Source: New Arab – Eye on Islamism

How Yahya Sinwar stirred uproar at a German maternity ward The name of late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar appearing on a newborn board at a German hospital sparks backlash, prompting apology from Leipzig University Hospital

August 5, 2025 Unlisted Author

(New Arab) The name of the late Hamas political leader Yahya Sinwar has sparked controversy in Germany after it appeared on a welcome board for newborns at Leipzig University Hospital. The hospital displays a board each day listing the names of babies […]

Poll shows Muslims ‘happier in Britain than other European nations’ The Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life found that British Muslims are happier here than in most other European nations.

March 5, 2024 Unlisted Author

(New Arab) British Muslims living in the UK are happier than their co-religionists living in other European nations, a survey commissioned by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) has reported. The survey also found that they feel optimistic about […]

France deports Salafist preacher accused of ‘radicalising Muslims’ to Algeria Salafist preacher Abderrahim Sayah was deported from France to Algeria after being accused of 'radicalising' Muslims in Hautmont

June 15, 2023 Unlisted Author

(New Arab) The French government has deported an Algerian Salafist preacher who was accused of glorifying terrorism, French media reported on Wednesday. Abderrahim Sayah, who founded the As-Sunnah mosque in Hautmont which was shut down by authorities in 2018, was deported to Algeria on instructions from […]

US Muslim organisations see bright future for community’s candidates Though there are no new Muslim faces in public office at the national level from the latest US midterms, organisers from Muslim groups expect that to change in the next decade.

November 12, 2022 Brooke Anderson

(New Arab) Looking at the long-term prospects of political leaders in their community, organisers with Muslim groups see a bright future for Muslim candidates. While this year’s midterms didn’t see the slew of wins for Muslims that the previous two elections did, […]

NGOs call for rejection of IHRA’s anti-Semitism definition in US county A coalition of NGOs are calling for the rejection of a resolution in Montgomery County in Maryland that could make criticism of Israel part of a definition of anti-Semitism, raising wider concerns over free speech.

November 1, 2022 Brooke Anderson

(New Arab) On a rainy Monday evening at the Montgomery County Council in Maryland, located near Washington, DC, a group of NGOs held a press conference calling on the Council to reject the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of anti-Semitism, which would […]

Shia-Sunni communities hold joint press conference after Albuquerque Muslim killings Following days of tension in the US Muslim community following the killings of Muslim men in Albuquerque by a serial killer, a man was arrested on Tuesday in what appears to be murders by a Sunni motivated by anti-Shia hatred.

August 10, 2022 Brooke Anderson

(New Arab) Following the arrest of the main suspect in the killing of Muslim men in Albuquerque — an Afghan Sunni immigrant who allegedly murdered four Shia Muslims — the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) held a press conference Tuesday evening in […]

US rights groups warn against travel to UAE 'Our fear is that the UAE might be involved in extraordinary rendition,' Nihad [Awad], executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told the New Arab.

July 25, 2022 Brooke Anderson

(New Arab) Rights groups in the United States are warning civil society activists against travelling or transiting through the United Arab Emirates after the detention of US civil rights attorney Asim Ghafoor. Ghafoor, a Virginia-based civil rights lawyer who represented murdered Washington […]

Jordan Peterson slammed for suggesting Sunni, Shia Muslims should fix ‘sectarian divide’ by becoming pen pals Jordan Peterson has suggested sectarian differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims could be healed by becoming pen pals.

July 14, 2022 Unlisted Author

(New Arab) Dr. Jordan Peterson has been slammed for suggesting Sunni and Shia Muslims mend differences by becoming pen pals. In a video posted to his YouTube channel, the Canadian academic and self-help writer touched on Muslim issues, an area Peterson is not […]

US state Maryland gives Muslim students the legal right to wear hijab in sport The Inclusive Attire Act, which took effect earlier this month, gives legal protection to student athletes of all faiths who choose to dress modestly or wear their religious coverings while participating in sports.

July 8, 2022 Brooke Anderson

(New Arab) The US state of Maryland has passed a law that will protect the rights of hijab-wearing female athletes and others with faith-related head coverings to play sports, without concerns of exclusion. The bill, called the Inclusive Attire Act, which took […]

Biden’s low approval among US Muslim voters ‘a challenge’ for upcoming midterms With the US midterms approaching in November, Muslims' low approval ratings for the Biden administration and for Congress should be of concern for candidates.

July 7, 2022 Brooke Anderson

(New Arab) If US President Joe Biden looks like he’s in trouble with the average voter in the United States, then there’s even worse news for him among Muslim voters. A new survey of US Muslim voters released Wednesday by the Council […]

CAIR launches ‘Get Out the Jokes’ comedy voter drive for US midterm elections CAIR launches 'Get Out the Jokes' comedy tour voter [drive] ahead of the 2022 US midterm elections.

June 15, 2022 Brooke Anderson

(New Arab) Getting people to go out and vote can be hard, especially in communities where people don’t feel like their voices are heard. Humour is one way to break the ice on serious topics, like politics. This month, the Council on […]

Rights groups warn of ‘real danger’ to Muslims, marginalised if Trump returns to Twitter Elon Musk has said he would like to reverse Trump's Twitter ban. What does this mean for Muslims and other vulnerable groups, who have been affected by inflammatory statements?

May 11, 2022 Brooke Anderson

(New Arab) As many have expected since billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk was approved to buy Twitter last month, he has finally indicated that he will approve of the return of banned former president Donald Trump. This could leave Muslims and other marginalised […]

CAIR urges Georgetown University to probe student complaints of Islamophobia Following multiple student reports of a professor's Islamophobic remarks in the classroom, CAIR is calling on Georgetown University to investigate.

March 19, 2022 Brooke Anderson

(New Arab) The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling on Georgetown University Law Center to look into student claims of Islamophobia by a law professor. In a letter to the law school this week, CAIR Maryland director Zainab Chaudry wrote that they […]

Minnesota school districts to [observe] Muslim Eid holidays for the first time this year With its small but vibrant Muslim community, Minnesota's schools have until now not observed Muslim holidays. That will change next school year.

March 1, 2022 Brooke Anderson

(New Arab) Even with its growing Muslim community, Minnesota’s district schools have until now not officially observed Muslim holidays. That will change starting next school year, when several school districts will recognise Eid El-Fitr and Eid El-Adha as official school holidays. “Muslims are […]

Sweden repatriates women, children from northeast Syria Sweden repatriated two women and four children from northeast Syria on Thursday, the day after the area's Kurdish-led authorities announced the end of a prison stand-off which left scores dead.

January 28, 2022 Unlisted Author

(New Arab) Sweden repatriated two women and four children from northeast Syria on Thursday, the day after the area’s Kurdish-led authorities announced the end of a deadly prison stand-off in the city of Hasakeh. The six Swedes were met at Stockholm’s Arlanda airport […]

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.

October 31, 2021 Brooke Anderson

(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. […]

US rights group call[s] out Facebook on ‘anti-Muslim hate’ content Recent congressional testimony has once again highlighted what appears to be neglect by Facebook regarding the hosting of hate content on its pages.

October 12, 2021 Brooke Anderson

(New Arab) After the congressional testimony by Facebook whistle-blower Frances Haugen about hate speech on the platform, a Muslim rights group in the US is calling for greater accountability of the social media giant. Facebook has come under fire for allegations that it has […]

Germany’s Cologne to allow public Muslim call to prayer in two-year pilot scheme Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker said that the decision came in response to requests, calling it 'a sign of mutual acceptance of religion.'

October 9, 2021 Unlisted Author

(New Arab) Municipal authorities in the western German city of Cologne have announced that the Muslim call to prayer will be allowed to be recited on loudspeakers on Fridays, when Muslims hold weekly congregational prayers. The public call to prayer, known in Arabic […]

‘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 […]

Rights group condemns anti-Muslim remarks by 9/11 memorial and museum trustee A trustee of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum board has come under fire by a Muslim rights group for comments she made ahead of the terror attack's 20th anniversary.

September 10, 2021 Unlisted Author

(New Arab) A US-based Muslim rights group is calling for the removal of a member of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum trustee board following “numerous Islamophobic statements” made during her participation in a webinar marking the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks. Board member […]

Muslim advocates share tips on teaching about 9/11 to Muslim students Educators can create a productive learning environment when teaching young Muslim students about 9/11, Muslim advocates say.

September 7, 2021 Brooke Anderson

(New Arab) Teaching children about the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US can be a sensitive topic — even more so when it comes to Muslim students, who can face intimidation and bullying related to the event. As we approach the […]

UAE fatwa council head Abdallah bin Bayyah ‘removed’ from Islamic conference line-up after backlash

December 2, 2020 Unlisted Author

(New Arab) The chair of the United Arab Emirates’ fatwa council will no longer be attending a global Islamic conference following a backlash over the cleric’s perceived backing of the Gulf state’s targeting of Muslim organisations. Sheikh Abdallah bin Bayyah, a prominent […]

Protesters demand scholar Tariq Ramadan’s release ahead of trial, as academic’s health worsens

July 17, 2018 Unlisted Author

(New Arab) Protests took place around the world on Tuesday to demand the release of Tariq Ramadan, a Swiss Muslim academic who was detained in France after being accused of rape. Solidarity rallies as part of the Free Tariq Ramadan Campaign’s “International […]

UAE helped ‘cement Islamophobia’ in the UK: report

July 17, 2018 Unlisted Author

(New Arab) The United Arab Emirates helped to “cement Islamophobia” in the UK in order to boost its standing in the west, through a range of campaigning techniques, which are similar to those used by pro-Israel lobbyists in the US and Europe, […]