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SearchToday in Islamophobia: French government looks for ways to close down more mosques. India FM visits Bangladesh amid Rohingya repatriation crisis. Recommended for today: the UN Special Rapporteur’s report stating that institutional suspicion and fear of Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim has escalated to epidemic proportions. This, and more, below:
International
Anti-Muslim hatred has reached 'epidemic proportions' says UN rights expert, urging action by States
Institutional suspicion and fear of Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim has escalated to epidemic proportions, the Human Rights Council heard on Thursday. Addressing the Council in Geneva, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, independent rights expert Ahmed Shaheed, said that “numerous” States, regional and international bodies were to blame. read the complete article
The Young Uyghurs Mobilizing to Keep Their Culture Alive
As she grew a bit older, Abdulla became fascinated with Uyghur literature and poetry. Both, she says, are rooted vividly in a sense of place: that of Xinjiang, a vast region in northwest China and home to the majority-Muslim Uyghur ethnic group. Distinct from other literature Abdulla read, she found Uyghur works shot through with themes of oppression—China annexed Xinjiang in 1949 and has since treated Uyghurs as second-class citizens—yet still beautiful and relatable. Even far away from Xinjiang, the works were a window for Abdulla into her identity. read the complete article
India FM visits Bangladesh amid Rohingya repatriation crisis
India’s foreign minister has arrived in Bangladesh ahead of a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid efforts to resolve the fate of 81 Rohingya refugees who are on a boat adrift in international waters. Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will hold talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart on water sharing, trade and border issues, two Indian officials in New Delhi said on Thursday. read the complete article
France
French government looks for ways to close down more mosques
France’s right-wing Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin in a statement expressed his displeasure at not being able to close down more mosques in the country. Darmanin made the comments in response to a parliamentary question about mosques that the government sees as promoting “separatism.” "The laws of the Republic do not allow us to close these places of worship," he said. read the complete article
India
India ‘no longer a free country’, says global watchdog report
Freedom House’s annual Freedom in the World 2021 report, entitled “Democracy under Siege”, said that civil rights had deteriorated in India since Mr Modi became prime minister in 2014, and that the decline accelerated after he won a landslide second election victory in 2019. There has been an “increased pressure on human rights organisations, rising intimidation of academics and journalists, and a spate of bigoted attacks, including lynchings, aimed at Muslims” in India, the report stated. read the complete article
United Kingdom
'I've grown tenfold': Zara Mohammed on her whirlwind start as MCB head
Four days into the role, the BBC posted online a clip from an interview with Mohammed by Emma Barnett on Woman’s Hour concerning female imams. The corporation received hundreds of complaints, and an open letter signed by 100 public figures including the Tory peer Sayeeda Warsi claimed the line of questioning reinforced “damaging and prejudicial tropes” about Islam and Muslim women. “I have to admit I was really taken aback [by the interview]. It was particularly hostile and aggressive,” says Mohammed. She felt like she was having “an out of body experience” as she went through what “felt like an interrogation if I’m honest. I have no problem with bold conversations or being challenged, but [this was] again about stereotyping us and vilifying us and not allowing us to define who we are.” read the complete article
United States
The Same Hate That Targeted Muslims Is Turning on Asian Americans Now
Unfortunately, some of them are aiming at Asian American communities across the country, who are enduring a stunning spike in violent attacks. I didn’t hear McCarthy rage about more than 3,000 incidents that have been reported to Stop AAPI Hate, a California-based reporting center for Asian American Pacific Islanders, or the 150 percent increase over the previous year in anti-Asian American hate crimes in 16 of the country’s most populous cities in 2020. read the complete article
Sri Lanka
Outrage as Sri Lanka plans to bury Muslim Covid-19 victims on remote islet
Sri Lanka announced plans to bury Muslim coronavirus victims on a remote islet; the decision has been slammed by locals and the Muslim minority community. The policy was revoked last week after a visit from Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who urged Colombo to respect Muslims' religious funeral rites. And on Tuesday, officials proposed burying Muslim virus victims on the remote islet of Iranaitivu, 13 km off the country's northern coast. That plan sparked protests from locals as well as from Muslim leaders. read the complete article