Government & Politics

US Muslim group decries Trump’s pardon of contractors It ‘is an unconscionable act of moral insanity,' says CAIR's head about Blackwater contractors

(Anadolu) The US’s largest Muslim civil rights organization on Wednesday condemned President Donald Trump’s decision to grant clemency to four former Blackwater contractors convicted of killing Iraqi civilians. National executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Nihad Awad said the […]

Government & Politics

US elections 2020: Muslims in state of Georgia mobilise for Senate runoff As early voting begins, the contest will have implications on issues of Islamophobia, police reform and systemic racism across US

(Middle East Eye) Ahead of the consequential US Senate race in Georgia next month, Muslim organisers and community members in the state are coming together to mobilise Muslims to vote for the upcoming election, which will decide which political party will have […]

Government & Politics

Sen. Cruz reintroduces act to designate Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group 'Since the founding of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Brotherhood-affiliated groups have consistently preached and incited hatred against Christians, Jews and other Muslims' — Sen. Jim Inhofe.

(Jerusalem Post) Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) reintroduced the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act this week, his office announced on Wednesday. The act urges the US State Department to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). “I am proud to […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Congress pays $850,000 to Muslim aides targeted in inquiry stoked by Trump The House resolved wrongful termination claims by five Pakistani-American technology workers whose case was twisted into a right-wing conspiracy theory pushed by President Trump.

(NY Times) The House of Representatives quietly paid $850,000 this year to settle wrongful termination claims by five Pakistani-American technology specialists, after a set of routine workplace allegations against them morphed into fodder for right-wing conspiracy theories amplified by President Trump. Together, […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Colorado rep: ‘As a practising Muslim, Palestinian American, you mobilise advocacy every day’ The 38-year-old daughter of Palestinian immigrants became a trained political scientist after earning a bachelor's degree at the University of Colorado Denver and then a master’s degree in public policy.

(Middle East Monitor) Colorado elected its first Muslim lawmaker in state history, during a night like no other following four years of social, political, and indeed, emotional turmoil. Iman Jodeh is no stranger to the US political arena, which she believes has […]

Government & Politics

How Arabs and Muslims helped Biden win Michigan and the White House Election data shows increase in turnout in Arab and Muslim communities that overwhelmingly favoured Biden in the presidential race

(Middle East Eye) In one of his first decrees as president in 2017, Donald Trump signed an executive order banning travellers from several Arab, Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. Less than four years later, Arab and Muslim communities in Michigan […]

Government & Politics

US ‘Muslim ban’ set to end ‘on day one’ of Biden presidency President-elect has pledged to immediately halt travel restrictions imposed by the Trump administration on more than a dozen nations.

(Al-Jazeera) On the first day of his presidency, president-elect Joe Biden intends to rescind Donald Trump’s travel bans on travellers from 13 countries, most either majority-Muslim or African nations. Shortly after taking office in 2017, Trump issued an executive order that banned […]

Government & Politics

‘We don’t have much of a choice’: Florida’s Muslim voters disenfranchised by both parties In largest swing state, most voter advocacy taking place is for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, but not everyone is happy about it

(Middle East Eye) As the US November elections edge closer, much of the nation’s attention has zeroed in on swing states, with some, such as Florida, set to be battlegrounds that may determine the outcome. While there are only about 3.45 million […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib denounce Facebook as complicit in anti-Muslim violence Their condemnation comes after a new report found that Facebook has played a role in anti-Muslim violence in Germany, Sweden, New Zealand and the United States.

(Religion News) Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib are condemning Facebook after a report, released Wednesday (Oct. 21), documents how the social media company has allowed the spread of anti-Muslim hate and violence in the United States and across the world. The […]

Crime

Joe Biden says Muslims would serve ‘at every level’ in his administration Speaking to Muslim-American advocacy group, Biden reiterates pledge to repeal Trump's 'Muslim ban' on day one of his presidency

(Middle East Eye) Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden vowed Muslim Americans would be included in every social and political aspect in his administration, and reiterated his pledge to repeal President Donald Trump’s “Muslim ban” on his first day in office. In a […]

Government & Politics

Muslim Voices for Trump event cut short after being ‘Zoom bombed’ by activists The call had to be abandoned less than 20 minutes in when it turned into a disorderly free-for-all

(Middle East Eye) An online event organised by “Muslim Voices for Trump” descended into chaos late on Tuesday when activists infiltrated the call in another case of the new viral threat termed “Zoom bombing.” The call, arranged by US President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign in […]

Government & Politics

‘Out-vote the hate’: Tlaib and Omar call for large Muslim turnout At virtual event hosted by Senator Bernie Sanders, the congresswomen and other prominent US Muslims called for 'historic' turnout to defeat Trump

(Middle East Eye) Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar along with other prominent Muslim Americans have called for high voter turnout from their community to push back against bigotry and defeat President Donald Trump in next month’s election. Speaking at a virtual […]

Government & Politics

Supreme Court receptive to damages battle over no-fly list Forecasting a win for four men whom the FBI put on the no-fly list after they refused to spy on fellow Muslims, several U.S. Supreme Court justices saw an implication of private damages in the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

(Courthouse News) Several justices with the U.S. Supreme Court hinted Tuesday that a law protecting religious freedoms includes a subtext that would allow individuals to sue government agents for money damages. In the underlying 2013 suit, Muhammad Tanvir accused FBI agents of violating […]

Government & Politics

9/11 conspirator imprisoned in Colorado’s Supermax sues Trump and top U.S. officials, alleging ‘cover up’ Zacarias Moussaoui is serving a life sentence at the federal Supermax prison in Florence

(Denver Post) A man who conspired with the 9/11 hijackers has filed lawsuits from his Colorado prison cell against President Donald Trump, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, U.S. Attorney General William Barr and more than a dozen other people in […]