Government & Politics
Priti Patel to announce plan to make support for Hamas illegal (LINK ONLY)
Eye on Islamism is no longer printing excerpts from articles published by certain news sources. To read the original article, click here.
Joe Biden
Government & Politics
EU accuses Belarus of ‘trafficking’ migrants toward border
(AP) European Union officials on Wednesday accused Belarus of state-sponsored “trafficking” of human lives by luring desperate migrants to the Polish border — the edge of the EU — where many are now stuck in makeshift camps in freezing weather. As the […]
Government & Politics
US lawmakers call on Biden admin. to designate Muslim Brotherhood as terror group
(Al-Arabiya) US lawmakers have reintroduced a bill calling on the State Department to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. “It’s high time we join our allies in the Arab world in formally recognizing the Muslim Brotherhood for what they truly […]
Law Enforcement
FBI releases declassified documents on Sept. 11 attacks
(AP) The FBI released hundreds of pages of newly declassified documents Wednesday about its long effort to explore connections between the Saudi government and the Sept. 11 attacks, revealing the scope of a strenuous but ultimately fruitless investigation whose outcome many question […]
Demographics
Are Arab Americans people of color? Mayor vote raises issue
(AP) Are Arab Americans people of color? The question has been bubbling beneath the surface of Boston’s historic mayor’s race, where one of the two candidates, Annissa Essaibi George, has found herself challenged on the campaign trail about her decision to identify […]
Government & Politics
Why Virginia’s upcoming election is important for Arabs and Muslims In-depth: With a race that's too close to predict, every community plays an important role in the outcome.
(New Arab) Anyone who thought America could relax for a while after the latest presidential election should take a look at Virginia. The streets and airwaves filled with adverts leave no doubt that a close and important vote is around the corner. […]
Legal
Ex-Maryland man who joined al-Qaida sentenced at Guantanamo
(AP) A military jury imposed a sentence of 26 years Friday on a former Maryland man who admitted joining al-Qaida and has been held at the Guantanamo Bay detention center. But under a plea deal, the man could be released as soon […]
Government & Politics
Rashad Hussain faces Senate committee on historic nomination The former Obama administration official’s confirmation would make him the first Muslim to hold the position.
(Religion News) A Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tuesday (Oct. 26) considered the nomination of Rashad Hussain to be President Joe Biden’s ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. Hussain’s confirmation would make him the first Muslim to hold the position. Hussain held […]
Government & Politics
Arab Americans poised to win in November elections
(Arab News) Arab Americans are among the thousands of candidates across the US who are seeking election to local municipal and regional offices on Nov. 2. Key races include campaign battles for the mayoralty in Boston, Massachusetts, and in Dearborn and Dearborn […]
Immigration
Secrecy shrouds Afghan refugees sent by US to base in Kosovo
(AP) The U.S. is welcoming tens of thousands of Afghans airlifted out of Kabul but has disclosed little publicly about a small group who remain overseas: dozens who triggered potential security issues during security vetting and have been sent to an American […]
Government & Politics
Local Arab group calls on Supervisor Anderson to apologize for remarks linking CAIR to terrorism
(East County Magazine) The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination (ADC) Committee’s San Diego chapter has issued a press release denouncing Supervisor Joel Anderson for his statement linking the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) to terrorism. During an Oct. 7 hearing on his proposal to fund […]
Government & Politics
Homeland security chief appears at anti-hate summit with spokesman for organization that defended terrorist groups
(Daily Caller) Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas spoke at an Oct. 18-20 anti-hate event that also featured a man whose organization has in the past defended terrorist acts. The group, Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), has previously made statements […]
Interfaith
Islamist who defended murderers of Jews to speak at Tree of Life anti-hate summit Bush, ADL, Biden cabinet member join with hater to fight hate.
(FrontPage) In October, former President George W. Bush, Biden’s DHS secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, ADL boss Jonathan Greenblatt, and other notables will descend on the massive Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh. The occasion isn’t a party convention, but the inaugural Eradicate Hate […]
Government & Politics
Biden admin blocks bipartisan lawmakers from accessing Afghan evacuee holding site
(Free Beacon) The Biden administration on Thursday blocked a bipartisan delegation of House lawmakers from entering and inspecting a U.S.-run military facility near Doha, Qatar, where thousands of Afghan evacuees are being stationed prior to their possible relocation to America, according to […]
Government & Politics
New poll reveals how much we presume about Muslim Americans’ politics Two decades after 9/11, Americans are still getting to know their Muslim neighbors. New data may help.
(Religion News) Twenty years ago, Americans hardly gave their Muslim neighbors a thought. Then came 9/11, and our opinions suddenly blossomed. Two decades later we may be past assuming that Muslims want to topple the American government, but other supposed givens — […]
Discrimination & “Islamophobia”
GOP stalls pick who’d be government’s highest-ranking Muslim
(AP) The nomination of a Pakistani-born businessman who would be the highest-ranking Muslim in the U.S. government is in jeopardy because Senate Republicans have repeatedly blocked his confirmation. The stalemate has led to Democratic charges of anti-Muslim bias and galvanized some Muslim […]
Legal
Justices seem set to revive marathon bomber’s death sentence
(AP) The Supreme Court sounded ready Wednesday to reinstate the death penalty for convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. In more than 90 minutes of arguments, the court’s six conservative justices seemed likely to embrace the Biden administration’s argument that a federal […]
Legal
Marathon bomber faces revived death sentence in high court
(AP) The Biden administration will try to persuade the Supreme Court this week to reinstate the death penalty for convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev by arguing that a jury had no need to examine evidence that the government itself relied on […]
Government & Politics
Biden formally commits US to 125,000 refugees in coming fiscal year
(Hill) President Biden on Friday signed a declaration committing the U.S. to accept up to 125,000 refugees for the coming fiscal year, formalizing an earlier promise that allows funds to be released to help resettle them. The ambitious announcement comes as the […]
Government & Politics
US says record-low refugee admissions partly due to pandemic
(AP) The Biden administration said Tuesday that the coronavirus pandemic and the difficulty of reversing Trump administration policies were responsible for the record-low number of refugees admitted to the United States during the 2021 budget year. The State Department, in an email […]
Government & Politics
Senators alarmed after Afghan refugees walk off military bases by the hundreds Senators worry 'hastily developed' Afghanistan evacuation created 'gaps' in criminal vetting
(Fox) Senate Republicans are demanding answers from the Biden administration amid reports that hundreds of Afghan evacuees are walking off U.S. military bases without completing the resettlement process. In a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of Defense […]
Government & Politics
Refugee admissions hit record low, despite Biden’s reversal
(AP) Refugee admissions to the United States fell to a record low during the 2021 budget year, despite President Joe Biden’s pledge to reverse the sharp cuts made by the Trump administration, according to figures obtained by the Associated Press. A total […]
Government & Politics
Biden on track to beat Trump’s record for fewest resettled refugees
(Hill) The Biden administration is on track to resettle the lowest number of refugees in the history of the program despite big promises it would revamp a system decimated under former President Trump. The administration had resettled 7,637 refugees by the end […]
Government & Politics
Dems punch back over GOP holdup of Biden SBA nominee
(Hill) The White House and congressional Democrats are punching back at GOP senators for blocking President Biden’s nominee for deputy administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), who if confirmed would be the highest-ranking Muslim American in the Biden administration. On Tuesday […]
Government & Politics
Biden to raise refugee cap to 125,000 in October
(Hill) The Biden administration on Monday said it would raise the refugee admissions cap to 125,000 in fiscal 2022, meeting a target that President Biden set during his presidential campaign. The State Department said it transmitted a report to relevant congressional committees recommending […]
Discrimination & “Islamophobia”
Trump is gone, but Muslim federal workers say reforms are still needed Muslim Americans in Public Service has published a set of 12 recommendations to improve working conditions for Muslims in public service.
(Religion News) Muslim federal employees who say they felt discriminated against under President Trump are advocating for new federal policies to prevent workplace bias, with many backing a new initiative from Muslim Americans in Public Service aimed at getting the Biden administration to […]
Crime
Second major felon found on Afghan evacuation flight
(Washington Times) Another Afghan who had been deported from the U.S. after an aggravated felony conviction was found on an evacuation flight back to the U.S. this month, the Washington Times has learned. The man, who had a 2011 conviction for aggravated […]
Government & Politics
Trump aides aim to build GOP opposition to Afghan refugees
(AP) As tens of thousands of Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban arrive in the U.S., a handful of former Trump administration officials are working to turn Republicans against them. The former officials are writing position papers, appearing on conservative television outlets and […]
Children & Teens
Ted Cruz slams Blinken over Afghan child brides: ‘You brought a crisis to America’
(NY Post) Sen. Ted Cruz confronted Secretary of State Antony Blinken about child brides being brought to the United States from Afghanistan amid the chaotic withdrawal by the Biden administration, demanding to know what guidance the State Department has been provided to […]
Law Enforcement
FBI releases newly declassified record on Sept. 11 attacks
(AP) A declassified FBI document related to logistical support given to two of the Saudi hijackers in the run-up to the Sept. 11 attacks details contacts the men had with Saudi associates in the United States but does not provide proof that […]
Government & Politics
Biden marks 9/11 anniversary with message recognizing the lives lost
(Hill) President Biden on Friday marked the 20th anniversary of [the] Sept. 11 terror attacks with a prerecorded message in which he recognized the lives lost and the loved ones they left behind and called for national unity. “It’s so hard whether […]
News: North America
Fort Hood shooter congratulates Taliban from death row Hasan: 'I pray to Allah that He helps you implement Shariah Law fully, correctly, and fairly.'
(Fox) Nidal Hasan, the radical Islamic terrorist who murdered 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009, wrote a letter from death row, congratulating the Taliban as the terrorist group took control of Afghanistan. In the letter — which Hasan’s attorney, retired Army […]
Government & Politics
Biden asks for funding to help bring 95,000 Afghans to US
(Hill) The Biden administration is planning to ask Congress for funding to bring some 95,000 Afghans to America and assist in resettling them — a sign both of U.S. commitments to allies and the likelihood that efforts to evacuate them will linger […]
Legal
Pretrial hearings for alleged 9/11 plotters set to resume at Guantanamo this week
(CNN) Pretrial hearings in the case of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who has been accused of being the lead plotter behind the September 11 attacks, and four other detainees held at Guantanamo Bay are set to resume on Tuesday. The last in-person hearing […]
Government & Politics
Biden to mark 20th anniversary of 9/11 at 3 memorial sites
(AP) President Joe Biden will visit all three 9/11 memorial sites to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and pay his respects to the nearly 3,000 people killed that day. Biden will visit ground zero in New York City, […]
Government & Politics
Afghan refugees not tested for COVID before landing in US Afghans are tested after arrival in the United States
(Free Beacon) Afghan refugees coming to the United States did not receive COVID-19 tests before departing Kabul, the State Department told the Washington Free Beacon. The State Department’s disclosure comes amid increased scrutiny of the Biden administration’s handling of more than 100,000 […]
Government & Politics
Biden moves to declassify documents about Sept. 11 attacks
(AP) President Joe Biden on Friday directed the declassification of certain documents related to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a supportive gesture to victims’ families who have long sought the records in hopes of implicating the Saudi government. The order, coming […]
Clothing
Rep. Ilhan Omar: ‘People need to stop using Muslim women as tropes in their social commentary’
(CNS) Rep. Ilhan Omar (D.-Minn.) on Thursday tweeted out — and criticized — a cartoon that had been done on Wednesday by Mike Luckovich, the Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The cartoon showed two Muslim women in burkas. One was […]
Immigration
U.S. housing 20,000 Afghan evacuees in 5 states, with another 40,000 overseas
(CBS) The U.S. government was housing nearly 20,000 Afghan refugees at military installations in five states as of Wednesday morning, while another 40,000 evacuees remained at bases overseas awaiting processing, according to internal federal data reviewed by CBS News. These figures, which […]
Crime
Anti-Muslim hate crimes fell during Trump’s last year in office, FBI data shows Lawmakers and rights groups have criticised the findings as fewer local law enforcement agencies participated in data collection
(Middle East Eye) The number of reported hate crimes targeting Muslims in the US fell by more than a third in 2020, according to newly published data by the FBI. According to the federal agency, the number of reported hate crimes against Muslims in […]
Government & Politics
Graham: ‘The chance of another 9/11 just went through the roof’
(Hill) Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday said the chances of more terrorist attacks like the ones on Sept. 11, 2001, “just went through the roof” because of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Graham, during an interview with guest host […]
Government & Politics
GOP rift widens amid growing hostility to Afghan refugees
(AP) As the U.S. rushes to evacuate Americans and allies from the chaos of Afghanistan, a growing number of Republicans are questioning why the U.S. should take in Afghan citizens who worked side by side with Americans, further exacerbating divides within the […]
Government & Politics
Spanish populist warns of jihadist elements among Afghan refugees
(Breitbart) A senior member of the Spanish populist party Vox has [warned] of the potential threat from jihadist extremists among Afghan refugees after the Taliban released prisoners across the country. Vox vice president Jorge Buxadé spoke Tuesday on the issue of settling Afghan […]
Government & Politics
Muslim American groups support US withdrawal from Afghanistan USCMO urges Biden, Congress to 'pull back' any American armed forces deployed over past 20 years in Middle East, elsewhere
(Anadolu) Muslim groups in the US voiced support for the country’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. The US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO) released a written statement late Tuesday, hailing President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw the US military from Afghanistan by the Aug. […]
Government & Politics
U.S. tells refugee aid groups to get ready for 50,000 Afghans
(Bloomberg) The Biden administration has asked refugee aid organizations to prepare to receive and resettle as many as 50,000 Afghans evacuated under a stopgap program as the U.S. accelerates flights out of Kabul ahead of an end-of-August deadline, according to three people […]
Immigration
DHS braces for terror threat on southern border National security officials fear newly freed Afghan terrorists may exploit border crisis
(Free Beacon) The Taliban’s release of prisoners throughout Afghanistan poses a security threat on the U.S.-Mexico border, according to senior Department of Homeland Security officials and national security experts. The Taliban freed thousands of prisoners, many of whom either worked directly with […]
Government & Politics
DHS to allow some Afghans to enter US without formal visas
(Hill) Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is using his parole authority to allow some Afghan evacuees to enter the United States while they wait for their applications to be processed, a senior administration official told reporters on Tuesday. The official said that, […]
Government & Politics
Small percentage of Afghan refugees flagged through security screenings for possible ties to terrorism
(Daily Caller) A small percentage of Afghan refugees are being flagged through biometric and background checks for possible ties to terrorism, one Pentagon official and a second person familiar with the process of security screenings told the Daily Caller. The Pentagon official […]
Government & Politics
Biden emphasizes that Afghan refugees will be vetted before entering US
(Hill) President Biden emphasized on Sunday that refugees who are being evacuated from Afghanistan will be thoroughly vetted before they are brought to the United States. Biden’s comments, which he made during a Sunday afternoon speech from the White House on the […]
Government & Politics
UK to take 20,000 Afghan refugees over five years under resettlement plan (LINK ONLY)
Eye on Islamism is no longer printing excerpts from articles published by certain news sources. To read the original article, click here.