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SearchToday in Islamophobia: A letter from the Christchurch shooter is released online, while an audit reveals the US is pouring millions of dollars into CVE programs internationally. Our recommended read of the day is by Sabena Siddiqui on the economic reasons Muslim countries continue to support China despite its treatment of Uighurs. This, and more, below:
International
Why Muslim countries are turning their back on China's repressed Uighurs | Recommended Read
In the past, as Organization of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) members, these countries had demanded justice for Rohingya Muslims in line with the forum's mandate to "safeguard the rights, dignity, and religious and cultural identity" of Muslim minorities. Where Xinjiang is concerned, these OIC delegates are satisfied as they had been taken on a tour by Chinese government officials. read the complete article
How South Asian Americans are reckoning with Partition’s legacy 72 years later
The Partition — whose 72nd anniversary is this week — was the final tear in a social fabric that had survived, though barely, 200 years of colonial rule, in which the British empire systematically pitted South Asians against one another. In the mass migration that followed, Muslim refugees fled to modern-day Pakistan and Hindus to modern-day India. Homes were pillaged and destroyed, millions of civilians were beaten or murdered, and communities were divided. read the complete article
New Zealand
A Letter from the Alleged Christchurch Mosque Attacker Has Been Posted Online
The six-page letter from Brenton Tarrant was posted this week on the website 4chan, which has become notorious as a place for white supremacists to post their views. And it comes at a sensitive time, with other alleged killers from El Paso to Norway citing Tarrant as an inspiration. The letter appears to be written in pencil on a small notepad and is addressed to “Alan” in Russia. read the complete article
United States
Audit Reveals the U.S. is Pouring Millions of Dollars into CVE Internationally
There is no universal agreement as to what the drivers of “violent extremism” are and CVE programs and strategies are often based on a highly contested and flawed methodology that claims that Muslims are particularly vulnerable or predisposed to commit acts of violence due to their religious beliefs. Counterterrorism expert Marc Sageman has noted that “despite decades of research, however, we still do not know what leads people to engage in political violence.” read the complete article
Former Muslim chaplain alleges workplace discrimination at New York prison
According to the federal and state employment discrimination complaints filed Tuesday (Aug. 13) by the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations on behalf of the woman, the supervisor allegedly told the former chaplain “I find it hard to respect a woman who covers her hair.” The complainant was hired in 2013 as a part-time Muslim chaplain at the Albion Correctional Facility, the largest prison for women in western New York state. She worked there until resigning last year, citing workplace conditions. read the complete article
El Paso, racism and rhetoric: The growing toll of bigotry in America
Olivia Ortega is not sure she’ll continue speaking Spanish with her three bilingual kids in public places in West Texas, after a gunman targeting “Mexicans” opened fire in an El Paso Walmart earlier this month. In upstate New York, children living in a black Muslim enclave play an adaptation of tag. The name of a would-be anti-Muslim bomber, Robert Doggart, who was arrested in 2015 for plotting to destroy their community, serves as “it.” read the complete article
Portland leaders send unified message ahead of Proud Boys rally: Stay home
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, joined by a multiracial coalition of civil rights organizations, faith leaders and community groups, said during a gathering Wednesday that anyone "using the guise of free speech to commit acts of violence" is not welcome in the city. "You want to be hateful, stay home," added Jo Ann Hardesty, who this year became the first black woman on the Portland City Council. read the complete article
Why an Heiress Spent Her Fortune Trying to Keep Immigrants Out
Cordelia Scaife May eventually found her life’s purpose: curbing what she perceived as the lethal threat of overpopulation by trying to shut America’s doors to immigrants. She believed that the United States was “being invaded on all fronts” by foreigners, who “breed like hamsters” and exhaust natural resources. She thought that the border with Mexico should be sealed and that abortions on demand would contain the swelling masses in developing countries. read the complete article
India
Indian court acquits 6 of killing Muslim dairy farmer in cow vigilante case
An Indian court on Wednesday acquitted six men of the killing of a 55-year-old Muslim dairy farmer, citing lack of evidence, raising questions over the prosecution’s failure to make its case despite videos of a crowd beating him in the street. The 2017 attack on Pehlu Khan and his two sons in the western state of Rajasthan by a suspected mob of cow vigilantes caused public outrage and demands for swift action. Videos shot on mobile phones showed Khan begging for mercy as the crowd set upon him after stopping his truck with cows in the back. He died but his sons survived. read the complete article
Op-ed | The Silence Is the Loudest Sound
The act strips the State of Jammu and Kashmir of its special status — which includes its right to have its own constitution and its own flag. It also strips it of statehood and partitions it into two Union territories. The first, Jammu and Kashmir, will be administered directly by the central government in New Delhi, although it will continue to have a locally elected legislative assembly but one with drastically reduced powers. The second, Ladakh, will be administered directly from New Delhi and will not have a legislative assembly. Indian citizens can now buy land and settle in their new domain. The new territories are open for business. Already India’s richest industrialist, Mukesh Ambani, of Reliance Industries, has promised several “announcements.” read the complete article
United Kingdom
Revealed: The 'woke' media outfit that's actually a UK counterterror programme
A Facebook page and Instagram feed with the name This Is Woke describes itself as the work of a “media/news company” that is engaging “in critical discussions around Muslim identity, tradition and reform”. In fact, it was created by a media company on behalf of the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism (OSCT) at the UK Home Office. The OSCT is refusing to disclose information about the network, however, and will not explain the reason it was created, claiming that to do so would “prejudice the national security of the UK”. read the complete article
Canada
Negative to positive: Muslim portrait series a photo opportunity to fight racism
Asmaa Ali was hurt and outraged when photos of herself and other young Muslim women were used to incite hate and Islamophobia online. The women in the photos were participants at the 2019 Daughters of the Vote summit in Ottawa in April, where Ali represented Edmonton-Griesbach as a delegate. The event encourages young Canadian women to take part in politics. It was wrapping up when Ali discovered that a far-right political group was using her photo to spread anti-Muslim hate speech on Facebook. After returning home and speaking with family and friends about the incident, Ali decided to channel her feelings into an art project. read the complete article