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SearchToday in Islamophobia: As the Chinese government continues to defend its securitization of Xinjiang, Nancy Pelosi alleges the U.S risks losing moral authority by not intervening. Writing for The Washington Post, Kayla Epstein explores how the ‘go back’ rhetoric may violate workplace discrimination laws. Our recommended read of the day is a blog entry by Fahad Ahmad on the hateful effects of securitization on Canadian Muslims. This, and more, below:
Canada
Securitization and the Muslim community in Canada | Recommended Read
The recent passage of Bill 21 in Quebec, which effectively bans teachers and other provincial employees from wearing the hijab, continues in the legacy of discriminatory policy that is based on the securitization of Muslims in Canada. Put simply, expressions of Muslim identity are portrayed as a threat to security in Western societies, including Canada. Such Islamophobic overtures have been catapulted into the public discourse in recent years with the mainstreaming of right-wing political ideas that rest on the demonization of Muslims. read the complete article
International
Jewish leaders donate $1m to mosque victims
Following the 15 March shooting, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh raised over $900,000 for Christchurch Muslims. The act of generosity was inspired after Muslims rallied around the Jewish community when an armed shooter opened fire in a Synagogue in Pittsburgh, killing 11 people in October last year. read the complete article
United States
Trump’s Ilhan Omar Smears Are the Same Ones Neo-Nazis Used on Me
Trump-loving neo-Nazis at The Daily Stormer spewed that identical type of dangerous rhetoric at me too in an effort to destroy my reputation and incite death threats. And they did it for the very same reason Trump defamed Omar, namely because both Omar and I had dared to criticize Trump. In my case, I had written an article in May 2017—three months before the white supremacist terrorist attack in Charlottesville—where I called on Trump to use the term “white supremacist terrorism” to describe acts of violence by several self-professed white supremacists, just as he had used the phrase “radical Islamic terrorism.” read the complete article
Telling people to ‘go back’ to other countries could violate workplace discrimination laws
When President Trump told several Democratic congresswomen to “go back” to “the crime infested places from which they came,” he deployed language that the government uses as an example of workplace discrimination. Telling immigrants and people of color in the United States to “go back to their country” or “go back to where they came from” is such a well-worn, racist trope that has persisted throughout the country’s history, that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission cites it in its guidelines for immigrants’ employment rights. read the complete article
Rohingya crisis: US imposes sanctions on top Myanmar generals
The US has imposed sanctions on Myanmar's top general and three senior officers, accusing them of human rights violations against Rohingya Muslims. The generals and their families are banned from entering the US. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said there was credible evidence that the generals were involved in the violent crackdown on the Rohingya minority in 2017, and that abuses were continuing. Myanmar's government and military condemned the sanctions. read the complete article
Report: 13 Philadelphia officers expected to be fired for social media posts
Sources told the newspaper as many as 13 officers will be suspended with intent to dismiss beginning Friday, though it is not immediately clear who the officers are or what they may have posted. Last month, Philadelphia police launched an investigation into social media posts by officers that included Confederate imagery, anti-Muslim sentiments, violent rhetoric and racist comments. Seventy-two officers were taken off the streets and placed on administrative duty following allegations that officers posted hateful or racist content online. read the complete article
Trump slams 'squad' during North Carolina rally as crowd chants 'send her back'
Trump ran through a litany of criticism aimed at the four women, accusing them of "helping to fuel the rise of a dangerous, militant hard left." He called out the four members of the "Squad" by name, highlighting past statements they have made criticizing the president and his administration's immigration policies. "If they don’t like it, let them leave," Trump told the crowd. "I think in some cases they hate our country." During his 2016 campaign against Democrat Hillary Clinton, Trump often prompted chants of "lock her up" at his rallies in reference to the Democratic nominee. The North Carolina crowd broke out a new chant of "send her back," echoing the president's original notion that the four congresswomen should leave the United States. read the complete article
China
China: Muslim-Majority States Whitewash Abuses
The Chinese government has subjected 13 million ethnic Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang to mass arbitrary detention, forced political indoctrination, restrictions on movement, and religious oppression. Credible estimates indicate that over one million people are being held in “political education” camps. Chinese authorities have also placed Muslims in Xinjiang under pervasive surveillance and mobilized over a million officials to monitor Muslims, including through various intrusive programs. read the complete article
China Defends Crackdown in Muslim Region Amid U.S. Criticism
In recent days, China’s top political adviser has traveled to the country’s far western region of Xinjiang to praise local policies and state media have hailed security efforts there as a success. The push comes as the Trump administration makes China a focus of events in Washington highlighting threats to religious freedom, with U.S. President Donald Trump hosting several Chinese exiles at the White House on Wednesday. read the complete article
Pelosi: US Risks Losing Moral Authority With Silence on Xinjiang
The United States risks losing moral authority to speak up anywhere, Speaker of the House of Representative Nancy Pelosi commented at the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom convening this week in Washington, DC, if it does not challenge China now about the treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. read the complete article
China says it will 'offer assistance' after Australia requests Uyghur mother and toddler's release
An Australian Uyghur man whose wife and toddler are trapped in Xinjiang, China, has been given fresh hope of being reunited with his family, with Beijing's foreign ministry offering "assistance". Australia this week formally requested that Chinese authorities allow Lutfy and his mother to leave the country and travel to Australia. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang told a press conference he had not seen "the relevant statement from the Australian side" but authorities were looking into it. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Muslim sports heroes like Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali have helped to bridge Britain’s toxic cultural divides
Eighteen years on, when England’s Cricket World Cup-winning captain, Dublin-born Eoin Morgan, was asked if it was the luck of the Irish that helped them win, he smiled and replied: “We had Allah with us as well. I spoke to Adil Rashid, he said Allah was definitely with us. I said we had the rub of the green. That actually epitomises our team. We’re from quite diverse backgrounds and cultures and guys grow up in different countries.” read the complete article
Video | Muslim Conservatives speak out after criticism of the party over Islamophobia
Grassroots Muslim Conservatives, and a former Tory, share both their positive and negative experiences of being in the party and warn that unless the Conservative Party becomes proactive in tackling Islamophobia the party risks being seen as one which has "gone backwards". read the complete article