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SearchToday in Islamophobia: Rotherham Muslims launch guardian group after far right threats, as Tory Islamophobia inquiry fails to get started nine months after initial scandal. Indian primary school faces charges of sedition after staging play about the anti-Muslim Citizenship Amendment Act. Our recommended read today is by Evelyn Alsultany on the long history of American Islamophobia and its most recent amplifier: Donald Trump. This, and more, below:
United States
Islamophobia in the US did not start with Trump, but his tweets perpetuate a long history of equating Muslims with terrorism | Recommended Read
The image portrays the hijab, turban and Iranian flag in a derogatory manner. It’s not the first time Trump has promoted Islamophobia. With rhetoric like “Islam hates us” and policies such as banning the entry of immigrants from Muslim-majority countries, Trump has reinforced the idea that Islam is a threat to the U.S. read the complete article
At Guantanamo Bay, Torture Apologists Take Refuge in Empty Code Words and Euphemisms
The U.S. military has attempted for years to devise a system for trying the men accused of organizing or aiding the terror attacks against America, but without giving them the benefit of a trial in federal court. This case has dragged on for almost eight years without a trial formally getting underway. There have been 40 pretrial hearings and extended arguments over what evidence can be introduced — and, for instance, whether the word “torture” can be used in relation to the interrogations that took place at the CIA’s notorious “black sites.” read the complete article
Minnesota priest calls Muslim immigrants a threat, drawing rebuke from Catholic Church
A Minnesota Catholic leader on Wednesday rejected remarks made by a priest who called Islam the "greatest threat in the world" to the United States and Christianity. The Fr. Nick VanDenBroeke, pastor of a church in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, also urged parishioners to oppose Muslim immigration in a sermon earlier this month, but faced criticism after the newspaper City Pages reported on the homily this week. Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda said VanDenBroeke apologized for his comments in a statement issued Wednesday, the same day a Muslim civil rights group requested the church denounce the sermon. Hebda referenced Roman Catholic Church teachings to respect Muslims and said the archdiocese is committed to strengthening interfaith relationships. read the complete article
Inside the plans for Trump's expanded travel ban
U.S. President Donald Trump said he plans to expand his travel ban to bar people from several additional countries, a move that could again reignite questions about whether the policy discriminates against Muslims. Trump is seeking re-election in November and has made immigration restrictions a central focus of his 2020 campaign. The revised ban could appeal to Republican voters and Trump’s stance will contrast with the current crop of Democratic candidates. A survey by Politico-Morning Consult released on Wednesday found that 73 percent of Republican voters backed the policy. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Katie Hopkins’ Twitter account suspended
Far-right commentator Katie Hopkins has been suspended from Twitter following calls for the social network to carry out a “full review” of her account. Campaigners had accused her of spreading hate on the platform, where several of her tweets have been shared by Donald Trump, the US president.The move came a little over a day after Rachel Riley, the host of Channel 4’s Countdown and an anti-racism campaigner, met Twitter representatives calling for them to review and remove Ms Hopkins’ account. The meeting was organised by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) campaign group, which called for Twitter to permanently delete the account. read the complete article
Rotherham Muslims launch ‘guardian’ group after far-right threats
Members of the Muslim community in Rotherham are launching a neighbourhood protection group with more than 100 volunteers after three mosques were targeted by the far-right. The new body, which will be styled on the Shomrim group in Jewish communities, said it would aim to provide reassurance and possibly self-defence training for imams in light of the security concerns. The far-right group Britain First has carried out what it described as a “major operation” in the South Yorkshire town over the past week, distributing leaflets and visiting mosques, taxi ranks and hotels to warn about grooming of young girls for sex. read the complete article
No progress made in Tory Islamophobia inquiry for nine months
The Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) was sent a complaint of more than 20 pages in May last year, detailing what the MCB called incidents of Islamophobia among MPs, councillors and party members. One example included a councillor sharing a post which referred to Muslims as ‘parasites’ while another party member said Labour were to blame for ‘Muzzie rapists’.As of yet, the MCB has yet to receive a response. read the complete article
India
In India, Protesters and Modi Tussle Over Who Can Claim Gandhi
The protesters who are challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-centric vision for India liberally evoke the legacy of a national icon: Mohandas K. Gandhi, who wanted a country where Hindus and Muslims lived together and a secular government kept the peace. So it has been galling for them to watch Mr. Modi and his allies claim Gandhi’s mantle to promote their own agenda, including the issue that set off the protests — a contentious citizenship law that critics say blatantly discriminates against Muslims. read the complete article
Indian primary school faces sedition charge after play about citizenship law
The Indian police are investigating a primary school for sedition over a student play which voiced opposition to the prime minister and his controversial new citizenship law. Students aged nine and 10 at Shaheen school in Bidar, in the state of Karnataka, were interrogated by police over several days for putting on a play that had a theme allegedly opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and included “slurs” against prime minister Narendra Modi. read the complete article
China
Her Parents were Model Chinese Citizens. It Didn't Matter
One program initiated under Strike Hard was known as Visit, Benefit, Unite. From 2014 to 2017, 200,000 party cadres, including Zohre, were stationed in villages across Xinjiang to surveil people and preach party propaganda. (A later effort, called Becoming Family, dispatched more than one million party cadres to live in the homes of Xinjiang residents for at least five days every two months, primarily in rural areas, to report on them.) Zohre was assigned to Tugmenboyi, a small village an hour from Hami. During her time there, she helped the community build a bridge, which they named in her honor. She told Humar she had managed to change people’s minds, to really help the community raise their living standards while making them more trusting of the party. read the complete article
Myanmar
Real justice for Myanmar's Rohingya will require more than an ICJ ruling
This unprecedented ruling means that Myanmar's government must prevent any Rohingya Muslim in the country from being killed and reserve any evidence of a genocide that has already happened. In spite of this ground-breaking turning point in the path to justice, concerns still exist in the steps to seeking accountability to bring the perpetrators of the crimes against Rohingya to account. read the complete article