attorney and pushing a platform of physical wellness and being her authentic self. And that included her appearance during the City of Dearborn's Memorial Day Parade. Being her authentic self also included wearing her hijab, a traditional garb worn by Muslim women. But not everyone liked her decision to sport the attire. Video from Hashwi's appearance during Monday's parade included her waving to community members from the back of a convertible. She had an American flag with her. Some heckled her while others offered negative commentary on social media, calling her decision and clothes unpatriotic. But that's not was Hashwi sees: "I am very aware of these comments. That being said, I do my best to not let them bother me." "Being Muslim does not stop me from living my American dream," she said. "I think a lot of people tend to forget how America was founded. It’s a big melting pot of people with different cultures, different religions, different races. I can be me, I can celebrate America and love America while still being Muslim." read the complete article

India

Indians celebrate Eid al-Adha amid prayer restrictions

India’s Muslims celebrated Eid al-Adha with mass prayers and gatherings nationwide. Celebrations remained largely peaceful under tight security amid growing anti-Muslim tensions over restrictions on public Eid prayers. read the complete article

Think we missed something, or have suggestions for what you’d like to see here?
Contact us at: bridge@georgetown.edu