Search
SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the US, Guardian spoke with five Palestinian Americans about the ways their lives have changed over the last year, who while “organizing against the war [in Gaza], are wrestling with guilt and grief” and feel betrayed by the US for supporting the deadly bombing campaign, meanwhile in the UK, the advocacy group Tell Mama has released a new report revealing that a recorded 4,971 incidents of anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia have occurred between Oct. 7, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2024, and in India, the controversial conviction of a Muslim man by an Uttar Pradesh court, which claimed that his marriage to a Hindu woman was a case of “love jihad”, is likely to be set aside on appeal according to legal experts. Our recommended read of the day is by Zara Mohammed for The Guardian who calls on Britains of all faiths to “build common bonds that bypass the urge to choose sides”, and “adhere to the view that the unfolding genocide in Palestine must stop”. This and more below:
United Kingdom
British Muslims deserve safety and belonging. War in Gaza has made us fear we’ll lose both | Recommended Read
The reverberations of the Israel-Gaza conflict have been felt acutely by British Muslims in the year since the attacks of 7 October. As I travel across our communities, I’ve witnessed first-hand how the conflict has challenged once again our sense of security and our place within British society. The human cost is staggering. I’ve spoken with British Palestinians who have lost dozens of family members in Gaza. Parents call me, distraught after their children have been arrested for their pro-Palestinian advocacy. University students fear deportation for criticizing Israel. The calls for peace and justice for Palestinians echo far beyond the Muslim community. People of all faiths and none have taken to the streets in diverse, impassioned marches. With each passing day, as the civilian death toll in Gaza and beyond mounts, the case against Israel for having committed war crimes grows stronger. This is not a Muslim issue; it’s a human rights issue that concerns us all. Yet British Muslims find themselves caught up in this, thrown into “culture wars” not of their choosing. While we stand in solidarity with those facing mortal suffering, we are confronted by an alarming surge in Islamophobia. The conflict has been cynically manipulated to stoke hatred against Muslims, orchestrated not only by far-right elements, but also by those who deploy harmful tropes to silence peaceful advocacy for Palestine. The racist riots we witnessed in England in the summer were, in part, a reflection of this – fuelled by false narratives of “two-tier policing”. Just this summer, we saw leading politicians make calls to ban the sacred Muslim affirmation “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) and declare that “Not all cultures are equally valid” when talking of recent immigrants who apparently “hate” Israel. Muslim politicians face accusations of being controlled by Islamists or pursuing “sectarian” agendas. read the complete article
Shocking surge in Islamophobia as anti-Muslim hatred skyrockets in UK
The UK has seen a significant surge in anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia in the year following the Israeli war on Gaza, according to a report released by a leading hate crime monitoring group. Tell MAMA, a noted NGO that tracks hate crimes in Britain, recorded 4,971 incidents of anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia between Oct. 7, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2024. The findings were revealed in a report on Monday. Iman Atta, the organisation's director, described the alarming rise as unprecedented in the group’s history. Since Oct. 7, Middle Eastern communities, regardless of faith, as well as visibly Muslim individuals, particularly women, have been increasingly targeted for their perceived support of Palestinian rights, Atta said. These communities have endured verbal abuse, with people being called "terrorists," and "Nazis," in addition to facing threats, violence, and discrimination in public spaces, she added. This growing hostility has not only threatened their sense of security but has also affected their social mobility, careers, and education, undermining their fundamental rights. read the complete article
International
I wish you could see the living nightmare in Palestine. But how much more must we see before something is done?
In every location I started the column again, then failed to capture what is unfolding and has been for years. So maybe I will just start at what seems like the beginning, with the killing of Israeli civilians on 7 October – a year ago today. I say “seems”, because that is not really the beginning, but just another beginning as far as Palestinians are concerned. Another date after which conditions worsened and occupation and illegal settlements became more brutal. Because as the world’s attention has rightly been on Gaza – then Lebanon, then, last week, the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel – Israeli authorities and settlers have, under cover of war, intensified their assault on Palestinians with renewed licence and relish. Again, that summation seems inadequate, a poor attempt at describing a reality that is nothing short of a living nightmare. The violation of Palestinians is so colossal in scale that I began to speak to the readers of this column in my head. I kept saying: I wish you could see. All the tools at the disposal of those who want the world to act – journalism, protests, outcry and outrage – cannot end this catastrophe, nor even capture its gravity. It did not start with the tragedy of 7 October. And it will not end, not only for Palestinians, but also for those Israelis who have been corrupted by entitlement and impunity. Until those who have the power to determine who deserves to live in safety and dignity understand that you cannot deny those rights to Palestinians and expect them to underwrite peace and stability by submitting to their fate as subhuman, this will not end. read the complete article
Editor’s view: what a year of war in Gaza has taught us about Britain
On the first anniversary of the horrific events of 7 October and the commencement of a devastating war that has killed at least 42,000 Gazans — the actual death toll is likely to be higher — there appears to be no end in sight for a conflict spreading across the Middle East. Much of our output has focused on politics and protest, but it has been hard to overlook the fact that some faith groups have found it difficult to discuss the conflict. While some Jews and Muslims continue to think of each other as allies, contacts who work in these spaces have also reported an uneasy silence from some members in their networks. This breakdown is perhaps best visible in the rancour of online spaces. The effort to repair these relationships will continue long after the conflict is over. There has also been a worrying deterioration in religious tolerance in a country that prides itself on acceptance. The Metropolitan police in London recorded a 286% rise in antisemitic hate crime from September 2023 to August 2024, compared with the same period last year, and a 67% increase in anti-Muslim hate crime in the same period. Much work needs to be done both on the ground and on digital platforms to eradicate religious hatred. read the complete article
India
‘Influenced by politics’: Why a Muslim man’s conviction for ‘love jihad’ is bad in law
The controversial conviction of a Muslim man by an Uttar Pradesh court, which claimed that his marriage to a Hindu woman was a case of “love jihad”, is bad in law and likely to be set aside on appeal, legal experts have said. “Love jihad” is a Hindutva conspiracy theory that Muslim men are waging a campaign to lure Hindu women into marriage in order to convert them to Islam. On September 30, sessions judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar found 26-year old Mohammad Aalim guilty of raping a 23-year old woman several times and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Aalim was also fined Rs 1 lakh. Section 376(2)(n) of the Indian Penal Code prescribes imprisonment for life – defined as “imprisonment for the remainder of that person’s natural life” – as the maximum punishment for repeatedly raping the same woman. Aalim’s father was given a two-year jail sentence. “The primary aim of ‘love jihad' is to alter demographics and stir international tensions, driven by radical factions within a religious group,” the judge said. “Essentially, it refers to the deceptive conversion of non-Muslim women to Islam through fraudulent marriages.” The court pronounced the harsh sentence despite the complainant rescinding her testimonty. She told the court that she had filed the case under pressure from Hindutva groups and her parents. Since the testimony of the victim is the most crucial piece of evidence in a rape trial, this admission should have led to Aalim being acquitted, legal experts told Scroll. read the complete article
United States
‘I’ve lost 20 relatives. I feel helpless’: Palestinian Americans on how their lives have changed since 7 October
The last year has upended the lives of Palestinian Americans, who have watched in anguish from afar as Israel’s destructive bombing campaign in response to the 7 October attacks has killed more than 40,000 people in the Gaza Strip. They are organizing against the war; they are wrestling with guilt and grief; they feel betrayed by the US for supporting the deadly bombing campaign. The Guardian spoke with five Palestinian Americans about the ways their lives have changed over the last year. Their words have been edited and condensed. read the complete article
China
For Companies in China, Pulling Out of Xinjiang Poses ‘Messy Dilemma’
An investigation by China of an American clothing retailer has escalated concerns among foreign companies about their dependence on Chinese supply chains and the future of their operations in the country. China’s Ministry of Commerce said last week that it was investigating PVH, the corporate parent of the Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger brands, for allegedly taking “discriminatory measures” against products from Xinjiang, a region in China’s far west that produces a fifth of the world’s cotton. At issue is whether PVH violated Chinese law by pulling back from purchasing cotton or garments from Xinjiang, where researchers have cited evidence of forced labor, mass arrests and confinement to re-education camps among the region’s predominantly Muslim ethnic groups, particularly the Uyghurs. The investigation has made clear that China will not tolerate companies that shun Xinjiang. That puts some multinationals in a legal vise grip because a growing number of governments, including the United States and the European Union, restrict or ban imports from Xinjiang. read the complete article