Academics & Education

An academic is fired over a medieval painting of the Prophet Muhammad The dismissal of an instructor at Hamline University on baseless charges of 'Islamophobia' raises concerns about freedom on campus

(New Lines) On Nov. 18, Hamline University’s student newspaper, the Oracle, published an article notifying its community members of two recent incidents on its campus in Saint Paul, Minnesota, one indubitably homophobic and the other supposedly Islamophobic. Both occurrences were placed under […]

Banks & Banking

US lawmakers demand banking regulators address discrimination against Muslims Congressman Ilhan Omar and Senator Elizabeth Warren urge Treasury to adopt corrective measures to promote equal access to banking institutions

(Middle East Eye) US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and Senator Elizabeth Warren are leading an effort to urge American banking regulators to reassess policies that discriminate against Muslim Americans and immigrant communities. The two lawmakers, along with Senator Ed Markey and Congresswomen Rashida […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Ron DeSantis: Republican rising star alarms Muslim, Palestinian communities As the Florida governor positions himself for a possible presidential bid, activists and organisers say DeSantis reminds them of bigoted rhetoric birthed in US-led 'war on terror'

(Middle East Eye) In 2006, then-Navy officer Ron DeSantis was an appointed attorney supporting the US military’s mission at Guantanamo Bay. Not much is officially known about his months-long stint at the prison, which at its peak held nearly 800 Muslim men […]

Legal

Holy Land Five: Rights groups, families demand release over ‘miscarriage of justice’ Advocacy groups launch awareness campaign marking 14 years since the conviction of the Holy Land Five

(Middle East Eye) A coalition of advocacy groups have called for the release of the Holy Land Five, a group of Palestinian-American men who were convicted of funding terrorism in a case civil liberties groups say highlights the disproportionate targeting of Muslim charities […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

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.

(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 […]

Deradicalization

Toronto 18 terrorist leader gets parole after RCMP interrogation to show he isn’t a threat The intense scrutiny of Zakaria Amara's radicalization and subsequent deradicalization while in prison for the past 17 years was his idea. And it paid off

(National Post) Zakaria Amara, leader of an al-Qaida-inspired terrorist plot to explode truck bombs in Ontario in 2006, recently faced two days of interrogation by RCMP national security investigators to assess what threat he might still pose as he sought release on […]

Government & Politics

Muslims suing over watch-list status say U.S. tactics block scrutiny Those challenging the constitutionality of the ‘No-Fly List’ and Terrorist Screening Database say that when they sue, they get removed, making it impossible to have their concerns heard in court

(Washington Post) Saadiq Long was only allowed to visit his mother after FBI agents questioned her. He was strip-searched at an airport in Amsterdam and arrested when visiting Turkey. He was banned from two Persian Gulf states and fired from a trucking […]

Military

American Muslims as likely as general population to serve in US military, poll finds Institute for Social Policy and Understanding survey found white Muslims more likely than white non-Muslims to serve in the US armed forces

(Middle East Eye) American Muslims are just as likely as any other faith group to serve in the US military, a new poll by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (Ispu) has found. More specifically, white Muslims are more likely than […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Muslim groups are alarmed by new CNN boss’ first big hire John Miller resigned from the NYPD after lying about its Muslim surveillance program. Now he’s covering law enforcement for CNN.

(HuffPost) CNN has hired John Miller, a former New York City Police Department official who lied about the department’s history of surveilling Muslims, to be its chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst — a move that has alarmed civil rights leaders and […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Poll: Americans’ views on 9/11 depend more on age than political party Many Americans share common beliefs approaching the anniversary of Sept. 11, but a closer look at New Yorkers — and Muslim Americans — reveal[s] nuance

(WRC) Twenty-one years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks of 2001, Americans across the political spectrum share many of the same feelings when it comes to their memories and sentiments related to the attacks. However, younger adults demonstrate less connection to the […]

Government & Politics

Michigan House Dem candidate ‘honored’ to appear alongside show host who made antisemitic comments after 9/11 Marlinga aims to represent Michigan's 10th District in the House

(Fox) Carl Marlinga, the Democratic nominee to represent Michigan’s 10th Congressional District in the House, made a recent appearance on a Facebook Live program hosted by MD Rabbi Alam, claiming he was “honored” to appear alongside the host who has a history […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Islamophobia remains steady in the US, but why do some Muslims share the sentiment? Institute for Social Policy and Understanding suggests past two decades of demonisation of Muslims post-9/11 may have played a role in negative sentiments

(Middle East Eye) As Islamophobia in the United States has remained steady in recent years, internalised Islamophobic sentiments have risen from within the Muslim American community, according to newly released data from the Institute for [Social] Policy and Understanding. The new American […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

US Muslims five times more likely to face police harassment due to their religion, study shows Muslims who identify as white are less likely to be harassed by the police because of their faith compared to non-white Muslims, the study notes

(Middle East Eye) Muslims are five times more likely to experience police harassment because of their religion compared to those of other faiths, a study by Rice University shows. More specifically, Muslim adults who identify as black, Middle Eastern, Arab or North […]

Government & Politics

Senators sound alarm on terror-related exemptions to US entry for Afghans, warn of ‘open-ended’ authority The Biden administration announced the terror bar exemptions in June

(Fox) A coalition of senators is seeking clarification from the Biden administration about what they fear is an “open-ended” authority to allow foreign nationals, who have provided “insignificant material support” to certain terrorist organizations, to enter the United States. Ten senators, led […]

Demonstrations

Revealed: The breadcrumb trail that identified the IS ‘Beatles’ Police followed a 'trail of very small breadcrumbs' to identify the British terrorists, but one piece of information a hostage felt was 'fairly unremarkable' turned out to be hugely significant.

(Sky News) Freed hostages were able to give British police key information identifying an IS kidnap gang nicknamed “The Beatles” which had held and tortured them, Scotland Yard has revealed. Officers have disclosed key breakthroughs that allowed them to identify the jihadis […]

News: North America

Convicted terrorist Momin Khawaja denied day parole The Ottawa-born man is serving a life sentence in connection with his role in a plot to bomb targets in the United Kingdom

(Ottawa Citizen) The Parole Board of Canada’s appeal division has denied the parole request of convicted terrorist Momin Khawaja, saying he has yet to take responsibility for his crimes. In a recently released decision, the appeal division upheld the parole board’s rejection […]

Government & Politics

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.

(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 […]

News: North America

Holy Land Five: Palestinian released, deported to Turkey after more than decade in US prison Mohammad el-Mezain was held in ICE custody for nearly a year after completing his prison sentence

(Middle East Eye) Mohammad el-Mezain, a Palestinian resident in the US, was released from detention and subsequently deported to Turkey after serving more than a decade in an American prison, following a controversial case in which he and others involved in a […]

Government & Politics

Former Guantanamo detainee explains why he’s suing Canada Mohamedou Ould Slahi is suing the Canadian government for $28m over its alleged role in wrongly sending him to Guantanamo Bay

(Middle East Eye) Mohamedou Ould Slahi hoped his release from Guantanamo in 2016 would mark a new stage in his life, one where he could finally live freely after decades of imprisonment and torture. But years later, without a passport and the ability to […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

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?

(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 […]