Today in Islamophobia

Today in Islamophobia: In U.S., the Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that allowed Georgetown scholar Badar Khan Suri to remain free after he was detained over his pro-Palestinian activism, meanwhile in the UK, faith leaders have condemned what they described as racist and anti-Muslim incidents at and around Maidenhead Mosque, calling for the local community to stand together against hostility, and lastly, in Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni promises to ban burqas and niqabs in schools and cap the number of foreign students in classrooms. Our recommended read of the day is by Umar Ibrahim Agaie for Religion Unplugged, who looks at how American Muslim communities are responding to rising anti-Muslim hate by strengthening mosque security, working with law enforcement, and building grassroots support. This and more below:

United States

How American Muslims Are Responding To Rising Hate | Recommended Read

It has been 25 years since the Sept. 11 attacks, but for American Muslims, discrimination, attacks on mosques and anti-Muslim legislation remain a daily, personal reality. Parents think twice before sending their children to Sunday school. Congregants scan parking lots for unfamiliar vehicles. Mosques install solid-core doors where open ones once stood. The Council on American-Islamic Relations says it received 8,683 anti-Muslim bias complaints in 2025, the highest number the organization has recorded since it began tracking such complaints in 1996. CAIR also recorded 33 attacks on Islamic institutions that year. Meanwhile, a group of U.S. Congress members introduced eight bills referencing Sharia across both chambers of Congress between June 2025 and March 2026, giving legislative weight to anxieties that have long simmered in state politics. Across the country, American Muslims describe moving from advocacy toward what they call active protection, determined that the adhan — the formal Islamic call to prayer — will still be called five times daily and that fellowship will continue undeterred by hate. The shift described by mosque leaders and security officials across California, Michigan and Texas — from issuing statements of condemnation to building fortified sanctuaries — reflects what community members say was born of necessity rather than choice. read the complete article

Trump administration asks US Supreme Court to allow detention of pro-Palestinian scholar

President Donald Trump's administration has asked the US Supreme Court to overturn a decision that led to the release of a Georgetown University scholar who had advocated for Palestinian rights and opposed Israel's war in Gaza. The Department of Justice on Monday ‌asked the high court to consider whether federal immigration law barred a lower-court judge from ordering Badar Khan Suri released, after hearing his claims that his detention violated his due process and free speech rights under the US Constitution. The Indian citizen had been arrested by immigration authorities in March 2025 as the Trump administration pursued a campaign to detain and deport foreign nationals who had ⁠engaged in pro-Palestinian activism on their college campuses. He was brought to Texas after his detention, and freed in May 2025 on the orders of a district court judge, on the grounds that he was likely to succeed in proving his arrest was in retaliation for his constitutionally protected speech. The Trump administration has argued that the judge should not have interfered in the case. A 2-1 panel of the Richmond, Virginia-based 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals in July ruled in Suri's case that nothing prevented a judge from hearing a challenge to someone's allegedly unconstitutional detention, even if it related to deportation proceedings pending ‌before ⁠the immigration courts. read the complete article

Two decades of dialogue: Celebrating 20 years of Muslim Studies at MSU

In the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, then-MSU President Peter McPherson and then-Provost Lou Anna Simon expressed deep concern about the attacks’ impact on the student body. University leadership sought to counter anti-Muslim prejudice through proactive education and institutional support. “They were worried about the negative impact of the event and wanted to avert this, immediately consulting with college deans and with me,” says Mohammed Ayoob, University Distinguished Professor emeritus and former coordinator of the program. Sherman Garnett, then-dean of James Madison College and current professor of international studies, led early efforts to develop educational programming for the campus community. Between 2002 and 2005, Ayoob organized a lecture series featuring prominent scholars examining issues across the Middle East and the broader Muslim world. During this time, James Madison College established a specialized track in Muslim Studies. “The provost wanted to call it Islamic Studies, but I persuaded her and Sherm Garnett to call it Muslim Studies,” Ayoob says. “We did not have sufficient expertise on Islamic theology and law, and I wanted the program to focus on the lived experiences of Muslim societies.” read the complete article

The military prison and war court at Guantánamo Bay, 25 years after 9/11.

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11, we’ve been examining the changes that day brought to America and the history it left behind. A key piece in this history is the military prison and war court established for War on Terror detainees — a term coined by the U.S. government — and the trials of Guantanamo Bay. While the story of justice for those responsible for the terrorist acts on 9/11 continues to unfold, it’s imperative that the pieces of history left in this search are recognized by our nation. John Ryan, co-founder of the website LawDragon and author of “America’s Trial: Torture and the 9/11 Case on Guantanamo Bay,” plays a key role in this effort through persistent coverage of trials. He joined GBH’s All Things Considered host Arun Rath to discuss their time covering the trials in Gitmo and his findings over the years to discuss the importance of media coverage on the issue. read the complete article

United Kingdom

Debunked: Why Tory claims of UK extremism ‘cover-up’ fail to add up

A major political row has erupted as senior Conservative politicians accuse the British government of a “cover-up”, claiming “extremist” Muslim groups likely influenced its definition of anti-Muslim hostility. But Middle East Eye has previously revealed key details of the definition’s creation which seriously undermine these allegations. And now Dominic Grieve, a former Conservative minister who chaired the working group on the definition, has made an intervention which further undercuts the claims. Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, alleged this week that “extremists almost certainly influenced” the definition of anti-Muslim hostility, which the Labour government adopted earlier this year. MEE revealed in July last year that the working group was blocked by the government from engaging with key Muslim groups including the Muslim Council of Britain, but consulted figures themselves accused of Islamophobia. read the complete article

Reform UK turns to YouTube to sidestep UK broadcast rules, reach voters

Reform UK's new YouTube venture could be "massively disruptive" to British political communications and news reporting, digital media consultant Matt Capon told The New Arab, as the party prepares to launch its own broadcasting platform following a string of controversies over racist and anti-Muslim rhetoric involving its representatives. The far-right party, led by Nigel Farage, is planning to launch Reform TV on YouTube, with Reform sources telling The Times that the platform was chosen partly because it is not subject to the same Ofcom broadcasting rules governing traditional television channels. Capon warned that the venture could find a significant audience and further blur the line between political campaigning and news-style broadcasting, allowing Reform to communicate directly with voters without many of the rules imposed on conventional broadcasters. "I think they'll find an audience for it, I'm really sad to say," Capon told The New Arab. The prospect of a Reform-controlled broadcasting operation is likely to attract particular scrutiny given repeated controversies surrounding figures associated with the party. read the complete article

Faith leaders unite to condemn incidents of 'racist and anti-Muslim hostility' at Maidenhead Mosque

Representatives from an interfaith forum have ‘unequivocally’ condemned incidents of ‘racist and anti-Muslim hostility’ in and around Maidenhead Mosque. Over recent months and particularly during the summer, racist graffiti has appeared close to the Holmanleaze-based mosque, Zia Mahiudin, a trustee of Maidenhead Mosque, told the Advertiser. This has been coupled with other incidents including members of the congregation suffering racial abuse while making their way into the mosque for prayers, he added. More recently, bags ‘containing rotten meat have been left outside the mosque on more than one occasion’. “The incidents have occurred over recent months and, particularly over the summer, we have unfortunately seen a number of concerning examples of racist and anti-Muslim hostility in and around Maidenhead Mosque. read the complete article

Italy

Meloni plans to ban burqas and niqabs in Italian schools, and cap foreign students in classrooms

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Sunday she’ll soon introduce a measure to her government that would cap the number of foreign students in classrooms and ban the wearing of burqas and niqabs in schools. Meloni told the youth wing of her nationalist conservative Brothers of Italy party that the measure would also make Italian language lessons compulsory for parents of foreign students having “serious difficulties integrating into the school system.” “For us, anyone who comes to Italy and wants to build their future here must learn our language, understand our culture, and respect our rules,” she said to a standing ovation at the Gioventù Nazionale national festival in Rome. “It is the only serious way to welcome them.” Meloni specifically referred to a ban on the burqa, an all-covering dress worn by some Muslim women, and the niqab, the veil worn by the most conservative Muslim women, in which, at most, only the eyes show. But Meloni didn’t mention the hijab, the headscarf worn by some Muslim women. read the complete article

Napal

Hindutva Is Slowly Seeping Into Nepal

On the night of July 26, a Hindu procession was on its way back after collecting holy water from the Koshi River. The procession being taken out at Kaptanganj of Sunsari district in eastern Nepal was accompanied by loud music, to which some local Muslims objected. A scuffle broke out. Police got involved. Hindu-Muslim tensions soon spread across Nepal’s Tarai-Madhesh belt, the east-west strip of land abutting India. In ensuing clashes between protesters and the police, four people died while curfews disrupted life across the region. Such incidents follow a recognizable pattern. One newspaper investigation identified 17 Hindu-Muslim documented clashes over the past decade – with around two-thirds of them involving religious processions or idol immersions. The number of undocumented cases is undoubtedly higher. Over the past decade or so the influx of Hindutva ideas from India has been steadily stoking Hindu-Muslim tensions. read the complete article

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