Pew Research Center – Eye on Islamism

Harris and Stein tied for Muslim-American vote in last poll before election day Ninety-five percent of Muslim Americans plan to vote in the 2024 presidential election, underscoring deep political engagement

November 1, 2024 Unlisted Author

(Middle East Eye) A large group of Muslim Americans has split its vote evenly between Green Party candidate Jill Stein and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, according to the final national poll on Muslim Americans released before the upcoming US presidential election on […]

Walz to speak at Muslim voter event amid party rift over Gaza An invite for the event suggests the Harris-Walz ticket is 'enabling atrocities in Gaza.'

October 3, 2024 Meredith Lee Hill and Holly Otterbein

(Politico) The Harris campaign is making a new push for Muslim voters, as it tries to hold off significant defections of left-leaning voters in swing states angry over the vice president’s position on Israel amid a growing military conflict in the Middle […]

Progressive Democrats seek to make Eid an official US holiday Muslim-Americans say new bill will validate their experience, but hurdles in Congress threaten national recognition

June 18, 2024 Ellie Sennett

(National-UAE) A group of progressive Democrats in the House of Representatives have introduced a bill that would recognise Eid Al Adha and Eid Al Fitr as public holidays in the US. But its pathway to passage is challenging in the Republican-majority House […]

Germany: Nearly half of young Muslims want Islamic theocracy, third ‘understand’ violent retribution for insulting Mohammed

April 22, 2024 Kurt Zindulka

(Breitbart) A study on juvenile delinquency in the German province of Lower Saxony found that radical ideology is widely prevalent among the Muslim youth population, with nearly half favouring an Islamic caliphate over democracy. A “dark field study” conducted by the Criminological Research […]

Pew: Half of US Muslims say ‘valid’ Hamas reasons to fight Israel, 21% say Oct. 7 attack ‘acceptable’ Just 18% of U.S. Muslims said that Israel had valid reasons to go to war against Hamas.

March 21, 2024 Unlisted Author

(JNS) Regardless of how they feel about Oct. 7, almost half of U.S. Muslim adults (49%) say that Hamas had “valid” reasons to fight Israel, and 21% of that demographic said that Hamas’s terror attack on Oct. 7 was either “completely acceptable” […]

Holmdel superintendent apologized for Muslim materials; tensions remain high

January 16, 2024 Amanda Oglesby

(Asbury Park Press) Schools Superintendent J. Scott Cascone apologized to staff and the community after what he described as “biased and antisemitic” material was distributed to teachers as a resource for Muslim Heritage Month. In a staff email on Jan. 4, links […]

Group of swing state Muslims vows to ditch Biden in 2024 over his war stance

December 2, 2023 Claire Savage

(AP) Muslim community leaders from several swing states pledged to withdraw support for U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday at a conference in suburban Detroit, citing his refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Democrats in Michigan have warned the White […]

As Muslims’ status as political punching bag fades, some are fighting against LGBTQ+ acceptance

September 25, 2023 Jaweed Kaleem

(LA Times) For months, hundreds of religious parents have regularly rallied outside a Maryland school board building, aghast at [a] curriculum featuring books that portray LGBTQ+ families to elementary school kids. Waving American flags, they have chanted against “indoctrination” of children. They’ve […]

Sweden Quran burnings: How the Kremlin benefits The Swedish government is dealing with increased terrorist threats sparked by repeated Quran burnings. Now Russia appears to be instrumentalizing the issue.

August 8, 2023 Teri Schultz

(Deutsche Welle) Husam El Gomati scrolls through his phone and points at a long post in Arabic. “Mohammad Ahmad Ali, the most typical name, with some funny picture,” he notes. Scrolling through the post, El Gomati confirms what he expected: “Yeah, you’re […]

Why does Sweden allow Quran burnings? Like much of West, it has no blasphemy laws

July 20, 2023 Karl Ritter

(AP) A recent string of public desecrations of the Quran by a handful of anti-Islam activists in Sweden has sparked an angry reaction in Muslim countries and raised questions — including in Sweden — about why such acts are allowed. In the […]

Activists rally Congress to create a Muslim American Heritage Month to celebrate diversity

June 13, 2023 Marc Ramirez

(USA Today) Muslims have a long history in the United States that dates back to the time of slavery, with adherents of Islam believed to have served in every war since the Revolutionary War. And while the religion is often associated with […]

‘Progress’: How Eid is becoming a US school holiday Growing number of school districts across the country are accommodating Muslim students by calling off classes on Eid.

April 20, 2023 Ali Harb

(Al-Jazeera) Growing up in the United States, Selaedin Maksut would skip school on Eid to go to the mosque, attend festivities with his family and celebrate one of the most joyous days for Muslims across the world. While he said he never […]

How Dearborn, Michigan, became the first U.S. city to make Eid a paid holiday

April 19, 2023 Yasmeen Serhan

(Time) When Abdullah Hammoud was elected mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, last year, he became the city’s first ever Muslim and Arab American leader. This week, he is making history once again — this time, by making Dearborn the first U.S. city to […]

Minneapolis Councilman Jamal Osman apologizes for anti-gay, antisemitic posts Council candidate [Bihi] also made anti-gay posts

December 20, 2022 Deena Winter

(Minnesota Reformer) Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman has apologized for making antisemitic and anti-gay comments on Facebook from 2011 to 2013, calling Israelis “dogs” and speaking approvingly of Hitler. The Reformer reviewed the posts before they were deleted in October. Osman, […]

Muslim Americans make historic gains in 2022 midterm elections 'When Muslims run for office today, in 2022 and beyond, ... it's rewarded by voters,' said Mohammed Missouri, executive director of Jetpac, a nonprofit that works to increase Muslim representation in US government and politics.

November 11, 2022 Alejandra Molina

(Religion News) Nabeela Syed made history in this year’s midterms when she defeated a Republican incumbent in Illinois’ 51st District, making her the youngest member of the Illinois General Assembly and among the first Muslims elected to the state Legislature. “It is […]

US may elect first Muslim senator. Why are few Muslims thrilled? Donald Trump-backed Mehmet Oz’s Senate bid fails to produce enthusiasm seen with previous Muslim firsts in US.

November 5, 2022 Ali Harb

(Al-Jazeera) The United States may elect its highest-ranking Muslim official next week — a Donald Trump-backed Republican who has questioned the legitimacy of the 2020 elections. Mehmet Oz, a television personality and retired surgeon of Turkish descent, is running in Pennsylvania against […]

Oz’s Senate bid could be a Muslim first but is ‘complicated’

August 25, 2022 Marc Levy

(AP) If Dr. Mehmet Oz is elected to the U.S. Senate this fall, he’ll be the first Muslim ever to serve in the chamber. It’s something he hardly brings up while campaigning, his Democratic opponent isn’t raising it and it’s barely a […]

US Muslims see rise in Islamophobia

May 10, 2022 Unlisted Author

(VOA) After a six-year hiatus, U.S. President Joe Biden last week resumed the 22-year-old tradition of hosting an Eid celebration at the White House. “Muslims make our nation stronger every single day, even as they still face real challenges and threats in […]

Latino Muslims — a growing group — struggle to find their place in the Islamic community Though the number of Latino Muslims is on the rise, experts and converts say that many are isolated after they join the faith

May 2, 2022 Mya Jaradat

(Deseret News) It’s a Saturday night during Ramadan and, as the sun sets, the courtyard of [the] Muslim Community of Palm Beach County comes alive as locals gather for iftar, the breaking of the fast. Men take seats at the long white […]

State senator who once denigrated Islam as a ‘cult of hate’ seeks recognition for Muslim holidays Practicing Muslims make up about 3 percent of New Jersey’s population, according to the Pew Research Center — the highest percentage of any state.

February 15, 2022 Matt Friedman

(Politico) Selaedin Maksut didn’t expect anything specific to come out of his meeting late last year with then-state Sen.-elect Ed Durr after an anti-Muslim tweet of Durr’s surfaced. But what was initially planned as a meeting to explain Islam to Durr — […]

Muslim women becoming politically active, encouraging others

December 23, 2021 Paradise Afshar

(Atlanta Journal-Constitution) Ruwa Romman is entertaining the idea of running for office. The 28-year-old from Duluth envisions herself running on a platform focused on health care, education, social justice and the economy. She also wants to shatter stereotypes and challenge barriers placed […]

Not on the menu: Halal, kosher options limited in California school lunches

October 19, 2021 Joe Hong

(CalMatters) On days she forgets to pack her lunch, 17-year-old Dalal Erekat has to resort to a few vegetarian options like carrot sticks and tater tots. Her school, Valhalla High, has never provided halal entrees permissible to eat by her Muslim faith. […]

‘Politics is power’: American Muslim groups ramp up voting drives ahead of upcoming general elections American Muslims are becoming an important voting bloc, but engagement needs to be an ongoing habit, not just for general elections, say advocates.

September 30, 2021 Brooke Anderson

(New Arab) America’s general election was less than a year ago, but with local, state and midterm elections fast approaching, and with early voting already well underway, Muslim groups are wasting no time in getting their community out to vote. “We’re often […]

Trump aides aim to build GOP opposition to Afghan refugees

September 15, 2021 Jill Colvin

(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 […]

1,777 complaints following tweet by Vlaams Belang MP

August 21, 2021 Alan Hope

(Brussels Times) Sam Van Rooy, a Vlaams Belang member of the Flemish parliament, is the subject of 1,777 complaints made to Unia, the official agency against discrimination. The complaints were orchestrated by the Facebook group Allemaal Van Belang, who accused Van Rooy […]

Biden urged to appoint envoy to counter Islamophobia ‘epidemic’ The US Council of Muslim Organisations is urging the Biden administration to create an office to monitor and combat anti-Muslim attacks

May 7, 2021 Umar A. Farooq

(Middle East Eye) A coalition of Muslim organisations in the US is calling on the administration of President Joe Biden to create an envoy that would monitor and combat Islamophobia, which the groups say plays an interconnected threat to Muslims around the […]

Illegal immigration ‘crackdown’ nets only 71 prosecutions from 17,000 caught (LINK ONLY)

April 19, 2021 EoI News

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France: European Commission urged to investigate Paris over ‘imam charter’ Civil society groups say a number of French laws disproportionally discriminate against Muslims, violating their fundamental human rights

March 8, 2021 Unlisted Author

(Middle East Eye) A coalition of civil society organisations on Monday urged European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to investigate France at the European Court of Justice over its controversial “imam charter,” saying that it violates Muslims’ right to free speech […]

The Trump bump? With a surge of election wins, Muslims make their mark on NJ politics

February 16, 2021 Hannan Adely

(Bergen Record) Feras Awwad dreamed of entering politics and government one day to help his community and change the negative narratives about Muslims he heard growing up after the 9/11 attacks. Last year, at age 26, he seized the opportunity, winning election to the Clifton […]

Muslim Americans aim for high turnout, new influence in 2020

October 30, 2020 Mariam Fam and Elana Schor

(AP) In the 2016 presidential election, Mohamed Abukar didn’t like his options, so he didn’t vote. This year the 26-year-old Michigan resident has already cast his ballot — and urged others to follow suit. “It’s your civic duty” to vote, Abukar said […]

Meng urges Biden to appoint country’s first Muslim judges to federal bench if elected

October 13, 2020 David Brand

(Queens Daily Eagle) U.S. Rep. Grace Meng is using her influence among national Democrats to push for the appointment of Muslim judges to the federal bench for the first time if her party wins back the White House. Meng, the vice chair […]

As terrorism trial unfolds in Paris, France confronts its problem with Islamist extremism Muslim hardliners trying to capitalize on alienation many young Muslims feel

October 11, 2020 Don Murray

(CBC) “This is our separatism.” Separatism — a word that has weight in many countries, notably Canada. Here the speaker was French, in fact it was French President Emmanuel Macron. The separatism he was talking about, in a major and long-delayed speech […]

California Census partners with CAIR radical

August 5, 2020 Steven Emerson

(IPT) Would someone who believes that ISIS terrorists and the Israeli army are morally equivalent have the kind of judgment to provide “essential” help to the government? What if that [same] person worked for an organization that the FBI believes is not […]

Police surveillance concerns US Muslims amid BLM protest crackdown With coronavirus hitting the US hard, there are growing fears community groups will have to resort to funding provided by surveillance programmes

July 3, 2020 Vanessa Taylor

(Middle East Eye) The killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis triggered the largest protests over systemic racism and police brutality the United States has seen in more than a generation. Black Lives Matter protests swiftly spread to more […]

After Floyd, raw talk, racial reckoning among US Muslims

June 28, 2020 Mariam Fam

(AP) As a young student, Hind Makki recalls, she would call out others at the Islamic school she attended when some casually used an Arabic word meaning “slaves” to refer to black people. “Maybe 85% of the time, the response that I […]

‘Day of Outrage’: NJ mosques will preach against racism, police brutality on Friday

June 4, 2020 Hannan Adely

(Bergen Record) More than two dozen mosques across New Jersey plan to dedicate their sermons on Friday — their main day of prayer — to speaking out against racism and police brutality, a coalition of groups announced Wednesday. Friday’s “Day of Outrage” […]

How foreign policy factors for American Muslims in 2020

April 1, 2020 Adham Sahloul and Shadi Hamid

(Lawfare) Muslims represent only around 1 percent of the American population, yet today they find themselves playing an increasingly important public role. For instance, two of the most prominent congresspeople are the first two Muslim congresswomen in American history, Ilhan Omar and […]

Coalition of Muslim political groups launches $1 million campaign to get more Muslims to vote in 2020

March 12, 2020 Steve Friess

(Newsweek) A coalition of prominent Muslim-American advocacy groups this morning are launching the Million Muslim Votes campaign, an unprecedented $1 million effort to find and persuade Muslims to participate in the 2020 general election. Led by Emgage, a Washington D.C.-based group aimed […]

More US firms are boosting faith-based support for employees

February 11, 2020 David Crary

(AP) It has become standard practice for U.S. corporations to assure employees of support regardless of their race, gender or sexual orientation. There’s now an intensifying push to ensure that companies are similarly supportive and inclusive when it comes to employees’ religious […]

Texas governor to reject new refugees, first under Trump

January 10, 2020 Nomaan Merchant

(AP) Texas will no longer accept the resettlement of new refugees, becoming the first state known to do so under a recent Trump administration order, Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday. Abbott’s announcement could have major implications for refugees coming to the United […]

CAIR’s Awad describes his ‘formula’ for Islamist political power

November 12, 2019 Steven Emerson

(IPT) Nihad Awad has a vision for America’s future. Awad, a co-founder and executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), calls it “the formula.” “A strong CAIR equals a strong community,” he said Saturday during CAIR’s national fundraising banquet. “A […]

Why many Muslims treat Bernie Sanders like a rock star

September 22, 2019 Jaweed Kaleem

(LA Times) An Egyptian American woman in a black hijab kicked off the volunteer meeting, invoking God in Arabic as she stood in front of a handwritten poster that read, “Muslims and Arabs for Bernie.” Volunteers had gathered at a Syrian-Palestinian cafe […]

CAIR touts partnership with Census Bureau

August 28, 2019 Steven Emerson

(IPT) Federal law enforcement knows enough about the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) to order its agents not to engage with the group outside of criminal investigations. But despite that, the U.S. Census Bureau believes the conservative, Sunni-dominated Islamist organization is a […]

In a survey of American Muslims, 0% identified as lesbian or gay. Here’s the story behind that statistic

May 28, 2019 Daniel Burke

(CNN) In the United States, you could count the number of mosques like Masjid al-Rabia on two hands. It’s a small community built on “five pillars of inclusivity,” including pledges to be “women-centered,” anti-racist, LGBTQ-affirming and welcoming to a variety of Islamic […]

Germany issues an ‘early warning’ report about rise of Islamist anti-Semitism

May 8, 2019 Toby Axelrod

(JTA) The top intelligence agency in Germany has written what is being called its most comprehensive analysis of rising anti-Semitism by Islamist extremists. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, or BfV, described its 40-page brochure as a tool for […]