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SearchToday in Islamophobia: ‘Green Book’ gets Oscar for best picture amidst controversy, and Idaho grapples with Shahram Hadian’s hate speech. Uighurs start the #MeTooUyghur movement to find missing relatives, as reports emerge of Chinese immigrants living in fear in Canada amidst heightened surveillance by authorities. Our recommended read of the day is about the U.S families of missing Uighurs, and their refusal to remain silent over the mass detention of the Chinese Muslim minority. This, and more, below:
China
US Families of Missing Uyghurs Speak Out at Washington Event | Recommended Read
On Feb. 24, about three dozen relatives of some of the 1 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs and others being held without charge spoke out about the mass detentions at an event in Washington, hoping to raise awareness of what many are calling a human rights travesty but which Beijing defends as necessary to counter violent religious extremism. “If you know someone who is missing, it is time to speak up,” said Ferkat Jawdat, a Virginia-based software engineer. He’s lost contact with his 52-year-old mother in Xinjiang, a Chinese region that’s home to the predominantly Muslim Uyghur (pronounced WEE-gur) and Kazakh ethnic minorities. Jawdat co-organized Sunday’s gathering so that Uyghurs in the United States could start collecting information on their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and even children whose whereabouts are unknown. They plan to present the data to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and the U.S. State Department. read the complete article
Opinion | Why some Chinese immigrants living in Canada live in silent fear
Over the course of the past eight months, I interviewed dozens of Chinese immigrants in Canada from various backgrounds for a Human Rights Watch report on the Chinese government’s activities undermining human rights abroad. Many expressed deep fear of the Chinese government, saying that while they are outraged by the human rights abuses in China, they worry that if they criticize the government openly, their job prospects, business opportunities and chances of going back to China would be affected or that their family members who remain in China would be in danger. read the complete article
Uyghur Community Starts #MeTooUyghur Movement To Find Missing Relatives in China
One million Uyghur Muslims are being held in internment-style camps in China—these people started the #MeTooUyghur movement to find their missing relatives. This video from "Now This" explains. read the complete article
Saudi Arabia
China And Saudi Arabia: The Xinjiang Factor
The crown prince’s main objective was to secure greater Asian support for Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s grand economic reform agenda. His trip also took place against the backdrop of reduced American influence in the Middle East and the Trump administration’s incoherent foreign policy. Such factors have prompted Saudi Arabia, and virtually all of Washington’s Arab allies, to embrace a “Look East” foreign policy orientation in pursuit of closer relations with China and other economically vibrant Asian countries. While MBS was in China, Saudi Aramco secured a $10 billion deal for a refining and petrochemical complex in Panjin (Liaoning province), and the kingdom signed 35 economic cooperation accords with Beijing worth $28 billion. read the complete article
United States
'Green Book' gets best picture gold despite controversy
In the 1962-set film, Ali plays musician Dr. Donald Shirley and Mortensen portrays his rough-around-the-edges driver and bodyguard, Tony Vallelonga. The "green book" refers to the guide that told black motorists of hotels that would accept them, while the film derives its hook from the bond that formed between the men. The film's first brush with backlash grew as some critics accused it of advancing the "white savior" conceit -- a charge that Farrelly rejected in defending the movie, telling Vanity Fair that the two helped each other. Some of Shirley's surviving relatives further fanned the flames of discontent by accusing the filmmakers of exaggerating the pair's friendship. read the complete article
Opinions | The last thing Idaho needs is Shahram Hadian’s inflammatory anti-Muslim rhetoric
Shahram Hadian, a tireless anti-Muslim crusader, is coming back to Idaho to spew harmful conspiracy theories about the Islamic faith. On a previous visit, he almost caused serious damage to Idaho’s child support collection system with his false claims. During the 2015 legislative session, Hadian made the preposterous claim that passage of legislation to comply with federal child support collection rules would lead to the adoption of Islamic law by Idaho courts. Sharia law cannot be imposed and there is absolutely no effort by anyone to impose it. Nor is there any chance that our courts would adopt it. His absurd claim caused the legislation to fail. As a result, Idaho almost lost $16 million in federal funds and the ability to collect about $28.8 million in child support from out-of-state parents. Then-Gov. Butch Otter had to call a special legislative session to repair the damage to our child support system. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Tommy Robinson banned from Facebook and Instagram
Tommy Robinson, the far-right founder of the English Defence League, has been permanently banned from Facebook and Instagram for repeatedly breaking the sites’ policies on hate speech, Facebook said. The company said Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, broke rules that ban public calls for violence against people based on protected characteristics; rules that ban supporting or appearing with organised hate groups; and policies that prevent people from using the site to bully others. read the complete article
University lecturer whose controversial tweets about terror attacks and feminism sparked outrage among students quits his post then attacks 'smug little minds'
Michael Blackburn, who taught creative writing and English Literature at the University of Lincoln, quit following a string of student complaints for his comments about Islam and feminism. But the academic branded these students 'snitches' and even made reference to the Stasi - East Germany's secret police. He tweeted: 'Thank God all those papers going on about patriarchy and the oppression of women are out of the way for another year.' And five years later, in the wake of the 2017 terror attacks, he wrote: 'I know the media haven't told us but I suspect these terror attacks were carried out by Muslims because of Islam. read the complete article