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SearchToday in Islamophobia: The US government releases a report on India’s treatment of its Muslim population, recent research suggests certain social media applications’ algorithms may favor Islamophobic posts. Widespread Islamophobia continues in UK’s conservative party, as a Muslim chair was removed from his role. Our recommended read for today is by Mohammad Zaheer on the increasing normalization of Muslim characters in TV plots, in comparison to negative portrayals in television crime drama history. This, and more, below:
United States
How Muslims became the good guys on TV | Recommended Read
Since the turn of the millennium, the demographic who has undoubtedly been the greatest single target for demonisation are Muslim-Arabs. Even before the events of 9/11, they found themselves portrayed variously as sleazy oil rich sex pests, exotic subservient women, misogynists and/or militant terrorists. But the tragedy of September 11 2001 and the subsequent war on terror only exacerbated their negative typecasting. read the complete article
Big donors fuel racist Islamophobic agenda in small town Minnesota
The New York Times published a June 20th article that profiled an anti-Muslim, anti-Somali group called Concerned Community Citizens—or C-Cubed, for short—based in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The group is working to restrict refugee resettlement programs in the state and elect “nativists” (aka, white supremacists) to the city council. read the complete article
Politics Shape The Debate Over What To Call Far-Right Extremism
"White supremacist, white nationalist, white extremist, sovereign citizen, anti-government, Patriot [movement], neo-Nazis, skinhead. What else?" Jensen asked two of his colleagues, Elizabeth Yates and Patrick James. "I've seen 'anti-federalist' recently," Yates said. "We also deal with a lot of just specifically anti-Muslim or anti-immigrant," James added. "Kind of xenophobic cases." read the complete article
United Kingdom
Video reveals Steve Bannon links to Boris Johnson
Video evidence obtained by the Observer shows Bannon, who helped mastermind Trump’s successful bid for the presidency but was later exiled from the White House, talking about his relationship and contacts with Johnson, and how he helped him craft the first speech after his resignation as foreign secretary, in which Johnson tore into Theresa May’s Brexit strategy. read the complete article
This new poll finds widespread Islamophobia among Conservative Party members
Four out of ten Conservative Party members want limits placed on the number of Muslim people entering the UK, according to a new poll which finds widespread Islamophobia in the party. read the complete article
Conservative Muslim chair says he was expelled from group for questioning Boris Johnson's 'moral fitness'
Mohammed Amin, who has been chairman of the party’s Muslim Forum since 2014, has been removed from the role following a disciplinary hearing last night. read the complete article
International
Cynical nationalism in Myanmar and India prolongs Rohingya suffering
Given this love affair, it is only natural that India, China’s biggest rival in the region that refused to join the Chinese-led project, the Belt and Road Initiative or the New Silk Road project, be very concerned. read the complete article
Gab's Islamophobic content draws from YouTube, Twitter, study finds
In a new study, researchers looked at a dataset of posts on Gab and found YouTube and Twitter were the top domains to which Gab users linked in posts discussing Islam. Not all of the content from YouTube and Twitter was Islamophobic — some of it had little or nothing to do with Islam — but it was incorporated into Islamophobic posts on Gab. read the complete article
Facebook's anti-Islam algorithm
A newly published Snopes investigation provides a deeper understanding of how small groups of right-wing extremists are manipulating Facebook to portray anti-Muslim views as representative of a much broader swath of the general public. read the complete article
Malaysia calls for 'justice' for Rohingya Muslims in ASEAN summit
Malaysia on Saturday said the perpetrators of violence against Myanmar's Rohingya minority must "be brought to justice," in sharp comments delivered at a normally tame regional summit of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). read the complete article
As Pope Francis Champions Migrants, Some Cardinals Court the Far Right
While the pope has emerged as a leading champion for refugees and migrants around the world, anti-immigration politicians with a populist appeal have found increasing support among once-powerful conservative Catholic figures who have been sidelined within the church by Francis. read the complete article
Why Indonesia’s muted response to China’s Xinjiang Uyghur internment camps is in stark contrast to anger over Rohingya crisis
Indonesia’s muted response to China’s mass internment of ethnic Uygurs and Muslim minorities in Xinjiang is not due solely to fears of offending its top trading partner, but stems from a mix of reasons including scepticism about allegations of human rights abuses, a new report suggests. read the complete article
Myanmar
New documentary explores the roots of Myanmar’s persecution of the Rohingya community
The film ‘Exiled’, directed by veteran war reporter Shahida Tulaganova, “explores the roots of increasing violence” in Myanmar’s Rakhine State from the perspectives of Rohingya refugees, former Burmese government officials and radical Buddhist monks. read the complete article
Sri Lanka
Fear in Sri Lanka as monk calls for stoning of Muslims
Activists, politicians and members of the Muslim minority said Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Thero's speech last week was likely to fan communal tensions, weeks after Buddhist mobs attacked scores of Muslim homes and businesses. read the complete article
India
India's treatment of Muslims condemned by US government report
The US government has said that anti-Muslim violence is continuing in India, in its annual report on international religious freedom. A state department report noted that mob attacks in the country occurred throughout 2018 and contained allegations of law enforcement involvement in the violence. read the complete article
Canada
Quebec’s ban on religious clothing is chilling: To be like us, you must dress like us
That is the beauty of Canada, our adopted home. People have had the freedom to wear their faith on their metaphorical sleeves, should they choose. As a Muslim woman in Canada, I could always dress however I pleased. read the complete article