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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In Canada, the National Council of Canadian Muslims is speaking out after a 54-year-old man was charged with allegedly threatening to blow up a mosque and a Muslim family’s house in Newmarket, while in Australia, Queensland Premier David Crissafuli has condemned separate alleged threats against a Muslim school in Brisbane and a mosque in Arundel in recent days, and lastly in the U.S., a new study out by the American Muslim Advisory Council has found that more than 1/3 of all surveyed Muslims in Tennessee schools experience bullying and feel that adults at school make comments that cause them discomfort. Our recommended read of the day is by The Bridge Initiative’s very own Farid Hafez for The Middle East Eye on how a proposed law, which would ban the hijab for girls under the age of 14 in all schools nationwide, feels like “deja vu” for Europe’s already marginalized Muslim community. This and more below:
Austria
Austria hijab school ban law is deja vu for marginalised Muslims | Recommended Read
This month, Austria's new centrist coalition government is preparing legislation to ban the hijab for girls under 14 in all schools, with harsher penalties and a requirement for teachers to report violations. It feels like deja vu. In 2018, shortly after the conservative Austrian People's Party (OVP) formed a coalition government with the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), the leadership introduced a ban on the hijab for girls aged six to 10 in public schools. That law was implemented in 2019 and later struck down by Austria's constitutional court in December 2020. Now, the government is once again reviving the measure, expanding it with harsher penalties and a wider scope that will include both state and private schools - even Islamic schools. Supporters of the ban insist it is not an act of discrimination, but is "necessary to free girls from subjugation". Echoing the first ban, the government is again justifying the measure as a way to prevent "gender segregation" and "early sexualisation", portraying the hijab as a political symbol and marker of "political Islam" rather than a religious choice. But such arguments, devoid of empirical support, reflect a deeply ideological and Islamophobic reading of Islam and its practices. At its core, Austria's renewed attempt to regulate the religious expression of Muslims is about exclusion. It sends a chilling message that Muslim identity itself is unwelcome in public life, and exposes a broad political consensus that normalises anti-Muslim sentiment and is increasingly willing to sacrifice constitutional rights for political expediency. read the complete article
United Kingdom
‘Racism, Islamophobia and misinformation have no place in our community’ – Cumbrian council
A Cumbrian council has issued a statement following continuing protests at the site of a planned Islamic centre in South Cumbria. Work is ongoing to build to the South Lakes Islamic Centre in Dalton-in-Furness and there have been several protests against it. The most recent was on Saturday. Westmorland & Furness Council has issued a statement in response to the latest protests and other issues around immigration and the recent Raise the Flags campaign. Helen Chaffey, cabinet member for communities, customer services, culture and communications, issued the statement on behalf of the authority. She said: “Westmorland and Furness is proud to be a caring and inclusive council. Our values commit us to ensuring everyone feels safe, respected and able to thrive, whatever their background. “We believe in people’s right to express their views, but we must also be clear that racism, Islamophobia and misinformation have no place in our community. When cohesion is threatened, whether by myths about people seeking asylum, hostility directed at the South Lakes Islamic Centre in Dalton, or the misuse of national symbols in attempts to divide rather than unite, we have both a moral duty and a legal duty under the Equality Act to stand up for inclusion and fairness." read the complete article
Shabana Mahmood: The new UK home secretary on Palestine
Shabana Mahmood has become the UK’s new home secretary at a tense time. She will oversee the country’s policy on migration, refugees, policing and national security in a period where the right-wing populist party Reform is dominating opinion polls. Previously the justice secretary, Mahmood was promoted on Friday after a major reshuffle following the resignation of Angela Rayner as deputy prime minister. A key subject matter that has already played a significant role in Mahmood’s political life - and will undoubtedly continue to do so - is the situation in Israel and Palestine. Mahmood, who is the first Muslim woman to lead one of the four great offices of state, has prided herself on her record of promoting Palestinian rights. In more recent years, her record has come under scrutiny from supporters of Palestinian rights and justice. A website called “MP War Crimes”, which rates the record of British parliamentarians based on their recent stances, considers Mahmood to be “Clearly Anti-Palestinian”. It cites, among other things, her not signing letters to enforce sanctions on Israel, or to uphold International Criminal Court arrest warrants against Israeli war criminals. read the complete article
United States
Texas conservative group sends anti-Muslim email ahead of 9/11 anniversary
A Texas conservative group circulated an email to supporters on Monday that disparaged Middle Eastern elected officials while invoking the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. True Texas Project, which describes itself as a grassroots conservative group with chapters across the state, wrote that it “boggles” the sender’s mind “how quickly we went from our vow to ‘never forget’ to now having multiple elected positions filled by Middle Easterners.” The message went on to call such political choices “foolish” and acknowledged critics would label the comments bigoted. The Monday email landed in inboxes just days before the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Leaders of True Texas Project did not respond to The Texas Newsroom’s requests for comment. The message is just the latest in a string of recent anti-Muslim sentiment among Texas Republicans. Just hours before the True Texas Project email, Gov. Greg Abbott posted an image on social media stating that “sharia law and sharia cities are banned in the state of Texas,” adding that “any legal system that flouts human rights is BANNED.” read the complete article
Muslim students face bullying and try to hide their religious identity, AMAC survey finds
American Muslim Advisory Council, a Nashville-based Muslim advocacy group, administered its first-ever large-scale survey of students' experiences at schools. The study found more than a third of students experience bullying and feel that adults at school make comments that cause them discomfort. The survey not only found that students encounter Islamophobia, but that adults at school did little to combat the overall culture to prevent future issues. For example, 47% of elementary students and 13% of middle and high school students said they changed their appearance, behavior or other qualities to hide that they are Muslim. Meanwhile, only 26% of caregivers said they knew that their children had been bullied or harassed. AMAC recommends that school boards require training for staff on bias and that students don't face penalties for school-approved religious accommodations. read the complete article
Canada
Muslim family speaks out after 'disturbing and unsettling' threats to blow up their home
Canada's largest Muslim advocacy organization and politicians are speaking out after a 54-year-old man was charged with allegedly threatening to blow up a mosque and a Muslim family's house in Newmarket. York Regional Police said in a news release Thursday that officers were notified of a hate-motivated incident in which threats were made toward the Muslim community of Newmarket. In a news conference Monday, the media and communications lead at the National Council of Canadian Muslims said the suspect was allegedly planning to blow up the local mosque and the home of a Muslim family. "The suspect is an HVAC expert. He allegedly said that he would use his expertise in that area to tamper with gas lines, to blow up his Muslim neighbour's home, to kill everyone inside and including, allegedly, the children, " said Steven Zhou. Police said the alleged threats were made on Sep. 1, and officers were notified about the incident two days later. On Thursday, a 54-year-old man from the Town of Newmarket was arrested and charged with two counts of uttering threats, police said. read the complete article
Australia
Premier condemns religious intolerance as Muslims in Queensland face heightened ‘fear and anxiety’
The Queensland premier, David Crissafuli, has condemned separate alleged threats against a Muslim school and a mosque in recent days as the community says it’s facing heightened “fear and anxiety”. The Muslim community says people are living in fear after an alleged bomb threat at a school and a threatening email was sent to a mosque last week, according to the Islamophobia register. The Islamic College of Brisbane received a threatening email last Friday, and the Arundel Mosque on the Gold Coast an alleged bomb hoax on Sunday evening. The Islamophobia Register Australia said it had grave concerns as the community was living in a heightened state of “fear and anxiety”. The Islamophobia Register Australia said it had grave concerns as the community was living in a heightened state of “fear and anxiety”. read the complete article