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SearchToday in Islamophobia: Dallas refugee organizations united against Gov. Abbott’s ban, as protesters gather at Boston Logan in support of an Iranian student denied entry into the country. China struggles in new diplomatic role to return the Rohingya to Rakhine, as an independent report commissioned by the Myanmar government finds evidence of military involvement in the genocide. Our recommended read today is by Hannah-Ellis and Azizur Rahman on India, and the leading role of women in the anti-government protests. This, and more, below:
India
'Modi is afraid': women take lead in India's citizenship protests | Recommended Read
In her nine decades, Asma Khatun has lived through British colonial rule, the war of independence and India’s bloody partition with Pakistan, but as a housewife she had always stayed behind closed doors and barely brushed with politics. That was until last month. For over 40 days, the frail but feisty 90-year-old has been camped out on the streets day and night, side by side with hundreds of women and braving Delhi’s coldest temperatures for more than a century. “I am old, my bones hurt in the cold and my children are very worried about my health, but I am sitting here because I will not stand by as Mr Modi tries to break up India, to tell me that this is not my home after 90 years,” said Khatun. She added defiantly: “Scared? Who said anything about fear. I have never been in a protest before but I will not be moving and if I die here, then I will die fighting for my children and my country.” read the complete article
‘A Defining Moment.’ An Indian State’s Decision to Challenge the Country's Controversial Citizenship Law Signals a Growing Divide
Kerala became the first Indian state to challenge the country’s controversial citizenship law before the Supreme Court on Jan. 14 following nationwide protests against the measure, which critics say could turn Indian Muslims into second-class citizens. The state’s lawsuit argues that the Citizenship Amendment Act, which offers a fast track to Indian citizenship for non-Muslim refugees from three neighboring countries, is “discriminatory” and runs counter to the Indian constitution’s secular principles. read the complete article
United States
Dallas Refugee Organizations Unite Against Abbott’s Ban
Ten Dallas refugee, immigrant and religious organizations spoke in unified opposition Friday to Gov. Greg Abbott's refusal last week to continue accepting refugees to Texas. “Today, we have a large multifaith, multicultural group of people coming together ... to stand united to let the world know that Texas welcomes refugees of all backgrounds. And that we unequivocally condemn and stand against the governor's decision to not allow refugees to come to our great state,” said Faizan Syed, executive director of the Texas DFW chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. read the complete article
Protest at Boston Logan Airport, Where Northeastern Says Student From Iran Was Stopped
Protesters gathered at Boston Logan International Airport Monday evening in support of an Iranian student studying at Northeastern University who the school said was denied entry into the United States when he arrived earlier in the day. Officials at the Boston university said in a statement Monday night that they are aware the student was denied entry into the country, in contact with federal officials and working to facilitate the student's successful return to Northeastern. read the complete article
Murder trial begins in fatal Portland light-rail stabbings
Jeremy Christian has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, attempted murder, assault and other crimes in connection with the 2017 stabbings. Prosecutors say Christian had shouted racist and anti-Muslim slurs at two young, black female passengers, including one who wore a Muslim headscarf. The stabbings’ racially charged context was a blow for Portland, which prides itself on its liberal and progressive reputation but also grapples with a racist past that included limits on where black families could live and a neo-Nazi community so entrenched that Portland was once nicknamed “Skinhead City.” The deaths were also weeks after a black teen was run down and killed by a white supremacist in a Portland suburb convenience store parking lot — a case that also grabbed headlines. read the complete article
Opinion | The white nationalist fantasy of ancient Christian-Muslim conflict would get an ‘F’ in history class
The terrorist charged with waging a calculated, hateful attack on Muslims in their place of worship fancies himself a historian, but it will come as little shock to learn that, given his writings, it’s clear that he’s never really read the texts of ancient Muslims and Christians or studied the artifacts they left behind. His 74-page manifesto, “The Great Replacement,” parrots the deeply flawed historical claims of white nationalist pseudo-intellectuals and their trolling internet henchmen. The manifesto smacks of white fragility. It spews vitriolic rhetoric about the malleable Other who seeks to invade and replace; the non-white bogeyman who threatens white identity. In this case, the Other takes the shape of Muslims, with devastating consequences. read the complete article
China
China And India Place Risky Bets On Muslim Acquiescence To Anti-Muslim Policies
“Despite failing to achieve its immediate objective, the Kuala Lumpur summit has galvanized a stronger response by the OIC and the Gulf Arab states on issues affecting Muslims in India and, to a lesser extent, China,’ said Hasan AlHasan, a scholar who focuses on Gulf-South Asia relations, referring by its initials to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The Gulf states also feared that the gathering, called to draw attention to the plight of persecuted Muslim minorities, threatened to embarrass Saudi Arabia, the UAE and others who have endorsed the brutal repression of Turkic Muslims in China’s troubled north-western province of Xinjiang and remained silent about mounting discrimination of the world’s largest Muslim minority in India so as not to jeopardize economic relations. read the complete article
China struggles in new diplomatic role, trying to return Rohingya to Myanmar
China sent the grey boxes two years ago as quick and cheap housing for some of the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who fled Myanmar for Bangladesh during a military-led crackdown in 2017 that the United Nations said was conducted with genocidal intent. The empty containers near the town of Maungdaw in Rakhine state, reflect months of failed efforts to entice the Rohingya to return to Myanmar despite a diplomatic drive by neighbour and close ally China. read the complete article
Myanmar
Myanmar forces 'committed war crimes against Rohingya', says independent report
Myanmar forces committed war crimes in the counterinsurgency that led more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee the country, an independent commission has found. However, it said there was no evidence that genocide was planned or carried out. The United Nations has previously described the events of 2017 as genocide, with claims that the Rohingya minority were subject to murder, rape and the burning down of their villages. read the complete article