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SearchToday in Islamophobia: Hate crimes in Los Angeles reaches highest levels since 2002, as the Trump administration courts new controversy with proposed Muslim ban expansion. Police crackdown in protests bring fear to Indian campuses. Our recommended read today is by Priyam Madhukar and Harsha Panduranga titled “Fighting the Muslim Ban: Three Years and Counting.” This, and more, below:
United States
Fighting the Muslim Ban: Three Years and Counting | Recommended Read
January 27 marks three years since President Trump issued the original Muslim Ban, which disrupted the lives of thousands of people around the world and triggered mass protests around the United States. Since then, the ban has been through three iterations, all of which have been met with legal challenges on the grounds that the policy was motivated by animus toward Muslims. read the complete article
Applebee's employee says she was fired after booting customer who made anti-Muslim remarks
The woman, Amanda Breaud, claims in the lawsuit, filed Tuesday in state Superior Court in Monmouth County, that in January 2019, she was temporarily transferred from an Applebee's in Tinton Falls to one in Middletown, where she "was exposed to a hostile work environment where racism and bigotry were commonplace." read the complete article
Trump courts new controversy with travel ban expansion
“We’re adding a couple of countries to it. We have to be safe. Our country has to be safe,” Trump said during a press conference at the World Economic Forum. “You see what’s going on in the world. Our country has to be safe. So we have a very strong travel ban, and we’ll be adding a few countries to it.” read the complete article
Hate crimes in Los Angeles reach highest level since 2002, data show
A total of 322 hate crimes were reported last year, compared with 292 in 2018, according to numbers from the Los Angeles Police Department that were disclosed at an L.A. City Council Public Safety Committee meeting. The latest statistics represent a rise of nearly 41% since 2016, when 229 hate crimes were reported in L.A. Last year was the worst for hate crimes since 2002, when 354 were reported. read the complete article
India
From Threats of Gang Rape to Islamophobic Badgering, Indian Women Politicians Face High Levels of Online Abuse, Says Report
Women politicians in India receive on average 113 problematic or abusive tweets per day, including threats and badgering, according to a report released today by Amnesty International. The report, which analyzed 114,716 tweets directed at 95 Indian women politicians during the last Indian general election in 2019, found that 1 in 7 tweets about female politicians were abusive or problematic. “Online abuse has the power to belittle, demean, intimidate and eventually silence women,” the report said. read the complete article
Opinion | Barack Obama’s Legacy Is Narendra Modi
For Trump, the allure of an ally like Modi is not hard to understand. He fits squarely into the class of strongmen heads of state of which Trump would like to consider himself a member. Modi is also an ardent nationalist, and, like Trump, has sought a plainly anti-Muslim program. As prime minister, his government has suspended Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which grants autonomy to Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority state. He flooded the Kashmir region with troops, while passing a bill that would expedite Indian citizenship for immigrants from three neighboring countries—so long as they are not Muslim. Kashmir has since spent over five months blanketed by a communications blockade, with the Indian government completely shutting down internet access. read the complete article
Checking on friends and missing class: protests bring fear to India's campuses
Many of the most visible and persistent protests have been in and around universities, and some students now fear for their safety following clashes with police and unidentified mobs in recent weeks. “I don’t think I can ever feel completely safe, either in the girls’ hostel or on campus,” said Nayla Khwaja, a student at New Delhi’s renowned Jamia Millia Islamia university. Last month police smashed their way into the institution, firing tear gas shells as scores of terrified students barricaded doors and hid inside bathrooms. Weeks on from the violence, large parts of the college remain deserted, with some parents refusing to allow students who flock to the university from all parts of India to return. Less than half of the 20,000-strong student population is back on campus for the new semester, according to college chief proctor Waseem Ahmad Khan. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Hackney councillors vote unanimously to adopt Islamophobia definition
Hackney councillors last night voted unanimously to adopt a new definition of Islamophobia that commits the Town Hall to speak out against the rise in racism against Muslims. A speech by Cllr Humaira Garasia (Lab, Haggerston) on her fears of being targeted by Islamophobic racists received a standing ovation. Cllr Garasia was speaking as part of her motion asking the Town Hall to formally accept the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims’ definition of Islamophobia. In a rare show of unity for the Hackney Council chamber, councillors from both Labour and Conservative party groups voted to endorse the definition. read the complete article
Myanmar
U.N. Court Orders Myanmar to Protect Rohingya Muslims
Rejecting arguments made by Myanmar’s civilian leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the International Court of Justice at The Hague ruled on Thursday that Myanmar must take action to protect Rohingya Muslims, who have been killed and driven from their homes in what the country’s accusers call a campaign of genocide. read the complete article