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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the US, Republican presidential candidates, including former President Donald Trump, have called for the federal government to revoke visas from international students who support Palestine, meanwhile in Sweden, authorities in the country decided to expel Quran burner Salwan Momika, but said that they would not carry out the order because he would be at risk torture in his home country, and in the United Kingdom, the family of the Dewsbury woman attacked for wearing a hijab said they believed she was targeted because she was visibly Muslim. Our recommended read of the day is by Mish Rahman for opendemocracy.net on how the UK Labour Party needs an official inquiry into Islamophobia, as the party is failing to listen to the concerns of its Muslim constituents and instead choosing to gaslight the community. This and more below:
United Kingdom
I’m on Labour’s exec committee. Our party needs an inquiry into Islamophobia | Recommended Read
Now is an extremely difficult time to be a Muslim member of the Labour Party, let alone a Muslim on Labour’s National Executive Committee. I’m devastated by the killing of all civilians in the Middle East, whether they are Israelis, Palestinians or foreign nationals, whether they are Muslim, Jewish, Christian, people of faith or none. Gaza is on the brink of a human catastrophe. Over 6,000 Palestinians have been killed and millions are struggling to survive due to Israel’s blockade of water, food, fuel and medicine. The targeting of civilians and denial of necessities for human life to a civilian population are war crimes. Prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has referred to Palestinians as “children of darkness”. These statements should alarm us all. Yet, in recent weeks we have seen both the prime minister and leader of the opposition in the UK declare their full support for Israel’s war. Many Muslims in Britain sympathise with the plight of Palestinians who have lived under illegal Israeli occupation since 1967. But when Muslims speak out, we come under vicious attack. We are told that caring about Palestinian lives means we don’t care about Israeli ones. We are told that calling for an end to Israel’s 56-year illegal occupation means we are supporters of Hamas. It is clear that, in the minds of much of our political and media class, Palestinian lives don’t matter. At this dangerous moment we need political leaders with cool heads, honest brokers respected across divides, leaders who seek solutions rather than headlines. It disappoints me to say that Keir Starmer has failed this test. Not only has he supported Israel’s war; he has also made a series of statements that are seen by many to justify Israel’s crimes. It saddens me to say this but it increasingly feels like Labour is not a safe space for Muslims. No other community would accept this sort of rhetoric briefed against them again and again. read the complete article
Family of Muslim woman attacked with concrete slab say she was targeted due to hijab
This is the horrifying moment a Muslim mother is struck with a concrete slab by a stranger in a broad daylight attack. Police are investigating CCTV footage as a hooded man approaches her from behind raising a loose concrete slab he had grabbed from a garden wall in South Street, Dewsbury at 12.30pm on Wednesday. He gets within a metre of the unsuspecting mother-of-three and hurls it at her head. She sees him at the last moment and manages to move out of the way but is still struck by the heavy piece of concrete. Her family said they believed she was targeted because she was visibly Muslim wearing a hijab in the town centre attack. read the complete article
I’m on Labour’s exec committee. Our party needs an inquiry into Islamophobia
Now is an extremely difficult time to be a Muslim member of the Labour Party, let alone a Muslim on Labour’s National Executive Committee. I’m devastated by the killing of all civilians in the Middle East, whether they are Israelis, Palestinians or foreign nationals, whether they are Muslim, Jewish, Christian, people of faith or none. Gaza is on the brink of a human catastrophe. Over 6,000 Palestinians have been killed and millions are struggling to survive due to Israel’s blockade of water, food, fuel and medicine. The targeting of civilians and denial of necessities for human life to a civilian population are war crimes. Prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has referred to Palestinians as “children of darkness”. These statements should alarm us all. Yet, in recent weeks we have seen both the prime minister and leader of the opposition in the UK declare their full support for Israel’s war. Many Muslims in Britain sympathise with the plight of Palestinians who have lived under illegal Israeli occupation since 1967. But when Muslims speak out, we come under vicious attack. We are told that caring about Palestinian lives means we don’t care about Israeli ones. We are told that calling for an end to Israel’s 56-year illegal occupation means we are supporters of Hamas. It is clear that, in the minds of much of our political and media class, Palestinian lives don’t matter. At this dangerous moment we need political leaders with cool heads, honest brokers respected across divides, leaders who seek solutions rather than headlines. It disappoints me to say that Keir Starmer has failed this test. Not only has he supported Israel’s war; he has also made a series of statements that are seen by many to justify Israel’s crimes. It saddens me to say this but it increasingly feels like Labour is not a safe space for Muslims. No other community would accept this sort of rhetoric briefed against them again and again. read the complete article
Sweden
Sweden will not expel man behind recent Koran burning demos despite deportation order
Sweden's migration agency said on Thursday it had decided to deport an Iraqi man who burned copies of the Koran, the Muslim holy book, but that the order would not be carried out because the man would risk torture in his home country. In August, Sweden raised its terrorism alert to the second-highest level and warned of an increase in threats against Swedes at home and abroad after Koran burnings outraged Muslims and triggered threats from jihadists. Several actions were led by Salwan Momika, a refugee from Iraq who says he wants to protest against the whole institution of Islam and ban its holy book. "Yesterday, the Migration Agency decided to recall his status and residency permit and decided that he should be deported," a spokesman for the Swedish Migration Agency told Reuters. He said the reason was that the man had given false information on his application for residency. However, the spokesman said Sweden could not carry out the deportation order as the man would risk torture and inhumane treatment if he were to be sent to Iraq. If the situation changes, the man will be deported, he added. read the complete article
International
Shifting politics make India a hotbed for Israel-Hamas war misinformation
On October 7, within hours of the armed group Hamas launching a surprise attack on Israel, social media platforms were rife with support for Israel – and also fake news. What stood out in the clamour was the fact that a fair amount of it was produced and distributed by accounts from India. In the days after Israel declared war on Hamas, a blue-tick-verified handle posted a video on the social media platform X of a Pakistani parliamentarian threatening to obliterate Israel with an “atom bomb” if it did not end its atrocities against Muslims. That video received more than 840,000 views. But it was from 2021 and is not related to the current war. Similarly, Suresh Chavhanke, editor-in-chief of Sudarshan News, a right-wing channel, shared a clip on X of an Israeli representative tearing up a 20-page United Nations report documenting human rights violations. That too was from 2021. Experts say the Israel-Hamas war has given a massive reach to social media accounts in India – both large and small – that have managed to ride a wave of anti-Muslim and pro-Israel fervour. Apoorvanand, a Delhi University professor, perceives a link between current “anti-Muslim sentiment” and the rise of Hindu nationalist ideologies like Hindutva, particularly under the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Hindutva supporters, he said, “hold Muslims across countries responsible for all the ills and everything bad. They’ve started looking at Israel as an ideal, as a model to be followed because Israel does what it wants to do to Muslims”. read the complete article
How Pro-BJP WhatsApp, Facebook Groups Are Using the Israel-Hamas War to Stoke Islamophobia
From alleging there are hundreds of “Gaza Strips” within India and claiming Hindus face an imminent “Hamas-like” Islamist attack and insisting that only Prime Minister Narendra Modi can save India from it, to expressing glee at the deaths of Palestinians and claiming the Congress was behind the attacks, pro-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) right-wing online spaces are furiously peddling Islamophobia and targeting the BJP’s rivals with disinformation, by using the Israel-Hamas war as cover. Within pro-BJP WhatsApp groups as well as Facebook pages and groups, named after BJP leaders, social media users have weaponised the ongoing war to push their Hindutva agendas deeper by training their guns at a familiar target: Muslims. Using photos and videos, along with text messages, the messaging in these groups seeks to convince users that Islam and Muslims were to be singularly blamed for the war. Simultaneously, it dehumanises the sufferings of Palestinians by branding them as “jihadis” and “terrorists”. read the complete article
United States
Will Republicans Pay a Price for Extremism?
As president, Donald Trump imposed an array of deeply divisive immigration restrictions on both Latinos and Muslims. And yet from 2016 to 2020, he increased his share of the vote among both groups. Even some Latino and Muslim voters who opposed Trump’s immigration agenda moved to support him anyway because of his record on other issues, particularly the economy and conservative social priorities. Now Trump and several of his rivals for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination are doubling down on the bet that they can target each group with harsh immigration policies without paying an electoral price. For months, they have proposed an escalating succession of hard-line measures aimed at deterring mostly Latino undocumented migrants from crossing the southern border. And following the Hamas terror attack on Israel earlier this month, they rolled out a wave of exclusionary proposals aimed at Muslims. Trump has pledged that, if returned to the White House, he will restore his travel ban on people from a number of majority-Muslim nations, expand ideological screening of all potential immigrants to ensure that they agree with “our religion,” and deport foreign students in the United States who express hostility to Israel. Trump and other GOP 2024 candidates such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have unveiled these proposals even as many Democratic-leaning activists warn that support for President Joe Biden is suffering in Latino and Muslim communities. Polls have consistently shown widespread discontent among Latinos over inflation and the economy. And many Muslim Americans are angry at Biden for his strong support of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as he pursues his military campaign to destroy Hamas in Gaza. “There is a level of disgust and disbelief and disappointment at the administration’s handling of the crisis so far,” Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the national deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told me. The movement of some of these voters away from Biden produces a powerful incentive for Republicans to escalate their rhetorical and policy offensive against immigrant communities. It means that Trump could achieve the best of both worlds politically: offering a harsh anti-immigrant agenda that energizes the most xenophobic white voters in his coalition while still maintaining, or even growing, his support among immigrant communities drawn to him (or repelled by Democrats) on other issues. read the complete article
Islamophobic incidents spike since eruption of Israel-Hamas conflict: Advocacy group
The number of Islamophobic incidents in the United States has dramatically spiked since the outset of the war between Israel and the militant group Hamas, according to an advocacy group. The Council on Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced Wednesday that it has received 774 complaints and reported incidents of bias from across the U.S. since Hamas launched its deadly surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7. The advocacy group estimated this is the largest number of complaints received in a similar period since former President Trump, a presidential candidate at the time, announced his intentions for a Muslim ban in the United States in 2015. “Anyone with a conscience should be deeply concerned by this sudden rise in complaints amid an atmosphere of rampant anti-Muslim bigotry and anti-Palestinian racism,” said Corey Saylor, research and advocacy director at CAIR. “Public officials should do everything in their power to keep the wave of hate sweeping the nation right now from spiraling out of control,” Saylor added. “That includes bringing the horrific violence overseas to an end before it endangers more innocent people there and here at home.” read the complete article
GOP Presidential Candidates Threaten to Revoke Visas From Pro-Palestine Students
Republican presidential candidates — including former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott — have called for the federal government to revoke visas from international students who support Palestine. Trump also vowed to expand his “Muslim ban” to include Palestinian people from Gaza if reelected. “If you want to abolish the state of Israel, you’re disqualified,” he said. On October 20, DeSantis similarly pledged to revoke visas from students who have engaged in Palestinian solidarity protests on college campuses. “You see students demonstrating in our country in favor of Hamas. Remember, some of them are foreigners,” DeSantis said. “I’m canceling your visa and I’m sending you home.” Some GOP presidential candidates have demanded that the federal government revoke funding from universities that allow students to hold Palestinian solidarity protests — which are protected under the First Amendment — on their campuses. While First Amendment experts have said that such policies would likely be unconstitutional, this rhetoric is threatening the safety and livelihoods of pro-Palestine organizers across the country. read the complete article
FBI, DHS warn of U.S. hate crimes increase amid Israel-Hamas war
Federal law enforcement officials warned on Wednesday that Israel’s ongoing war with Palestinian militants could encourage more hate crimes in the U.S. In a public service announcement released Wednesday night, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said it “has seen an increase in reports of threats against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities and institutions” and said that “recent events have increased the possibility of potential attacks against individuals and institutions in response to developments in the Middle East.” The warning from the country’s top law enforcement agencies comes on the heels of several high-profile incidents of antisemitic and Islamophobic violence against Jews and Muslims in the United States, which many attribute to the ongoing conflict in Israel. read the complete article
Exclusive: Mother of 6-year-old Muslim boy stabbed to death in alleged hate crime speaks out
Wadea Al-Fayoume, a 6-year-old Palestinian boy who was stabbed to death at his Illinois home in what authorities say was a hate crime, loved all people and "loved to share his love," his mother told ABC News in an exclusive interview. Wadea and his mother, 32-year-old Hanan Shaheen, were stabbed repeatedly in their suburban Chicago home earlier this month during a confrontation with their landlord, who allegedly targeted them because they were Muslim, according to the Will County Sheriff's Office. Wadea was stabbed 26 times and succumbed to his injuries at a hospital, the sheriff's office said. Shaheen was stabbed a dozen times, authorities said. Dressed all in black, and with bandages still on her face from the attack, Shaheen told ABC News correspondent Alex Perez on Wednesday that she wants the world to know that her son "was an angel on this earth." "He loved to give heart," she said, making a heart shape with her fingers. "All his words are positive and good," she said. "He loved kisses and hugs. He cannot say goodbye without sending kiss." read the complete article
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene files censure resolution accusing Rep. Rashida Tlaib of inciting an insurrection
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has filed a resolution that would censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., over her criticism of Israel, accusing her of recently inciting an insurrection in a House office building. The measure would censure Tlaib for “antisemitic activity, sympathizing with terrorist organizations and leading an insurrection at the United States Capitol Complex," Greene said Thursday morning in remarks on the House floor. The demonstration last week was organized by far-left Jewish activist groups, including Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow, who are advocating for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas conflict. Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, didn't attend the protest indoors, a source familiar with the matter said, but she delivered remarks at a rally with the demonstrators outside the Capitol. "I wish all the Palestinian people would see this. I wish they can see that not all of America want them to die, that they are not disposable," she said. "They didn’t ask to be born in occupation. ... The dehumanization has chipped at my soul." In a statement Thursday, Tlaib called Greene's resolution "deeply Islamophobic" and said it "attacks peaceful Jewish anti-war advocates." "I am proud to stand in solidarity with Jewish peace advocates calling for a ceasefire and an end to the violence. I will not be bullied, I will not be dehumanized, and I will not be silenced," she said. "I will continue to call for ceasefire, for the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid, for the release of hostages and those arbitrarily detained, and for every American to be brought home." read the complete article