[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating about Islam and reflects a wide variety of opinions and approaches. It does not reflect the views of the Critical Currents in Islam page or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week`s roundup to cci@jadaliyya.com by Saturday night of every week.]
Salah, Pogba, Özil … The Muslim Heroes of English Football
The Guardian
In the UK, where Islamophobic behavior has been on the rise, Muslim footballers (soccer players) in the highest tier of English football serve as icons for disheartened Muslim youth as well as their devoted fanbases.
Myanmar Bulldozes What Is Left of Rohingya Muslim Villages
AP News
First, their villages were burned to the ground. Now, Myanmar’s government is using bulldozers to literally erase them from the earth — in a vast operation rights groups say is destroying crucial evidence of mass atrocities against the nation’s ethnic Rohingya Muslim minority.
France’s ‘Muslim Rose McGowan’ and the Jailing of Tariq Ramadan
The Daily Beast
Henda Ayari, a former student of the Tariq Ramadan, is under intense criticism and police protection for her claims on him assaulting her.
Iceland's Mooted Circumcision Ban Sparks Religious Outrage
BBC News
Iceland, claiming defense of children’s rights, has banned non-medical circumcision, drawing condemnation from Jewish and Muslim groups.
Facebook Racist Jailed Over Shoot Muslims Posts
BBC News
A U.K. man who posted Muslims ‘must be wiped out’ was jailed for his crude, Islamophobic rant calling for violence against Muslims and mosques.
How Do You Tackle Radicalisation? With Polar Bears At Primary School
The Guardian UK
At Parkfield Community Primary School in England, children alongside their parents are taught values of diversity and cooperation in a workshop to instill these values early on.
UK Mosques Must Make Space For Women – Not Turn Us Away
The Guardian UK
With recent data showing that up to fifty percent of certain mosques do not have facilities for women, the Open My Mosque campaign aims to make religious and community centers more accessible and inclusive for Muslim women.
Church Shooting 'Nothing To Do With Islam,' Say Daghestani Muslim Leaders
Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty
The mainstream Muslim leadership in Russia’s Daghestan region has condemned an attack that killed five people outside a Russian Orthodox church, saying that the suspect had ‘nothing to do with the true Islam.’
Netherlands: PM Rutte Calls Working with Anti-Islam PVV His Biggest Mistake
NLTimes
Working with anti-Islam party PVV in his first cabinet was the biggest mistake Prime Minister Mark Rutte made in his career, Rutte said.
Is the West Finally Pushing Saudi Arabia To Squelch Its Version of Radical Islam?
Fox News
In light of closing mosques and permitting women drivers, Western political pressure on Saudi Arabia to moderate it’s propagation of Wahabi Islamic culture is starting to take afoot.
Malaysian Rapper Probed Over ‘insulting Islam’ In Lunar New Year Dog Video
Al Arabiya English
A Malaysian rapper is under police investigation for allegedly insulting Islam with a Lunar New Year video that features dancers wearing dog masks and performing suggestive moves.
A Texas Council Member Advocated For Banning Islam In Schools. He Refuses To Resign.
The Washington Post
A council member in northern Texas is rejecting calls for his resignation over a series of anti-Muslim and anti-black Facebook posts, including one saying that President Trump should ban Islam in U.S. schools.
Rape-Accused Tariq Ramadan Faces US Charges As ‘Muslim victim comes forward’
Al Arabiya English
Rape-accused Muslim academic Tariq Ramadan could now face charges in the United States after American attorney Rabia Chaudry revealed this week that she had referred an alleged victim to a federal prosecutor.
The Scion of a Pakistani Political Dynasty Comes Out
The New York Times
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the grandson of the Pakistan’s People’s Party founder, is introducing a new lens through which he expresses his queer identity: as a South Asian Muslim.
Muslim Designer's 'pride hijab' To Spread Message of Love At Gay Mardi Gras
Reuters
A Muslim designer created a rainbow ‘pride hijab’ in hope that it will become a symbol of inclusivity and spur more gay and transgender people to embrace their identity ahead of Australia’s 40th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
Macy's Decision To Sell Hijabs Sparks Debate Among Muslim Women
The Philadelphia Tribune
In light of Macy’s business decision to sell fashionable hijabs, Linda Sarsour and Masih Alinejad speak on the complexities on the choice of wearing hijab or the lack thereof.
Jump In Islamic Tax Liabilities Worries Saudi Banks
Reuters
A jump in retroactive Islamic tax liabilities faced by Saudi Arabian banks is creating concern about damage to their earnings and the government’s motives in demanding the money.
Germany's Far-Right AfD Set To Embrace Anti-Islam PEGIDA
Reuters
A leader of the nationalist AfD is pushing to overturn the party’s ban on members joining rallies by the anti-Islam PEGIDA movement – another sign of the rightward shift of Germany’s budding main opposition party.
Idaho House Passes Anti-Sharia Bill
Idaho State Journal
The Idaho House passed a bill to ban the application of foreign law in Idaho courts. While the bill’s text doesn’t contain the word ‘Sharia,’ its sponsor, Rep. Eric Redman, has introduced similar bills by warning of the encroachment of Sharia in courts around the United States. Idaho courts do not apply Sharia. Not one instance has ever been documented. But Redman said that isn’t a reason to oppose his bill.
Diversity Center's #rethinkAmerican Video Aims To Fight Hatred Of Immigrants, Muslims
Cleveland.com
The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio’s new anti-bullying video aims to be more inclusive of Muslims and immigrants in general to help fight discrimination.
France Plays Catch-Up Coping With Radicalized Prisoners
AP News
French authorities must deal with the ever increasing task of dealing with the issue of radicalization in French prisons.
Woman Sues Twitter, Facebook, Google Over 2015 Paris Attacks
AP News
A Chicago-area woman who was at a cafe in Paris during the 2015 attacks is suing Twitter, Facebook and Google alleging the sites helped aid the growth of the Islamic State group by giving it social media access.
County Republicans Host Speaker Despite Calls To Cancel
AP News
Republicans in a central Oregon county proceeded with a presentation by a former FBI agent known for his anti-Muslim rhetoric, despite calls from Democrats and a Muslim civil liberties organization to cancel the event.
French PM Vows To Combat 'slow-burn' Threat of Radical Islam
Reuters
France’s prime minister on Friday announced steps including prison isolation zones and more stringent licensing rules for faith-based schools to combat what he called a slow-burning threat from Islamist radicalization.
Pair of Killings Tests Hindu-Muslim Unity in a Pakistani Desert Tow
The New York Times
In Mithi, Pakistan, a recent shooting of Hindu residents may signal the erosion of the historic peace between Hindus and Muslims as more Islamic nationalists begin to move in.
‘Lost Tapes’ Series Examines Malcolm X Through Rare Footage
AP News
‘The Lost Tapes: Malcolm X,’ a Smithsonian Channel documentary is examining the life of Malcolm X through rare footage from his speeches and media interviews to let the leader speak to a new generation using his own words.
Pakistan's First Transgender Scouts Compete To Attend Haj in Mecca
Reuters
For the first time, transgender boy scouts from Pakistan could be heading to the haj pilgrimage in Islam’s holiest city, a scout leader said, signaling growing acceptance of the stigmatized minority in the conservative South Asian nation.
'Secular' Is a French Word for 'Anti-Muslim
Bloomberg View
In France’s long standing connection with secularism, data showing that the anti-Muslim bias is a deeper social problem rather than that between the state, economy, or politics.
Ban On Turkish Soap Opera Reflects Uzbek President's New Approach To Islam
Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty
In Uzbekistan, where religion has been tightly controlled for decades by the state security services under the guise of combating Islamic extremism, a controversy over the Turkish soap opera has signaled an unprecedented turn of events.
Call From Blacklisted Number Lands Uyghur Woman in Political Re-Education Camp
Radio Free Asia
Uyghur woman from a remote northwestern corner of the Xinjiang region of China was recently hauled off to a political re-education camp set up to punish members of her Muslim ethnic group deemed disloyal to China.
Islam in America
AlJazeera
Ten years ago, Rageh Omaar embarked on a unique journey across the United States to reveal the truly surprising, counter-intuitive, and little-known world of Islam in America.
Muslims Are Seen As A Threat In The US – But The Florida Shooter Wasn't. Why?
The Guardian
Trump has shifted our focus towards immigrants and Muslims as threats, while willfully neglecting the threat posed by racists and right-wing extremists.