Today in Islamophobia

Today in Islamophobia: In the United States, an ACLU and Amnesty International USA report documents widespread restrictions and disciplinary actions against pro-Palestinian speech and protest on college campuses, meanwhile in Canada, a man has been charged after allegedly posting an online “hunting permit” targeting Muslims, and lastly, more than 160 civil society organizations are urging Malaysia to halt plans to deport Rohingya refugees to Myanmar over concerns about ongoing violence and forced conscription. Our recommended read of the day is by Siraj Narsi for the Houston Chronicle on how Texas’s recently approved social studies curriculum portrays Islam in a negative light and why such framing can affect all students, not only Muslims. This and more below:

United States

This is What Islamophobia Looks Like In Texas | Recommended Read

Muslim communities across Texas are experiencing a renewed rise in Islamophobia, expressed through hostile political rhetoric, online misinformation, workplace and school discrimination, harassment, threats, and opposition to Muslim-led institutions and development projects. For Muslim Texans, the rise of Islamophobia affects everyday life. Some families worry about children being bullied at school, women wearing hijab may feel especially visible, and mosques have strengthened security because of threatening messages or possible violence. The emotional burden includes fear, exhaustion, isolation, and concern that openly practicing Islam could attract unwanted attention. Their response is not only a struggle against prejudice but also an effort to build a more informed, inclusive, and democratic Texas. read the complete article

9/11’s 25th remembrance year: A deep dive into islamophobia

After the attacks on 9/11, there was a sudden increase in Islamophobic discrimination in the U.S. Islamophobia is the fear, hatred and dislike towards the religion of Islam and Muslims. Because of the acts of a few on 9/11, now many Muslim Americans experience racial profiling at airports and harassment in school and work spaces. A poll taken by the American Arab Institute directly after 9/11 reported 60% of Americans had unfavorable attitudes toward Muslims. Many people directly blame Muslims for or associate them with the attacks on 9/11. By 2015, unfavorable attitudes towards Muslim Americans grew another 7%. Not only did these attitudes create unsafe environments for Muslim Americans, but it built false narratives around the religion and those practicing it. Even though it has been 25 years since the original attacks, Islamophobia is still prevalent today. Under the current presidential administration, anti-Muslim and anti-Arab messaging have been normalized. Additionally, there has been a new wave of Muslim leaders in politics like Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim Mayor of New York, and Abdul El-Sayed who is a Muslim American running for the U.S. Senate. Recently there has been plenty of Muslim representation, but along with that came a rise in anti-Muslim hate towards those representatives. read the complete article

"Student Speech Under Attack: Suppression of Pro-Palestine Speech and Dissent on Campus"

"Student Speech Under Attack: Suppression of Pro-Palestine Speech and Dissent on Campus," an ACLU and Amnesty International USA research report, documents the heavy-handed responses by certain university and college administrators and police to campus protests concerning Israel’s war in Gaza. The report is based on a two-year investigation of the policies and practices of 46 public and 34 private university and college campuses across 28 states and the District of Columbia, and the impact of those responses on student protesters and the broader academic community. It also documents the federal government's fierce McCarthyite campaign against pro-Palestinian speech and expression that began in late 2023 and continues today. The report concludes with recommendations to policymakers, the federal government, and university leaders to protect academic freedom for all. read the complete article

Scoop: Biggs left positive reviews of Islamophobic and anti-immigrant books

A Goodreads account seeming to belong to GOP nominee for governor Rep. Andy Biggs left positive reviews for books that argue the growth of Muslim and Latin American populations threaten predominantly white Western societies. Why it matters: The apparent endorsements of books promoting extreme anti-immigrant views come as Biggs — one of the most conservative members of Congress — seeks to project a more moderate image in his race to unseat Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. Following an inquiry from Axios, the Biggs campaign neither denied nor confirmed that the Goodreads account is his. The campaign didn't answer questions about the reviews and the books' arguments. State of play: Biggs' account on the book-tracking site shows roughly 1,400 books he's logged, rated and reviewed since 2009. read the complete article

Anti-Muslim social studies hurts all Texas kids, not just Muslims

There was a time when political rhetoric, no matter how harsh, stopped at the classroom door. We understood that while adults might argue on the campaign trail, our classrooms belonged to truth, shared values and the education of the next generation growing up as a united community. That boundary seems to be disappearing in Texas. The anti-Muslim hostility that has infected political speeches is now reaching into the Texas public-school curriculum. Earlier this month, the State Board of Education approved a social studies curriculum that blatantly portrays Islam in a negative light — for instance, by teaching that the 9/11 attacks were motivated by “radical Islam,” rather than focusing narrowly on extremists such as Al Qaeda or Osama bin Laden. About early Islam, Texas schoolchildren will learn about the Prophet Muhammad’s “brutal military campaigns against Jewish and Christian tribes, the normalization and regulation of slavery, and the taking of female captives as harem slaves.” No credible Islamic scholar would agree with that description. When curriculum and classroom materials are altered to distort the history of Islam, ignore its rich cultural, artistic and scientific contributions, and frame an entire global faith of 2 billion people through the lens of conflict and suspicion, we cross from political theater into dangerous indoctrination. read the complete article

International

Civil society groups urge Malaysia to stop deporting Rohingyas

More than 160 civil society organisations released a joint statement on Wednesday urging Malaysia to halt plans to deport Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, citing severe risks of ongoing violence ‌and forced conscription. The groups expressed "grave concerns" over Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's proposal to seek Myanmar junta leader-turned-president Min Aung Hlaing's cooperation to send back Rohingya, a Muslim-minority community long persecuted in Myanmar. Malaysia's Home Ministry declined to comment, pointing to earlier remarks that the repatriation was voluntary and involved ⁠Myanmar nationals. Malaysia had around 193,800 refugees from Myanmar - including large numbers of Rohingya - as of February, according to the United Nations and the country says it plans to return 1,500 refugees on September 29 in a first phase. Malaysia said Myanmar has agreed to take back 5,000 refugees without specifying if they were Rohingya. Anwar has said he plans to invite Myanmar's Min Aung Hlaing to Malaysia in return for accepting Rohingya refugees. The statement said Myanmar's Min Aung Hlaing is the "architect of genocide" ‌against Rohingya ⁠for the military crackdown on the community, with the International Criminal Court currently weighing an arrest warrant against him. read the complete article

A quarter-century after the 'war on terror' began, the American Middle East is over

The order that took shape after the 1991 Gulf War rested on two pillars that appeared contradictory, yet worked in tandem. These included dual military containment of Iran and Iraq through bases stretching from the Gulf to the Eastern Mediterranean, and an unwritten bargain with Arab rulers, trading American security guarantees for silence over domestic repression and erasure of the Palestinian question. Entire generations of Arabs lived this as daily reality: military aid to rulers who were never questioned about their prisons, a “peace process” renewed every few years without ever approaching a Palestinian state, and an American shield protecting Israel from accountability at the UN Security Council. The arrangement never needed popular legitimacy, because it was never built to answer to anyone at home. This absence of accountability, which for decades looked like the order’s strength, ultimately became the point of its collapse. A superpower that grants allies unconditional security guarantees exempts them from the price of their own decisions; those who know someone else will bear the consequences take greater risks. What distinguished recent years was a double shock: moral, in the collapse of whatever authority Washington claimed following its position on the Gaza holocaust, and military - more painful still for an establishment that defined its regional influence through deterrence. read the complete article

Canada

Man charged after allegedly posting ‘hunting permit’ targeting Muslims: police

A Whitby man is facing multiple charges after police allege he promoted anti-Muslim hatred through social media. Police say that the suspect, operating under the social media handle “Sean Strife” willfully incited violence against those belonging to the Muslim faith. On Wednesday, members of Durham Regional Police’s Hate Crime Unit arrested Sean Farro, 57. He was charged with Offence Motivated by Hatred – Uttering Threats, and Incite Hatred in Public Place. The allegations have not been proven in court. In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for Durham Regional Police said they launched an investigation after a post to Farro’s Facebook profile showcased a picture advertising a “hunting permit” against members of the Muslim community within North America. Farro then captioned the image " I suggest everyone register now," according to police. Farro’s Facebook profile has amassed a total of 29,000 followers. read the complete article

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