9/11 and World Trade Center

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

August 23, 2022   

(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

August 23, 2022   

(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.

August 17, 2022   

(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

August 5, 2022   

(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.

July 7, 2022   

(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

July 1, 2022   

(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

May 27, 2022 and   

(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?

May 11, 2022   

(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 […]

News: North America

Is Khaled Barakat part of a terrorist group or a victim of Israeli intimidation? Israeli intelligence is not alone in situating Barakat, who resides in Vancouver, in the upper echelons of the PFLP’s chain of command

April 28, 2022   

(National Post) He’s a high-ranking member of a Palestinian terrorist organization best known for dramatic airplane hijackings, suicide bombings and a 2014 massacre at a Jerusalem synagogue that left several worshippers severely injured and five dead, including Toronto-born rabbi Howie Rothman. That’s […]

Government & Politics

Ex-Guantanamo detainee sues Canada over 14-year ordeal of detention and torture Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a Mauritanian who lived briefly in Montreal, was haunted by a phone call asking for 'tea and sugar,' which interrogators claimed was code.

April 23, 2022   

(Toronto Star) A former Guantanamo detainee, whose story of detention and torture was featured in a best-selling memoir and Hollywood film, is going to court to try to force the Canadian government to reveal its role in his ordeal. Mohamedou Ould Slahi, […]

Clerics & Preachers

London mosque hosts hate preacher who called 9/11 and Charlie Hebdo attacks ‘comedy’ MP demands to know how Egyptian-born Dr Omar Abdul Kafi, who has also given sermons about getting 'revenge' on Jews, was allowed into the UK to speak at Finsbury Park mosque in north London.

April 22, 2022   

(Jewish News) An MP has demanded to know “how on earth” an Egyptian-born “hate preacher who has previously given sermons about killing Jews” was allowed to enter the UK. Dr Omar Abdul Kafi had last month given a lecture at the Finsbury […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Americans on FBI watchlist face detention, extra screenings when flying The ACLU estimates 1.6 million people are currently on the federal watchlist.

April 5, 2022 , , and   

(ABC) Already missing their flight to Canada, Zainab Merchant held her then-6-month-old baby inside a cold room in an airport in September of 2016 while she waited for her husband’s screening to be over after her family was detained for a random […]

Holidays

New York Muslims voice concern over Times Square’s first Tarawih prayers Several members of the Muslim community have voiced concern over holding Tarawih, an extra night prayer performed during Ramadan, at the bustling thoroughfare

April 1, 2022   

(Middle East Eye) New York City’s Times Square is set to host its first ever Tarawih prayers on Saturday, but several members of the Muslim community have voiced concern over the event being held at the bustling location. According to social media advertisements […]

Government & Politics

Muslim leaders want NYPD official censured for denying post-9/11 surveillance One attendee called for the ouster of John Miller, deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism.

March 23, 2022   

(Politico) Muslim community leaders told Mayor Eric Adams during a closed-door meeting Tuesday that a high-ranking member of the NYPD should face consequences for claiming the department never surveilled Muslims in the wake of 9/11 — with one attendee calling for the […]

Government & Politics

German intelligence on alert for extremists travelling to Afghanistan Intelligence chief says Al Qaeda could establish new training camps in country

February 9, 2022   

(National-UAE) German security services are bracing themselves for the possibility of extremists in Europe travelling to Afghanistan to fight or train with Al Qaeda. Bruno Kahl, the head of Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, said the Taliban’s return to power had made Afghanistan […]

Government & Politics

US Muslims react to Biden’s nomination of first Muslim woman to be federal judge Nusrat Choudhury has been praised for her commitment to defending marginalised communities and fighting for civil rights

February 7, 2022   

(Middle East Eye) Muslims across the United States are celebrating President Joe Biden’s judicial nomination of Nusrat Choudhury, who, if confirmed by the Senate, will be the first Muslim woman to be appointed as a US federal judge. Choudhury, a Bangladeshi American among […]