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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the United States, a Walmart employee leads police to the man suspected of spray painting racist and anti-Islam graffiti on a Moorhead mosque, HRW calls attention to the beating of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, and in the UK, Labour leader Keir Starmer has been accused of undermining Muslims after he was caught up in a Ramadan iftar cancellation scandal. Our recommended read is by Amani Al-Khatahtbeh who talks about her hijab as a tool for self-empowerment, and expresses worry over France’s recent bill outlawing girls under 18 from wearing the hijab in public. This, and more, below:
International
My Hijab Has Always Been My Choice I Recommended Read
When I started wearing a hijab at 14, my parents had no part of the decision. In my teenage rebellion, I wanted to make it known that my hijab was my choice and nobody’s business but my own, even if my mother didn’t wear one. In the hypersexualized and anti-Muslim climate of post-9/11 America, in which it became more socially acceptable to objectify women’s bodies than for a Muslim woman to cover in public, my hijab became a tool for self-empowerment. read the complete article
NZ’s electric buses prompt forced Uyghur labour concerns
Electric buses used in Wellington and Auckland and diesel trains purchased by KiwiRail were manufactured by a company effectively banned from the US and reportedly linked to forced labour practices in China. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Tories Suspend Election Candidate Who ‘Endorsed’ Far-Right Leader
The Conservatives have suspended a local election candidate who “endorsed” the far-right leader Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, on social media. Andrew Walker had been running for the Darwen South seat on Blackburn with Darwen Council, but was suspended pending an investigation by the party. read the complete article
Keir Starmer accused of undermining Muslims over iftar cancellation
UK Labour leader Keir Starmer has been accused of undermining Muslims by Friends of Al-Aqsa, a UK-based Palestine advocacy NGO, after he was caught up in a Ramadan iftar cancellation scandal. Starmer pulled out of the Ramadan Tent Project's virtual fast-breaking event last week after he was made aware that its CEO, Omar Salha, supported the boycott of Israeli dates. read the complete article
Art show takes on global Islamophobia
AN ART exhibition exploring the “victimisation” of Muslims in the UK and abroad is a response to the rise in racism against the community, its creator has said. Faisal Hussain’s Suspect Objects Suspect Subjects (SOSS) analyses the impact of government policy and monitoring of the Muslim community, the multi-faceted channels used to influence bias and its subsequent effect on individuals. read the complete article
France
French Security Laws Multiply as Emmanuel Macron Tacks Right
French President Emmanuel Macron’s government will unveil a new anti-terrorism draft bill on Wednesday. The bill aims to identify suspects before they carry out an attack, and will turn temporary measures into permanent ones. That could include extending a collaboration with telecom companies to review private communications and introducing the use of algorithms in online surveillance. read the complete article
India
‘We are witnessing a crime against humanity’: Arundhati Roy on India’s Covid catastrophe
It’s hard to convey the full depth and range of the trauma, the chaos and the indignity that people are being subjected to. Meanwhile, Modi and his allies are telling us not to complain. Understand that there were and are so many far more pressing issues for the Modi government to attend to. Destroying the last vestiges of democracy, persecuting non-Hindu minorities and consolidating the foundations of the Hindu Nation makes for a relentless schedule. read the complete article
Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Rohinyga Refugees Allegedly Tortured
Bangladesh authorities should immediately investigate allegations that security forces beat and arbitrarily detained Rohingya refugees who tried to leave Bhasan Char island, Human Rights Watch said today. read the complete article
United States
Walmart employee led police to Moorhead mosque vandalism suspect
Police are recommending felony charges of harassment and criminal damage to property for the Moorhead man suspected of vandalizing the Islamic Center mosque with racist and discriminatory words and images. read the complete article
Before We Bid Farewell to Arab American Heritage Month
Beginning during the Bush administration and continuing during Obama’s term, Arab Americans were conflated with Muslims. Defining us by religion was fundamentally wrong, internally divisive, and a denial of our right to define ourselves. read the complete article