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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the United Kingdom, a long-awaited definition is expected to refer to “anti-Muslim hostility” as the government prepares to move away from the previous wording of Islamophobia, meanwhile in the United States, Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, faced vitriolic attacks that suggested he was a “terrorist sympathizer” after he gave an indirect answer to a question on Wednesday about whether Hamas should lay down arms and step aside in Gaza, and in Portugal, the country’s parliament has approved a bill banning face veils worn for “gender or religious” reasons in public, in a move seen as targeting Muslim women. Our recommended read of the day is by Ismail Salahuddin for Al Jazeera who writes that as violence against Muslims has become a public spectacle in India, the state’s majoritarian politics has “turned hate into entertainment and silence into complicity”. This and more below:
India
Are We Muslims or Mujrims? How hate became India’s daily entertainment | Recommended Read
Every morning in today’s India begins with two parallel news cycles. One, broadcast on television screens, is carefully curated: Panel debates on Pakistan, Hindu pride, and endless theatre about a “new India”. The other, untelevised but deeply real, is the daily routine of Muslims being lynched, harassed, jailed, and demonised. Between the two, the message is chilling: Muslim suffering is either erased or turned into a spectacle, consumed like evening entertainment for the majority, while Muslims themselves are forced to live as if they are perpetual criminals, always accused, and never heard. Take the killing of a seven-year-old Muslim boy in Azamgarh this September. His body, stuffed into a bag, was discovered with chilling indifference by neighbours who were later arrested. For a fleeting moment, local reports carried the story, but it quickly disappeared from prime-time television, replaced by fiery debates on “love jihad”, border tensions, or the India-Pakistan cricket match. A Muslim child’s death did not fit the script of national outrage. Instead, it became part of the silent archive of normalised violence. Sociologist Stanley Cohen once wrote about “states of denial”: Societies in which atrocities are not hidden but absorbed so routinely that they no longer shock. That is India today: Muslim killings happen in daylight, but the majority sees them as background noise. At the same time, hate is not just silence; it is a performance. When Muslims in Kanpur raised placards saying “I love Muhammad”, the police responded not with protection but with FIRs against 1,300 Muslims and mass arrests. The act of love itself was criminalised. Yet when Hindutva mobs gather in Maharashtra or Madhya Pradesh, chanting open calls for genocide, television crews either glorify them or quietly look away. Violence against Muslims has become a kind of theatre, a script where Muslims are always on trial, and Hindutva forces play the role of guardians of civilisation. read the complete article
Charged for saying ‘I love Muhammad’, India’s Muslims decry gov’t crackdown
On the evening of September 4, an illuminated signboard lit up a predominantly Muslim neighbourhood in Kanpur, an industrial town in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The signboard said: “I love Muhammad” – with a red heart standing in for the word, love. It was the first time the mainly working-class residents in Kanpur’s Syed Nagar had put up such a sign as part of the decorations as they joined millions of Muslims around the world to celebrate Prophet Muhammad’s birthday. In Syed Nagar, however, as soon as the words glowed, a group of Hindu men swooped in, objecting to the celebration. Police were called in, and following a ruckus that lasted hours, the signboard was removed late that night. Charges related to promoting enmity between different religious groups, as well as deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of another community, were filed against nine Muslim men and 15 unidentified people from Syed Nagar. No arrests have been made so far. “Police are registering cases against Muslims across the nation to suppress their legitimate protests … The BJP government wants to instil fear so Muslims lose the courage to speak for their religious and fundamental rights,” Sumaiya Rana, daughter of the famous Urdu poet late Munawwar Rana, told Al Jazeera. “Authorities have treated a slogan expressing love for the prophet as a criminal act and described it as provocative,” APCR secretary Nadeem Khan told Al Jazeera. “In many cases, the administration violated due process in registering cases and demolishing the properties of the accused, which has severe social and economic impacts on Muslim communities.” read the complete article
How India’s ‘bulldozer justice’ is targeting Muslims who say ‘I love Muhammad’
In several Indian states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), authorities have in the last month arrested Muslim men, raided, and in some cases, bulldozed their homes. The trigger? Simple expressions like writing or posting “I love Muhammad” on posters, T‑shirts and social media. It all started after a banner, reading “I love Muhammad”, meant to be a routine decoration, was displayed prominently during Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi processions marking the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. That banner triggered objections, FIRs, and an aggressive state response: arrests under Indian Penal Code sections including 153A (promoting enmity), and house demolitions justified by claims of illegal encroachment or riot prevention. In Bareilly, UP, following clashes during a protest over the “I Love Muhammad” slogan on September 26, local authorities targeted several buildings tied to the accused. Some were bulldozed, including a banquet hall owned by Dr Nafees, a close aide of Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, the leader of a regional UP party, Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC). Officials claim that these demolitions are part of a “routine, legal procedure”, but the aggrieved families say it is deliberate. Critics say many of these demolitions took place without prior notice, violating legal norms and court judgments. A plea has been filed in a human rights commission, claiming that no demolition notices were issued in Bareilly before properties were razed. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Proposed UK Islamophobia definition allows for right to criticise religion, source says
A new definition of Islamophobia being considered by UK ministers is expected to protect the freedom to criticise Islam, the Guardian understands. The government launched a working group in February to “define unacceptable treatment, prejudice, discrimination and hate targeting Muslims or anyone who is perceived to be Muslim.” It is understood the working group submitted its report this month to the communities secretary, Steve Reed, laying out a non-statutory definition of Islamophobia. The report is private and the government may choose not to publish it or to drop the project entirely. If it goes ahead, the proposed definition is expected to be put to a consultation. Data released by the government this month showed hate crimes against Muslims had increased by nearly a fifth. In England and Wales, where 3.9 million people identify as Muslim, anti-Muslim hate crime rose to 3,199 offences in the 12 months to March 2025, from 2,690 offences in the previous year. read the complete article
Right-Wing Agendas Define Islamophobia Debate: Muslims Pay the Price
The riots across England and Northern Ireland in 2024 and the rise in tensions across the UK in the Summer of 2025 were stark reminders that British Muslims are subject to record levels of pervasive hatred and discrimination. The Government’s appointment of an independent working group in March to explore a definition of Islamophobia – despite the context of rejecting the 2018 working definition with wide community acceptance – was a step in tackling this hatred. It now appears, however, that this working group has been subject to personal intimidation – with harassment from hostile journalists – together with unprofessional behaviour from some civil servants who have attempted to frustrate the deliberations of the working group from the get-go. This has been fuelled by a coordinated campaign from parts of the media and political establishment who seem determined to scapegoat British Muslims for wider social and political failures. This has resulted in media speculation of a watered-down definition – or indeed a more perverse demand that there is no need for such a definition and Muslims should be subjected to hate. read the complete article
Muslim women do not need saving, says female leader of mosque at centre of charity run row
A female leader at a British mosque accused of excluding women from a charity run has said women in the community have a voice and do not “need saving” by critics who lack an understanding of Muslim values. East London Mosque, in Tower Hamlets, found itself at the centre of a media firestorm and received dozens of hate mail messages after staging the Muslim Charity Run, open to “men, boys of all ages and girls under 12”. The communities secretary, Steve Reed, later said he was “horrified”. The mosque said female attenders preferred to enter “women only” events, but on this occasion demand was too low to hold one. It said the biggest issue facing Muslim women in the community was hate crime, which had intensified against the mosque since the run was reported. Emails the mosque received include diatribes such as “get with our laws or leave, you animals”, as well as messages of support. Sufia Alam, the head of programmes for East London Mosque, also runs its Maryam Centre for women’s worship and said no one from the congregation had complained. “As a woman, it’s ridiculous that people think we need saving – people don’t really understand our religious values,” she said. Of the run, she said: “The format was designed for a specific community, taking into account that we wanted men and their children to participate. We did offer at the beginning to women, but I only got one or two. I can’t do a race with one or two women. “We haven’t banned people – this is what the community wanted. We’ve got a congregation of 10,000 – they’d be up in arms if we had done something that was not proper. read the complete article
Ministers Set To Drop The Word "Islamophobia" From New Definition
A long-awaited definition is expected to refer to “anti-Muslim hostility” as the government prepares to move away from the previous wording of Islamophobia. An independent working group, led by former Conservative Cabinet minister Dominic Grieve KC, has been looking at whether to produce a new definition of Islamophobia since earlier this year, as part of the government bid to tackle the rise in hate crimes towards Muslims. MPs and peers were invited to share their views on the consultation process in July. Throughout the process, the government has sought to stress that any new definition would not infringe on freedom of speech, and that it is not obliged to accept what the working group proposes. Having now received the working group's recommendations, PoliticsHome understands that ministers are currently leaning towards official wording that does not include “Islamophobia”, “Muslimness” or “structural”. Instead, it is expected to focus on anti-Muslim hostility and those who encourage acts of violence, vandalism, or harassment towards Muslims in-person or online. It is also expected to describe people who engage in “prejudicial stereotyping” and the “racialisation of Muslims" or those perceived to be Muslims because of their religion or ethnicity. read the complete article
Organise and mobilise: Muslims told to get elected and end divisive politics in Britain
An organisation with the aim of helping Muslims to get into politics has launched a London branch. The Muslim Impact Forum held its inaugural event in London with a keynote address by Humza Yousaf, the former first minister of Scotland. In it, Mr Yousaf warned about the rise of the far right, which, he said, was “driven by anti-Muslim [rhetoric]”, with far-reaching influence across both the US and Europe. “In this city, we had 150,000 people march behind Tommy Robinson,” he said, referring to the anti-Islam campaigner and convicted criminal, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. “Now we have two choices. We can either bury our heads in the sand and hope that it all passes over or we can do what I think the Muslim Impact Forum is trying to do. We have to work together. We have to organise, we have to mobilise and we have to be strategic.” In his view, part of the solution to the divisive politics in the main stream is for increased representation of Muslims within the arena of politics. “It’s not about a Muslim agenda. It’s about pushing good people into positions of power.” He said Muslims “must enter politics” as it is the “arena in which you can make the biggest difference.” He called on the Muslim community to “invest” in Muslim talent. read the complete article
Racist abuse of councillor condemned by leaders
City council party leaders have united in condemning the racist and Islamophobic abuse faced by a councillor. Peterborough City Council leader Shabina Qayyum said her Labour colleague Mohammed Jamil had been targeted with online and email abuse over the potential sale of a council asset. She told a full council meeting "no elected official should have to face a hate crime such as racism". Conservative group leader Wayne Fitzgerald described it as "abhorrent", while Nicola Day, deputy leader of the Green Party, said she opposed "hate and prejudice". read the complete article
Muslims make up 45% of religious hate crime victims in England and Wales
Muslims were the victims in nearly half of all religiously motivated hate crimes recorded in England and Wales last year, according to new Home Office figures that reveal a sharp rise in Islamophobic incidents. The official data, published on 9 October, shows that 45 percent of all recorded religious hate crimes in the year to March 2025 targeted Muslims, marking a 20 percent increase compared with the previous year. The Home Office noted a "clear spike" in offences following the Southport murders and subsequent riots last summer. Police forces across England and Wales, excluding London's Metropolitan Police, recorded 7,164 religion-based hate crimes, suggesting that the true national figure was likely higher. The total number of hate crimes overall rose by three percent, reaching the highest annual level ever recorded. read the complete article
International
Heckling, violence and Islamophobia: Israeli audience cheers far-right activist Tommy Robinson during contentious Tel Aviv event
British far-right activist Tommy Robinson’s controversial visit to Israel has continued to spark outrage in the UK, following his latest appearance at a speaking event in Tel Aviv, where he was reported to have made anti-Arab and anti-Muslim remarks. According to Israeli media, Robinson attended the engagement on Saturday night hosted by the Tel Aviv International Salon, a self-described nonpartisan speakers’ forum for young adults that "offers a platform for debate and discussion with leading voices from across the political spectrum". The anti-Islam agitator, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was greeted with loud applause and cheers from more than 1,000 attendees, including Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli of the Likud party, who had extended the invitation to Robinson. According to The Times of Israel, supporters approached him beforehand to express gratitude for his vocal backing of Israel. Many in attendance were seen wearing far-right insignia and apparel, such as "Make America Great Again" and "Total Victory" hats. read the complete article
Roblox says it is investigating anti-Muslim 'brain rot' content on gaming platform
One of the world’s most popular video games said it is investigating reported anti-Muslim and hateful content on its platform, after it received a letter from the Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations this week. The letter alleges that Roblox, which boasts over 100 million average daily users, has exposed children to racist and blasphemous statements through gaming chats and user-generated content. “There is hateful and discriminatory rhetoric that is being put into these spaces that children are consuming,” CAIR Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry told Religion News Service on Thursday (Oct. 16). “It is normalizing this as fun and trendy and cool, but it ends up hurting marginalized communities and creating an unsafe environment for them.” Chaudry said content in the gaming platform mocking God and glorifying violence against Palestinians stems from what is known as “Italian brain rot,” a series of viral memes that surged in popularity this year depicting absurd AI-generated images and videos with pseudo-Italian narration. The unrealistic characters include Tralalero Tralala, a shark wearing blue Nike shoes, and Bombardiro Crocodilo, a military bomber with the head of a crocodile that sparked outrage for mocking the killing of children in Gaza. The trend has saturated social media, made its way into classrooms and filled some virtual worlds created by users on Roblox. Chaudry said she learned about the content in question from parents and a teacher in Maryland who showed her examples. read the complete article
United States
Mamdani Faces Attacks After Comments About Hamas
Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, faced vitriolic attacks that suggested he was a terrorist sympathizer after he gave an indirect answer to a question on Wednesday about whether Hamas should lay down arms and step aside in Gaza. Representative Elise Stefanik, a Republican ally of President Trump and likely candidate for governor of New York next year, called Mr. Mamdani a “jihadist.” Representative Laura Gillen, a Democrat from Long Island who has opposed Mr. Mamdani’s candidacy, said he was “pro-Hamas” and “unfit to hold any office in the United States.” And a top adviser to former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, Mr. Mamdani’s leading campaign rival, criticized Mr. Mamdani for refusing to “denounce a terrorist organization,” though he has done so repeatedly. Mr. Mamdani’s harsh criticism of Israel and vocal support for Palestinian rights has been a lightning rod for months in the race for mayor. Still, the attacks marked a new level of acrimony in the race’s final weeks. His allies described the rhetoric as xenophobic and dangerous.“We should call these comments out for what they are: lazy Islamophobic attacks on the Democratic nominee poised to become our city’s first Muslim mayor,” said Dora Pekec, a spokeswoman for Mr. Mamdani. read the complete article
Portugal
Burqa ban bill approved by Portugal’s parliament seen as targeting Muslim women
Portugal’s parliament has approved a bill banning face veils worn for “gender or religious” reasons in public, in a move seen as targeting Muslim women who wear face coverings. The measure was proposed by the far-right Chega party and would prohibit coverings such as burqas (a full-body garment that covers a woman from head to foot) and niqabs (the full-face Islamic veil with space around the eyes) from being worn in most public places. Face veils would still be allowed in airplanes, diplomatic premises and places of worship. The bill stipulates fines for those wearing face veils in public ranging between 200 euros and 4,000 euros (£175 and £3,475). If signed into law, Portugal would join a number of European countries such as Austria, France, Belgium and the Netherlands who have full or partial bans on face and head coverings. Not many women in Portugal wear such coverings, but the issue of Islamic veils has generated controversy similar to other European countries. read the complete article