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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the UK, the trial of a man accused of inciting racial hatred before and after the Southport stabbings has been adjourned because of medical issues, meanwhile in the United States, a new survey of Muslim voters shows that only 29.4 percent say they plan to back Harris, with less than 43 percent choosing to vote a Democratic nominee overall, and in Austria, President Alexander Van der Bellen has tasked the incumbent chancellor with forming a new government, after the general election winner, the far-right Freedom party (FPÖ), failed to find a coalition partner in order for it to take power. Our recommended read of the day is by Sebastian Shehadi and Nadine Talaat for The New Arab on a new study which found that conservative and right-wing journals in Britain have exhibited a “profound and consistent bias” against Palestinian solidarity protests since last October. This and more below.
United Kingdom
In numbers: How the UK's right-wing press demonised pro-Palestine protests for a year | Recommended Read
Over the past year, millions of people have taken to the streets globally to voice their condemnation of Israel’s barbaric assault on Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and now Lebanon. In the UK, Israel’s onslaught - which has killed at least 42,000 people in Gaza and 2,300 people in Lebanon - sparked one of the largest-ever nationwide protest movements, with thousands of local demonstrations and over 20 national marches. The demands have been unified and clear: an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to British complicity in Israel’s war crimes. But the UK’s right-wing media has been telling a different story. Since last October, major conservative and right-wing newspapers have exhibited a profound and consistent bias against the Palestine solidarity protests, as quantified by new research from The New Arab, which analysed hundreds of headlines by The Sun, The Daily Mail, and The Telegraph. The study found that since 7 October, these three publications - which have a combined monthly readership of around 78 million in the UK - did not run a single positive headline about the pro-Palestine protests. In fact, beyond three neutral headlines, all of them were unanimously negative. More specifically, The New Arab’s research shows these three outlets consistently demonised the Palestine solidarity protests, presenting them as threats to public safety in three key ways: 1) by claiming or implying that the protests were anti-Semitic; 2) by disproportionately focusing on rare instances of violence and arrest; 3) and by claiming or implying that the protests were supporting Hamas, terror or Islamic extremism, and promoting anti-British values. read the complete article
Trial of man accused of inciting hatred online adjourned for medical reasons
The trial of a man accused of inciting racial hatred before and after the Southport stabbings has been adjourned because of medical issues. Mark Heath had been due to appear in the dock on the second day of his trial, but jurors were told "medical matters" had prevented him from doing so. The 45-year-old, of Kestrel Road in Oakham, Rutland, is accused of stirring up racial hatred on X, formerly known as Twitter, while publishing “threatening, abusive or insulting” material in relation to the Southport stabbings. He denies the charge which related to posts made between Monday, July 22 and Tuesday, August 6 this year. The Leicester Crown Court trial, which is sitting at Loughborough Magistrates' Court, previously heard that Heath believes his posts exercised his freedom of speech. Prosecutors claimed the messages, which wrongly named an aslyum seeker as the suspect in the Southport attacks, were "anti-immigration and anti-Muslim". read the complete article
United States
Arab Americans slightly favor Trump over Harris, says new poll
Arab Americans are slightly more likely to vote for Donald Trump than Kamala Harris, according to a new poll, in a worrying sign for the Democratic nominee’s chances of carrying the battleground state of Michigan, which is home to a large Arab American population. The survey, conducted by the Arab News Research and Studies Unit along with YouGov, shows 43% supporting Trump compared with 41% for Harris, and 4% backing the Green Party candidate, Jill Stein. The figures are broadly in line with a previous poll carried out this month by the Arab American Institute. Together they suggest that Harris’s support in the community has been undermined by the Biden administration’s backing for Israel’s year-long war against Hamas in Gaza. The latest poll also shows Trump leading Harris by 39% to 33% on the question of which candidate would be most likely resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while the candidates were tied at 38% apiece on who would be “better for the Middle East in general”. read the complete article
WA 4th Congressional candidate Sessler says Muslims shouldn’t serve
Congressional candidate Jerrod Sessler garnered criticism from the Muslim community and others after making comments that Muslims should not be in Congress. In a recent interview with the Yakima Herald-Republic, Sessler said he would work with Muslims in Congress but felt they should not be there, and said a Muslim majority could create insecurity for the Constitution. “There’s no way that a devout Muslim should be in Congress because they can’t take the oath of office,” Sessler told the Yakima Herald-Republic. “Their fundamental belief system is anti-American.” read the complete article
A wake-up call for Kamala Harris from Muslim and Arab Americans
The fracture between Muslims and Arab Americans and the Democratic Party has reached a breaking point. If recent surveys are any indication, most will not be voting for Kamala Harris, suggesting a stark shift just years after they had become a key Democratic Party constituency during the Trump years. In a survey of Muslim voters, 29.4 percent say they plan to back Harris, leaving her virtually tied with Green Party candidate Jill Stein, while a survey of primarily religious and college-educated Muslim voters put Harris’s support at 14 percent. Meanwhile, 42 percent of Arab Americans intend to vote for the Democratic nominee. These figures are a far cry from the large majorities that voted for Joe Biden in 2020. Something has changed. In my conversations with Arabs and Muslims across the country, the mood has become dark and despairing. They see how the Democratic Party has ignored the preferences of its own members, 77 percent of whom believe the United States should not send weapons to Israel. The devastation of Gaza has confirmed for many Arabs and Muslims what they may have only previously suspected: They are not viewed as equal or equally deserving of dignity. Arab and Muslim lives are expendable. As writer Lina Mounzer put it: “Ask any Arab what the most painful realization of the last year has been and it is this: that we have discovered the extent of our dehumanization to such a degree that it’s impossible to function in the world in the same way.” read the complete article
International
UK Labour Party is fully complicit in the War of Terror in Gaza
The “Terror of War”, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph, is one of the most memorable images of the 20th Century. Taken in 1972, it captures a terrified 9-year-old girl, unclothed and screaming in agony, having suffered severe injuries from napalm bombs in Vietnam. Today, another image haunts the world. It captures 19-year-old Sha’ban al-Dalou being burnt to death in a hospital tent while connected to an IV drip. There are thousands of horrific images coming out of Gaza, depicting the death and destruction that Palestinians have faced. As their genocide is live-streamed to the world, millions have reacted with indignation. Our political class, however, only shows indifference. In the past week, the Israeli military has killed hundreds of Palestinians in Jabalia, Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, as it seeks to ethnically cleanse Northern Gaza. Aided and abetted by the British Government, its onslaught has extended to Lebanon where at least 2,500 people have been killed. Despite these repeated massacres, the British government has suspended just 10 percent of arms licences to Israel. Most alarmingly, it has refused to halt indirect exports to Israel of components for the F-35 combat aircraft, known to have been used to massacre civilians in Gaza. Once again, our government is behind the curve on this issue and an outlier on the world stage. French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a halt on arms sales to Israel while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni last week said that her country had blocked all new arms sales to Israel shortly after it began its assault on Gaza last October. But the British Government does not speak for the British people. Polls have shown sustained public support for a ceasefire and the suspension of UK arms sales to Israel. A recent poll found 58 percent of the British public supported a full arms ban on Israel with only 18 percent opposed, and 74 percent of the British public support an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. read the complete article
Fact check: Disinformation against Muslims on the rise
Hate comments against Muslims and migrants have increased sharply. Here's a look at the most common narratives and who is behind them. read the complete article
India
ABVP’s “Jai Shri Ram” slogans near Muslim women students ignite scuffle at Jamia Millia Islamia
A scuffle broke out at Jamia Millia Islamia University on Tuesday amid Diwali celebrations organized by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Tensions escalated when ABVP members allegedly shouted “Jai Shri Ram” slogans near Muslim women students, prompting a confrontation with intense sloganeering from both sides. The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) condemned the violence, placing the blame on ABVP and its leadership. A spokesperson for NSUI stated, “We hold ABVP responsible for the unrest on our campus. Their goon culture must end!” The Students’ Federation of India (SFI) also spoke out against the incident, claiming that an ABVP-affiliated group, Rashtriya Kala Manch, invited outside individuals, including well-known ABVP leaders, who worsened the situation. They said, “Muslim women students were targeted with communal slogans, which led to violent clashes.” read the complete article
Austria
Loser of Austrian election to try to form government after parties shun far right
Austria’s president has tasked the incumbent chancellor with forming a new government, after the general election winner, the far-right Freedom party (FPÖ), failed to find a coalition partner to allow it to take power. Alexander Van der Bellen, the 80-year-old head of state, told reporters he had asked Karl Nehammer, head of the centre-right People’s party (ÖVP), to begin negotiations with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPÖ). “Austria needs a stable government with integrity that is able to act,” Van der Bellen, who under the constitution formally names the chancellor, said, as he announced he had, unusually, selected the losing party to begin coalition talks. Nehammer’s ÖVP has governed since 2021 in a coalition with the Greens, but both parties suffered heavy losses in the 29 September election in which the Eurosceptic, pro-Moscow, anti-Muslim FPÖ rode a wave of voter anger over immigration and inflation to a historic first-place finish. The FPÖ’s leader, Herbert Kickl, had insisted that his party, which drew 29% of the vote, should have the first crack at forming a government. The ÖVP won 26% and the SPÖ sank to its worst-ever result of 21%. read the complete article