Source: Al-Jazeera – Eye on Islamism

US candidate Jill Stein considering vocal Palestine advocates for VP spot Shortlist of running mates for Green Party candidate includes two Arab Americans from the swing state of Michigan.

August 3, 2024 Ali Harb

(Al-Jazeera) United States Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein is considering three Palestinian rights advocates, including two Arab Americans, to be her running mate in the elections, her campaign has confirmed. The vice president announcement will be made during a livestream rally […]

UK revokes visa of law student who addressed pro-Palestine protest Dana Abuqamar says her comments at a rally last year which raised suspicion were mischaracterised.

May 10, 2024 Unlisted Author

(Al-Jazeera) The United Kingdom has revoked the visa of a Palestinian student after she participated in a pro-Palestine demonstration at her university. Dana Abuqamar told Al Jazeera that the Home Office withdrew her visa casting her as a “national security” threat, following […]

Like Nigel Farage, British Muslims say they are being ‘de-banked’ Often without providing clear reasons, major high-street banks appear to be disproportionately closing the accounts of British Muslims, members of the minority group and experts say.

August 15, 2023 Usaid Siddiqui

(Al-Jazeera) Two months ago, the Cordoba Foundation, a British think tank, was organising a forum in central London about political tensions in Tunisia. But when trying to settle invoices, its efforts to pay for the event failed. “Multiple attempts to pay the […]

Copy of Quran desecrated outside Stockholm’s Royal Palace Burning the Quran is permitted under Sweden’s freedom of speech laws.

August 14, 2023 Nils Adler

(Al-Jazeera) A copy of the Quran has been desecrated in Sweden’s capital as two men kicked the Muslim holy book and burned several of its pages in front of the Royal Palace amid a heavy police presence. Monday’s incident marked the second […]

‘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 […]

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 […]

King Charles: What are his views on Islam? During the course of his life, the British monarch has on several key occasions expressed his views on Islam and the Muslim world.

September 11, 2022 Unlisted Author

(Al-Jazeera) Interest in Britain’s new monarch King Charles III has spiked since he ascended the throne on Saturday, following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II. While the 73-year-old has been in the public eye for decades, much of the attention […]

Afghan refugees protest delayed visas at US embassy in Madagascar Afghan refugees living in the east African island nation say they lack basic support and want to be relocated to the US.

July 18, 2022 Joseph Stepansky

(Al-Jazeera) A group of refugees from Afghanistan has gathered in front of the United States embassy in Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, calling for their cases to be expedited after years of waiting. At least a dozen Afghans including both adults and children gathered […]

US Congress must understand ‘trauma’ of Nakba, Rashida Tlaib says The US legislator, who introduced resolution to recognise Palestinian displacement, tells Al Jazeera ‘Nakba hasn’t stopped.’

May 18, 2022 Ali Harb

(Al-Jazeera) It’s important for United States lawmakers to understand the “trauma and pain” of the Palestinian Nakba, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has said, urging Washington to condition aid to Israel on its rights record. Tlaib introduced a congressional resolution earlier this week to […]

US Congress: Rashida Tlaib introduces Nakba resolution Congresswoman says measure aims to recognise forced displacement of Palestinians during establishment of Israeli state.

May 16, 2022 Unlisted Author

(Al-Jazeera) US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has said she introduced a resolution to recognise the Palestinian Nakba, a term used to describe the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the lead-up to the establishment of the state of Israel in […]

French lawyer attacks EU over poster featuring Muslim woman Social media outburst puts France’s treatment of its minority Muslim population — the largest in Europe — back in the spotlight.

February 11, 2022 Unlisted Author

(Al-Jazeera) A French lawyer has criticised the European Union over an advertisement for its Conference on the Future of Europe event featuring a hijab-wearing Muslim woman. Thibault de Montbrial, an adviser to France’s centre-right presidential hopeful Valerie Pecresse, said the use of […]

Biden nominates first US Muslim woman to federal court bench Muslim group hails ‘historic nomination’ of Nusrat Jahan Choudhury, a Bangladeshi-American civil rights lawyer.

January 19, 2022 Unlisted Author

(Al-Jazeera) US President Joe Biden has nominated the first Muslim-American woman to be a judge on a federal court in the United States, the White House said on Wednesday, as it announced a list of diverse judicial nominees. If confirmed by the […]

US Muslims call for action as ‘spying’ incidents shake community Council on American-Islamic Relations says it uncovered a ‘mole’ within its organisation and a ‘spy’ at a US mosque.

December 30, 2021 Ali Harb

(Al-Jazeera) First, the major Muslim-American advocacy group reported that a “mole” had infiltrated the leadership of one of its state branches. Then, only days later, the organisation said a “spy” at a US mosque had passed information on to an “anti-Muslim” group. […]

Free speech vs Islamophobia: A teenager fuels debate in France Mila’s anti-Islam rant on Instagram drew thousands of hate messages and resulted in a landmark cyberbullying case.

August 10, 2021 Alexander Durie

(Al-Jazeera) It all started with an Instagram broadcast on January 18 last year. Mila, then 16, with a head of newly dyed purple hair, went on a rant against Islam, addressing some of her 10,000 followers who tuned in. “The Quran is […]

HRW urges Nordic countries to repatriate nationals from Syria More than 160 Nordic nationals, most of whom are children, are being held in northeast Syria, rights group says.

May 26, 2021 Unlisted Author

(Al-Jazeera) Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden to repatriate more than 160 Nordic nationals, most of whom are children, from northeast Syria. As many as 30 Danes, 22 Finns, 37 Norwegians, and 65 to 75 Swedes […]

Denmark: Plan to further limit ‘non-Western’ residents draws ire The government has proposed further reducing the number of ‘non-Western’ residents in certain areas in a bid to eradicate what it calls ‘ghettos.’

April 2, 2021 Urooba Jamal

(Al-Jazeera) When Ahmad Salamoun received an eviction notice at the home he has lived in for more than 30 years, in Helsingør, painful memories flooded back to him. Salamoun arrived in the Danish city, known as the setting to Shakespeare’s Hamlet, in […]

French ‘separatism’ bill risks discriminating Muslims: Amnesty Rights group says ‘many problematic provisions’ of the draft law, which heads to the Senate on Tuesday, should be scrapped or amended.

March 29, 2021 Unlisted Author

(Al-Jazeera) As the French Senate prepares to debate the so-called “anti-separatism” bill, human rights group Amnesty International has made a last-minute appeal for “many problematic provisions” of the draft law to be scrapped or amended. The Senate debate on Tuesday comes after […]

Swiss Muslims denounce ‘burqa ban’ proposal as referendum nears Only a few women are understood to wear facial coverings in Switzerland, where a controversial vote will take place on March 7.

March 2, 2021 Noele Illien

(Al-Jazeera) Less than a year ago, Valentina made the decision to switch her headscarf for a niqab. “I feel better and safer wearing it,” she told Al Jazeera. “It is also an act of worship.” For the 32-year-old from Switzerland, who prefers […]

‘French Muslims will suffer’ under separatism rules, critics say Civil rights groups, academics and experts raise alarm ahead of key vote on controversial bill.

February 11, 2021 Peter Yeung

(Al-Jazeera) On October 2 last year, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a law against what he called “Islamist separatism” aimed at tackling “radical” movements in the country. He described Islam as a religion “in crisis” globally, as he sought to boost support […]

Danish minister’s comment on sex before marriage angers Muslims Mattias Tesfaye has suggested the Muslim community should support the ‘right’ to sex before marriage for Muslim women.

November 26, 2020 Urooba Jamal

(Al-Jazeera) A Danish minister has caused outrage among the Muslim minority for suggesting imams and community leaders should publicly support the “right” to have sex before marriage for women. Mattias Tesfaye, foreign affairs and integration minister, said in a Facebook post last […]

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.

November 8, 2020 Unlisted Author

(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 […]

Macron says he understands Muslims’ shock over prophet cartoons In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, French President Emmanuel Macron says he understands the ‘sentiments’ being expressed by the Muslim world over cartoons of Prophet Muhammad.

October 31, 2020 Unlisted Author

(Al-Jazeera) French President Emmanuel Macron says he understands the feelings of Muslims who are shocked by the displaying of cartoons of Prophet Muhammad but added that the “radical Islam” he is trying to fight is a threat to all people, especially Muslims. […]

Sweden: Far-right activists burn copy of Quran, plan more stunts Racist demos in Stockholm being led by head of Denmark's Stram Kurs group, who has been banned from entering Sweden.

September 10, 2020 Unlisted Author

(Al-Jazeera) Members of a Danish far-right group burned a copy of the Quran in Sweden, only days after a similar incident in the southern city of Malmo. A video posted by the leader of the Stram Kurs (Hard Line) group showed a […]

New French PM says battle against ‘radical Islamism’ a priority Castex said a law to combat 'separatism' will be introduced after summer, but critics say Muslims will be targeted.

July 15, 2020 Unlisted Author

(Al-Jazeera) France’s newly-appointed prime minister, Jean Castex, has vowed to be “intransigent” in defending France’s official secularism, promising to fight “radical Islamism in all its forms” as “an absolute priority.” Unveiling new government policy in Paris on Wednesday, Castex told the National […]

‘I’m innocent’: Tariq Ramadan on rape allegations The prominent professor of contemporary Islamic studies discusses the ongoing sexual assault accusations against him.

September 28, 2019 Unlisted Author

(Al-Jazeera) Tariq Ramadan is recognised by many as the most prominent Islamic studies academic in the Western world. But at the height of the #MeToo movement in 2017, Ramadan was forced to take leave from his post as Oxford University’s professor of […]

Muslim Caucus highlights need for greater political engagement Two-day Muslim Caucus conference focused on communicating no Muslim politician should be reduced to their faith alone.

July 24, 2019 Martin de Bourmont

(Al-Jazeera) Participants at the first national gathering of Muslims in politics in the United States spoke of the two-day event, which ended on Wednesday, as an opportunity [to] move American Muslim communities beyond the defensive posture they have been forced to take […]

Ilhan Omar: I’m going to unmask the system of oppression in US At historic conference, Muslim Caucus condemns Trump's attacks, calls for infrastructure for organising Muslim Americans

July 23, 2019 Martin de Bourmont

(Al-Jazeera) An event in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, billed as the first national gathering of Muslims in politics in United States history, began with a resounding … rebuke of racism and Islamophobia emanating from the White House, and a call for Muslims […]

Muslim Caucus to hold first conference amid Trump’s attacks Ilhan Omar, others set to speak at first annual conference. Most major 2020 candidates are not attending.

July 23, 2019 Martin de Bourmont

(Al-Jazeera) Muslim political leaders and academics are set to gather in Washington, DC, on Tuesday for what is being billed as the first national gathering of Muslims in politics in United States history. The historic moment comes as President Donald Trump and […]

Italy’s Muslims uneasy after election of far-right government Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has threatened to shut mosques and said Islam is 'incompatible with the constitution.'

September 26, 2018 Ylenia Gostoli

(Al-Jazeera) On Friday after midday, on a tree-lined residential street in southeastern Rome, people speak an assortment of languages and dialects, from north African Arabic to the local Roman slang. The bottom floor of a peeling post-war building hosts a “prayer home.” […]