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SearchToday in Islamophobia: Rights groups, progressives ‘infuriated’ over Biden’s visa decision on Muslim ban. Uyghurs in Australia call for genocide declaration in wake of report into China’s Xinjiang region policies. Dozens of Rohingya camping outside UNHCR office in India detained. Our recommended read today is Rim-Sarah Alouane titled “Where Face Masks Are Required but Burqas Are Banned.” This, and more, below:
Switzerland
Where Face Masks Are Required but Burqas Are Banned | Recommended Read
Clamping down on the visibility of Muslims in Switzerland is nothing new. Swiss Muslims have been under scrutiny since 2004, when Switzerland held a pair of referendums on measures that would have eased access to citizenship for second- and third-generation immigrants. The SVP’s strong mobilization against the initiatives transformed them instead into cultural referendums on whether Muslims are part of the Swiss national community, a notion the majority of Swiss voters rejected. Then, in 2009, the Egerkinger Komitee proposed an initiative that sought to ban minarets on the grounds that they are a symbol of political Islam. It was approved by 57.5 percent of Swiss voters despite the opposition of domestic Muslim organizations and church leaders from other religious groups. read the complete article
United States
Rights groups, progressives 'infuriated' over Biden's visa decision on Muslim ban
Rights groups have expressed outrage over a decision by the Biden administration to make individuals who were denied a visa under former President Trump's "Muslim ban" to reapply and pay additional application fees. While allowing those who received a final refusal on their visa application on or after 20 January 2020 to seek re-adjudication without any extra steps, the State Department said anyone denied before that date would have to reapply and pay a new application fee. read the complete article
India
In Assam, ban on state-run madrassas may force girls to drop out
Siddiqa lives with her parents and younger brother in a char – a remote riverine island formed by siltation of the Brahmaputra river that cuts through the state of nearly 30 million. Her father Abed Ali, 45, and mother Gulbahar Nesa grow rice on rented farmland, but struggle to make ends meet. Come April, however, Siddiqa will no longer be able to continue her studies, as the Gomafulbari Title Madrassa – a government-funded school that also offered Islamic education – will cease to exist. read the complete article
Dozens of Rohingya camping outside UNHCR office in India detained
Dozens of Rohingya refugees have been detained while they were camping outside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in the Indian capital, New Delhi – the second such move in a week. “A total of 88 people have been detained,” an officer at Vikaspuri police station in the capital’s southwest told Al Jazeera over telephone on Thursday. Police official Vikas, who only gave his first name, said 17 of those detained were pregnant women and children, who underwent medical tests at a UNHCR facility in Vikaspuri. He said the remaining 71 Rohingya were taken to a shelter in the capital’s Inderlok area. read the complete article
India: Teaching of Hinduism books in Islamic madrasas sparks anger
The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), an autonomous organization under the Education Ministry, announced that it has prepared 15 courses on "Indian knowledge tradition." Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal presented the new curricula last week, lauding India as a "knowledge superpower" in topics including Veda (ancient religious text), yoga, science, Sanskrit language, and Hindu epics such as Ramayana and Bhagavad Gita. read the complete article
China
China’s genocide against the Uyghurs, in 4 disturbing charts
China is responsible for an “ongoing genocide” against its Uyghur ethnic minority, according to the first independent legal analysis of the situation undertaken by a nongovernmental organization. The report, published this week by the Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy think tank in Washington, DC, brought together the findings of 50 experts in human rights and international law. read the complete article