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SearchToday in Islamophobia: U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet joined 14 other members of the Democratic caucus on Monday in asking Facebook to crack down on anti-Muslim content and material that violates the website’s policy. An expert on women’s issues has rung alarm bells about the potential for eugenics in China’s latest “five-year plan,” and in Sweden, a court has revoked a ruling which banned wearing headscarves worn by Muslims at schools in a southern Swedish town. Our recommended read of the day is by Anealla Safdar, Arwa Barkallah, Linah Alsaafin, and Ramy Allahoum of Al Jazeera on the global shift in opinion concerning French President Emmanuel Macron’s leadership. This and more below:
France
Emmanuel Macron: From celebrated centrist to divisive ruler
For one night, people revelled in the far right’s loss, even though many had held their noses as they voted for Macron – a centrist, former investment banker, the economy minister under President Francois Hollande, and sometimes described as a “soft populist”. Days after the result, Rokhaya Diallo, a writer and activist, offered a prescient observation, telling Al Jazeera in Paris, “Le Pen supporters who are in fragile situations and facing economic challenges could become poorer under Macron, and have more reason to support her. read the complete article
France's Macron issues 'Republican values' ultimatum to Muslim leaders
French President Emmanuel Macron has asked Muslim leaders to accept a "charter of Republican values" as part of a broad clampdown on radical Islam. On Wednesday he gave the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) a 15-day ultimatum to accept the charter. It will state that Islam is a religion and not a political movement, while also prohibiting "foreign interference" in Muslim groups. read the complete article
United States
Bennet, other senators press Facebook on anti-Muslim, violent content
U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet joined 14 other members of the Democratic caucus on Monday in asking Facebook to crack down on anti-Muslim content and material that violates the website’s policy against calling for individuals to bring weapons to advertised events. “Of particular concern is how Facebook has addressed the targeting of mosques and Muslim community events by armed protesters through the platform. In June 2019, Facebook responded to concerns about these practices by creating a ‘call to arms’ policy,” wrote the senators to CEO Mark Zuckerberg. read the complete article
The Muslim surveillance-industrial complex
The Muslim Pro and Muslim Mingle data harvesting revelations are consistent with the realities of American Muslim surveillance since 9/11. The ostensible aim of state surveillance is to collect data — ”intelligence gathering” in the parlance of national security — but this objective is complemented by two additional and seemingly contradictory goals. For the architects of surveillance, those who are its targets must understand they are being watched, in order for the desired self-censorship and behavior our modification to take root. read the complete article
How Republicans tried to disenfranchise voters of colour in Michigan
In Michigan's Wayne County - home to Detroit, Dearborn and the state's largest communities of colour - President-elect Biden won by 320,000 votes - more than twice his state-wide victory margin. So when Republican officials refused to certify the election for the county, specifically objecting to results from Detroit, a city that is 80 percent African American, the incident brought to the surface a painful history of disenfranchising people of colour. read the complete article
Muslim Pro, a popular prayer app, stops providing user data to firm selling to US military
The popular Islamic lifestyle app Muslim Pro, which has nearly 150 million downloads around the world, says it will stop selling its users’ location data to a tech firm that resells that information to the U.S. military. An investigation published by Vice News on Monday (Nov. 16) found that Muslim Pro and dating app Muslim Mingle were among hundreds of seemingly benign smartphone apps that have been providing their users’ location data to private companies. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Tory MP will face no further action for 'Anglo-Muslim relations' tweet
The Conservative party has said it will not take further action against a Tory MP who suggested in a now-deleted tweet that criticism of the party for allegations of Islamophobia would harm “Anglo-Muslim relations”. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) is to make a formal complaint about the message posted by Michael Fabricant on Wednesday in response to its media spokesman, Miqdaad Versi. Fabricant, the MP for Lichfield, said in the since-deleted post that it was spiteful to draw comparison between the Tories and Labour, who have been investigated by the equality watchdog about treatment of Jewish members. read the complete article
After Years Apart, Muslim Families Split By Trump's Travel Ban Have High Hopes For Biden
Biden, who will take office in January, has vowed to end Trump’s ban on entrants from certain countries, most of them majority Muslim, including Somalia. The so-called Muslim ban has kept thousands of families apart, simply based on nationality, in a not-so-subtle twist on Trump’s 2015 campaign promise to ban all Muslims from entering the United States. And those families, like the Salems, are anxiously watching to see what Biden and his administration do next. read the complete article
China
Eugenics policies are part of China’s five-year plan, says expert
An expert on women’s issues has rung alarm bells about the potential for eugenics in China’s latest “five-year plan”. Columbia professor Leta Hong Fincher told a panel of China watchers at a virtual conference by the Center for International and Strategic Studies last week. read the complete article
India
The Rise of Hindu Nationalism and the Failures of the Indian Left
India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), firmly entrenched in power, is pursuing a vendetta against its enemies — in particular, Indian Muslims and the country’s left-wing movement. Leading figures of the Indian left have been arrested under repressive legislation such as the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and branded as “Urban Naxalites.” Citizenship laws have targeted Muslims, stripping them of legal status. read the complete article
Austria
Austria: Anti-Muslim rhetoric rises after Vienna attack
After the attack, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said: “Our enemy, Islamic extremism, which is directed against all our values and our constitution, does not only want to cause death and suffering – it also wants to divide our society, and we will not allow this to happen.” “This statement has given hope to many people”, said Taşkaya. read the complete article
Sweden
Swedish court lifts Muslim headscarf ban at schools in southern town
A Swedish court has revoked a ruling which banned wearing headscarves worn by Muslims at schools in a country's southern town. The Skurup town council had decided to ban the hijab (headscarf) for students under the age of 13 years in 2019. read the complete article
Australia
Australian special forces soldiers committed up to 39 murders: ADF report
Australian special forces soldiers allegedly committed up to 39 murders and 19 current or former soldiers will face criminal investigation, possible prosecution and the stripping of their medals after the findings of an exhaustive inquiry released by military chief Angus Campbell. read the complete article
Germany
How right-wing extremists have infiltrated German security forces
In Germany, prosecutors on Wednesday asked for life imprisonment for a right-wing extremist charged with killing two people outside a synagogue last year. The move comes amid growing calls to investigate neo-Nazi infiltration of the country’s security services -- which are creating a frightening echo of Germany’s past. Special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports from Berlin. read the complete article