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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In Canada, dozens of community members gathered at the headquarters of the Stittsville Muslim Association (SMA) for a public meeting to address a recent racial slur spray-painted on one of it’s buildings, meanwhile, the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), a 500-member body of academics founded in 1994, passed a resolution on Monday stating that Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza fulfill the UN definition of genocide, and in Australia, two Palestinian Australian men were subjected to racist abuse on a Sydney train on the same day anti-immigration marches took place across Australian cities. Our recommended read of the day is by Taj Ali for Al Jazeera on how the resurgence of England’s flag—driven by far-right-linked movements such as Operation Raise the Colours—has coincided with a surge in vandalism, mosque attacks, and anti-Muslim slogans nationwide. This and more below:
United Kingdom
UK Muslims report vandalism, attacks amid controversial flag campaign | Recommended Read
When Akmal’s* mosque was vandalised last week in Basildon, a town in the English county of Essex, he felt shaken. “I was so hurt,” said the 33-year-old electrical engineer, who requested Al Jazeera use a pseudonym. “It was so close to home. My local masjid [mosque]. It felt like a real kick in the teeth.” The South Essex Islamic Centre in Basildon was defaced shortly before midnight on Thursday. Red crosses were daubed across its walls alongside the words “Christ is King” and “This is England”. Wajid Akhter, head of the Muslim Council of Britain, said, “The St George flag is a symbol of England we should all be proud of. For it to be used in this way, [which] echoes how Nazis targeted Jewish homes, is a disgrace to our flag and our nation. Silence has allowed hate to grow.” The vandalism took place amid a tense atmosphere in the United Kingdom, amid protests against asylum seekers and a social media campaign dubbed #OperationRaisetheColours. In recent weeks, those heeding the call have pinned the flag of England bearing Saint George’s Cross and Union Jacks to motorway bridges, lampposts, roundabouts and some shops across the UK. Red crosses have been spray-painted on the white stripes of zebra crossings. According to the anti-far-right HOPE not hate group, the campaign is led by Andrew Currien, a former member of the Islamophobic English Defence League and now a security figure for the political party Britain First, also an anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant group. While some supporters frame the project as patriotic, it has been tied to racist incidents. Racist graffiti has appeared in several other locations. Some 300 miles (about 500km) north of Basildon, for example, xenophobic slurs have been sprayed on buildings in County Durham and Houghton-le-Spring in northern England. read the complete article
‘The everyman’s saint’: why St George’s story doesn’t belong to the far right
Adam Kelwick, the imam of Liverpool’s Abdullah Quilliam Mosque, was in Mecca when hand-painted St George’s crosses began appearing on the city’s mini-roundabouts in August. Kelwick logged on to his social media accounts. “St George was Turkish,” he posted. “Just saying.” The light-hearted comment didn’t go down well. Kelwick was accused of “typical Muslim BS” and “anti-British disinformation”. In recent weeks British and English flags have been popping up in towns and cities across the country in what some believe to be an expression of patriotism, but which others see as part of a wider anti-immigration movement — especially as protests continue against people seeking asylum. Though Prime Minister Keir Starmer has voiced support of flying the St George’s cross, Operation Raise the Colours, the campaign behind the flags, has received a donation from the far-right group Britain First. Some local councils have also been scrambling to remove them over safety concerns. “In principle, there shouldn’t be any issue with somebody wanting to demonstrate symbols of loyalty and patriotism, but that’s not what I’m interested in,” Kelwick says. “The flag of St George is being abused and becoming a symbol of intolerance, especially towards immigrants or people of different ethnic backgrounds.” read the complete article
Canada
Muslim group heartened by support after being targeted with racist graffiti
It was an emotional rollercoaster at the Stittsville Muslim Association (SMA) on Monday, with tears, frustration and glimmers of hope. Dozens of community members gathered at their headquarters for a public meeting to address the recent racial slur spray-painted on one of SMA's buildings. The shed-like structure behind their headquarters was targeted on the night of Aug. 26. Security camera footage shared by the SMA showed a person scrawling something on a wall, then hurrying away. In photos taken the next day, the N-word could be seen on the side of the building, near where kids line their bikes and play basketball. Amir Siddiqi, the SMA's president, said Monday that it's just the latest in a slew of Islamophobic incidents members in the community have faced. Last week's vandalism was also one of several recent hateful acts being investigated by Ottawa police. "I think there's a lot of shock in the community, but also an outpouring of concern and support, so I'm really glad that we saw the broader community out here today," Gower said. "An event like today is a reminder that we can't be complacent. We need to continue speaking out against hate. We need to continue to look at any way that our communities or that our governments can make a difference." read the complete article
Quebec to propose ban on public prayers
Quebec’s government plans to introduce legislation this fall banning prayers in public spaces, a move Muslim groups say unfairly targets their community. Stephen Brown, CEO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, called the proposal “absurd,” arguing public prayers are neither new nor dangerous and noting that other communities also gather publicly without facing restrictions. He said the measure is “a political move” aimed at boosting the governing Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) ahead of next year’s provincial election. The push follows tensions over Muslim prayers held during pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including outside Montreal’s Notre-Dame Basilica. The CAQ expressed concern in December about such gatherings, despite organizers securing permits. “What are we going to start doing in Quebec? Mandating that you get your messaging approved by the government before you’re given a permit to protest?” Brown said in an interview with CTV. An independent committee recently made 50 recommendations to strengthen secularism in Quebec but stopped short of calling for a provincewide ban, suggesting instead that municipalities decide. Cote-Saint-Luc Mayor Mitchell Brownstein welcomed the government’s stance, saying municipalities should regulate prayers when they disrupt public order. read the complete article
International
US reportedly suspends visa approvals for nearly all Palestinian passport holders
The United States has suspended visa approvals for nearly everyone who holds a Palestinian passport, the New York Times reported on Sunday. The restrictions go beyond those Donald Trump’s administration had previously announced on visitors from Gaza. They would prevent Palestinians from traveling to the United States for medical treatment, attending college and business travel, the newspaper reported, citing unidentified officials. The state department said two weeks ago that it was halting all visitor visas for individuals from Gaza while it conducts “a full and thorough” review, a move that has been condemned by pro-Palestinian groups. read the complete article
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, scholars group says
The world’s top genocide scholars have formally declared that Israel’s war on Gaza meets the legal definition of genocide, marking a landmark intervention from leading experts in the field of international law. The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), a 500-member body of academics founded in 1994, passed a resolution on Monday, stating that Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza fulfil the definition of genocide set out in the 1948 United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. “This is a definitive statement from experts in the field of genocide studies that what is going on on the ground in Gaza is genocide,” said Melanie O’Brien, IAGS president and professor of international law at the University of Western Australia, speaking to the Reuters news agency on Monday. Sergey Vasiliev, professor of international law at the Open University of the Netherlands, told Reuters the declaration reflected a consensus that has taken root in academia. “This legal assessment has become mainstream within academia, particularly in the field of genocide studies,” he said. Ismail al-Thawabta, head of Gaza’s Government Media Office, said the “prestigious scholarly stance reinforces the documented evidence and facts presented before international courts”. read the complete article
Australia
Elon Musk shares post on X with incorrect attendance figures for Australia’s anti-immigration protests
Elon Musk has shared a post on social media that wrongly claims 150,000 people took part in anti-immigration protests in the Australian cities of Sydney and Brisbane, despite police estimating the total of those in attendance was about 21,000. Musk shared a post from an X user showing a video of a protest held in Sydney on Sunday, under the banner March for Australia. However, New South Wales police said an estimated 15,000 people – just 15% of the number in the post shared by Musk – attended the protest in Sydney. Queensland police confirmed about 6,000 protesters came out in Brisbane for the protest. In Melbourne, police estimated 5,000 took to the streets, but this included the protesters and antifascist counter-protesters. Scuffles broke out between the anti-immigration and antifascist camps at the Melbourne protest, with police using teargas and riot shields to keep them apart. read the complete article
Palestinian Australian brothers allege racist abuse on Sydney train
Two Palestinian Australian men say they were subjected to racist abuse on a Sydney train on the same day anti-immigration marches took place across Australian cities. Film-makers Shamikh and Majed Badra told Guardian Australia they were verbally abused on a train on Sunday afternoon, allegedly because Majed was wearing a keffiyeh. The brothers, who have had family killed in the war in Gaza and whose surviving family members in the occupied territory remain under bombardment, had attended a rally for Palestine in Sydney’s CBD, before boarding a train at Town Hall for Stanmore station. The pair sat together on the lower deck of the train: Majed Badra wore a black-and-white keffiyeh, a garment not unique to, but strongly associated with, the Palestinian cause. Within minutes, the pair claim they were subjected to unprompted verbal abuse from men on the train. “They were behind us, so we didn’t see them to begin with,” Shamikh Badra alleged. “But they just started abusing Majed, telling him to ‘take off your scarf’.” Video of the incident shows the altercation and abuse escalating: “If you want to fight for Palestine, go back there.” “Get the fuck out of here. We don’t want you in our country.” “We don’t want you here. Fuck off.” “You want to get free money, you fucking loser c*nt.” The footage shows several of the men verbally lashing out in a threatening manner. At one point, an unidentified person off-screen shouts what sounds like a racial slur at one of the brothers: “Look at you, you monkey.” read the complete article