Critical Currents in Islam Roundup (November 2019)

Muslim Women Make History In Virginia Elections

Huffington Post
Ghazala Hashmi, Abrar Omeish, Lisa Zargarpur and Buta Biberaj are among the first Muslims to hold elected office in the state. Read More

She Doubted Her Place in America. Now She’s Virginia’s First Muslim State Senator

New York Times
In helping to flip the General Assembly to Democrats, Ghazala Hashmi became part of a wave of Muslim women winning public office. Read More

Muslim Women Are Claiming Their Rightful Place In America’s Politics

Huffington Post
Ghazala Hashmi is the first Muslim person elected to Virginia’s state Senate. Read More

School Leaders in Maryland Ask for No AP Testing on Muslim Holy Day

Washington Post
Montgomery County’s Board of Education voted unanimously to notify the College Board of the potential conflict and to ask that no exams be held on the holy day of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan and is one of the Islamic faith’s two major holidays. Since 2016, Montgomery County, which has the state’s largest school system, has given students the day off in years when an Eid holiday falls on a school day. Read More

Racism at Heart of US Media Coverage of Middle East, Says Marc Lamont Hill

Middle East Eye
Hill, professor of media studies, drew international headlines last year when he was sacked by CNN after voicing support for Palestine. Read More

Go Back To Your Country, They Said

Huffington Post
Throughout American history, expressions of hate have been punctuated with variations of the same sentiment: Go back to your country. Go back to Africa. Go back to China. Go back to Mexico. It’s a foundational white nationalist insult, meant to threaten a victim into believing that they don’t belong and that this is a country for white people. Read More

Rumored Expansion of Muslim Travel Ban Exposes Trump’s Election-Year Calculus

Truth Out
Late last week, amid the welter of new details surrounding Trump’s now-infamous phone call with the Ukrainian president, Team Trump tried to switch the conversation back to Trump’s home turf: immigrant-bashing and anti-Muslim extremism. Unnamed administration officials let news outlets know that the president was considering expanding his Muslim travel ban to as many as four additional countries.  Read More

‘Beyond the Mosque’: Seeing Islam’s Diversity Reflected in Worship Spaces

Religion News
For more than a decade, Rizwan Mawani has been living, working and praying with Muslims in 50 different communities across 17 countries. As you’d expect, he has visited plenty of masjids, as mosques are called in Arabic, meaning “a place of prostration.” Read More

US Growth of Islam Creates Need for Religious Scholars

The Register Citizen
An increasing number of U.S. Muslims want guidance from religious instructors who they can understand linguistically and culturally. Read More

Police, FBI Investigating ‘Hate-Filled Flyers’ Found on Western Connecticut State University Campus

Hartford Courant
It was not clear whether a student or “outside agitators” were responsible, but university President John Clark strongly condemned the materials and vowed to enforce the “severest disciplinary actions” regardless of whether students or someone off-campus made the flyers. Read More

WSU Professor Leads Investigation into Islamophobia Online

Washington State University
In the study, Lawrence Pintak – professor of communications in the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication – and his team examined more than 113,000 tweets posted in the lead-up to the 2018 mid-term election mentioning then-congressional candidates Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Omar Qudrat. Read More

Ola Salem: Mystery Around Body of Muslim Women's Champion Found in Park

Independent
No arrests have been made since Ms Salem was found dead in a park on Staten Island. Read More

Can Boris Johnson Keep his Seat? A Young Muslim Immigrant is Challenging the British Prime Minister

Washington Post
Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday launched his Conservative Party’s campaign for the general election. But there’s a hitch. Johnson has to win back his own seat — fending off a challenge from a young Muslim immigrant who represents the Labour Party. It could be a tight race. Read More

Home Office-backed Counter-extremism Group Waging Twitter Campaign against Corbyn

Middle East Eye
Faith Matters, which received support through the UK government’s flagship counter-extremism programme, has described Labour Party under Corbyn as a ‘Stalinist cult’. Read More

Sajid Javid Condemns Magazine Column Suggesting Muslim People Should Be Deterred from Voting

Independent
Chancellor Sajid Javid has denounced a column in news magazine The Spectator suggesting that elections should be held on Muslim holy days in order to deter them from voting. The column, by right-wing controversialist Rod Liddle, was also criticised by the magazine’s own assistant editor as neither “funny or worth writing.” Read More

My Halal Student Debt: How Muslims Navigate Sharia Financing When Interest Is Haram

Metro
Without Sharia-compliant loans, Muslim students often have to plan meticulously, stashing away their time and money for years to afford an education. Read More

First Guide for Reporting to Tackle anti Muslim Hate is Published

Evening Times
A guide for media to avoid reporting that can exacerbate hate crime towards Muslims has been published. Read More

Report Blames Major US Corporations for Global Spread of Anti-Muslim Violence

Religion News
A new report by watchdog groups claims that major technology platforms, Wall Street businesses and right-wing media corporations are complicit in enabling white supremacist and anti-Muslim bigotry across the world. Read More

How China’s Economic Expansionism Is Contributing to Muslim Persecution

McGill International Review
In 2013, China’s incumbent president, Xi Jinping, traveled to both Indonesia and Kazakhstan as part of his mission to layout what would become the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI): a plan to encourage “peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit” spanning 60 countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa through investment and infrastructure development. Shortly thereafter, Amnesty International published their annual report on human rights in China. Read More

Something Is Rotten in the State of Saudis: Non-Muslim Chinese Allowed Into Mecca

Bitter Winter
From its foundation, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has enforced a strict policy of forbidding non-Muslims to visit the holy cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina. There are not even exceptions for ambassadors and other foreign dignitaries, unless of course they are Muslims themselves. But now it seems Saudi Arabia is making an exception—for Chinese tourists. Read More

This German City Has Declared a 'Nazi Emergency'

Vice
More recently, the anti-Islam street movement Pegida, or Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West, was founded in the city in 2014. The group regularly drew tens of thousands of protesters onto the streets to demonstrate against Muslim immigration. Read More

Muslim Preachers Must Speak German to Work in the Country under Proposed Law

The Telegraph
All imams who work in Germany will in future have to prove they can speak the German language, under a draft law for religious leaders introduced by the government. The bill, which passed cabinet on Wednesday, means that foreign preachers will only be granted work visas if they can demonstrate basic German. They would then need to show improvements in their language skills after a year in order to prolong their stay. Read More

Anniversary of Berlin Wall Collapse Marred by Rise of Anti-Muslim Politics

The National
Former East Germany sees new divisions decades after reunification. Read More

Nearly Half of France’s Muslim Population Experience Discrimination 

Morocco World News
Most of the incidents happened at police control points, job interviews, and when looking to rent or buy accommodation. Read More

How A Conspiracy Theory About The Notre Dame Cathedral Led To A Mosque Shooting

Huffington Post
Disinformation can bleed into the real world in violent ways. It happened in the French city of Bayonne. Read More

Islamophobia is on the Rise in France

Al Jazeera
There has been a witch-hunt against Muslims following the stabbing of policemen by a colleague who converted to Islam. Read More

French Fear and Loathing towards Muslim Women Reveal a Deeper Malaise

Middle East Eye
For those in power to maintain the appearance of having the ‘general will’ behind them, they must harness Islamophobia. Read More

Bosnia Demands Explanation for Macron’s ‘Time-Bomb’ Remark

Balkan Insight
Politicians and Muslim leaders in Bosnia have reacted with shock to the French President’s claim that the country is a ‘ticking time bomb’ due to the number of returning ISIS fighters – noting that France has exported far more Islamist militants to the Middle East than Bosnia. Read More

Bosnian Jews, Muslims, Recall Lesson in Tolerance as Extremism Rises

The Jerusalem Post
Bosnia’s Jews and Muslims on Thursday marked the bicentenary of the rescue of a dozen Jews from an Ottoman-era governor’s jail. Read More

Bosnian Salafist Preachers Calibrate Message to Growing Audience

Balkan Insight
Salafist preachers, or Da’is, are harnessing the power of social media to increase their influence in Bosnia, dialing down their rhetoric but still challenging fundamental rights. Read More

Islamophobia on the Rise in Australia

The National
The country has seen a steady increase in anti-Muslim sentiment since the 9/11 attacks. Canberra’s top intelligence officer said there was “no doubt” some right-wing extremists have been inspired by the Christchurch mosque attack, and that an attack in Australia by the extreme right is “plausible.” Read More

Is It OK to Pat a Dog? The Question at the Heart of a Dispute over Islamic Tradition

The National
For some Muslims, anxiety upon arrival in Australia derives less from a concern about encountering local authorities and more from a deep-seated fear of dogs. Read More

'Our Only Aim Is to Go Home': Rohingya Refugees Face Stark Choice

The Guardian
With citizenship in Myanmar still denied, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh must either live under severe restrictions or move to an isolated island. Read More

Buddhists Fight Violence against Muslims with Flower Power

LA Times
The “white rose campaign” soon spread from Yangon, Myanmar’s biggest city, to more than 20 mosques and Muslim prayer sites across the country and has become a potent symbol of interfaith relations in a country where few voices speak out against anti-Muslim rhetoric and violence. Read More

In Norway, Negative Attitudes Toward Muslims Are Still Widespread

Fair Observer
Despite being a happy, free and affluent country, Norway hasn’t been immune to right-wing extremism that has gained traction in different corners of the world. Corroborated by different investigations and studies, Islamophobia and racism are now serious challenges for the Norwegian society. According to the European Islamophobia Report, 14% of the country’s Muslims experienced harassment in 2017. The same report found that 34% of the population “displays marked prejudices against Muslims.” Read More

Quebec’s Values Test Is Dangerous Politics

The Globe and Mail
Quebec’s “values test” on new immigrants, which begins Jan. 1, may seem harmless, but many racialized, immigrant community members don’t live happily ever after in Quebec – not when xenophobia and Islamophobia permeate people’s lives, often to devastating impact. These types of policies, and the accompanying rhetoric, create an unwelcome atmosphere that has already led some people to leave. Read More

Sacred Struggles: How Islam Shapes Politics in Mali

European Council on Foreign Relations
Religious issues and leadership play an increasingly important role in the lives of many Malians, but international actors are ill-equipped to understand and analyse this. Mali’s religious leaders are heterogeneous and defy easy characterisation, often collaborating with one another on important issues, such as public morality and religion’s role in society, even when their practices diverge. Read More

VP Ma’ruf Calls on Muslims to Increase ‘Zakat’ to Reduce Inequality

The Jakarta Post
Vice President Ma’ruf Amin has said the zakat, if managed well, will decrease the welfare gap in the country. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 8th World Zakat Forum 2019 in Bandung, West Java, on Tuesday, Ma’ruf said the zakat alms tax, one of the rukun Islam (five pillars of Islam), could have a direct impact on the social and economic condition in Indonesia, where 90 percent of the population is Muslim. Read More

Libya through Italian Eyes: Colonialism, Fascism and Hidden History

Middle East Eye
Filmmakers and artists are exploring a largely neglected history of Italy’s presence in Libya in the 20th century. Read More

'Every Iran Is Different': The Female Photographers Seeing Their Country with Fresh Eyes

Middle East Eye
Iranian women artists are exploring their identity by reframing memories in a new US exhibition. Read More

Why a Tiny African Country Is Taking the Rohingya’s Case to the World Court

The Washington Post

Gambia, the smallest country in continental Africa, took an unprecedented step this week in the realm of international justice: It filed a lawsuit at the United Nations’ top court accusing Myanmar of genocide against Rohingya Muslims. Read More

A Celebration of Muslim Women in Lagos – in Pictures

The Guardian
In 2011, visual artist Medina Dugger, from California, moved to Lagos, Nigeria, where she was inspired by local Muslim women to create her series Enshroud. “The series doesn’t take a stance in favour or against veiling, but supports both a woman’s right to choose and her religious expression,” she says. Read More

Nigeria's Interfaith Council Fosters Peaceful Christian-Muslim Relations

National Catholic Reporter
The Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) is working to defuse tensions between Christians and Muslims here, providing a forum since 1999 to enhance dialogue between the two groups. Read More

How Boko Haram went from a Peaceful Islamic Sect to one of the World’s Deadliest Terrorists in a Decade

Quartz
Last month marked ten years since Mohammed Yusuf, founder of Boko Haram, died in police detention. His death led to the radicalization of the sect and a declaration of Jihad against the Nigerian state. Read More

Where an Ancient Jewish-Muslim Coexistence Endures

Christian Science Monitor
Even as congregants recite evening prayers at Temple Beth El, the Muslim call to prayer rings out from minarets across the city and into the courtyard, a mix of Arabic and Hebrew filling the dusk sky with praises to God. And as the yeshiva students file out of Beth El (literally, House of God), Mohammed, the gatekeeper, kneels down in Muslim prayer at the synagogue’s entrance. This is not a mirage; this is Casablanca. Read More

Meet the Immigrants Who Took On Amazon

Wired
How a group of Somalis became leaders in the fight to change a tech behemoth. Read More

Peter King Pioneered the Persecution of American Muslims

The Daily Beast
The Long Island Republican put millions of his fellow Americans under collective suspicion for terrorism. He’s leaving Congress. But he won. Read More

Washington State Might Have Just Elected Its First Two Muslim Women to Office

CrossCut
Varisha Khan is holding on to a narrow lead in her race for a seat on the Redmond City Council. Zahra Roach has clinched a seat on the Pasco City Council. Read More

Muslim Survivors of Domestic Violence Need You to Listen

Huffington Post
Muslim women are often silenced by their own communities or face Islamophobic stereotypes from outside agencies when they try to seek help. Read More

Latinx Muslims Speak on Their Experiences in Sociology Class

The Rice Thresher
The sociology class Muslims in America hosted an event inviting members of the Latinx-Muslim organization IslamInSpanish to speak about their experiences as being both Latinx and Muslim on Nov. 7. Read More

Sustainable Halal Meat Is Making Inroads in Muslim Communities

Salon 
The demand for halal meat and poultry, now a $20 billion market in the U.S., continues to climb. Read More

Signing a Waiver to Run in Hijab Isn't the Solution. It’s the Problem.

Runners World
“Every time I compete, I am at the mercy of race directors as to whether my results will count.” Read More

Muslims in Hong Kong: 300,000 Followers, Six Mosques and Tasty Halal Dim Sum in Wan Chai

South China Morning Post
Hong Kong’s usually low-profile Muslim community found itself thrust in the spotlight recently, amid anti-government protests now in their sixth month. Violent clashes between radical protesters and police in Tsim Sha Tsui on October 20 spilled over to affect the landmark Kowloon Masjid and Islamic Centre on Nathan Road. Read More

NU Relaxes Ban on Non-Muslim Greetings

The Jakarta Post
Muslims are allowed to use the greetings of other religions in order to preserve unity between Indonesians, according to Syaftudin Syarif, the secretary-general of the East Java branch of Nahdlatul Ulama Muslim (PWNU), on Tuesday.Previously, the East Java branch of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued a letter advising Muslims to not use greetings from other religions. Read More

Why Indian Muslims Reject Extremist Doctrines

The Wire India
India’s Muslims manifest extraordinary diversities of doctrine, practice, and educational and economic standards, but have remained aloof to trans-national extremist ideas. Read More

India’s Soundtrack of Hate, With a Pop Sheen

The New York Times
Mixing dance tracks with calls for religious warfare, Hindutva pop amplifies a wave of Hindu nationalism in Narendra Modi’s India. Read More

Ayodhya Verdict is a Blow to India's Muslims and its Secular Constitution

TRT World
The contentious 135-year dispute over the Babri mosque has finally come to an end, and a temple will now replace the mosque built on the orders of the first Mughal King, Babur. Read More

#MosquesofIndia Trends on Twitter after Babri Mosque Verdict

TRT World
Social media users say they’re highlighting the South Asian country’s Islamic heritage, a week after a top court ruled to hand the historic Babri Mosque site to Hindus. Read More

Five Things to Know about Pakistan's Anti-Government Protests

Al Jazeera
Protesters led by right-wing party have been camping in the capital since Thursday calling for PM Khan to step down. Read More

Muslim Voters Attacked as Sri Lanka Elects President

Voice of America
Polls closed Saturday evening after a day of voting for Sri Lanka’s next president, an election marred by shots fired at a convoy of Muslims heading to cast their ballots in what some called a coordinated effort to disenfranchise the minority group. Read More

Protests in Iraq reveal a Long-Simmering Anger at Iran

The Associated Press
The anti-government protests that have convulsed Iraq in the past month are fueled by economic grievances and are mainly directed at Iraq’s own political leaders. But they have also exposed long-simmering resentment at Iran’s influence in the country, with protesters targeting Shiite political parties and militias with close ties to Tehran. Read More

Shooting Jerusalem: A Glimpse into Life in a Segregated City

Why Macron's Remarks on Bosnia are Dangerous

Al Jazeera
Portrayals of Bosnia as a source of ‘Islamic threat’ echo anti-Muslim narratives that led to the genocide of the 1990s. Read More

Macron’s ‘Time-Bomb’ Remark Betrays Wider Anti-Muslim Prejudice

Balkan Insight
From the Balkans to the Middle East, European policies are animated by an anti-Muslim racism shared with more uncouth leaders like the current occupant of the White House. And Bosnia is more than a victim here, it is also a conscript. Read More

Why the French Left Has a Problem with Islamophobia

Al Jazeera
A recent anti-Islamophobia march in Paris has exposed deep divisions among French leftists on Islam. Read More

Interview: Meet the French women fighting Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism with trips to Auschwitz

The Local
Auschwitz is not the first place that springs to mind if you want to fight intolerance and racism in France, but the Nazi death camp has been helping French Muslims and Jews get over their prejudices and learn to live together, writes Rory Mulholland. Read More

My Son’s Orthodox Jewish School Is 85 Percent Muslim

The Jerusalem Post
Maybe it’s a “funny thing” that Muslims say the Shema, as observers to the school have noted, and maybe the Jewish education does not have the depth it would have if all the students were Jewish. But it does seem to have a profound effect on the children who go there, and these children carry with them a respect for Jews that they spread far and wide. Read More

British Muslims Must Make Their Voices Heard in This Election – and Speak for Themselves

The Muslim Vibe
We are not interested in telling Muslims how to vote – we think you deserve more credit than that. But it is our job to encourage all political parties to respect the issues that matter to Muslims. Read More

Tories Suspend 25 Party Members over Islamophobic and Racist Online Posts

Evening Standard
The Conservative Party has suspended a number of its members pending an investigation after a dossier suggested they had posted or endorsed Islamophobic and racist material online. Read More

James Le Mesurier, Backer of Syrian White Helmets, Is Found Dead in Turkey

The New York Times
The death of Mr. Le Mesurier, a Briton who provided training and equipment for the civil defense group, is under investigation. Read More

Why Will Poland Not Take in Any Muslims?

Al Jazeera
We challenge a member of Poland’s governing Law and Justice Party, and discuss the ongoing hijab controversy in France. Read More

Poland Seizes Two for Plotting Breivik-Style Attacks on Muslims

Reuters
The arrests follow a spate of attacks involving white supremacists targeting ethnic and religious minorities across the globe. Far-right groups have grown in strength in Poland, the largest of the European Union’s post-communist states. Read More

The Forgotten Muslim Heroes of the First World War

The National
How Muslim soldiers helped save the Allies from defeat. Read More

Islamophobia and the Law: Unpacking Structural Islamophobia

Yaqeen Institute
Private Islamophobia, as alluded to in the discussion above, is enacted by private actors. These could be informal and formal groups, like the English Defence League and other street protest movements, or individuals like neighbors or a random stranger in the street. Structural Islamophobia, on the other hand, consists of anti-Muslim racism and bias authorized by the state. Read More

Is the World Still Living in the Shadow of the Crusades?

History Extra
For several centuries in the Middle Ages, Christians waged a ‘holy war’ aiming in part – ostensibly, at least – to liberate the Holy Land. Read More

The Crisis at Syracuse University

The Cut
That latest incident, in which a group of students in a library received the Christchurch shooter’s violent manifesto without their consent via Apple Airdrop, has “triggered a panic,” one student told the New York Times. “We can’t sleep. We can’t think.” Read More

How I Became An All-American Muslim Girl

CNN
Because of my appearance, the Islamophobia I’ve experienced over the years is very different from that of my Muslim cousins, aunts and friends. People don’t stare at me at the grocery store or make comments about my appearance or lack of hijab while I’m working out. Read More

Ghosts of Sugar Land Tells an Essential Story of Betrayal and Islamic Identity

Vanity Fair
Bassam Tariq’s Sundance-winning documentary short, which is streaming on Netflix, is a gripping study of what can happen when a recent American convert to Islam goes rogue—and of what it might mean for his fellow Muslims back home. Read More

Why Did a Muslim Civil Rights Group Oppose Democrats’ Plans to Confront White Nationalism?

Rewire News
Though compelling arguments have been made that CVE programs contribute to the marginalization and alienation of the very communities they’re meant to engage, they continue to receive significant funding from major cities, universities, and other institutions. Read More

It’s Time for Democrats to Start Talking about International Religious Freedom

Religion News
Even though many see it as a conservative cause — thanks in part to the Trump administration’s emphasis on it — religious freedom abroad presents an opportunity for a Democratic presidential candidate. Read More

He’s Sorry for Stop-And-Frisk, and Locker-Room Talk. Where’s Mike Bloomberg’s Apology for Spying on Muslims?

The Daily Beast
As mayor of New York, Bloomberg oversaw one of the most chilling campaigns against religious liberty in modern American history—one that Trump has praised. Read More

What 'Hala' Rets Right And Wrong about Growing up Muslim in America

USA Today
Although “Hala” can most definitely be an accurate depiction of Muslim women living in America, it’s another oversimplified image of what a first-generation Muslim teen looks and behaves like. Read More

After Life: Muslim Deathcare in New Haven

Yale Daily News
Secular regulations hinder Muslim burial practices in Connecticut. Read More

Watching The Report through Muslim Eyes

Vox
How new movie The Report fails victims of the CIA’s post-9/11 torture program. Read More

Trinidad’s Islamic State Problem

Lawfare Blog
Trinidad has still yet to come to terms with this unenviable record, and there remains a widespread sense of incomprehension in the county that any of its nationals could have traded the paradise on their shores for a world of sectarian slaughter and chaos in Syria and Iraq Read More 

Assam NRC a Tool to Render Muslims Stateless: US Panel on Religious Freedom

The Business Standard
Assam has seen a huge influx from other places, particularly Bangladesh, since the early 20th century. Read More

Indian Muslims to Seek Review of Hindu Temple Site Ruling

Al Jazeera
An Indian Muslim group says Supreme Court judgement awarding Hindus control of a disputed religious site had ‘errors’. Read More

In Secular India, It's Getting Tougher to Be Muslim

CNN
All of this comes under the shadow of the country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a self-proclaimed Hindu nationalist who has spoken out repeatedly against India’s secularism. Read More

Sri Lanka's Muslims have Reason to Fear the New Rajapaksa Era

Al Jazeera
The anti-Muslim sentiments that helped him get elected are likely to shape Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s tenure as president. Read More

Muslims Detained in China Camps for Thinking ‘Unhealthy Thoughts’, Leaked Documents Reveal

The Independent
Internal Communist Party papers show how top officials – up to president Xi Jinping himself – describe Uighur resistance in terms like ‘virus’ or ‘cancer’ that needs to be ‘eradicated.’ Read More

Surviving Indonesia’s Antigay Clampdown

The Nation
Indonesia has historically had a reputation for tolerance. Its 1945 Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, and the state’s secular ideology, Pancasila, encourages pluralism. The transgender community, known as waria, existed harmoniously in this Southeast Asian archipelago for hundreds of years. But the country is now in the grips of what Human Rights Watch describes as a government-driven moral panic that has targeted sexual and gender minorities and fueled fear in the community. Read More 

Australian Muslims Share 'Terrifying' Stories of Islamophobia

SBS News
Muslim women and girls are the most common targets of Islamophobic incidents in Australia, according to a new report. Read More
 

British Muslims Can Swing the U.K. Election, but Only if They Get out and Vote 

Time 
In December’s U.K. election, British Muslims represent a swing vote that few are paying attention to. The 2 million eligible Muslim voters in the U.K. have the ability to swing the result, one way or the other. Read More

I've Been Researching Islamophobia for Years – Don’t Let Anyone Tell You There Isn’t an Epidemic Within the Tory Party

The Independent
Sadly, anti-Muslim sentiment is an effective campaign strategy across political campaigns in the west. Perhaps that’s why it’s so hard to get the Conservatives to take it seriously Read More

Muslims are Partners in Combating Anti-Semitism in Germany

Deutsche Welle
As anti-Semitism remains one of Germany’s most serious problems, one Berlin NGO is bringing Muslims and Jews together to fight discrimination through education. That means challenging mainstream German attitudes. Read More

Council Of Europe Awards Joint Havel Prize To Uyghur Activist Tohti, Balkan Youth Group

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) says it has awarded the 2019 Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize jointly to Uyghur scholar and rights activist Ilham Tohti and the Balkan-based Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR). Read More
 

Who Should be Tackling Bosnia's Migrant Crisis?

Al Jazeera
Bosnia says it is struggling to cope with influx of people fleeing war and poverty and taking Balkan route to Europe. Read More

The Problem with the Bosnian Responses to Macron

Al Jazeera
The way Bosnians responded to Macron’s Islamophobic remarks about their country demonstrates their staunch Eurocentrism. Read More

Russia Repatriates 32 Children of Islamic State Members from Iraq

Los Angeles Times
Russia’s state TV on Tuesday showed footage of the children arriving at Zhukovsky airport outside Moscow. It said the children ranging from age 1 to 9 will undergo extensive medical checkups before relatives take them home. Read More
 

Azerbaijan Hosts Second Summit of World Religious Leaders in Baku

TRT World
The forum was organised by the Azerbaijan Caucasus Muslims Administration at the Baku Congress Centre. Read More

Sunni and Shia Muslims Pray Together in Azerbaijan's Heydar Mosque

TRT World
The divide between the two major denominations in Islam, Sunni and Shia, is prevalent, especially in the Middle East. But in Heydar Mosque in Azerbaijan, both Sunni and Shia Muslims come together every Friday for prayers. Read More
 

Using Iraq and Lebanon Uprisings to Attack Iran will Lead to Disaster

Middle East Eye
It is no secret that the current political structure in Iraq centres on a political majority based largely on Shia-inspired parties sensitive to neighbouring Iran, while in Lebanon, pro-Iranian Hezbollah is a major power broker. This represents a thorn in the side of the US, Israel and the Arab countries affiliated with them (Arab NATO).  Read More

Why Lebanon Protesters Target Religion-Based Politics

Bloomberg
Detractors say the system encourages patronage and nepotism, with politicians using public funds for their own benefit and inflating the public sector to appease their constituencies. Read More
 

A New 'Sesame Street' Show in Arabic Aims to Help Refugee Children

CNN
Sesame Workshop and the International Rescue Committee have joined forces to help Syrian refugee children through educational learning programs, including the launch of a new “Sesame Street” show in Arabic. Read More

For Years, My Life Was Al-Aqsa. Israel Took That from Me

Middle East Eye
Since 2015, I have been slapped with consecutive expulsion orders, as Israel targets defenders of the Palestinian holy site. Read More

International Law Is Clear on One Point: Israel's Settlements Are Illegal

Middle East Eye
Despite the US administration’s announcement to the contrary, there is no question as to the unlawfulness of Israel’s settler encroachment. Read More

Will Feminism Be a Crime in Mohammed Bin Salman's Saudi Arabia?

Middle East Eye
This week, feminism in Saudi Arabia was declared to be a crime punishable by imprisonment and lashing. The Saudi state security agency’s video announcement defined feminism as an extremist position, imported from the West to assert that men and women have equal rights in economic, social and political matters. Read More

France Takes Aim at Saudi Over Failed West Africa Commitments

The New York Times
Saudi Arabia agreed in December 2017 to provide about 100 million euros ($110.7 million) to the G5 Sahel force, which is composed of the armies of Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad. But nearly three years after its launch, the G5 Sahel remains perennially underfunded and hobbled by poor coordination. Read More

Pope Francis Receives Al Azhar’s Grand Imam in the Vatican to Achieve ‘Coexistence’

Egyptian Streets
Pope Francis received on Friday in the Vatican the Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb of Al-Azhar of Egypt and his retinue to help achieve the objectives contained in the Document on the Human Brotherhood for World Peace and Common Living together, according to a statement by Al Azhar. Read More

Egyptian Woman Fights Islamic Inheritance Laws

Al Jazeera
Case involving Coptic Christian woman comes as calls for equal inheritance rights reverberate across the Arab world. Read More

Can Sudan and South Sudan Find Friendship?

Deutsche Welle
The two countries have had a particularly acrimonious relationship – South Sudan split from Sudan in 2011 following decades of brutal civil war fought between Sudan’s government in the predominantly Muslim, Arabic-speaking north and primarily Christian rebels in the south. Read More

France Returns Omar Tall's Sword to Senegal

BBC
France has restored to Senegal a sabre that belonged to a 19th Century Islamic scholar and ruler. It is part of a commitment to return to its former West African colonies key items of their cultural heritage. The artefact originally belonged to the revered west African leader Omar Saidou Tall, who led an anti-colonial struggle against the French. Read More

Senegal Inaugurates Largest Mosque in West Africa

Al Jazeera
A powerful religious group in Senegal has opened West Africa’s largest mosque at a cost of $50m. It adds to the considerable political and economic influence of the Mouride Brotherhood that is already felt in Senegalese life. Read More

UN Warns Burkina Faso Could Become 'Another Syria' as Violence Soars

The Guardian
Children bear the brunt as extremism and climate crisis drive almost 500,000 people from their homes. Read More

How West Africa’s Gold Rush is Funding Jihadists

The Economist
Although gold has long been mined in the region—Mali is thought to have been the world’s biggest producer of the precious metal in the 13th century—it has boomed in recent years with the discovery of shallow deposits that stretch from Sudan to Mauritania. Read More

Muslim Women in Kenya Raise Butterflies to Aid Forests

Anadolu Agency
Project brings in around $1.9 million annually, according to UN’s Griet Ingrid Dierckxsens. Read More

 

Pakistan Summons Norway’s Ambassador over Burning of Quran