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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the United Kingdom, far-right Britain First party leader Paul Golding, a man with a history of anti-Muslim prejudice, was among those taking part in another anti-immigration protest in Kent over the weekend, while in the United States, a like-similar march is being planned by GOP gubernatorial candidate Anthony Hudson tomorrow in Dearborn Michigan under the inflammatory slogan of an “American Crusade”, this by a man who on numerous occasions has falsely accused residents of “imposing Islamic law”, and lastly, reporting finds that India’s RSS, the far-right Hindu group behind decades of anti-Muslim violence, is quietly spending big bucks to influence members of the U.S. Congress through top lobbyists. Our recommended read of the day is by Imran Mulla for Middle East Eye on how the UK’s charity regulator has opened a compliance case into Policy Exchange, a right-wing think-tank, which has a history of making anti-Muslim claims. This and more below:
United Kingdom
UK charity regulator opens case into right-wing Policy Exchange think-tank | Recommended Read
The UK's charity regulator has opened a compliance case into Policy Exchange, one of the country's most influential think-tanks. This comes after the Good Law Project filed a 27-page complaint last month, accusing the think-tank - which is formally registered as a charity - of breaching charity law. The complaint said Policy Exchange was founded "on the explicit basis that it would be a ‘non-partisan’ institution - and that it would educate the public, in an objective way, in relation to politics and economics". It added that Policy Exchange's "true activities involve lobbying, influencing government policy, and publishing one-sided, partisan reports filled with ‘policy recommendations’. Policy Exchange has sought to frame the official narrative about British Muslims to create a new relationship between the British state and Muslims. It was a significant promoter of the so-called “Trojan Horse” plot of 2014 - the now discredited narrative that a tightly knit group of Muslim teachers and governors with an Islamist agenda had plotted the takeover of Birmingham schools. Gove, the then education secretary, was privatelly told by officials that counter-terrorism police had decided the letter claiming there was a takeover plot was a hoax. But Gove reportedly "used the letter to sanction numerous high-level investigations into potential extremism in Birmingham schools anyway". read the complete article
Shipman condemns Islamophobic harassment following reported hate crime
Acting University President Claire Shipman, CC ’86, SIPA ’94, condemned Islamophobic and anti-Arab harassment and discrimination in a Friday email following a reported Nov. 7 hate crime. Shipman wrote in the email to the Columbia community that the suspect, who is unaffiliated with the University, “made derogatory comments regarding our student’s niqab and proceeded to harass and follow her down the street.” Public Safety issued a Clery crime alert to the University community on Nov. 7 about a reported “intimidation incident” that occurred on 116th Street and Broadway, which is being investigated as a hate crime. The alert reads that the suspect approached the student and continued to yell “discriminatory comments” when they attempted to leave. “Let me be clear: we have no room for this kind of hate at Columbia,” Shipman wrote in the email. “Anti-Muslim hate, anti-Arab hate, on or off campus, is categorically unacceptable. More broadly, incidents like these speak to a moment in our history where tolerance and acceptance are precariously low.” read the complete article
Muslim Charity Run reviews policies after backlash
The Muslim Charity Run, held in east London's Victoria Park last month, was billed as an "inclusive 5km race" welcoming "runners and supporters of all ages and abilities", but it was open only to "men, boys of all ages and girls under 12". A Muslim women's group said the event should have been more inclusive to avoid "reinforcement of negative stereotypes". Organised by East London Mosque and the London Muslim Centre, the charity run was said to have attracted hundreds of runners and supporters. In an update on Sunday, the Equality and Human Rights Commission said it would not be taking any further action. A spokesperson said: "We recognise that the organisers have committed to reviewing their policies and the format of the event in advance of the next Muslim Charity Run. read the complete article
‘Disgust’ as Britain First leader Paul Golding gives speech at Faversham anti-immigration protest
The leader of far-right party Britain First was among those taking part in another anti-immigration protest in Kent yesterday. Councillors have expressed their “disgust” after Paul Golding gave a speech in Faversham, which has been the focus of several similar demonstrations. More than 100 people marched through the town on Saturday, waving St George’s flags and shouting: “Whose streets? Our streets.” The leader of the nationalist, anti-Muslim political organisation shared a picture of himself speaking to the crowd and told his social media followers: “I had a superb day. Onwards and upwards! In December 2016, Golding was sentenced to eight weeks in prison for breaching a court order banning him from entering a mosque. read the complete article
United States
How Zohran Mamdani Exposes The True Bigotry of Bill Maher, Sam Harris, and Western "Culture Talk"
Zohran Mamdani’s victory didn’t just shake New York politics — it cracked open a deeper fear that’s defined Western liberal discourse for decades. Figures like Sam Harris and Bill Maher built careers on the fantasy of the “Good Muslim” — the secular, assimilated, apolitical figure who makes the West feel safe. But Zohran’s unapologetic politics, rooted in solidarity with Palestine and working-class liberation, expose the hollowness of that narrative. In this episode, we revisit Mahmood Mamdani’s landmark thesis in Good Muslim, Bad Muslim to understand why Zohran’s success provokes such hysteria — and what it reveals about how the West still divides the Muslim world into those it can use and those it must fear. From Sadiq Khan’s media approval to the wild panic surrounding Zohran’s rise, this essay is about power, empire, and the myths that keep them intact. read the complete article
Fringe GOP hopeful stokes Islamophobia, plans anti-sharia march in Dearborn
Under the slogan of what he calls an “American Crusade” to ban Islamic law and “protect Christians”, little-known Republican gubernatorial candidate Anthony Hudson has called for a protest march in Dearborn on November 18. Hudson, a truck driver who markets himself as a conservative, pro-Trump candidate, is using rising online hostility toward the Arab and Muslim majority city to draw attention to his otherwise insignificant campaign. Hudson first made Dearborn a political target during a late- October televised Republican debate with five other GOP contenders. He falsely accused the city of enforcing sharia law and vowed to deploy the Michigan National Guard to Dearborn “to protect residents from sharia law and all the nonsense happening there.” “I was the only candidate on stage who condemned sharia law,” Hudson wrote later on X. He warned GOP voters of a supposed “problem” inside the Michigan Republican Party. Hudson has repeatedly, and falsely, accused Dearborn of imposing Islamic law and oppressing Christians. read the complete article
International
RSS, Modi’s Hindutva fountainhead, now spending millions to influence US Congress
India’s RSS, the far-right Hindu group behind decades of anti-Muslim violence and the ideological fountainhead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP party, is quietly spending big bucks to influence members of the US Congress through top lobbyists. The move has raised questions of legality and transparency. The onboarding of lobbying firms by the group accused of fomenting hate towards Muslims seemingly lacks regulatory filings that are mandatory under US law. An investigation carried out by independent media outlet Prism showed that the first-ever US lobbying push by the 100-year-old RSS has violated disclosure rules. Sunil Ambekar, an RSS spokesperson, denied the accusation, saying the organisation operates in India and “has not engaged any lobbying firm” in the US. Of late, the RSS and other Hindu groups have organised public rallies in the US, demonstrating the collective power of India's diaspora. read the complete article
Muslim mayor, Jewish voters, Trump rage. London’s lessons for Mamdani.
To President Donald Trump, the mayor of London and the mayor-elect of New York are of a piece — Muslim, left-leaning, and easy to blame for urban ills real or imagined in two of the world’s wealthiest megacities. Trump is not alone in seeing parallels between the two, both sons of immigrants who built careers on progressive ideals, shaped by the politics of diversity and identity. London and New York, cultural and financial capitals twinned by skyline and temperament and boasting large Jewish populations, soon will both have Muslim mayors navigating the crosscurrents of faith, race and class at a time of political polarization and fury. The similarities, however, don’t go much beyond their shared faith. But as their trajectories converge in the top jobs of cities swelling with wealthy bankers, low-income immigrant neighborhoods, mosques and synagogues, Khan’s decade in office offers both precedents and cautions for his New York counterpart. In particular, it shows that early interfaith goodwill can build quickly and erode just as fast when the shock of distant conflict intrudes. read the complete article