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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the UK, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has said the government is “actively considering” its approach to islamophobia in devising a full definition following far-right riots, meanwhile in India, Maharashtra BJP MLA Nitesh Rane has made remarks at two public events in support of Hindu seer Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj, an individual who has been charged for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Islam and Prophet Muhammad, and in Germany, a former member of the German Bundestag, Niema Movassat, has called out Bavaria’s Interior Ministry for publishing a now-deleted anti-Muslim video on X, which many X users described as reminiscent of antisemitic propaganda from the 1920s. Our recommended read of the day is by Lutfur Rahman for Middle East Eye on how anti-Muslim prejudice and hatred in the UK has gone “unchallenged” in much of the media, which instead seemingly provides a platform for politicians who articulate or pander to such views. This and more below:
United Kingdom
The normalising of Islamophobia in UK public life is fuelling hate and violence | Recommended Read
The violence that swept across the UK last month felt somehow grimly familiar. Within hours of the tragic murder of three beautiful children in Southport, Merseyside, the internet was awash with poisonous disinformation. High-profile figures were reposting false claims that the perpetrator was Muslim, in an attempt to fuel narratives about the supposed failures of immigration and multiculturalism. Neighbourhoods across the country were attacked by far-right mobs. Mosques, homes and businesses were targeted, and Muslims and people of colour were assaulted in the street, often in broad daylight. These attacks were the culmination of years of Islamophobic and anti-immigrant rhetoric used with increasing frequency and zealousness in public life. Anti-Muslim prejudice and hatred in particular has gone unchallenged in much of the media, which instead has often chosen to platform politicians who articulate or pander to such views. Islamophobia - which the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims defined as "a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness" - presents itself in many ways. It extends to dislike or distrust of Muslims in public life, especially when we organise politically or demonstrate any kind of political strength. That hostility to Muslim political representation has grown sharply. Muslim politicians subjected to Islamophobia span every major political party. Zarah Sultana, the youngest-ever Muslim MP to be elected to parliament, is the most at-risk MP online, according to parliament’s own records. read the complete article
Angela Rayner: Government actively considering definition of islamophobia
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has said the Government is “actively considering” its approach to islamophobia in devising a full definition following far-right riots. Ms Rayner, also the Communities Secretary, criticised the previous government for “stoking division” as she pledged to address issues of community cohesion. In 2019, the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on British Muslims devised a definition of islamophobia as “rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” Labour MP Afzal Khan (Manchester Rusholme) had previously written to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, urging him to host meetings with Muslim community leaders and to formally adopt a definition of anti-Muslim prejudice put forward by the APPG. Ms Rayner said her department is “at the heart of the Government’s work to restore order and unity”. Reform UK MP Lee Anderson (Ashfield) asked what the Government’s definition of islamophobia is. Ms Rayner replied: “A new definition must be given careful consideration so that it comprehensively reflects multiple perspectives and considers potential implications for different communities. “And we’re actively considering our approach to Islamophobia, including definitions, and we’ll provide further updates on this in due course.” read the complete article
Independent MP Shockat Adam on anti-Muslim riots and Islamophobia
“We need somebody appointed almost like as a czar on anti-Muslim hate” In a wide-ranging interview with Middle East Eye, Shockat Adam, newly elected independent MP for Leicester South, said it was important for someone to be appointed as a government adviser on anti-Muslim hate and for a definition of Islamophobia to be adopted. Adam also discussed his experience as an independent MP so far, the possibility of forming an alliance with other pro-Palestinian independents, and his views on Gaza. read the complete article
India
Maharashtra BJP MLA Nitesh Rane charged for anti-Muslim hate speech
Nitesh Rane made the remarks at two public events in support of Hindu seer Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj, who has been charged for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Islam and Prophet Muhammad at a religious event in Nashik on August 14. read the complete article
Lynched Muslim man told fellow migrant workers people in Haryana are nicer than in Delhi
Zahir ul Islam, 24, was in custody at Badhra police station when he learned that his friend, Sabir Malik, a ragpicker from West Bengal, had been brutally lynched by a mob. “When a police officer told me about Sabir bhai‘s death, a shiver ran down my spine. My first thought was that it could have been me if I hadn’t been in the lockup,” Islam recounted, seated on the blue cot outside his shanty in Hansawas Khurd village of Charkhi Dadri district in Haryana. Malik, 25, was attacked by a group of about a dozen men near the Badhra bus stand, allegedly for consuming cow meat. On 27 August, Malik and his friend Asserudin were lured to a shop near the bus stand by a group of young men under the pretence of offering them scrap materials where they were ambushed with sticks. Asserudin fled, but Malik was taken away by the vigilantes on a motorbike and beaten to death. His lifeless body was later found near his shanty. Now an eerie silence covers this village that is home to migrant labourers, mostly Jats and Dalits. Residents blame the killing on Haryana’s charged political atmosphere and the fuel it has received from the upcoming elections. read the complete article
As Bengali Muslims Flee Homes In Eastern Assam, The Chief Minister Ramps Up Familiar Islamophobic Rhetoric
On 26 August 2024, M* packed his clothes, belongings, and the life he had made for 16 years in Geleki, a town in the eastern Assam district of Sivasagar, where he worked as a scrap collector. M sold his four ducks and used the money to rent a vehicle, which transported him, his wife, and three children nearly 300 km west to Morigaon district in central Assam, where he grew up and where Muslims are 52% of the population. “We ran away because we were terrified,” said M, speaking from his village in Morigaon on the phone. “Miya” is a pejorative term frequently amplified by the chief minister to refer to Bangladesh-origin Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, routinely denigrated as “bahiragata” (outsiders) and "illegal immigrants” from Bangladesh by many among the native population. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, which has been in power since 2016, has backed and encouraged these claims and doubled down on communally and ethnically divisive politics. read the complete article
United States
Muslim Women for Harris regroup after disbanding after lack of Palestinian voices at DNC
A group called Muslim women for Harris-Walz have regrouped after disbanding following the denial of a Palestinian speaker at the Democratic convention last month. The group, which announced two weeks ago that it couldn't continue supporting the Democratic ticket in good conscience, is now saying that there is too much at stake to protest the party's stance over Gaza. "With less than 70 days until the November election, we have to be honest with ourselves about what is at stake here for Muslim women: our reproductive rights, access to healthcare, climate change, immigration reform, access to quality education, economic opportunity and the clear danger a Trump presidency could pose for our Black and Brown communities," the group wrote in a public statement on Instagram titled Setting the Record Straight and Moving Forward, posted last week, just days after they had announced they'd disbanded. read the complete article
International
International scholars and scientists recommit to combating Islamophobia
An additional intensified wave of Islamophobic disinformation – or the deliberate spread of false information – comes amid a rising tide of Islamophobia across Europe. Official data show that Islamophobic crimes in Germany more than doubled in 2023, with nearly one in 10 incidents involving violence, according to the German Alliance against Islamophobia and discrimination against Muslims (CLAIM). Austria and other EU countries have also reported similar trends while racism and intolerance are rising in France, fuelled by the war in Gaza and far-right ideas in public debate, according to France’s human rights commission, the CNCDH. It says reports of antisemitic and anti-Muslim acts have increased by 284% and 29% respectively, while other types of racist acts increased by 21%. Anti-Muslim hate in the UK has more than tripled in the four months since Hamas’s attacks, says the charity Tell Mama which documented 2,010 Islamophobic incidents between 7 October and 7 February – a steep rise from the 600 it recorded for the same period the year previously. It is the largest number over four months since the charity began in 2011. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is also concerned, saying that, “amidst an increase in prejudice and violence against Muslims in a growing number of countries, greater efforts are needed to build dialogue and counter anti-Muslim hatred.” read the complete article
Germany
German former MP denounces state agency’s video clip as ‘racist trash’
A now-deleted video published on X by Bavaria’s interior ministry has drawn comparisons to Nazi-era propaganda for its depiction of an ethnic minority. The cartoon video, which purports to warn against the Islamic Salafi movement, shows a Muslim woman watching an explainer video about whether Muslim women are allowed to wear makeup. She eventually falls into the mouth of a maniacally laughing man, who is shown wearing a skullcap — headgear worn by some Muslims — in an apparent metaphor for her falling victim to radicalization. “What unbelievable racist garbage,” former member of the German Bundestag Niema Movassat said of the clip, which depicts the radicalization of a Muslim woman in a manner some X users have described as reminiscent of anti-Jewish propaganda from the 1920s through the 1940s. “Der Stürmer is back and runs the propaganda department of the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior,” wrote Movassat — who now works as a lawyer — adding that he will examine whether pressing charges is possible. “Muslims are demonized in the clip,” he said. read the complete article