Today in Islamophobia: Boris Johnson continues to defend his anti-Muslim comments targeting Muslim women, while a survey reveals 56 percent of Tory party members view Islam as a “threat.” In Sri Lanka, Muslim communities face ongoing boycotts and violence as experts worry the country is poised for a new outbreak of tensions. China denies findings from a BBC report revealing that hundreds of Uighur Muslim children have been separated from their families, described by Dr. Adrian Zenz as a “systematic campaign of social re-engineering and cultural genocide in Xinjiang.” Our recommended read for today is by Dr. Farid Hafez on how the murder of Marwa El-Sherbini by a white nationalist in 2009 led to the establishment of a Day Against Anti-Muslim Racism in Germany. This, and more, below:
Germany
Remembering the Murder of Marwa El-Sherbini: A Symbol of Deadly Anti-Muslim Racism in Germany | Recommended Read
It was the 1st of July 2009, 11.07 a.m., when Marwa El-Sherbini was stabbed to death by a white nationalist in the court of the German city of Dresden. The 31 year old observant Muslim student of medicine, had sued her murderer for verbally abusing her with words such as “Islamist,” “terrorist,” and “slut” at a public playground. read the complete article
Canada
Quebec education minister says Malala can teach here if she removes headscarf
Quebec Education Minister Jean-François Roberge said in a tweet Friday that if Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai wanted to teach in Quebec, it would be an honour, but like in other “open and tolerant countries, teachers can’t wear religious symbols while they exercise their functions.” read the complete article
United Kingdom
Video | Boris Johnson: I compared Muslim women to letterboxes to 'defend their right to wear burqas'
Conservative leadership contender was challenged by a Tory member on his comments comparing Muslim women wearing burqas to letterboxes. ’It was a strong, liberal defence of the right of women to wear the burqa,’ Johnson told a Conservative party hustings in Nottingham on Saturday. read the complete article
Tory members back death penalty, believe Islam is a threat and think Trump would make a good PM, poll finds
Some 56 per cent of members surveyed said Islam was “generally a threat” to the British way of life, while just 22 per cent thought it was “generally compatible”. It comes as the party struggles to shake off accusations it has failed to deal with Islamophobia. read the complete article
Tommy Robinson faces jail after being found in contempt of court
The former leader of the English Defence League (EDL) – whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – could be imprisoned for up to two years in relation to the incident in 2018, when he filmed defendants accused of the sexual exploitation of young girls. The footage, in breach of a reporting ban, was then livestreamed from outside Leeds crown court while the jury was considering its verdict. read the complete article
International
Video | Whiter Shade of Terror
The white supremacist movement is getting increasingly violent and anti-Muslim rhetoric is spreading fast across the world. CNA goes on a journey from Australia, Europe and America to investigate the specific methods these white supremacist groups rely on to appeal to their followers to subscribe to their chilling worldview. read the complete article
Tunisia
Tunisia becomes the latest country to ban full-face veils after a spate of terrorist attacks
Prime Minister Youssef Chahed cited security concerns when he signed an order Friday barring anyone wearing a face covering from entering public establishments, the Agence France-Presse reported— effectively prohibiting women from wearing the niqab, a veil that covers nearly the entire face. read the complete article
China
‘Cultural genocide’: China separating thousands of Muslim children from parents for ‘thought education’
The research sheds light on what happens to the children of “double-detained” parents – when both a mother and father have been abducted by the state into what the report calls compulsory “re-education” facilities. read the complete article
China denies Muslim separation campaign in Xinjiang
A BBC report found that hundreds of children from the Uighur minority ethnic group had had both parents detained, either in camps or in prison. At the same time, China has launched a large-scale campaign to build boarding schools for Uighur children. Critics say it is an effort to isolate children from their Muslim communities. read the complete article
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka on alert as Buddhist monks meet over presidential vote
Hardline Buddhist monks gathered for their first big assembly since a spate of deadly bombings targeting churches and hotels on Easter Sunday. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara, the influential head of the Buddhist nationalist group Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), has called for as many as 10,000 clergymen from across the country to attend the meeting on Sunday. read the complete article
After Sri Lankan attacks, Muslims face boycotts and violence
“We were born here; this is my hometown,” said Indhas, 52, standing outside the wrecked shell of the restaurant. “Now we wonder whether there is a future in Sri Lanka.” Indhas is a Sri Lankan Muslim, a religious minority in this predominantly Buddhist country. read the complete article
India
3 youths thrashed in Ranchi, ‘forced’ to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’
Tension prevailed at the Mahatma Gandhi (MG) Marg in Ranchi on Friday after three youths of a minority community were thrashed and allegedly forced them to chant “Jai Shri Ram” by a group of people. The youths were treated in a hospital and later discharged. read the complete article