News: North America

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Committee erupts after Tory MP tells Muslim witness he ‘should be ashamed’ MP Michael Cooper read quote from manifesto of accused New Zealand mosque shooter into committee record

May 30, 2019 and   

(CBC) A parliamentary committee exploring online hate descended into chaos this week after a Conservative MP told a Muslim witness he should be “ashamed” after he drew a link between “conservative commentators” and the online history of mosque shooter Alexandre Bissonnette. The […]

Clothing

Why doesn’t the Quebec government seem bothered by mounting tension over its religious symbols bill? The CAQ insists everything is fine as Quebec debates Bill 21, but evidence suggests otherwise

May 27, 2019   

(CBC) Over the weekend, police in Quebec City opened an investigation into a possible hate crime outside a suburban mosque, the same mosque where, in 2017, a white nationalist killed six people. The incident, which allegedly involved a man shouting racist comments […]

Demonstrations

Rep. Ilhan Omar hopes to inspire diversity in politics at Bellevue event Rep. Ilhan Omar spoke at Bellevue's Meydenbauer Center about breaking down barriers for people of different faiths in politics.

May 27, 2019   

(KING) Hundreds … turned out Saturday night to hear Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) speak at Bellevue’s Meydenbauer Center. Omar is one of three Muslim members of Congress and she hoped to inspire other minority communities to get involved in politics. “You never […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Muslim candidates feel the effect of Trump attacks on Ilhan Omar Some Muslim Americans running for office in Virginia have seen a rise in death threats since the controversy.

May 26, 2019   

(HuffPost) President Donald Trump’s decision to vilify Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) has had real, harmful effects not just on the first-year congresswoman, but on Muslim candidates running for public office at the state and local levels as well. In March, Omar faced […]

News: North America

A fund to support the Muslim American community, inside and out The founders of the Pillars Fund seek to strengthen a network of Muslim support groups while countering negative perceptions and stereotypes.

May 24, 2019   

(NY Times) After attaining professional success and wealth, Anas Osman, a technology entrepreneur and executive, turned to philanthropy. He wanted to help other Muslim Americans embrace the opportunities in the United States. So he and some friends from Chicago, who had also […]

Deradicalization

Can John Walker Lindh be deradicalized?

May 23, 2019   

(VOA) John Walker Lindh, the former jihadi dubbed the “American Taliban,” was released from prison Thursday after completing 17 years of a 20-year sentence for supporting the Afghan insurgent group. The first American detainee in the U.S. war on terror, Lindh, now […]

News: North America

In letter, ‘American Taliban’ John Walker Lindh said ISIS ‘doing a spectacular job’ Lindh is set to be released from prison Thursday amid concerns among U.S. authorities that he remains a potentially violent Islamic extremist.

May 22, 2019   

(NBC) John Walker Lindh, the American captured fighting with the Afghan Taliban two months after the 9/11 attacks, is set to be released from prison Thursday amid concerns among U.S. authorities that he remains a potentially violent Islamic extremist, current and former […]

Citizenship

Revamped citizenship guide still a work in progress as election nears Document used by newcomers to prepare for citizenship test has historical gaps, outdated information

May 19, 2019   

(CBC) A promised overhaul of Canada’s citizenship guide remains a work in progress with just months left in the Liberal government’s mandate. That leaves newcomers to the country with the existing guide — which is riddled with historical gaps and outdated information — as […]

Interfaith

Is a CAIR staffer legitimizing modern blood libels? The organization was officially designated a terrorist organization by the United Arab Emirates in 2014.

May 19, 2019   

(Jerusalem Post) A Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) organizer, Zohra Lasania, the program director of CAIR-Pittsburgh, reportedly gave legitimacy to a Zionists-ISIS conspiracy, according to the Middle East Forum, a conservative think-tank. Lasania reportedly posted on Facebook an article first published by […]

Arts & Entertainment

Hollywood Iftar encourages creators to reject ‘stereotypical stories’ about Islam The third annual event was hosted by the Muslims on Screen & Television Resource Center, Unity Productions Foundation and the Writers Guild Foundation.

May 17, 2019   

(Hollywood Reporter) On Wednesday night the Writers Guild Foundation and Muslims on Screen & Television Resource Center (MOST) welcomed influential film and television creators to the 3rd annual Hollywood Iftar. The London Hotel in West Hollywood played host to the event, a […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Two years after M103, a recap on Islamophobia

May 16, 2019   

(Toronto Sun) Two years ago our federal parliament passed M103, a motion condemning Islamophobia. Part of the non-binding text referred to the need to reduce or eliminate “systemic racism and religious discrimination,” with a specific reference to Islamophobia. Conservatives offered a more […]