Government & Politics

Meet Nabilah Islam, the Bangladeshi American trying to make Georgia progressive Endorsed by Ilhan Omar and AOC, Islam says she's not just trying to flip her district from red to blue, but from red to progressive

(Middle East Eye) Nabilah Islam says her family’s one of the lucky ones. As a teenager, her mother, a working-class immigrant from Noakhali, Bangladesh, literally broke her back while trying to hold down two jobs — flipping burgers at one and stacking […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Arabs for Black Lives urges community to do its part against racism New initiative endorsed by Arab artists, academics and organisers calls for eradicating anti-blackness within Arab communities

(Middle East Eye) Arab Americans have launched an anti-racism initiative in solidarity with the African-American community as protests continue over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died at the hands of Minneapolis police last week. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, […]

Government & Politics

New name, same game: American Muslims vow to fight new ‘counter-terror’ initiative Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention programme is just an extension of CVE, advocacy groups say

(Middle East Eye) Ahmed Mohamed made headlines five years ago when he brought a homemade clock to his US public high school. A robotics enthusiast, Mohamed loved engineering and had dreams of studying at the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Still, when […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Arab-black relations: Floyd tragedy highlights ties and tensions Debate emerges about responsibilities of Arab American-owned businesses in mostly black neighbourhoods

(Middle East Eye) “Please, please, I can’t breathe,” George Floyd pleaded, gasping for air as a police officer’s knee pressed into his neck for several minutes until his life was lost. Floyd’s death in Minneapolis on Monday has touched the conscience of […]

Government & Politics

Joe Biden’s campaign removes ‘racist’ anti-Palestinian language from platform Passage saying BDS lets Palestinians 'off the hook for their choices' has disappeared from Biden's plan for Jewish-American communities

(Middle East Eye) Joe Biden’s campaign has watered down an anti-BDS line from his platform for Jewish-American communities, removing “racist” language that angered Palestine solidarity activists. The Biden campaign said in a statement earlier this month that his administration will “firmly reject […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Coronavirus: British Muslims call out ‘double standard’ over government Eid warnings The UK government has come under fire for publishing adverts online urging Muslims to stay home during Eid — despite them adhering to lockdown measures

(Middle East Eye) Adverts posted by the UK government online urging British Muslims to stay home and observe the religious festival of Eid at home have been criticised as a display of “double standards” in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. With […]

Government & Politics

UK Muslim charity calls for end to inquiry after police return seized funds Charity Commission asked to end probe into Human Aid UK after donations seized by police are confirmed as legitimate

(Middle East Eye) A UK-based Muslim charity has called on the Charity Commission to end its statutory inquiry into the organisation after police confirmed that funds confiscated from it last year were donations and perfectly legitimate. The money was seized by UK […]

Government & Politics

Biden’s plan for Muslim Americans: A ‘good start’ but missing policy details Activists call for more specifics from Biden's campaign and urge direct engagement with Muslim community

(Middle East Eye) Joe Biden has released a plan to protect the civil rights of Muslim Americans and reverse some of Donald Trump’s Islamophobic decrees if elected president. The plan, titled “Joe Biden’s agenda for Muslim-American communities,” vows to undo Trump’s Muslim ban on […]

Fasting

US prison denies some inmates from fasting during Ramadan, rights groups say Some Muslim inmates in Virginia were not able to receive meals before sunrise or at sunset, three rights groups said

(Middle East Eye) A number of Muslim prisoners in Virginia have been denied the right to fast during the holy month of Ramadan because prison management received “too many” requests, three rights groups said. Muslim Advocates, the Islamic Circle of North America’s […]

Banks & Banking

HSBC to block donations to Palestinian aid charity Interpal British bank will no longer process standing orders, in Ramadan blow for one of UK's leading pro-Palestinian aid organisations

(Middle East Eye) British bank HSBC has told customers in the UK that it will stop processing standing order payments to the Palestinian aid charity Interpal from next month. The bank sent out letters earlier this month to account holders who make […]

Christians

‘Divisive’: Rights groups accuse Trump of stoking Islamophobia ahead of Ramadan US president suggests Muslims could get preferential treatment during the Muslim holy month, echoing a theme circulating on right-wing Twitter circles

(Middle East Eye) Muslim rights groups have accused US President Donald Trump of stoking Islamophobia after he said there “could be a difference” in how local authorities and politicians enforce coronavirus lockdown measures during the month of Ramadan. During his daily coronavirus news conference on Saturday, Trump referred […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Black Muslims in US fear they could be ‘disproportionately impacted’ by coronavirus The community is often rendered invisible within the larger black and Muslim populations

(Middle East Eye) Black Muslims in the United States fear they could be at a higher risk from coronavirus infections, as cases continue to climb and hospitals in communities of colour struggle to flatten the curve. More than 10,000 people have died […]

Health & Medicine

‘We see this as our responsibility’: Muslims fundraise for Americans impacted by coronavirus Several organisations have begun distributing groceries and money to families financially impacted by coronavirus

(Middle East Eye) The coronavirus pandemic has devastated global financial markets and sent shockwaves through the US economy with analysts expecting massive job losses in the coming months. According to a recent poll, a staggering 18 percent of American households reported either being laid off or […]

Government & Politics

Biden campaign urged to remove ‘Modi supporter’ as Muslim outreach coordinator Middle East Eye understands that Joe Biden's presidential campaign is desperate to find new outreach coordinator to help secure Muslim vote

(Middle East Eye) Pressure is mounting on Joe Biden’s presidential campaign to replace its Muslim outreach manager following revelations he has strong connections with India’s right-wing Hindu government. Sources have told Middle East Eye that the Biden campaign is scrambling to find […]

Government & Politics

In battle for the Muslim vote, Sanders destroys the competition: poll Amid massive voter turnout of Muslim-Americans, Bernie Sanders takes the Muslim vote in landslide, recent CAIR survey shows

(Middle East Eye) US presidential candidates made unprecedented efforts to court the Muslim vote in the lead-up to Super Tuesday, but according to a recent poll, Bernie Sanders won that battle in a landslide. Sanders took 58 percent of the overall Muslim […]

Government & Politics

Group of Palestinian Americans endorses Bernie Sanders for president Collection of activists and organisations says Sanders draws attention to the 'injustices of the occupation'

(Middle East Eye) A coalition of Palestinian-American activists and advocacy groups has endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for president, lauding the Democratic candidate as a “supporter of justice, equality and human rights for all, including the Palestinian people.” “We call upon all Palestinian […]

Government & Politics

Meet the progressive Democrat running for Congress in the heart of Arab America Solomon Rajput, a medical student and congressional hopeful, is seeking to take down one of the longest-standing political dynasties in the US

(Middle East Eye) Congressional hopeful Solomon Rajput says his early morning commute to school, more than 20 years ago, left an indelible mark on his political outlook. Growing up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a school bus would pick him up from his […]

Crime

‘We want our voices heard’: Muslims in Maryland showcase power of door-to-door lobbying Scores of Muslims from across Maryland converge on state capital and find some lawmakers willing to listen

(Middle East Eye) The energy was palpable at Maryland’s House of Delegates late Monday, as members of the Muslim community hurried through the building’s hallways and knocked on doors, trying to lobby politicians on key bills and issues under consideration in the […]

Government & Politics

US election 2020: At one Iowa mosque, almost all caucus votes went to Bernie Sanders Muslim-Americans came out overwhelmingly in support of Sanders at mosque in Des Moines

(Middle East Eye) “Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar.” The Muslim call for prayer, known as adhan, echoed through the Muslim Community Organization in Iowa as voters stood in a registration line outside the prayer hall, waiting to attend the Democratic Party’s caucuses at […]

Government & Politics

Ilhan Omar takes Bernie Sanders’ message to Iowa mosque 'It's not about somebody else. This election cycle is about us,' US congresswoman tells Muslim Americans

(Middle East Eye) If Muslim-Americans want to become “visible” and elevate their issues on the decision-making table, they must participate in the upcoming presidential elections. That was Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s message to worshippers at the Muslim Community Organization in Des Moines, Iowa. […]

Government & Politics

UK: Prevent review ‘will go ahead’ following concerns by rights groups Conservative party pledges to review counter-terrorism strategy facing renewed criticism from Muslim community

(Middle East Eye) The British government said it will continue its review of the controversial Prevent strategy amid concerns by rights groups that the Conservative Party was planning to scrap its report into the counter-terrorism scheme. Prevent is a strand of the […]

Government & Politics

‘End Prevent’: UK government faces new calls to drop counter-terrorism strategy Academics and activists call for 'alternative approach' as government's own promised review of contentious programme remains stalled

(Middle East Eye) The British government is facing fresh calls to abolish its Prevent strategy amid uncertainty over the future of its own suspended review of the contentious counter-terrorism programme. More than 100 academics, activists and public figures opposed to the strategy […]

Academics & Education

‘Foolish’: Muslim convention criticised for hosting anti-Palestinian politician Attendees criticise decision to host Ontario Premier Doug Ford whose political party has been accused of Islamophobia

(Middle East Eye) Billed as one of the biggest Muslim events in North America, the Reviving the Islamic Spirit (RIS) conference has attracted some high-profile names in recent years, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as well as Pakistan’s Imran Khan. So […]

Academics & Education

Muslim group urges debate moderators to ask candidates about Trump’s antisemitism decree It would be 'disservice to American voters' if moderators did not heed call during next debate, CAIR's government affairs director says

(Middle East Eye) The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has called on the moderators of the next Democratic presidential debate to question candidates about a recent executive order that effectively silences criticism on US campuses of Israeli human rights abuses. The order, […]

Government & Politics

American Muslims to Democrats: ‘Palestine is a foreign policy priority’ The American Muslims for Palestine convention was bigger than ever, with participants looking to build momentum with Democrats

(Middle East Eye) Activists and academics gathered in Chicago over the weekend for the 12th annual American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) convention, calling on American Muslims and the Democratic Party to prioritise Palestine as a foreign policy issue. Those present at the […]

Clerics & Preachers

Hamza Yusuf issues apology for ‘hurting feelings’ with Syria comments It was announced in June that Yusuf would be joining US State Department's Commission on Unalienable Rights, which drew even more flak from US Muslims

(Middle East Eye) Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, one of America’s leading Muslim scholars, apologised for “any pain that I caused” over comments he made about Syrian refugees in a 2016 video that emerged on social media earlier this week. In a 10-minute-long statement released […]

Crime

Hate crimes targeting Muslims in Canada down 50 percent in 2018, new data shows But experts say data doesn't paint a full picture, with about two-thirds of hate crimes never reported to police

(Middle East Eye) Hate crimes against Muslims in Canada were down 50 percent in 2018 compared to the year before, a new report by Statistics Canada has said. But a national advocacy group has warned about an uptick in hate incidents targeting religious institutions. […]

Christians

Canadian Muslim group declines invitation to attend US summit on religious freedom Trump's Muslim ban cited as main reason not to attend the conference, says National Council of Canadian Muslims

(Middle East Eye) A prominent Canadian Muslim advocacy group has declined an invitation to attend an upcoming US government conference on religious freedom because of President Donald Trump’s travel ban of several Muslim-majority countries. The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) on […]

Government & Politics

‘People who look like me’: US Muslims celebrate Tlaib and Omar victories Supporters of the first Muslim congresswomen in US history say they see themselves reflected in Congress for the first time in their lives

(Middle East Eye) Ilhan Omar had four hours to decide whether to run for Congress. Last June, Keith Ellison, then a representative for Minnesota and the first Muslim elected to Congress, made a late-hour entry into the state’s attorney general race, leaving […]

Crime

Canada: Muslim groups call for national day of action against hate Making 29 January a National Day of Action against Hate and Intolerance would honour victims of deadly Quebec mosque attack, groups say

(Middle East Eye) More than 100 community groups across Canada have called on Justin Trudeau’s government to designate January 29 a National Day of Action against Hate and Intolerance, in memory of the victims of a deadly attack on a Canadian mosque […]