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SearchToday in Islamophobia: A fourth person is sentenced in plan to bomb New York’s Muslim community, as a man is accused of spreading anti-Muslim terror in Leeds. A new report alleges that Myanmar is forcing the Rohingya to accept ID cards that preclude citizenship. Our recommended read of the day is by Mihir Sharma, titled “India Creates Its Own Border Crisis.” This, and more, below:
India
Opinion | India Creates Its Own Border Crisis | Recommended Read
As in other heterogenous parts of the world -- think of the Balkans -- old grievances have festered and new ones have been found over the years, leading to a sad succession of separatist movements, anti-“outsider” agitations and ethnic massacres. Now, the Indian government has decided that almost two million residents of the northeastern state of Assam may not be Indian citizens, and the state, region and India itself confront a crisis of their own making. At issue is the National Register of Citizens, or NRC -- a list that decrees officially which residents of Assam are legitimate Indian citizens and which aren’t. After an expensive, multi-year process, the register has excluded nearly two million people the government claims are illegal immigrants, many of whom supposedly migrated to India from Bangladesh after the latter declared independence in 1971. read the complete article
United States
Ex-Mayor Beth Van Duyne, Known for Anti-Sharia Crusade, Running for Congress
Van Duyne’s public clash with the local tribunal more than four years ago gained her fame among anti-Muslim figures and some right-wing pundits. Two anti-Muslim hate groups, ACT for America and the Center for Security Policy, have honored her with awards. The tribunal is a faith-based arbiter offering nonbinding resolutions to civil disputes. Similar religious tribunals exist within Christian and Jewish communities in the United States. On Feb. 6, 2015, Van Duyne took to Facebook to state: “Sharia Law Court was NOT approved or enacted by the City of Irving.” She vowed to work to “better understand how this ‘court’ will function,” and added: “Our nation cannot be so overly sensitive in defending other cultures that we stop protecting our own.” The post has since been taken down. read the complete article
4th person sentenced in plot to bomb NY Muslim community
The lawyer for one of four young men who authorities say planned to use homemade explosives against an upstate New York Muslim community said Tuesday he was acting on the mistaken belief that the enclave housed terrorists. But as 20-year-old Vincent Vetromile was sentenced, the prosecutor and judge said it was the targeted community of Islamberg that was terrorized. “It’s caused them to fathom fears that they may never have thought about in the past, and that is objectively wrong,” Monroe County Judge Sam Valleriani said. “It threatens the American way of life.” He sentenced Vetromile to a seven-year term in exchange for his guilty plea to a weapons charge in June. read the complete article
United Kingdom
Terror-accused Leeds man had 'books for research'
A man voiced "racist, anti-Muslim and anti-immigration views" on social media and to colleagues, a jury heard. Pawel Golaszewski, 34, of Wensleydale Mews, Armley, Leeds is accused of possessing instruction manuals on making weaponry and killing techniques. He denies six counts of possessing a document containing information useful for terrorist purposes under the Terrorism Act at the Old Bailey. The jury heard the manuals found on a seized laptop and tablet computer included copies of 21 Silent Techniques Of Killing by Master Hei Long, The Anarchist Cookbook and The Big Book Of Mischief. read the complete article
Man Sentenced For Sending 'Punish A Muslim' Letters
White supremacist David Parnham, 36, wrote to prominent figures including the Queen and former prime ministers Theresa May and David Cameron as part of a two-year hate campaign. The IT systems analyst also caused widespread fear and upset through “Punish A Muslim Day” letters, encouraging violence in the community, the Old Bailey heard. He tried to instil further alarm by posting white powder in the hope it would be mistaken for anthrax, the court heard. Parnham’s failure to appreciate the harm he caused to the Muslim and wider community meant the risk of reoffending was greater, the judge said. He sentenced Parnham to 12 years and six months in custody to be served in hospital until he is well enough to be transferred to prison. read the complete article
Belgium
Belgium French-speaking region stuns religious minorities with ban on kosher and halal meat
A new law that has come into effect in a region of Belgium has banned halal and kosher slaughter, having serious implications for religious groups and butchers. The ban, which had already been in effect in Flanders, came into force in the French-speaking region of Wallonia on 1 September. Advocates of the new law say the legislation does not intentionally target religious groups, but aims to end the slaughter of un-stunned livestock. According to stricter interpretations of Islamic and Jewish law, animals must be slaughtered while fully conscious and not incapacitated by stunning. read the complete article
Myanmar
Myanmar forces Rohingya to accept cards that preclude citizenship
Myanmar authorities are forcing members of the Rohingya Muslim minority at gunpoint to accept identity cards that categorise them as foreigners, stripping them of the chance to become citizens, a rights group said on Tuesday. Myanmar has drawn global condemnation for its treatment of the Rohingya and the report by the group Fortify Rights on the campaign to make them accept National Verification Cards (NVCs) is likely to compound concerns about their treatment. read the complete article