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SearchToday in Islamophobia: Zara Mohammed, First woman head of UK Muslim council targets stereotypes and COVID. In the U.S, House Democrats move swiftly to strip Marjorie Taylor Greene of committee assignments; and the Pentagon official approves Guantánamo trial of 3 men for Indonesia bombings. Our recommended read today is by Kimmy Yam on Biden, and how he can set about undoing the harm and division Trump inflicted on American immigrant communities. This, and more, below:
United States
How Biden can undo the divisions Trump deepened in immigrant communities
Data from that election cycle shows that the Vietnamese community, made up predominantly of refugees, favored Hilary Clinton over Trump. A closer look at that AAPI Data survey reveals that in spite of leaning Democratic, Vietnamese Americans were already among the least likely of any Asian American group to support accepting Syrian refugees, with more than a third indicating opposition to it. read the complete article
President Biden threatens sanctions against Myanmar after military coup
President Joe Biden on Monday threatened new sanctions on Myanmar after its military staged a coup and arrested the civilian leaders of its government, including Nobel laureate and de facto head of state Aung San Suu Kyi. Mr. Biden assailed the country’s army for the coup, calling it a “direct assault on the country’s transition to democracy and rule of law.” The coup in Myanmar, also known as Burma, has also been roundly condemned internationally. read the complete article
Opinion | What Japanese incarceration camps in WWII and Trump's Muslim ban have in common
Instead of quietly acquiescing to the assault on his constitutional rights and humanity, Mr. Korematsu — who had previously tried to enlist in the U.S. military to fight for his country, but was rejected because of his race — refused to abide by the government’s order, resulting in his arrest and conviction. With the ACLU of Northern California standing by his side, he appealed in a landmark case that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Central to the case was the claim that Mr. Korematsu and other Japanese Americans were being singled out because of their race, not any legitimate national security purpose. In a 6-3 decision, the high court ruled against Mr. Korematsu. That 1944 decision still stands today. But Mr. Korematsu did not stop pursuing justice, even though it took decades. read the complete article
'A very bad four years': 'Muslim ban' spurred hate but inspired activism in NJ
When President Joe Biden repealed the “Muslim ban” on his first day in office, many celebrated the end of a policy that had divided families, derailed visas and uprooted lives. The reality, however, is that the xenophobic sentiment that many saw in the travel ban remains a raging problem in the United States, according to Muslims in New Jersey. Hate speech, bullying and bias crimes have soared during the Trump era, while Muslims in public office have faced repeated slurs and threats. read the complete article
How Bushra Amiwala Is Fighting Islamophobia With Compassion
Born and raised in the Evanston suburbs, Amiwala has known since her early teens that she wanted a life of public service. “I was involved in five different nonprofits, five days a week," she tells Bustle. "I was told the best way to make long-term, practical change was through public policy.” In 2018, she ran unsuccessfully for the Cook County Board of Commissioners as a freshman at DePaul University. Six months later, she ran for office again and won her current seat. read the complete article
House Democrats move swiftly to strip Marjorie Taylor Greene of committee assignments
The move by Democrats could set a risky precedent as they go after a sitting member of Congress over views expressed before serving as an elected official -- and one that has the potential to someday be used against the party by Republicans. Even though members agree that Greene's embrace of conspiracy theories, her past comments and actions and current lack of remorse are all reason for McCarthy to strip her of her committee assignments, some worry bringing it to the floor for a vote could potentially cause Republicans to deploy the same recourse against Democratic members if they control the House in the future. Greene herself warned Monday that the precedent could be used against Democrats in the future. "If Democrats remove me from my committees, I can assure them that the precedent they are setting will be used extensively against members on their side once we regain the majority after the 2022 elections," she tweeted. It's still possible McCarthy could ultimately make the call and save the House from having to hold the vote. But despite the ultimatum, he is not yet tipping his hand on how he will handle Greene, and an aide told CNN that he needs to speak with the congresswoman first. read the complete article
Pentagon Official Approves Guantánamo Trial of 3 Men for Indonesia Bombings
After years of delay, the U.S. official overseeing military commissions at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, on Thursday approved the prosecution of three Southeast Asian prisoners accused of conspiring in two deadly terrorist bombings in Indonesia in 2002 and 2003. The Pentagon announced the charges two days after Lloyd J. Austin III, President Biden’s defense secretary nominee, told Congress that the administration “does not intend to bring new detainees to the facility and will seek to close it.” read the complete article
United Kingdom
First woman head of UK Muslim council targets stereotypes and COVID
Zara Mohammed, 29, a charities consultant and law graduate from the Scottish city of Glasgow, was elected head of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) after winning nearly two-thirds of the votes against her opponent, an imam. “It’s humbling, it’s an honour, and it’s really overwhelming because I cannot believe how much attention it’s gotten,” Mohammed told the Thomson Reuters Foundation following Sunday’s win, which drew congratulations from many politicians. “We’re overcoming stereotypes. I hope to inspire young women - (to say) ‘you are fully capable, you can do it, don’t hold yourself back’.” read the complete article
International
U.N. fears situation will worsen for Rohingya in Myanmar
The United Nations fears the coup in Myanmar on Monday will worsen the situation for hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims still in the country’s Rakhine state, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Monday. read the complete article
Is Beijing Backing the Myanmar Coup?
The pretext for the coup is alleged electoral fraud during the federal elections in November 2020—eerily similar to the claims of the Donald Trump campaign in the United States, and equally lacking in merit. But the most significant player may prove to be China. A meeting last month between China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, and Min Aung Hlaing may have been the pivotal point in determining the coup. How both China and the United States handle the crisis may be a critical marker for their own relationship. The Tatmadaw has been pushing the electoral fraud narrative since November, but the leadership would have hesitated to take action unless they had confidence that they could rely on Beijing to shield them from the inevitable consequences in the United Nations from Western nations, and possibly also offset incoming sanctions by expanding economic ties between the two neighbors. Something about that meeting seems likely to have led the military leader to believe that China would be willing to step up for its neighbor. read the complete article
Germany
German Muslims’ ‘Shocking’ Response to the Holocaust
In my 15 years of fieldwork in Germany, I have found that, contrary to common perceptions, Muslim background Germans do engage passionately with the Holocaust. But there is a widespread feeling that Muslim minority Germans engage "wrongly" with the Holocaust. Holocaust educators often complain to me and to others that Muslim Germans express "unsuitable" emotions in response to the Holocaust. What were these "inappropriate" responses? The most common complaints were that participants expressed fear that something like the Holocaust could happen to them too; that they were jealous of the "status" of Jewish victims, and that they felt pride in their own national backgrounds. read the complete article