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SearchToday in Islamophobia: Armed protests expected at a Muslim convention in Texas, as a Harvard student from Palestine is denied entry into the U.S. Roy Moore tells Ilhan Omar to “go back to Somalia”, even as a Virginia GOP leader smears opponent as a ‘radical sympathetic to terrorists’. Our recommended read of the day is from New Zealand, where the government seems to be reneging on its promise to listen to Muslims after the Christchurch attacks. This, and more, below:
New Zealand
New Zealand Vowed to Listen to Muslims After Christchurch. It’s Failing, They Say | Recommended Read
Her government, she said, would commission an investigation to delve into the concern haunting every New Zealander, but especially the country’s Muslims: Could the terrorist attack have been prevented? The inquiry, she said, would make a priority of consulting with the Muslim community, a group long overlooked and now desperate for assurances about their safety. But halfway through what is expected to be an eight-month investigation, members of a panel of influential Muslims appointed to advise the inquiry say they have been sidelined by the officials conducting it. They describe a process flawed from the start. The parameters of the inquiry were set by government officials with no input from Muslims. They said they had no way to request that the inquiry look into certain issues, like their treatment by law enforcement agencies in the years before the attacks. read the complete article
United States
Armed protests expected at US Muslim convention amid rising Islamophobia
Presidential hopefuls Julian Castro and Bernie Sanders are scheduled to attend an annual Islamic conference in Texas over the weekend, while a far-right demonstration against the event is expected to draw an anti-fascist counter-protest. Hosted by the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the Muslim Public Affairs Council and the Emgage Foundation, the conference will include moderated sessions and is slated to take place at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. The organizers said they expect upwards of 30,000 participants to attend the conference. read the complete article
Harvard University student from Palestine denied US entry
A Palestinian student and incoming Harvard University freshman was barred from entering the United States after the teenager said he was questioned for hours by US immigration officials about his religious practices and friends' social media activities. Ismail Ajjawi, a 17-year-old refugee living in Lebanon who was awarded the Hope Fund undergraduate scholarship by US non-profit Amideast, landed at Boston Logan International Airport on Friday before being sent back. "After the five hours ended, she called me into a room and she started screaming at me. She said that she found people posting political points of view that oppose the US on my friend's list," he told the Harvard Crimson newspaper. read the complete article
Opinion | When Ilhan Omar Is Accused of Anti-Semitism, It’s News. When a Republican Smears Muslims, There’s Silence.
Now, fast forward to last week, specifically August 21. Rep. Mo Brooks, a right-wing Republican congressperson from Alabama with a long history of controversial and offensive remarks, was interviewed on WVNN, a radio station in Huntsville, about the decision by Israel’s government to deny entry to Omar and her fellow Muslim Democrat Rashida Tlaib. “Usually, there is not much controversy with respect to Israel,” Brooks told host Jeff Poor. “Usually, the United States Congress is overwhelmingly close to 100%, if not 100%, in support of recognizing Israel as a long-term American ally, and that we have a mutual defense relationship. Unfortunately, we now have people in the United States Congress who view Israel as an enemy, and that makes for an entirely different mix of conversation.” read the complete article
Roy Moore tells Minn. congresswoman she ‘should go back to Somalia’
His full statement reads: Omar, an avowed muslim, is a sworn enemy of Israel, and has accused our own military of war crimes. While in Congress she has been accused of numerous sexual relationships. I have been married to my wife, Kayla, since Omar was three and fought for my Country in Vietnam over 10 years before Omar was born. I fully support the resolution of the Alabama Republican Party asking Congress to expel Omar under Article 1 Section 5 of the United States Constitution, I was sworn to defend after my graduation from the United States Military Academy at West Point. President Trump was right, she should go back to Somalia from whence she came." read the complete article
Virginia GOP Senator Smears Muslim Opponent As A 'Radical' Sympathetic To Terrorists
Democrat Qasim Rashid is running for the Virginia state Senate on issues like criminal justice, education funding and health care. But because he is also Muslim, his opponent, not surprisingly, is trying to tie him to “Islamic terrorism.” State Sen. Richard Stuart (R) is out with a new Facebook ad stating, “Qasim Rashid doesn’t believe Islamic terrorism exists.” All three of the ads Stuart’s campaign has posted against Rashid this month mention the word “radical,” either about terrorism or his “socialist” policies. read the complete article
Violence in the name of Trump
Since Trump embarked on his campaign for the US presidency in June 2015, dozens of attacks or threats involving his supporters have been reported. Here, the Guardian has compiled details of 52 incidents reported since 2015 involving Trump supporters. read the complete article
Sweden
Sweden: Islamophobic politician expelled from her party
Secretary-General of Left Party Aron Etzler said the politician Amineh Kakabaveh’s acts and Islamophobic rhetoric “seriously” harmed the confidence of the party. “She [Kakabaveh] claimed that an Islamic caliphate was founded in Swedish suburbs. She shared in her social media account a fake propaganda news made by the racists about Islam. Also, she wants the ban of religious symbols in schools,” Etzler added. Kakabaveh, who is Iranian-origined, had also submitted motions to the parliament repeatedly, proposing the removal of PKK from the terror list. Amineh Kakabaveh is an Iranian Kurdish ex-peshmerga fighter who sought asylum herself in Sweden in the 1990s and has been a member of parliament since 2008, reports website The Local se. She has been a vocal critic of Sweden’s handling of the 400,000 asylum seekers taken in since 2012, including 160,000 in 2015 alone, the highest number in Europe per capita. She had shared the fake Islamophobic video in 2016, which was uploaded to the internet by a Norwegian racist group in 2014. read the complete article