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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In UK, Tommy Robinson, Britain’s far-right and anti-Muslim activist, was sentenced on Monday to 18 months in prison for defying a court order by repeating false claims about a teenage Syrian refugee, meanwhile, in the US, a NY woman was found guilty of assaulting her Muslim Uber driver, saying she attacked him because “he’s brown,” and lastly, CNN has said it will no longer feature appearances from writer Ryan Girdusky, after he made a racist comment during a panel discussion implying that “he hoped that a Muslim journalist got blown up in a bomb attack.” Our recommended read of the day is by Al Jazeera on how United Nations human rights experts have slammed decisions in France barring women and girls who wear the hijab from sports competitions as “discriminatory”, demanding these laws be reversed. This and more below
France
France’s hijab bans in sports ‘discriminatory’: UN experts | Recommended Read
United Nations rights experts have slammed decisions in France barring women and girls who wear the Muslim headscarf from sports competitions as “discriminatory”, demanding they be reversed. France invoked its strict rules on secularism to ban its athletes from wearing religious symbols, including the hijab, during the Paris 2024 Olympics. France’s football and basketball federations have also opted to exclude players wearing the headscarf from competitions, including at the amateur level. These decisions “are disproportionate and discriminatory, and infringe on their rights [of French athletes] to freely manifest their identity, their religion or belief in private and in public, and to take part in cultural life,” said the statement, signed by eight independent UN experts, issued on Monday. “Muslim women and girls who wear the hijab must have equal rights to participate in cultural and sporting life, and to take part in all aspects of French society of which they are a part,” they said. read the complete article
United States
Michigan Muslim Booted From Kamala Harris Rally Says Team Trump Asked Him to Star in Campaign Ad
Days after he was kicked out of a Kamala Harris rally in Michigan with no explanation, Ahmed Ghanim said he got a call from Donald Trump’s campaign: Would Ghanim be willing to star in a campaign ad? Ghanim, a Democrat who mounted an unsuccessful primary challenge to a pro-Israel member of Congress earlier this year, said he swiftly turned team Trump down. “I definitely declined,” Ghanim said. Still, the strange turn of events that left him receiving a call from Trump’s team crystallized his sense that the Harris campaign is botching its outreach to Arab and Muslim voters. (The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.) As insincere as Trump’s recent overtures to Muslims may be, Ghanim thinks they could work. “Even our presence there is not welcome, at the same time Trump is reaching out and going to take pictures with the imams,” Ghanim said. The incident involving Ghanim was a dramatic illustration of the high stakes and high emotions for Arab and Muslim voters in the final days of the presidential election. Both campaigns are courting the demographic. In 2020, Arab and Muslim voters helped Joe Biden win Michigan, but many have soured on him thanks to his support for Israel’s war in Gaza. If Harris loses the crucial swing state, some observers say, it may be due to missed opportunities and missteps like the one involving Ghanim. Observers of Michigan politics say there have not been many visible signs of outreach to the Arab and Muslim communities. read the complete article
Trump's surprising shift gains Muslim support: ‘They just want peace, not…’
Former US President Donald Trump touted growing Muslim support at a New York rally, citing strong polling in Michigan. Trump claimed Arab-American voters back him over Kamala Harris, praising his Middle East ceasefire stance. This after Muslim leaders in Michigan endorsed Trump, highlighting his commitment to peace ahead of the election. read the complete article
Meet Trump's key Muslim ally on Michigan mission
With early voting under way, campaigning on its last legs and Democrats seeing a dip in support over the Gaza war, Bishara Bahbah has taken it upon himself to woo Arab American voters to back former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris. Bahbah, a wealth management expert and author, used to be a Democrat and was registered as such until earlier this year. After what he said were "repeated pleas to have the US stop arming Israel," he jumped the fence and joined the ranks of the Republicans. In May, he launched Arab Americans for Trump, an independent group that is separate from the official Trump campaign, which has been campaigning in the swing state of Michigan and elsewhere. Bahbah has been working closely with powerful Trump allies, including Richard Grenell — former acting director of national intelligence in the Trump administration who hopes to become US secretary of state if Trump is re-elected — and the Lebanese American businessman Massad Boulos, whose son is married to Tiffany Trump, Trump's daughter. While Bahbah is trying to get voters to endorse Trump, whose past remarks on Muslims often sparked controversy, it's not clear how much support his appeal has garnered among the Muslim Arab community. In fact, his decision to throw weight behind Trump hasn't gone over well with some of the community members he seeks to lure away from the Democrats. read the complete article
Woman Charged With Hate Crime in Pepper-Spraying of Muslim Uber Driver
Shohel Mahmud had no obvious reason to worry when he picked up two young women who had ordered an Uber around midnight on July 31. After they got into his car on the West Side of Manhattan, he confirmed that one of them was Jennifer Guilbeault, the person who had ordered the ride, and then drove off toward the two East Side stops the women had chosen. The mood changed when he stopped at a traffic light at 65th Street and Lexington Avenue, he and prosecutors said. After he began to pray quietly in Arabic while waiting for the light to turn green, Ms. Guilbeault lunged at him, grabbed him and doused his face with pepper spray. Moments later, when Ms. Guilbeault was standing outside the car, her friend asked why she had done what she did. “He’s brown,” Ms. Guilbeault replied, according to a police officer’s statement in a court document that cites surveillance footage. On Monday, Alvin L. Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, said that Ms. Guilbeault, 23, had been indicted on several counts, including second- and third-degree assault as a hate crime. Conviction on second-degree assault as a hate crime could yield a prison sentence of up to 15 years, a spokeswoman for Mr. Bragg said. “The victim is a hardworking New Yorker who should not have to face this type of hate because of his identity,” Mr. Bragg said in a statement. “Everyone is welcome to live and work in Manhattan.” read the complete article
‘Dialogue across difference’: Committees on Islamophobia and antisemitism call for mutual respect
Committee members who evaluated Islamophobic and antisemitic bias on campus called for sustained commitment to mutual respect and critical inquiry during a student-facing panel discussion at Bishop Auditorium on Monday. Following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel and a reported rise of hate crimes against Jewish, Muslim and Arab students, former University President Richard Saller commissioned the two committees in November 2023 to evaluate antisemitic and anti-Palestinian discrimination in the Stanford community. Last spring, each committee — composed of faculty, staff, students and alumni — released a 148-page report detailing dozens of instances of restricted speech, harassment and intimidation on campus. Both committees conducted listening sessions, drafted reports and crafted recommendations for confronting bias and fostering community at Stanford. But “everyone was afraid to have their name attached to their sentiments,” Jabbar said, which made their work “very difficult.” read the complete article
CNN guest thrown off air after telling Muslim journalist: ‘I hope your beeper doesn’t go off’
CNN has said it will no longer feature appearances from writer Ryan Girdusky, after he made a comment amid a chaotic and bad tempered panel discussion appearing to say he hoped that a Muslim journalist got blown up in a bomb attack. “There is zero room for racism or bigotry at CNN or on our air,” the network said in a statement. “We aim to foster thoughtful conversations and debate including between people who profoundly disagree with each other in order to explore important issues and promote mutual understanding. “But we will not allow guests to be demeaned or for the line of civility to be crossed. Ryan Girdusky will not be welcomed back at our network.” The incident began during a panel on Monday, when Girdusky and fellow panelist Mehdi Hasan were discussing Donald Trump’s recent rally at Madison Square Garden and accusations that the Trump campaign is spreading Nazi-style ideas. Girdusky began to make a comment about labels, and how Hasan, an outspoken supporter of Palestinian rights, is frequently branded an antisemite by his opponents. Hasan, editor-in-chief of the news site Zeteo, said he’s used to the attack, given his vocal support for Palestinians. “Yeah, well, I hope your beeper doesn’t go off,” Girdusky then said. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Tommy Robinson, Anti-Immigrant Agitator in Britain, Sentenced to Jail
Tommy Robinson, Britain’s best-known far-right and anti-immigrant agitator, was sentenced on Monday to 18 months in prison for defying a court order by repeating false claims about a teenage Syrian refugee who had successfully sued him for libel. Mr. Robinson appeared in court and admitted to breaching a High Court order in 2021 that barred him from repeating the libelous allegations. In announcing the sentence, Justice Jeremy Johnson said that no one was above the law. Mr. Robinson, 41, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was the founder of the English Defence League, a nationalist, anti-Muslim group known for its violent street protests in the late 2000s and 2010s. He has recently cultivated connections with right-wing groups in the United States, appearing on media outlets such as Fox News and the Infowars website, and received funding from a conservative U.S. research institute, the Middle East Forum. The former leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, who was imprisoned for his role in the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol, called him an inspiration. When three children died in a stabbing attack at a dance class in Southport, England, in August, Mr. Robinson was accused of helping foment the riots that followed in several locations around the country. read the complete article
Charity launches ‘Fighting Islamophobia’ workshops for communities
BETTER Communities Bradford (BCB), a local non-profit organisation committed to supporting Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities, has announced the launch of Fighting Against Islamophobia, Together for Hope (Project FAITH). This innovative initiative is aimed at combating the rise of Islamophobia in the UK through workshops and seminars across schools, workplaces and communities. Project FAITH is a holistic response to the rising challenges of discrimination against Muslims and aims to create lasting, positive change through four key areas. read the complete article
India
India states' plans to punish spitting in food spark controversy
This month, two states ruled by India's governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced plans to impose hefty fines and imprisonment for contaminating food with spit, urine and dirt. The northern state of Uttarakhand will fine offenders up to 100,000 rupees ($1,190; £920), while neighbouring Uttar Pradesh is set to introduce stringent laws to address the issue. The government directives followed the circulation of unverified videos on social media showing vendors spitting on food at local stalls and restaurants - and one video depicting a house-help mixing urine into food she was preparing. While the videos sparked outrage among users, with many expressing concern about food safety in these states, some of the videos also became the subject of blame campaigns targeting Muslims, which were later debunked by fact-checking websites, external. They pointed out that many on social media had alleged that the woman adding urine to food was Muslim, but police later identified her as a Hindu. Officials say strict laws are necessary and are aimed at deterring people from indulging in unhygienic practices around food, but opposition leaders and legal experts have questioned the efficacy of these laws and allege that they could also be misused to vilify a specific community. The Indian Express newspaper criticised the ordinances proposed by Uttar Pradesh state, saying that they "act as a communal [sectarian] dog whistle that preys on the majority’s notions of purity and pollution and targets an already insecure minority". read the complete article