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SearchToday in Islamophobia: Secret Facebook groups operate as hives of Islamophobic activity, in St. Louis and Philadelphia police officers are investigated for racist and hateful social media posts. Past instances of incoming Customs Border Protection Secretary Katharine Gorka Islamophobic remarks continue to be revealed as Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign gears up to be more hateful than ever before. Our recommended read for today is by Astead W. Herndon on the organized right-wing, anti-Muslim groups forming in St. Cloud, Minnesota in reaction to increases in immigration. This, and more, below:
United States
These People Aren’t Coming From Norway’: Refugees in a Minnesota City Face a Backlash | Recommended Read
Every weekday, John Palmer, a former university professor, sits in the same spot at Culver’s restaurant — the corner booth near the Kwik Trip — and begins his daily intake of news from xenophobic and conspiratorial sites, such as JihadWatch.org, and articles with titles like “Lifting the Veil on the ‘Islamophobia’ Hoax.” On Thursdays, Mr. Palmer hosts a group called Concerned Community Citizens, or C-Cubed, which he formed to pressure local officials over the Muslim refugees. Mr. Palmer said at a recent meeting he viewed them as innately less intelligent than the “typical” American citizen, as well as a threat. read the complete article
Podcast | The Things Brown-Skinned Men Do to Make People Comfortable
Simran Jeet Singh has worn a turban his entire life. It’s a requirement of his Sikh faith, but it has also made him a target for racist harassment. This week on Man Up, host Aymann Ismail and Singh share their experiences of religious and racial harassment and growing up as "different" in America, and discuss how Singh’s Sikh faith has helped him navigate them. read the complete article
Philadelphia, St. Louis police departments roiled by racist and hateful Facebook posts
In Philadelphia, 72 officers were taken off the streets and placed on administrative duty, and in St. Louis, 22 officers have been barred from bringing their cases to the Circuit Attorney's Office. The social media posts were compiled by The Plain View Project, which describes itself as a "database of public Facebook posts and comments made by current and former police officers from several jurisdictions across the United States." read the complete article
Incoming CBP press secretary Katharine Gorka: “The Muslim community in this country really isn’t working with us to prevent” terrorism
During her time as a right-wing commentator, Gorka repeatedly made anti-Muslim remarks. In one appearance roughly half a year before entering the Trump administration, she specifically took issue with the Muslim community in the United States, complaining that Muslims purportedly aren’t “working with us to prevent” terrorist acts. read the complete article
Trump’s 2020 Plan: Amplify White Supremacists and Promote Fear and Hate
Trump knows he won in 2016 by spewing racism and bigotry; now he’s behind in the 2020 polls and has the power of presidency to amplify his vicious messaging. This will be more hateful than anything we’ve seen yet, or than most of us have even imagined. What makes Trump more dangerous in 2020 is that he can go beyond just demonizing minorities by way of executive order and turn his hateful rhetoric into policy to deliver red meat to his base. read the complete article
Myanmar
ASEAN must not turn a blind eye to Rohingya crisis: Rights groups
The Rohingya issue, especially their repatriation from Bangladesh, is expected to be a major topic during four days of meetings among leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Thailand from Thursday. "ASEAN needs to stop turning a blind eye to Myanmar's atrocities against the Rohingya, and cease lending legitimacy to the repatriation process," Eva Sundari, an Indonesian legislator and a board member of the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, said in a statement. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Baroness Warsi: Ex-Tory chairwoman criticises party for only now committing to Islamophobia inquiry as Hunt says they must be 'whiter than white' on issue
Ex-Tory chairwoman Sayeeda Warsi has welcomed Conservative leadership contenders pledging an inquiry into Islamophobia in the party's ranks, but said it was shame they had to be dragged "kicking and screaming". Mr Javid told the debate there was a "growing anti-Muslim hatred in our country, certainly over the last few years, in all parts of society, wherever that is - including in political parties - it must be absolutely rooted out". read the complete article
Secret Far-Right Facebook Groups Stirring Up Anti-Muslim Hatred
We've gained access to two such secret groups, and found a hive of far right activity, racism, islamophobia and homophobia. One group in particular has around 2,000 members, and is using Facebook as a means to share some disturbing, and potentially radicalising content. On one page discussing Muslim politicians like Sadiq Khan and Sajid Javid, members have commented that "Muslims need to be controlled". "They are invading our countries like turmites" (sic) says another. read the complete article
China
China forcefully harvests organs from detainees, tribunal concludes
The organs of members of marginalized groups detained in Chinese prison camps are being forcefully harvested — sometimes when patients are still alive, an international tribunal sitting in London has concluded. Some of the more than 1.5 million detainees in Chinese prison camps are being killed for their organs to serve a booming transplant trade that is worth some $1 billion a year, concluded the China Tribunal, an independent body tasked with investigating organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience in the authoritarian state. read the complete article
Family of Uyghur in Belgium ‘Safe’ After Abduction From Belgian Embassy in Beijing
On Tuesday, after 18 days without contact, Tursun briefly spoke with his wife, who told him that authorities had returned her phone and that she and the children were “safe at home” in Urumqi, although it was unclear what kind of situation they were in and whether police were in their house when the call was made. read the complete article