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SearchToday in Islamophobia: A crowdfunding campaign seeks to raise funds to sue Tommy Robinson, as a new opinion piece finds Trump’s fear-mongering about Muslims at the border baseless. Elsewhere, Bangladesh denies entry to Rohingya deported from India, and Bridge Senior Researcher Mobashra Tazamal argues a case for Chinese Islamophobia being minted in the West. This, and more, below:
Europe
Syrian refugee attack: Boy's family crowdfunding to sue Tommy Robinson and Facebook over 'defamation'
Footage of the 15-year-old victim being pushed to the ground and having water poured on his face sparked outrage in November, and police continue to investigate the incident in Huddersfield. Amid prominent media coverage, Mr Robinson posted a series of videos on his Facebook account accusing the boy of bullying and claiming “lots of Muslim gangs are beating up white English kids” in Britain. Lawyers for the victim, Jamal, allege that the anti-Islam activist’s posts were defamatory and are exploring whether Facebook can be pursued for allowing fundraising via his page. Abdulnaser Youssef, of Farooq Bajwa and Co solicitors, wrote that allegations that Jamal was involved in the beating of a young English girl was false. “To make matters worse, he even raised money in support of those behind the bullying by galvanising cash from his supporters on social media platforms.” read the complete article
Analysis | How The Rise Of The Far Right Threatens Democracy Worldwide
Pallavi Gogoi analyzes the threat of far right politics on democracy worldwide, citing the governments of Brazil, Philippines, India, ad Hungary as examples. "In almost each of these instances, the leaders have swept into power on a promise to accelerate economic growth and create new opportunities for those left behind by globalization. But the promises are often laced with undercurrents of nationalism that harp on race or religion and closing borders." read the complete article
Narratives of Division: The age-old tactic of pitching 'good' Muslims vs 'bad' Muslims
CAGE, Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain (HT), the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), the Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK (MPACUK), and Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND) were all named in a Tony Blair Institute for Global Change report entitled ‘Narratives of Division: The spectrum of Islamist Views Worldwide’ The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change says it ‘works to promote co-existence and counter extremism by tackling the ideology behind extremist violence, not just the violence itself.’ A forward signed by former Prime Minister Tony Blair reads, “These narratives come from activist groups that claim that Muslims cannot fully be part of our society, and they risk making British Muslims feel that their identity is incompatible with modern Britain. read the complete article
Opinion | 'Too queer to be Muslim, too Muslim to be queer': LGBT+ woman on fear of discrimination
Hafsa Qureshi writes on being queer and Muslim, and life at the intersection of two identities under scrutiny. "Being accepted by my cultural and religious groups means hiding my sexuality for fear of being ostracised, or even fear of violence. In LGBT+ groups, I am asked how I can identify with a religion that is seen as not accepting of the LGBT+ community. Because of all these boxes I tick, I fit into neither category." read the complete article
India
Rohingya Muslim group fleeing India to Bangladesh stuck on 'zero line'
Bangladesh has denied entry to 31 Rohingya Muslims trying to enter from India and they are stuck in no-man’s land on the border, Bangladesh authorities said on Monday, as India cracks down on members of the community. The stranded Rohingya, including women and children, had been living in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, according to a Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) official who said he had seen some of their identity cards issued by the U.N. refugee agency in India. India estimates that 40,000 Rohingya are living in scattered settlements in various parts of the country. read the complete article
China
Opinion | Chinese Islamophobia was made in the West | Recommended Read
Viewing Islam as an abnormality and the cause of "extremism," is not exclusive to China, rather it finds its home in the West's Countering Violence Extremism(CVE) programs, which view expressions of Muslim identity as uniquely associated with "extremism" and "radicalization" - argues Bridge Senior Researcher Mobashra Tazamal. China is instituting the very calls made by western politicians to "cut out" Islam, by criminalizing any expression of Muslim identity, including removing Qurans from people's homes, restricting fasting during the month of Ramadan, and forbidding Muslim parents from giving their children Muslim names. In an effort to "heal" Muslims from this "dangerous ideology," the government has established 28 detention camps, described by Amnesty International as comparable to "wartime concentration camps," aimed at mass scale eradication of Uighur Muslim identity. Detainees in the camps are forced to endure psychological and physical torture, renounce their faith, and pledge allegiance to the Chinese communist party. read the complete article
Opinion | While Millions of Uigher Muslims Suffer Unprecendented Abuses In China, The World Is Silent
Tasnim Nazeer writes on the global silence regarding China's internment of Uighur Muslims. "What would it take for a head of state in the Muslim world to challenge Chinese President Xi Jinping on the condition of Uighur Muslims? Is getting an investment from China a reason to sell out millions of innocent Uighur Muslims who fear for their lives? Frustratingly, countries such as Egypt and even Saudi Arabia have been deporting Uighurs who managed to escape China.The struggle of the Uighurs has been one that has a long history of deliberate discrimination from the Chinese government. Beijing first issued a 'warning' by submitting documents to the United Nations describing the East Turkestan Islamic Movement as a terrorist organisation". read the complete article