Critical Currents in Islam Roundup (October 2019)

Darwin, Islam: Kosovo imam Expelled for Accepting Both

Channel News Asia
When not leading prayers in his village mosque in western Kosovo, imam Drilon Gashi was scribbling some unorthodox thoughts on social media – like his belief in the theory of evolution. Eventually, the embrace of both Islam and Darwinism cost him his job. Read More

How Mohamed Salah Inspired me to Become a Muslim

The Guardian
I have gone from hating Islam to becoming a Muslim – and the Liverpool forward is the principal reason for that. Read More

'Islamic State' Returnees in Kosovo Guided Back into Society

Deutsche Welle
Thousands of foreign ‘IS’ supporters are held in Kurdish camps in Syria. Most European countries refuse to repatriate them, but Kosovo is bringing its citizens home. DW met with one female returnee under house arrest. Read More

Research on Black Art and Civil Rights in US Shouldn't Forget Islam’s role, Prof. Argues

Duke Chronicle
In a Wednesday talk, a Duke professor spoke about how new scholarship on black power and the black arts movement should explore more why Islam was a powerful force in racial justice challenges in the United States during the 1960s. Read More

He Applied for a Green Card. Then the FBI Came Calling

CNN
There have been nights when Ostadhassan’s frustrations overflowed and he’s chucked his binder of immigration papers into the trash. But then he thinks of his thriving career, the American family he loves and his desire to raise his children in the country that has given him everything. Read More

Muslim Americans and their affinity towards the Left

The Muslim Vibe
If you have been following American news concerning the Muslim community, you could probably tell that Muslim Americans have a strong affinity towards Left-wing causes and politicians. Read More

Twin Cities Mosque on Edge after Opponents Start Pointing the Cameras at Children

MPR News
The Dar Al Farooq Youth and Family Center has been the subject of online videos targeting Muslims. Police are investigating reports of harassment. Read More

In the U.S. and Western Europe, people say they Accept Muslims, but Opinions are Divided on Islam

PEW
The vast majority of people across 15 countries in Western Europe and in the United States say they would be willing to accept Muslims as neighbors. Slightly lower shares on both sides of the Atlantic say they would be willing to accept a Muslim as a family member. Read More

Two Muslim African Women have been Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize

The Muslim Vibe
For this year’s nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize, two young Muslim women from Africa have been nominated – Ilwad Elman, 29, from Somalia and Hajer Sharief, 26, from Libya. Both are a part of former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s Extremely Together initiative, which brings together 10 young activists from around the world. Read More

U.S. Blacklists Chinese Tech Firms Over Treatment Of Uighurs

NPR
The Commerce Department has issued a list of 28 state security bureaus and tech companies in China that it says are being used to suppress the country’s Uighur Muslims and other ethnic minorities – a move that blocks them from doing business with U.S. firms. Read More

China ‘Strongly Urges’ US to Remove Sanctions and Stop Accusing it of Human Rights Violations

CNBC
Chinese Ministry of Commerce said Tuesday it “strongly urges” the U.S. to stay clear from the country’s domestic issue, after the White House blacklisted a slew of Chinese companies due to alleged human rights violations against Muslim minorities in China’s far-western region of Xinjiang. Read More

Islamophobia: A Bipartisan Xenophobia in American Politics

Religion and Politics
Although much of the meteoric rise of Islamophobia (and anti-Semitism) within American politics today squarely rests within the ideological political platform of the Republican Party, any intellectually honest conversation about Islamophobia must also concede that there also seems to be great disdain for Muslims within some prominent liberal political circles as well. Read More

Russian Trolls Orchestrated 2016 Clash at Houston Islamic center, New Senate Intel Report Recalls

Dallas News 
A Senate intelligence committee report issued Tuesday recounts efforts by Russian trolls to orchestrate a clash in Houston between local Muslims and anti-Muslim demonstrators in May 2016 — one of many instances of Russia trying to stoke unrest in the United States. Read More

Denmark's Ghettos: How one of Europe's Most Open Countries Took a Hard Line on Immigration

ABC Australia
Ellie hosts a popular YouTube series called The Pink Taxi. She films herself interviewing different personalities from all walks of life — and both sides of the political spectrum — while driving her taxi. Her goal is to use humour to examine Denmark’s current identity crisis. Read More

CAIR Releases Anti-Bullying Guide for Muslim Families

Wisconsin Muslim Journal
It is no secret. In this age of Islamophobia, Muslim children suffer from bullying, bias, and alienation that gets little to no serious attention by the mainstream public. Read More

What’s an Alternative to the UK’s Counterterrorism Policy?

The Bridge
In Western countries, the war on terrorism led to the development of new programs and legislation with the aim of eliminating “violent extremism” and “terrorism.”  But it has done neither and has managed only to criminalize and stigmatize Muslim communities.Read More

Supporting Muslim Teens in Face of Islamophobia — in Their Own Schools

KQED
As anti-Muslim sentiment has grown in the U.S., data show Muslim kids experience bullying and harassment at a higher rate than other students. Read More

Opinion: The Yom Kippur Lesson I Learned from a Muslim Man

LA Times
Yom Kippur begins Oct. 8. It’s the holiest day of the Jewish year, when Jews engage in self-reckoning and look for ways to fix their flaws. This year someone helped me with this. His name is Mohammed. Read More

Mar-a-Lago Won’t Host Anti-Muslim Group’s Gala, Trump Organization Says

NY Times
The group, ACT for America, is considered the largest anti-Muslim group in the United States. It had planned its annual banquet at the president’s club in Florida. Read More

How Canada’s Far Right is using anti-Muslim Propaganda to Target Trudeau

The Guardian
Trudeau was pilloried when images emerged of at least three instances in which he had donned blackface. Yet as Canada heads toward a general election, the prime minister has also become the subject of racist and Islamophobic conspiracy theories. Read More

Parliament: Mosque Building Fund One Way Muslim Community Avoids Foreign Influence, says Maliki Osman

Straits Times
Mosques in Singapore are built and upgraded using funds contributed by Muslims here, and this ensures the Muslim community cannot be easily influenced by foreigners, said Senior Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs Maliki Osman on Monday. Read More

HuffPost Her Stories: This Italian Entrepreneur Is Elevating Muslim Fashion

Huffington Post
Fatima Shop’s one-of-kind merchandise has been designed to draw people in, regardless of their background. Read More

10 Things You Will Hear or Experience as a Hijabi in South Korea

Muslim Girl
I currently live and work in South Korea, and there aren’t many hijab wearing women on YouTube, Instagram, and other social networking sites to share their experiences and/or give advice to other hijab-wearing sisters about what they can expect from daily interactions here. Read More

A Simple Intervention Enduringly Reduces anti-Muslim Sentiment

Phys.org
Emile Bruneau, who runs the Peace and Conflict Neuroscience Lab at the University of Pennsylvania, wanted to understand why collective blame—holding an entire population responsible for the acts of a single person belonging to that group—happens and how challenging it might be to change Read More

Islamic Empires by Justin Marozzi — Cosmopolitanism and Coexistence

Financial Times
Islamic Empires takes the reader on a tour of Islamic civilisation told through 15 of its greatest cities, spanning 15 centuries, from 7th-century Mecca to 21st-century Doha. Read More

Heartbeats Align During an Islamic Ritual, New Study Finds

Big Think
Researchers found that the hearts of Sufi devotees harmonized as one during a mystical practice. And this isn’t the first study to show heart synchronization between people. Read More

Integrated Islamic schooling in High Demand amid growing Piety of Middle Class Muslims

The Jakarta Post
In addition to teaching regular subjects such as natural and social sciences, teachers have also campaigned for Islamic character building. Read More

Peaceful Muslim Community in Mexico: Over 5,500 Villagers Embrace Islam

Yeni Şafak
In Chiapas, 5,500 native Mexicans have converted to Islam since 1989. Read More

Senate Gives Uzbek Governor Three Months' Probation After Anti-Islamic Remarks

Radio Free Europe
An Uzbek regional governor has been given three months’ probation by the Senate after rudely lambasting Muslim women’s head scarves and the long, bushy beards many men wear, saying they promote Islamic extremism. Read More

Training to Identify Signs of Family Violence for Islamic Teachers

Straits Times
Islamic religious teachers, or asatizah, can now be trained to identify symptoms of family violence and take steps to help stop domestic abuse in order to counter misguided mindsets in the community. Read More

Hello, Brother: Why Kiwis are Converting to Islam

Stuff
There aren’t official figures on the number of people in New Zealand converting, but anecdotally, mosques around the country are reporting an increase in those attending prayers and interested in finding out more about the religion. Read More

RealClear Media Has a Secret Facebook Page to Push Far-Right Memes

The Daily Beast
The company behind the non-partisan news site RealClearPolitics has been secretly running a Facebook page filled with far-right memes and Islamophobic smears, The Daily Beast has learned. Read More

UN Racism Expert Slams Dutch Burqa Ban

Al Jazeera
UN Special Rapporteur on racism says the ban reflects a wider ‘consolidation of Islamophobia’ in the Netherlands. Read More

Far Right Poses as Protectors of Women to Target Muslims, Official Extremism Report Finds

Independent
Far-right activists are exploiting concerns about the safety of women and children to target Muslims and ethnic minorities, an official report has found. The Commission for Countering Extremism said some groups “deliberately distort the truth to persuade their audience to adopt discriminatory and hateful attitudes.” Read More

Burkina Faso Mosque Attack Kills 15 Worshipers

BBC
Gunmen entered the Grand Mosque in the village of Salmossi on Friday evening as those inside were praying. The attack prompted many locals to flee the village which is close to the Malian border. Hundreds of people have been killed in the country over the past few years, mostly by jihadist groups. Read More

Study Identifies Religious Bias Against Refugees

Phys.org
The study shows that religion is the most powerful source of discrimination. When you hold constant national origin, religion matters more than gender, age, fluency in English or professional skill. Read More

Mothers of Srebrenica call for Handke's Nobel Prize to be Revoked

Al Jazeera
The call by the Mothers of Srebrenica association on Friday added to the widespread outrage in Bosnia and Kosovo over the decision to award the Austrian author, who is widely seen as an apologist for the late Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and a denier of the genocide in July 1995, when Serb forces systematically massacred more than 8,000 Bosniaks. Read More

Iranian Women Finally Allowed to Officially Watch Soccer Match after 40 Years

CNN
In recent months, FIFA has come under increasing pressure to force Iran to overturn its ban on women entering sports stadiums, in particular following the death of Sahar Khodayari, a female fan who set herself on fire after she was denied access to a football stadium in Tehran. Read More

What the Far Right Gets Wrong About the Crusades

Time
The crusades – the long series of wars fought between 1096 and 1492 under the direction of medieval popes against a wide range of enemies of many different faiths, including Sunni and Shia Muslims – have long been fascinating to the extreme right wing, both in the United States and elsewhere. Read More

Skokie Principal to be Honored with National Distinguished Principal Award

ABC 7 Chicago
Principal Habeeb Quadri at the Muslim Community Center Academy has just been selected as a National Distinguished Principal by the National Association of Elementary School Principals. He was one of only four private school leaders selected in the entire nation. Read More

Exploring the Influence of Muslim Culture on the West

Al Jazeera
British Museum showcases historical East-West cultural exchange against backdrop of contemporary Islamophobia. Read More

Muslim Americans Don't Have The Privilege of Forgetting Bush’s Crimes

We Are Your Voice
By sanitizing George W. Bush into a harmless old man with different political views, we dishonor the people who lived through or died by the injustices that he caused. Read More

After a Week, Distress over a Black Life returns to North Texas

Religion News
Jefferson meant something to her family. She meant something to us. She meant something to God. And as her home, now the scene of a deadly police shooting, stands next to the House of God, it would be a crime for a people who honor God to turn a blind eye to this grave injustice against one of his precious creations. Read More

2020 Candidates Want to Fund a Program Used to Surveil Muslims on Social Media

Vice
Democratic hopefuls claim the Countering Violent Extremism program can help stop white supremacist terror. But since 2014, it has been used to spy on innocent Muslims. Read More

What is the ‘Muslim Atlantic’? An Interview with Daniel DeHanas

Religion and Diplomacy
Muslims on both sides of the Atlantic are linked by a shared faith tradition and face many challenges in common. To be understand these interconnections, a transatlantic team of scholars, led by academics from King’s College London and George Mason University, are surveying ‘The Muslim Atlantic.’ The project is supported by the British Council as part of its Bridging Voices programme. Read More

State Scrutiny Has Not Turned US Muslims Away from Giving

Financial Times
Despite the suspicion with which authorities might regard Muslims’ charitable donation, their philanthropy continues to rise. Read More

For Yemenis Fleeing War, the U.S. “Muslim Ban” Means a High Price and Dangerous Wait

Religion and Politics
For more than a decade, Yemenis seeking to reunite their families have been subject to added burdens, such as providing years of financial data proving family support, DNA tests to prove paternity and maternity, and having to sue the U.S. government to move a file forward from a stalled position. Read More

Ayodhya dispute: The Complex Legal History of India's Holy Site

BBC
The Ayodhya dispute, which stretches back more than a century, is one of India’s thorniest court cases and goes to the heart of its identity politics. Read More

What Happens when we Ignore the Language of Hate

New Toronto
Canada’s reputation as a welcoming country for immigrants from around the world is being tested by advancing extremist views and growing income inequality. Read More

Thousands of Nigerian Hunters Prepare to Chase Boko Haram

Military
Thousands of Nigerian hunters, armed with charmed amulets and intimate knowledge of harsh terrain, are preparing an offensive against the Boko Haram extremists who have ravaged the northeast for a decade, calling it “high time” they help soldiers end the deadly insurgency. Read More

Inside the WhatsApp Group of Young Muslims Praying for Bernie’s Health

Religion News
The day after Sanders’ heart procedure, Raza set up the Quran Khatm For Bernie, a WhatsApp group where 40 young Muslims tracked the group’s team effort to complete the recitation of the entire Quran and pray for Sanders’ health and guidance. Read More

Meet the Imam Building a ‘Muslim Village’ in the Heart of Vegas

Religion News
Imam Fateen Seifullah wants to transform Sin City into the City of Light. The imam, who leads Masjid As-Sabur, the oldest mosque in the Las Vegas area, is quick to clarify: “Not casino lights — I’m talking about noor,” he said, using the Arabic word for light that Muslims often use to refer to God’s divine presence. Read More

Islamic NGOs Mobilise to Aid Mozambique's Population

France24
Islamic NGOs are active in Mozambique, with some of them running secular schools as well as building health centres, houses and mosques. Read More

'Islamic State' Children: How Do They Get Home?

BBC
The case of three children believed to be from the UK, trapped in Syria after their parents joined the “Islamic State group” and subsequently died, has raised questions about how they can be repatriated. Read More

British Orphans Missing in Northern Syria after Mass Escape of Islamic State Families

Telegraph UK
Ten-year-old Amira, her sister Hiba, eight, and brother Hamza, around the same age as Hiba, were discovered in the Kurdish-run Ain Issa camp by a BBC reporting team last week. But they vanished on Sunday after hundreds of women linked the caliphate fled the camp in what Kurdish-led forces described as a mass escape facilitated by Turkish forces. Read More

No god but God: a Breathtaking Exhibition Bringing Islamic Art out of the Shadows

The Conversation
Through the display and sensitive curation of Islamic art, galleries have the opportunity to change the dominant rhetoric and counter prevailing, damaging myths. Read More

Nigerian Police Rescue 67 from 'Inhuman' Conditions at Islamic 'School'

Reuters
Police in northern Nigeria rescued nearly 70 men and boys from a second purported Islamic school where they were shackled and subjected to “inhuman and degrading treatments.” Read More

Abdus Salam: The Muslim Sciene Genius Forgotten by History

BBC
The Pakistani physicist’s work led to the discovery of the Higgs boson, but he was disowned in his home country for his faith. Now a Netflix film is putting him back in the spotlight. Read More

Police Encourage Muslim Women to Report Hate Crime

BBC
Some Muslim women suffer hate crime on an almost daily basis and police must make them aware they do not need to accept it, an officer has said. Read More

Religious Walking Tour Maps out The History of Muslims in New York City

NPR
Visitors often get to know Harlem, N.Y., through its many walking tours – from gospel music to architecture to food. But on a recent Sunday morning, two dozen people join their guide to learn about something else in the neighborhood: the history of Muslims. Read More

A Christian Community Proud of Its Pork Resists Change to Attract Muslim Tourists

LA Times
Lake Toba and the surrounding region is home to the country’s largest Christian ethnic minority group, the Batak. Read More

Oakland County School Districts Defend Cultural Training despite Accusation of Pro-Muslim Bias

The Oakland Press
Several Oakland County school districts are defending their decision to offer cultural sensitivity training to teachers and other staff in light of a recent article by the Thomas More Law Center that claims the seminars denigrated Christianity and other religions while glorifying Islam. Read More

East Coast Muslim Women Least Tolerant of Interfaith Interactions, Survey Shows

Malay Mail
Muslim women from the peninsula east coast states of Kelantan, Terengganu, and Pahang are the least likely to accept cross-religious interactions, such as marrying someone from another religion or allowing non-Muslims to attend weddings in mosques.. Read More

Double Standards in the Muslim World: The Mo Salah Edition

StepFeed
Mo Salah’s GQ Middle East cover stirred quite the controversy. Read More

French Secularism is Giving Far-Right MPs Licence to Target Muslim Women yet again

Independent
Another year, another row over secularism and the hijab in France. This time, the debate erupted after a far-right politician asked a woman who was accompanying her son and other children on a school trip to a regional council headquarters to remove her headscarf when entering the building. It is a reminder that, for all our progress, Islamophobia is still rife – in France, and right across Europe. Read More

German Synagogue Shooting Makes Clear the Far Right Targets Jews and Muslims Alike

Haaretz
According to preliminary reports that have not been confirmed but are backed by photos from the scene, the gunman, a 27-year-old from eastern Germany, is apparently a right-wing extremist. No more than that is needed to make clear that the danger from the far right in Europe is real, not only for Muslim immigrants but also – as it once was – for Jewish citizens. Read More

A Million People Are Jailed at China's Gulags. I Managed to Escape. Here's What Really Goes on Inside

Haaretz
Rape, torture and human experiments. Sayragul Sauytbay offers firsthand testimony from a Xinjiang ‘reeducation’ camp Read More

Muslim Rights Group Lobbies House Democrats to Back 'No Ban' Bill

Middle East Eye
Since mid-September, at least 40 Democrats in the US House of Representatives have signed on to cosponsor a piece of legislation seeking to overturn US President Donald Trump’s Muslim ban, bringing the total number of signatories to 189. Read More

US Aid to Egypt Poised to Proceed in What Rights Groups Call 'Shameful' Act

Middle East Eye
US Senate bill would transfer most of $1.3 billion aid package to Egypt despite ongoing human rights abuses. Read More

Myanmar Might Finally be Held Accountable for Genocide, but the Court Case Must Recognise Sexual Violence

The Conversation
It has been more than two years since “clearance operations” by Myanmar’s security forces, the Tatmadaw, forced more than 700,000 Rohingya across the border to neighbouring Bangladesh. During this time, the UN Security Council has remained silent on the plight of Rohingya, with China and Russia working to keep it off the council’s agenda. Read More

'Think of Your Family': China Threatens European Citizens over Xinjiang Protests

The Guardian
Uighurs living in Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, and France have complained of intimidation by Beijing. Read More

On Islamophobia, Britishness and the Shrinking Political Space

Middle East Eye
Islamophobia has always needed to be understood as part of the deeper crisis of the political and social culture we live in. Read More

Muslim Families not Allowed to Board NYC Ferry after being Labeled a 'Security Issue,' Complaint Says

NBC News 
“These families were humiliated and traumatized in public view and treated as suspect because they happen to be Muslim,” a lawyer representing the families said. Read More

Hong Kong Leaders Apologize for Water Cannon Use at Mosque

AP
Hong Kong officials apologized to Muslim leaders Monday after riot police sprayed a mosque and bystanders with a water cannon while trying to contain turbulent weekend pro-democracy demonstrations in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. Read More

Anti-Semitic and Anti-Muslim Murders Are Latest in String of Fascist Attacks

Truth Out
Last week’s attack on a synagogue and kebab shop was only a blip in the news in the United States. On the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, a fascist tried to storm a synagogue in Halle, Germany. Failing to get through the synagogue’s security door, he murdered a bystander on the street and then another in a nearby kebab shop. Read More

Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Public School Coursework on Islam

Washington Examiner
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rebuffed an appeal from a Christian former high school student who argued coursework on Islam at her Maryland school violated her First Amendment rights. Read More

An American Muslim Imam’s Letter to the American Sikh Community

Religion News
In fact the Sikhs, though they are the fifth largest faith group in the world, number only a few hundred thousand members in the entire U.S., most of whom live around New York City and in California. But in this rising climate of xenophobia, especially Islamophobia, they have become easy targets. Read More

China Is Exporting Its Anti-Muslim Strategy to India

The Nation
Muslims in Kashmir may find themselves in a Xinjiang-style dystopia thanks to Chinese technology and Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalism. Read More

A Mosque in the Land of Midnight Sun

BBC
No major religion’s daily ritual observances are tied more closely to the movement of the Sun than Islam’s, so what do they do when the Sun never rises or sets? Read More

A Group of Latina Women Are Building a Shelter for Muslim Migrants in Tijuana

San Diego Union Tribune
In response to the growing number of Muslim migrants south of the border, the Latina Muslim Foundation is raising money to build a shelter for both Muslim migrants and deported women and children of all faiths. Read More

Following Haajar’s Footsteps to a Feminist Reading of Islam

JStor
A personal experience with the Hajj brought to life the iconic figure of Haajar, whose tenacity and stoicism highlight the importance of women in Islam. Read More

Deadly Bangladesh Riot over Facebook Post about Islam

Deutsche Welle
At least four people have been killed during clashes with police that broke out over a social media post. A derogatory remark about the Prophet Muhammad prompted scores of Muslims to take to the streets. Read More

Bangladesh Says Thousands of Rohingya Agree Relocation to Island

Al Jazeera
Rights groups have warned the island might not be able to withstand violent storms during the annual monsoon season. Read More

From Colonialism to Laicite: France Continues to Wage War on Muslim Women

Middle East Eye
France’s extreme version of secularism is so centred upon the control of Muslim women, their bodies, and their place in society. Read More

(C)overt Islamophobia: The Aftermath of the Sri Lanka Easter Attacks

Open Democracy
Sri Lanka’s Muslim community is suffering from continuous Islamophobia on two fronts. Read More

Muslim Employee Claims Discrimination by New York DMV over Friday Prayers

Religion News
A Muslim employee has filed a discrimination complaint against the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles for allegedly denying his repeated requests to attend weekly religious services. Read More

Deportation of African and other Black Immigrants is Quietly Increasing and no one is Taking Note

Atlanta Black Star
While the immigration debate in the U.S. is often framed in terms of undocumented immigrants from Mexico and Central America on the one hand and the infamous Muslim travel ban on the other, the issue is more complicated. Read More

Murrow Professor’s Book Examines America’s Tumultuous Relationship with Islam

Washington State University News
A book by Washington State University professor Lawrence Pintak examines the damage caused by the anti‑Muslim rhetoric of the 2016 presidential campaign in the context of centuries of stereotyping of Muslims and decades of U.S. policies that brought simplistic solutions to the complex problems of the Middle East. Read More

Tragedies Deepen Jewish-Muslim Bonds to Fight Hate Crimes

AP
As both faiths grapple with a rise in reported hate crimes and fears within their communities of being attacked for their beliefs, Jews and Muslims are forging bonds that rely on shared personal values to help combat anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. Read More

Hope & Fear in Minnesota's Heartland: Growing Optimism with Every Conversation

St. Cloud Times
St. Cloud has developed a pervasive reputation for its less-than-welcoming reception of immigrants and refugees from East Africa —  fueling an emotionally laden conflict that’s caused some to leave, while others say the hate has “poisoned” the city they once called home. Read More

Albanian Police Say Iranian 'Terrorist' Plot Foiled

Radio Free Europe
Albanian police thwarted an attack allegedly planned by a Tehran-backed “terrorist cell” against opponents of the Iranian regime in the Balkan country last year, police said on October 23. The cell belonged to the Quds Force, an elite unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) responsible for foreign operations, police said in a statement. Read More

There Is No Room in Islam for Clerics Who Abuse Women—Not in Iraq, Not Anywhere | Opinion

Newsweek
Child abuse revelations have rocked the Catholic church in the last generation, leading to lasting damage to how the Church is viewed worldwide and even shaking the faith of some believers. Some speculate that a similar scandal is brewing in Shia Islam, with abusers exposed to be using egregious misrepresentations of religious law to facilitate their attacks. Read More

Niger's President Blames Explosive Birth Rate on 'a Misreading of Islam'

The Guardian
Mahamadou Issoufou calls for ‘responsible parenthood’ as he warns population boom will undermine climate adaptation. Read More

Chinese Facial Recognition Tech Rolls Out on Kazakh Buses

Radio Free Europe
The Kazakh capital, Nur-Sultan, has launched the first trials of an app that allows commuters to pay for bus tickets through facial-recognition technology. The system relies on cameras supplied by Hikvision, one of the Chinese companies recently sanctioned by Washington over its alleged role in human rights abuses. Read More

TikTok Used by Islamic State to Spread Propaganda Videos

BBC
Video-sharing app TikTok is being used by Islamic State militants to spread propaganda to a younger audience, according to the Wall Street Journal. Read More

Google Removed Employee Questions about Its Hiring of A Former DHS Staffer Who Defended the Muslim Travel Ban

Buzzfeed
Ahead of an all-hands meeting on Thursday at Google’s Mountain View, California, headquarters, management twice deleted inquiries about Miles Taylor, the chief of staff of former DHS secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who joined the company last month as a government affairs and public policy manager. Read More

Blacklist: Many Muslims Listed by World-Check Without Evidence

Al Jazeera
People and institutions placed in influential database as potential risks without proof of wrongdoing, Al Jazeera finds. Read More

Did a Muslim Slave Make Your Chinese Shirt?

Wall Street Journal
U.S. Customs and Border Protection accuses Hetian Taida Apparel Co. in China’s Xinjiang province of using forced or prison labor, and last month the agency banned U.S. imports of the company’s garments. Read More

What Do We Do about Bigoted Anti-Muslim Hashtags Trending on Twitter?

Scroll India
Many have argued that the ‘trending’ bar needs to go away, and we must have a better conversation about social media algorithms. Read More

Muslim Canadians Who Won in the 2019 Federal Election

Muslim Link CA
The 2019 Canadian Federal Election took place on Monday, October 21, 2019. The following is a list of recently elected, the majority of them re-elected, Members of Parliament who identify as Muslim Canadian. Read More

18-Year-Old Becomes First Female Muslim Jockey to Win Major Race: ‘I Love Proving People Wrong’

Metro UK
Khadijah Mellah, from Peckham, made British history and global headlines in August when she became the first British female Muslim jockey to win a major race. Read More

Muslim Teen Disqualified for Wearing A Hijab During A Race: ‘I Felt Humiliated’

Huffington Post
Race officials told the teen that she needed to have a written waiver in order to compete, even though she’d never been asked for one before. Read More

Boston Cathedral’s Call to Be a ‘House of Prayer’ Extends to Muslims’ Friday Prayers

Episcopal News Service
‘Out of One, Many’ exhibit to explore the three Abrahamic faiths. Read More

New England Art Exhibition Shows another Side of American Muslims

Religion News
The artwork is part of the annual art series “More Than My Religion,” now in its fifth year, a project organized by New England Muslim artists to reflect American Muslims’ multifaceted identities beyond their religious practice. Read More

Washington's Palestine Museum Brings New Voices to the US Capital

Middle East Eye
The centre of American political power didn’t have a gallery or museum devoted to Palestine – until now. Read More

A Hawaii Home for Islamic Art Widens Its Scope

New York Times
At the Shangri La museum in Honolulu, curators are redefining their vision of the genre and reaching out to new visitors. Read More

Artist Shirin Neshat Challenges the Idea of Muslim Women as Victims and Explores Exile

LA Times
Shirin Neshat is currently the subject of a one-woman show at the Broad museum titled “I Will Greet the Sun Again.” It is the largest exhibition to date for the New York-based artist, who over more than three decades has produced sumptuous films and photographs that explore the nature of political conflict, personal longing, power and exile. Read More

Muslims in South Thailand Mark 15 Years since 'Tak Bai Massacre'

Al Jazeera
The 2004 incident remains the deadliest day in the Malay-Muslim rebellion against rule by the Thai state. Read More

Bosnia’s Mosques without Muslims

LA Review of Books
ON THE BANKS of the Ćehotina River in eastern Bosnia, a centuries-old minaret has been raised anew from the ruins. On May 4, locals in the sleepy town of Foča celebrated the reopening of the Aladža, or “Coloured” Mosque, built in 1550 when Bosnia was a province of the Ottoman Empire, and destroyed in 1992. Read More