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SearchToday in Islamophobia: Switzerland fines a Muslim for saying Allahu Akbar while a Muslim U.S family is accosted by a security guard at a Virginia hospital. Bangladesh is criticized by Amnesty for jailing Rohingya deported from Saudi Arabia while India uses new citizenship bill to stoke polarization ahead of the elections. Our recommended read of the day is by Azeezah Kanji, who writes about denationalization as a punishment reserved for Muslims. This, and more, below:
Europe
Swiss Muslim fined £178 for saying ‘Allahu Akbar’
Swiss police have defended handing a Muslim man a £178 fine for saying “Allahu Akbar” in public because passersby could have mistaken him for a terrorist. The man, identified in Swiss media as Orhan E., says he used the phrase after spotting a friend while walking through Schaffhausen, northern Switzerland, in May last year. Orhan says he was “manhandled” by officers before being issued with a 150 Swiss francs (£120) fine for causing a public nuisance, plus a 60 franc (£58) processing free. read the complete article
Mum reveals why she removed her kids from lessons on Islam as council launch investigation
Heather Rogers, who removed her children from lessons on Islam has reportedly stressed that she takes no issue with the religion of Islam, but disagreed, rather, with Islam being taught in schools at all. "Unfortunately, with social media a lot of people only see part of the story and are a bit blinkered to understanding the whole religion. When they think of Islam they think of terrorism and destruction, but that is only extremists. Some parents do have the wrong impression because of all the media hype." read the complete article
United States
Opinion | Denationalisation: A punishment reserved for Muslims | Recommended Read
Azeezah Kanji explores denationalization as a punishment reserved for Muslims, drawing evidence from recent expatriation practices in the U.K and Australia to demonstrate a glaring anti- Muslim bias. read the complete article
'You Look Scary': Muslim Family Describes Discrimination at Virginia Hospital
A Muslim family has been allegedly harassed by security in a Virginia hospital, who stopped them from entering and called them 'scary and threatening'. "Nobody wants you here. The nurses don't want you. The doctors don't want you here-- close your mouth or I’ll kick you out". read the complete article
After 17 'Shameful' Years of Guantanamo Prison, Rights Group Demand 'Stain' on Nation's History Be Shuttered
On the eve of the 17th anniversary of Guantanamo Bay's opening, human rights advocates made yet another call Thursday for the prison to be closed and the dozens of prisoners held there to be transferred—calling attention back to an institution that has long since faded from American headlines. Guantanamo Bay's continued operation and its place in the so-called "War on Terror," started by the George W. Bush administration and maintained by both the Obama and Trump administrations, has been a "stain" on the United States' human rights record, said Amnesty International. "While the prison should have been relegated long ago as an appalling chapter in U.S. history, Guantánamo continues to operate 17 years later as a symbol of Islamophobia that embodies the fear-mongering and xenophobia that defines Trump's presidency." read the complete article
'People who look like me': US Muslims celebrate Tlaib and Omar victories
Last week, Omar and Rashida Tlaib, representative from Michigan’s 13th district, became the first Muslim women ever to be sworn into Congress, joining the most diverse freshman class in US history. Thursday’s event - billed as a congressional reception which also included newly re-elected Representative Andre Carson of Indiana - was for all intents and purposes a celebration of their historic victories. “I am delighted really at this particular time in our nation’s history for there to be two unapologetic, unbought progressive leaders from the Muslim community who are women representing us in Congress,” said Omar. “By our sheer presence in Congress, we say as Muslim women that we are in charge of our lives, our destiny. We decide where and how we show up.” read the complete article
Our Lawsuit Against the Trump Administration Revealed How It Lies About Terrorism
Last year, the Brennan Center, Protect Democracy and other groups filed a joint petition under the Information Quality Act, which requires all federal agencies to adhere to certain standards of “quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity” when providing information to the public. The result shows that the President has repeatedly used faulty data to invent national security justifications for flawed policy, including the Muslim Ban. In compliance with the President’s March 2017 executive order halting travel from six majority-Muslim countries, the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS) issued a report, rife with inaccuracies and methodological flaws, to create evidence justifying the ban by framing foreign-born people — including American citizens — as a “serious and persistent terror threat.” read the complete article
US clothing company cuts ties with Chinese factory in Muslim internment camp
Badger Sportswear, which sells kits and athletics gear to university teams, said it would no longer import any products from northwestern China “given the controversy” about Beijing’s treatment of ethnic minority Uighurs and Kazakhs. The firm suspended shipments from Hetian Taida Apparel in December after an Associated Press investigation found the Chinese manufacturer was operating a factory inside one of the re-education camps in Xinjiang, where millions of Muslims have been detained. read the complete article
Canada
Christianity and Islam ‘don’t mix,’ man says at Trudeau town hall. People booed, but the PM engaged
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced more questions about immigration policy at the University of Regina on Thursday when an attendee asked what he was doing about 'two cultures (Christianity and Islam) that don't mix'. The questioner then said, “They’ve openly stated they want to kill us. And you’re letting them in.” In response, Trudeau said that Canada’s immigration system has done a “very good job of not just having people come to Canada, but setting them up for success, helping with integration, helping them thrive in our communities, helping them contribute to growing this country.” read the complete article
Bangladesh
Amnesty criticises Bangladesh for jailing Rohingya deported from Saudi Arabia
Amnesty International has criticized Bangladesh's decision to jail 13 Rohingya refugees deported from Saudi Arabia. The 13 Rohingya men had spent years in Saudi detention and were forcibly removed to Bangladesh on Monday evening by Saudi Arabia, despite coming from Myanmar. Riyadh deported the stateless Rohingya from a Saudi detention centre after detaining them for carrying no valid documents. Currently, Bangladesh is home to approximately 700,000 Rohingya refugees driven out of Myanmar. read the complete article
India
India’s BJP uses citizenship bill to stoke polarization and mobilize voters
On Jan. 8, the lower house of India’s Parliament passed controversial legislation that would grant citizenship to minority non-Muslim communities from neighboring countries. The government, led by the conservative Bharatiya Janata Party, has been deporting Rohingyas despite it being a violation of India’s obligations under international laws that prohibit governments from returning individuals whose lives are under threat in their home country. Leaders of the ruling party have called Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh a national security threat, and the president of the ruling party has labeled them termites. read the complete article