Search
SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the United Kingdom, Israel has been accused of “sowing division” in the UK after Israel’s Minister for the Diaspora and Combating Antisemitism, invited notorious Islamophobe Tommy Robinson to visit the country, elsewhere in the UK, British authorities are investigating a fire at a mosque on Britain’s southern coast as a suspected arson attack and treating it as a hate crime, and lastly in the United States, a Texas woman has been sentenced to five years in prison for attempting to drown a 3-year-old Palestinian-American Muslim girl in a 2024 attack that authorities said was driven by racial bias. Our recommended read of the day is by Edward Ahmed Mitchell for Common Dreams, who writes that Americans should recognize that pro-Israel voices using Islamophobic rhetoric are engaging in “cynical attempts to protect Israel from criticism by frightening the American public”. This and more below:
United States
Israel’s Supporters Are Using Islamophobia to Distract From Genocide; Don’t Fall For It | Recommended Read
Sharia law is taking over America, from Dearborn to New York City. So is the Muslim Brotherhood. And they are doing so with help from the communist left. These claims should sound familiar to anyone who has kept track of the rhetoric coming from the Israeli government’s supporters over the past few months. From politicians like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) to keyboard warriors like Laura Loomer and Eyal Yakoby, some of Israel’s biggest cheerleaders keep finding new ways to manufacture hysteria about Islam and Muslims. What’s behind this sudden and seemingly coordinated attempt to resurrect conspiracy theories about Muslims that were debunked years ago? It’s certainly not because anyone truly believes that 6 million Americans are trying to somehow impose Islamic law on 300 million Americans. The real reason is simple: Gaza. DropSite News recently revealed that the Israeli Foreign Ministry is conducting a global survey of the United States and European nations to gauge Western attitudes towards Israel. The preliminary results show widespread opposition to the Israeli government because of its genocide in Gaza. But the results also show that support for Israel rebounded by 20 points when the pollster stoked fears of “Radical Islam” and “Jihadism.” Cue the sudden surge in anti-Muslim rhetoric across the pro-Israel ecosphere. To be clear, this strategy is nothing new. read the complete article
It’s déjà vu for Muslim Americans as anti-Muslim playbook follows Zohran Mamdani’s success
Zohran Mamdani ’s swift rise in New York City’s mayoral race has made him into a national symbol — both as a point of pride among many Muslim Americans and a political foil for the right. His campaign has been met by a surge in anti-Muslim language directed at the Democratic nominee, who would become the city’s first Muslim mayor if elected in November. Republican Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee called him “little muhammad” and urged deportation. On social media, GOP Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina referenced 9/11 alongside a photo of Mamdani dressed in a kurta, a loose collarless shirt common in South Asia. Far-right activist Laura Loomer claimed without evidence that “NYC is about to see 9/11 2.0.” On many levels, Mamdani’s run is a significant moment for the country and New York City, which endured 9/11 and the rise in Islamophobia that followed. “He really does hold so much symbolism,” said Youssef Chouhoud, a political scientist at Christopher Newport University. The campaign is a reminder of anti-Muslim discrimination, he said, but also of Muslim Americans asserting their right “to lead this society moving forward.” Politicians from both major parties have attacked Mamdani’s progressive politics and criticism of Israel. Conservatives have leaned more heavily into religious attacks and anti-immigrant sentiments. The rhetoric is all too familiar for many Muslim Americans, including Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, who faced slurs and death threats as the first Muslim woman to run for Congress in New Jersey in 2020. “We’re at a crossroads,” she said via email. “On one hand, Muslims are achieving unprecedented visibility and influence in political spaces. On the other, our dehumanization has never been so normalized and widespread.” read the complete article
United Kingdom
Police release photos of mosque arson suspects
Police investigating a report of suspected arson at a mosque in East Sussex have issued images of two people they wish to identify. Fire crews were called to the mosque on Phyllis Avenue in Peacehaven at about 21:50 BST on Saturday. While no-one was injured in the incident, the front entrance of the building and a vehicle parked outside were damaged according to Sussex Police, who are investigating it as a hate crime. Det Insp Gavin Patch said: "This was an appalling and reckless attack which we know will have left many people feeling less safe." The photos show one man wearing a distinctive black jacket with a Pre London logo in white on the chest. The second is wearing bright red gloves. "We are treating this as an arson with intent to endanger life and are continuing to pursue a number of lines of enquiry to identify those responsible," added Det Insp Patch. read the complete article
Muslim and Jewish leaders: ‘Hatred will not divide us’
Muslim leaders say they stand in solidarity with the Jewish community after the attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue on Yom Kippur, in which two people and the killer died. Imam Qari Asim, in a statement issued by the British Muslim Network, said he was “horrified” by Thursday’s attack in Manchester, on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. “This act of violence is utterly abhorrent and has no place in our society,” he said. “We cannot ignore the growing tide of religious hatred in our country. The bloodshed and violence in the Middle East … must not be allowed to poison our streets in Britain. Together, we must reject hatred, resist division and reaffirm our shared commitment to peace, human dignity and coexistence.” The attacker, Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, is said to have been an Islamist extremist who was not known to counter-terrorism authorities. The British Muslim Trust, an organisation funded by the government to monitor instances of Islamophobic hate crimes, called the killing “despicable” and “cowardly”. The Manchester Council of Mosques said it was shocked and saddened to hear the news. “Manchester has always been a city where people of all faiths and backgrounds live side by side,” it said. read the complete article
Manchester attack raises fears of more violence and division across faiths
In the wake of a deadly attack outside a synagogue in the northern English city of Manchester on Thursday, both Jewish and Muslim residents said they feared a rise in retaliatory violence and deepening divisions. Jihad al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British man of Syrian descent, drove a car into pedestrians and then began stabbing several people on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, outside Manchester's Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue. Two men died in the attack. As the Jewish community mourned the loss of life and questioned their future in Britain, Muslim residents expressed concern about being unfairly targeted. Dawud Taj, a 28-year-old British Muslim man living in Manchester, a diverse and large city, told Reuters the country was going through a deeply worrying time. "I know how it can feel for the Jewish community to be ... attacked, and, you know, someone going to their place of worship, I think is one of the most senseless and horrifying things to happen," he said. Taj said he sympathised with the Jewish community, but he now fears for visibly Muslim family members too. Tell MAMA, which monitors Islamophobia, recorded 913 cases between June and September 2025, including 17 attacks on mosques and Islamic institutions. The group said earlier this year that Islamophobic incidents had risen sharply since 2022. read the complete article
Israel accused of ‘sowing division’ in UK with Tommy Robinson invite
Israel has been accused of “sowing division” in the UK after inviting Tommy Robinson to visit the country. Amichai Chikli, Israel’s minister for the diaspora and combating antisemitism, said he was “proud to host British patriot” Robinson in mid-October, following the terror attack at a Manchester synagogue. He lauded the far-right activist as a “courageous leader on the front line against radical Islam”. Former Tory cabinet minister Baroness Sayeeda Warsi criticised the “irresponsible and deeply dangerous behaviour” by Israel in inviting “a man with multiple convictions for violence and fraud”. “At a time all communities in the UK are uniting to support our Jewish community as they grieve, the State of Israel is sowing division in our country, supporting and promoting those that platform hate and making our country unsafe. “It’s time for all right thinking people to call out this irresponsible and deeply dangerous behaviour from Israel.” Sunder Katwala, director of the think tank British Future, said: “Tommy Robinson is a voice of prejudice and division. There should be cross-party and multi-faith pressure on the Israeli government to withdraw its invitation. read the complete article
Fire at U.K. Mosque Is Being Treated as Hate Crime, Police Say
The British authorities said early Sunday that they were investigating a fire at a mosque on Britain’s southern coast as a suspected arson attack and treating it as a hate crime. Firefighters were called to the mosque in the town of Peacehaven just before 10 p.m. on Saturday, the Sussex police said in a statement. It said the blaze damaged the front entrance of the building and a vehicle parked outside, but no one was harmed. The attack came at a time of heightened anxiety after a deadly terrorist attack at a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday, and as anti-Muslim hate is on the rise in Britain. Tariq Jung, the chair of Brighton and Hove Muslim Forum, a local nonprofit, said that there had been people inside the mosque on Saturday night who managed to escape. “They were lucky not to be burned to death,” Mr. Jung said in a phone interview on Sunday. “People don’t go to places of worship ever thinking that they may be attacked,” he said. “They go to worship for the atonement, to seek forgiveness, to make prayers for themselves and their family and loved ones, never in their mind would be that someone will want to kill them, to shoot them, or to stab them, or set a place ablaze.” read the complete article
EXCLUSIVE: Essex Muslim family “traumatised,” living in fear after pig’s head left on doorstep
A Muslim family in Loughton, Essex, is living in a state of fear and trauma after a pig’s head was dumped on their doorstep, an incident they are calling a deliberate Islamophobic attack. The mother, who has asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, and her daughters, say the discovery over two weeks ago has shattered their sense of security in their own home. “We were literally just waking up. I teach madrasa on a Sunday, so I wake up earlier than my daughters, and it just happened that children were making a loud noise outside, and I was just concerned,” the mother told The Muslim News. “There was such a commotion outside my door. I look out the window, I saw something, but I didn’t know what they were looking at.” She continued, describing the grim discovery on September 14: “I went downstairs, and I had a look and as soon as I saw it, there was blood smeared across my foot and doorway. I had to walk over to see what else was there. And then there it was, a pig’s head lying there.” The police were called and arrived “within 20 minutes,” classifying the incident as a “hate crime or a racial crime. Racial hatred crime, but they didn’t call it Islamophobic as such.” However, the mother is certain, stating “100%” that it was an Islamophobic attack, noting, “we’re the only Muslim family on my street.” read the complete article
BBC exposes hidden culture of misogyny and racism inside UK Police
An undercover investigation inside a UK Police station has showed officers dismissing rape claims and calling for immigrants to be shot. A BBC reporter uncovered misogynistic, racist and Islamophobic misconduct by officers after working seven months in a civilian role at a police station in central London. An undercover investigation inside a UK Police station has exposed the hidden culture of misogyny and racism. The BBC, filming at a central London police station, showed officers dismissing rape claims and calling for immigrants to be shot. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday called for a "robust" response by the head of London's Metropolitan Police. read the complete article
India
‘Zubeen was for all’: Singer’s death unites India’s religiously torn Assam
For more than 15 years, truck driver Imam Hussain found solace in singer Zubeen Garg’s voice and music as he drove his vehicle on quiet and lonely nights along the Himalayan hills and plains of the northeastern Indian state of Assam. It was a period in which Bengali-speaking Muslims – the community 42-year-old Hussein belongs to – increasingly came under attack in Assam. They’ve been accused of being outsiders – even infiltrators – in their own home. Amid soaring Hindu-Muslim tensions, the music of Garg – a Hindu – served as a rare unifier. “His music was my inner peace,” said Hussain. On September 19, Garg died by drowning near Lazarus Island in Singapore, where he was scheduled to perform at the Northeast India Festival, an event that celebrates the art and culture of the Indian region. The sudden death of the 52-year-old artist, who enjoyed a cult-like status among millions of his fans in and outside Assam, triggered a massive outpouring of grief that further cemented his stature as a public figure whose appeal spanned divisions that have otherwise fractured the state. read the complete article
100 years of RSS, India's Hindu nationalist movement
In India, celebrations are starting to mark the centenary of the Hindu nationalist RSS. The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh movement has become increasingly powerful over the last few years, and many fear it could endanger India's secular character. Muskan Bansal, a third-generation Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh member, sees India's Muslim minority as a threat. The RSS, backed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is pushing for a Hindu-first constitution. As Hindutva gains ground, interfaith Hindu-Muslim couples face hostility and violence, revealing deepening religious divides and a challenge to India's secular foundations. read the complete article
Big tech looks away as AI Islamophobia explodes, Muslim women’s sexualised images dominate hate content
Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated hateful content has “sharply risen” since mid-2024, a recent report by the Centre for the Study of Organised Hate (CSOH), a Washington, DC-based nonprofit think tank, has revealed. The report said that such content was “minimal” through 2023 and the first half of 2024. However, there was a sudden surge after June 2024, with AI-generated hateful content peaking notably in September 2024 and again in March 2025. The rise in September occurred in parallel with the emergence of the “Rail Jihad” conspiracy theory, and the March spike coincided with the popularity of Ghibli Art. For the report, the CSOH compiled 1,326 publicly available Artificial Intelligence-generated images and videos, retrieved from 297 accounts across three social media platforms. The posts were uploaded earlier, sometime between May 2023 and May 2025. Nearly 187 posts across X, Facebook, and Instagram, considered to violate community guidelines, had been reported. But none of the posts were removed, highlighting the persistent failure of the platforms to enforce their policies. The report highlighted that AI-generated hateful content primarily revolved around four key themes: the sexualisation of Muslim women, exclusionary and dehumanising rhetoric, conspiratorial narratives, and the aestheticisation of violence. AI-generated imagery was also heavily used to reinforce conspiracy theories such as “Love Jihad,” “Population Jihad,” and “Rail Jihad”. All such posts were listed under the conspiratorial narrative theme and suggested the Muslim community’s involvement in undermining the national integrity or security of India. read the complete article
International
Israeli minister invites anti-Muslim 'ally' Tommy Robinson for visit
Israel's Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli has provoked widespread outrage by inviting far-right anti-Muslim agitator Tommy Robinson to visit Israel later this month, describing him as a "British patriot" and "true friend of Israel and the Jewish people". The move, announced after a deadly synagogue attack in Manchester, has been condemned by British politicians, interfaith figures and anti-racism campaigners as an alarming alignment between the Israeli government and a figure widely regarded as a fascist provocateur in the UK. "In the wake of the horrific Manchester terrorist attack, Israel and the Jewish people stand firmly with our allies in the United Kingdom," Chikli said in a post on X. "On behalf of the State of Israel, I am proud to host British patriot Tommy Robinson. He has proven himself a true friend of Israel and the Jewish people, unafraid to speak the truth and confront hate." Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley Lennon, confirmed he would accept the invitation following his upcoming trial, saying in remarks to the same social media site: "The UK and Israel are fighting the same battle - against the scourge of Islamic jihad." read the complete article