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SearchToday in Islamophobia: Biker gangs stand guard outside Christchurch during the first Friday prayer since shooting, while the Azaan is broadcast across the country in solidarity with the Muslim community. In the UK, five mosques are attacked in one night in attacks being investigated as terrorism. An op-ed calls China’s Uighur internment camps the “largest mass incarceration since the Holocaust” even as volunteers detail survivor stories of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Our recommended read of the day is by David Folkenflik on the Murdoch media empire, and the story of one executive who says he quit over FOX’s anti- Muslim rhetoric. This, and more, below:
Global
Former Murdoch Executive Says He Quit Over Fox's Anti-Muslim | Recommended Read
Last weekend, a Muslim news producer said she quit Fox's corporate cousin, Sky News Australia, over its coverage of Muslims following the massacre at two New Zealand mosques. Her post went viral. Now, add the voice of one of Murdoch's former senior executives, who says he left his job in late 2017 over the coverage of Muslims, immigrants and race by Fox News and other Murdoch news outlets. read the complete article
Opinion | Where We Go Wrong in Comparing White Supremacy With ISIS
As part of my work, I pore over extremist literature — by ISIS and sympathizers, but also by white supremacists and populist nationalists. Our societies have become particularly sensitive to the notion that the rhetoric of non-violent extremists in the far-right end of the Islamist universe can be weaponized. It doesn’t mean they will always lead to militant groups like ISIS, but the transition becomes less difficult. When it comes to white supremacy, experts at the Soufan Center, founded by a former FBI special agent, describe a “long-running U.S. double standard with concerns over crime and terrorism that are inspired by the narrative of Bin Ladenism versus crime and terrorism inspired by right-wing ideology.” Just months ago, the former head of the London Metropolitan police’s counterterrorism unit said the U.K. had not “woken up” to the threat that the far-right represents. We are continually giving succour to white supremacist rhetoric, let alone sufficiently challenging it. read the complete article
Counter-Radicalization: A Critical Look into a Racist New Industry
Radicalization is the process by which individuals develop an intent to support or commit acts of political violence. The industry of counter-radicalization, or countering violent extremism as it is known in the United States, is quickly growing across the Western world. In the UK, the government’s Prevent policy has made it mandatory for public bodies such as schools and hospitals to identify and report individuals suspected of being vulnerable to radicalization. The definition of radicalization however is not only vague, it is contingent on the political climate. The purpose of this article is to outline two fundamental issues with counter-radicalization practices. First, counter-radicalization practices, such as those enforced by policies such as Prevent, have dismissed the most basic tenets of scientific rigor: validity and reliability. Such practices are quintessential examples of policy-based evidence, not evidence-based policy. Second, terrorism is strongly associated with Islam and issues of Muslim integration in public consciousness and political discourse. read the complete article
New Zealand
Biker gangs stand guard outside NZ mosques during first Friday prayer since massacre
Gangs like The Mongrel Mob, King Cobra and The Black Power have promised to support and protect their local Muslim communities across the country, after 50 people were killed and 50 injured in the attack on March 15. Waikato Mongrel Mob president Sonny Fatu offered to shield the Jamia Masjid Mosque in Hamilton. “We will support and assist our Muslim brothers and sisters for however long they need us,” Fatu told New Zealand news outlet, Stuff. He explained how The Mongrel Mob were contacted by representatives saying members of the Muslim community were fearful about Friday prayers. “We will not be armed. We are peacefully securing the inner gated perimeter, with other community members, to allow them to feel at ease.” read the complete article
Mourners Honor the Dead With Call to Prayer in Christchurch, New Zealand
One week after a terrorist attack that killed 50 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, mourners who came from around the world honored the dead Friday by sharing the Muslim call to prayer and two minutes of silence. In a park across from Al Noor Mosque, where 42 worshipers were killed, traditional Friday Prayer became a communal event, drawing together Muslims from afar, relatives of the dead and New Zealanders in headscarves experiencing an Islamic service for the first time. read the complete article
Opinion | ‘In Islam, we welcome everyone, even our enemies – just like my uncle did'
Today marks the first Holy Friday for Muslims after the Christchurch terror attack. For Wida Tausif, it’s the morning after her uncle was buried. Ms Tausif’s uncle, 71-year-old, Haji Daoud Nabi, became the first victim in the attack when he unknowingly welcomed his killer into the Al-Noor mosque. “Hello, brother.” “In Islam, we welcome everyone, even our enemies. Just like my uncle did,” saysMs Tausif. Daoud has been hailed a hero after he shielded his companion from a bullet, and lost his life. “My uncle died in a heroic way in a holy place of Islam, the house of worship. He portrayed the true face of Islam.” read the complete article
Myanmar
Rohingya crisis: Volunteers document survivor stories
The International Criminal Court is looking into whether the persecution of the Rohingya by Myanmar’s government warrants an investigation. A group of young Rohingya refugees say they've been fighting for justice ever since they fled along with hundreds of thousands in August 2017. Al Jazeera's Stefanie Dekker reports from Cox's Bazar, where she met the volunteers piecing together survivors’ stories. read the complete article
China
Opinion | China’s Uyghur detention camps may be the largest mass incarceration since the Holocaust
It is almost certainly the largest mass incarceration of a racial or religious group since the Holocaust. And it is neither front-page news nor a major part of diplomatic or political dialogue. In many respects, that istestament to how ruthlessly effective China’s approach has been. The country has been remarkably successful at using its economic clout to minimise international criticism, while limiting outside and foreign access to Xinjiang and making it hard to tell what is truly going on. What experts and activists alike do agree, however, is that the situation for the Uyghurs is deteriorating quickly. What is happening to the Uyghurs could set an appalling precedent for the coming era. Already, Beijing’s cutting-edge technology and diplomatic clout – and complete lack of squeamishness about using it – means China’s Uyghurs are being pressured like no population before in human history. Within Xinjiang, networks of cameras with facial recognition software mean everyone is under continuous state surveillance. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Opinion | Don’t use Christchurch attacks to justify Prevent
Security Minister Ben Wallace this week said that the government policy targets any ideology, "wherever the threat emerges" - implying it could also counter the far-right. But our new report draws the opposite conclusion. After closely examining the interactions between counter-extremism policies and the Islamophobic far-right in three European countries (the UK, Germany and France), it concludes that far from being the solution to Islamophobic violence, policies such as Prevent are actually a big part of the problem. From their inception, contemporary "counter-extremism" policies, such as Prevent, have chiefly been about policing Muslims, rather than protecting them. The same is true of counter-extremism policies in Germany and France. read the complete article
U.K. Police Investigating Attacks on 5 Mosques in Birmingham
After the authorities received reports overnight of the sledgehammer attack in north Birmingham, a similar episode was reported nearby, according to the West Midlands Police. Officers discovered damage to two other sites and received a further report later on Thursday morning, all from places of worship within a few miles of each other and in an area with a large Muslim community. “The motive behind the attacks, which are being treated as linked, is yet to be established, but West Midlands Police and the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit are investigating,” the statement said. read the complete article
United States
US Mosques Security in the Wake of New Zealand Attack
The most recent attack prompted Muslim leaders across the country to consider security measures for their facilities, something that the nation’s African American Muslim population has encouraged for decades. African American Muslims are well-acquainted with various forms of white supremacist violence, including the targeting of houses of worship. “The Qur’an gives direction to those who find themselves praying while under the threat of violence (HQ-4:102),” Imam Tariq El-Amin told About Islam. These verses capture the African American’s worship experience—irrespective of faith tradition. As a minority worshiping in majority white / anti-Black areas of the U.S., they have had to negotiate congregational prayer, fellowship and security all at once.” read the complete article
Anti-Muslim Figure Brigitte Gabriel To Embark on Nationwide Tour in Support of New Book
Brigitte Gabriel is going on tour. The notorious anti-Muslim hate group leader will set out on a multi-city book tour spanning the next five months. She is expected to kick things off in Florida in late March. Gabriel’s upcoming tour is centered around promoting her third and latest book, Rise: In Defense of Judeo-Christian Values and Freedom, released last September. read the complete article