Tag: Islamophobia

  • Three Palestinian students studying in US shot for wearing keffiyah

    Three Palestinian students studying in US shot for wearing keffiyah

    Three Palestinian students were shot for wearing their country’s traditional keffiyeh scarves in Vermont, USA.

    The three boys – identified as Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdel Hamid and Tahseen Ahmed – were in Burlington for Thanksgiving holidays when they were targeted and injured, leaving one critically wounded.

    The victims, aged 20, were students of Harvard University, Brown University and Trinity University.

    According to the police, they were walking while visiting the home of one of the victim’s relatives when they were confronted by a white man with a gun.

    “Without speaking, he discharged at least four rounds from the pistol and is believed to have fled,” Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said in a statement.

    “The fact is that we don’t yet know as much as we want to right now,” he added. “But I urge the public to avoid making conclusions based on statements from uninvolved parties who know even less.”

    According to a statement released by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the victims were Palestinian American college students and that there is “reason to believe this shooting occurred because the victims are Arab.”

    It further revealed that a man shouted at and harassed the three young men, who were chatting in Arabic, and then shot them.

    The FBI Albany, New York, posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter) stating that they are
    “actively” investigating the case with the Burlington Police Department, ATF and other federal, state and local agencies.

  • Islamophobic Dutch leader Geert Wilders seeks to form government after election victory

    Islamophobic Dutch leader Geert Wilders seeks to form government after election victory

    Far-right populist leader Geert Wilders is all set to form a coalition government after a dramatic election victory.
    Geert is openly anti-Islam and anti-EU, with aims to take the country out of the Union and banning the Quran. He also wants restrictions on asylum and immigration.

    Against all predictions, Wilders’ party PVV won 37 out of 150 seats on Wednesday, well ahead of 25 for a joint Labour/Green ticket and 24 for the conservative People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

    Talks for the formation of a coalition will follow in the coming months. “I would be very happy to become the Dutch prime minister, of course,” Wilders told party members who welcomed him with champagne and cake, adding that he was willing to negotiate.

    It is predicted that he will have to compromise on his motives because the other parties may not agree to the anti-islam and anti-EU demands.
    Wilders’ victory has caused shockwaves all across Europe, sending a message to all populist leaders across the continent that “a new Europe is possible”.

  • Former US diplomat charged with hate crime over Islamophobic comments

    Former US diplomat charged with hate crime over Islamophobic comments

    Security advisor to former president Barack Obama, Stuart Seldowitz, who was recorded on video spewing Islamophobic slurs at a halal food vendor in Manhattan, has now been arrested and is facing multiple charges.

    The New York Police Department has reportedly charged Seldowitz with “aggravated harassment in the second degree, harassment, hate crime/stalking, stalking to cause fear, and stalking at place of employment”, according to communication NYPD shared with Documented.

    The video has been circulating on social media where he can be seen calling the man “terrorist”.

    “If we killed 4,000 Palestinian kids, you know what? It wasn’t enough”, he added while the vendor insists Seldowitz to leave.

    Seldowitz approached the food vendor twice after the first incident.

    In one of the videos, he alludes to his “friends in immigration” saying, “the Mukhabarat wants your picture,” apparently making reference to an Egyptian intelligence agency.

    “The Mukhabarat in Egypt will get your parents. Does your father like his fingernails? They’ll take them out one by one,” he continues.

    Since October 7, when Hamas allegedly attacked Israel which led to Israeli attacks on Gaza, islamophobia has reportedly increased in America.

    The New York Times reported that on Tuesday, the police said that no reports had been filed against Seldowitz, but they “confirmed that the commanding officer of the 19th Precinct was aware of the videos and that precinct personnel were monitoring the situation”.

    NYT also writes that Seldowitz gave a phone interview in which he claims to have not seen the viral videos and that it all started when he asked the vendor if he was Egyptian. According to Seldowitz, the man supported Hamas although no such claims are recorded on any of the videos circulating the internet.

    “At that point, I got rather upset and I’ve said things to him, that in retrospect, I probably regret, though — that I do regret,” Seldowitz said. “Instead of focusing in on him and what he said, I expanded into insulting his religion and so on.”

    He further said that he returned to the vendor to ask him whether he was “still a supporter of Hamas,” adding that “I was upset at the fact that he was selling food in a neighborhood in New York.”

    And while he is captured giving extremely offensive comments in relation to Islam, Seldowitz denies being Islamophobic.

    “I’ve worked with Muslims,” he said, stating that “I have many people who are Muslims and Arabs and so on, who know me very well and who know that I’m not prejudiced against them.”

  • BBC edits out multiple calls for ceasefire during Scottish BAFTA awards

    BBC edits out multiple calls for ceasefire during Scottish BAFTA awards

    At the Scottish Bafta awards, multiple actors who took the stage to call for a ceasefire were edited out by the BBC, sparking criticism from audiences. An exclusive piece written by The National reveals that the media giant edited out the producers of ‘A Long Winter’ who won the award for Best Short Film And Animation. In their speech, Eilidh Munro and Finlay Pretsell urged audiences to pressure institutions and governments to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

    The speech was shared widely on the livestream produced by BAFTA Scotland, but removed from BBC iPlayer’s edit.

    Egyptian actor Amir El-Masry was also censored in the BBC coverage. Before announcing the nominees for the Best Actress category, he said: “Before I start, I just want to echo the sentiments earlier in saying my heart goes out all women, men and children who are suffering right now in Gaza. Let’s hope and pray that we see peace in the region and an imminent ceasefire.”

    Speaking to The National, Munro revealed he was deeply concerned at how mainstream media censored peaceful protests in this manner

    “It is deeply concerning that the BBC decided to cut the entire segment of our award acceptance speech from their coverage of the Bafta Scotland Awards.

    “October was the deadliest month for Palestinian journalists and filmmakers in the last 30 years and the scale of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region is horrific.

    “Awards ceremonies have always been a platform to express solidarity and humanity, and we wanted to use this opportunity as filmmakers to call for peace. For the BBC to cut this, as well as actor Amir El-Masry’s appeal to a ceasefire, is simply shocking.

    “It is also somewhat surreal that an event which celebrates artists and filmmakers for using their voices and creating work to speak out against injustice can also be censored.

    “In my opinion, the BBC’s editorial decision to omit these peaceful signs of solidarity is neither neutral nor impartial.

    “As an emerging director creating and celebrating independent documentaries, it’s also disappointing to have this platform taken away from a sector that is already largely underrepresented in mainstream media.”

    The censorship of pro-Palestinian voices by the BBC has caused outrage on social media.

  • BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh bans halal products

    BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh bans halal products

    Authorities in India’s most populous Indian state Uttar Pradesh have banned the distribution and sale of Halal-certified products. These include dairy products, garments and medicines. A notificaton from the state government proclaims that the halal certification of the products is illegal.

    Uttar Pradesh, or UP as it is commonly called, is ruled by firebrand right-wing Hindu monk Yogi Adityanath, a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.

    “Halal certification of food products is a parallel system which creates confusion regarding the quality of food items,” the notification said.

    The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is the country’s apex body in charge of determining standards for most food products sold in the country and determines the standards food products should meet, the notification said.

    Officials have conducted inspections all around the state.

    Campaigns have launched with the title #BycottHalalProducts.

    Extremists from the right wing are appreciating the step as a way to curb “jihad”, alleging that it is funded by the sale of halal products.

    “Religion should not be brought into food. There were many items such as garments, sugar, etc which were being branded as Halal, which is against the law,” state BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said on Monday.

  • Muslim dating app ‘Muzz App’ offers to pay legal fee of woman detained for calling Rishi Sunak coconut

    Muslim dating app ‘Muzz App’ offers to pay legal fee of woman detained for calling Rishi Sunak coconut

    A woman in England went viral on social media when she was spotted at a pro-Palestine protest in London with a poster that labelled British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and now-sacked Home Secretary Suella Braverman ‘coconuts.’ She was arrested by the Met Police and charged with passing ‘hateful remarks’.

    Coconut, commonly used by people of Asian descent, is an insult used to describe a person of colour who may be brown on the outside, but his personal views and political alliances are always with the oppressor. It is not a racist slur.

    Twitter users were outraged by the Met Police’s remarks by pointing out racism is rife within pro-Israel supporters, but pro-Palestine supporters were relentlessly targeted for their beliefs.

    The CEO of the Muslim dating app Muzz App, Shahzad Younas, has appealed to followers to send them the details of the arrested woman and announced that they will be paying her legal fees.

    “I believe she has been arrested and charged. If anyone knows her please ask her to get in touch with me.

    @muzz_app will pay her legal fees to defend her. This action by the

    @metpoliceuk is outrageous. The double standards around free speech to Muslims is baffling.”

  • ‘Do you condemn Monday to Thursday?’: Twitter in fits over Israeli propaganda in Gaza hospital

    ‘Do you condemn Monday to Thursday?’: Twitter in fits over Israeli propaganda in Gaza hospital

    Yesterday, Israeli forces invaded Rantisi Children’s Hospital in Gaza and claimed to have found evidence of Hamas hiding in the basement by showing a chart paper with Arabic written on it. Israel’s propaganda team said the chart paper carried names of Hamas members. However , the internet was quick to point out, the paper was actually a calendar with days of the week written in Arabic. Even we’re chuckling at the tomfoolery.

    X (formerly Twitter) users were driven to fits over the spectacular debunking, with several coming up with hilarious memes.

    Seriously how much does Jungkook’s Seven terrify them?

    New Zionist fear unlocked: days of the week.

    The racism at display is astounding

  • ‘Disgusted’: Timothee Chalamet’s Hamas joke on Saturday Night Live has social media outraged

    Hollywood actor Timothee Chalamet guest starred on popular comedy show ‘Saturday Night Live’ in a skit mocking the genocide in Gaza.

    Social media users were outraged at a clip in which Timothee plays a man who is ready to commit suicide and has a band called Hamas. A member of ‘Please Don’t Destroy’ then tells him they can’t share the song on Instagram.

    The joke comes just as the dire situation in Gaza is taking an even darker turn, with hospitals declaring complete collapse without fuel, water and medical supplies. Babies on incubators, as well as several patients in the ICU, risk being killed as a result of Israeli tanks surrounding the Al-Shifa hospital.

    Twitter users were outraged on Timothee Chalamet’s involvement in the insensitive script and criticised him. Many also declared they are boycotting his upcoming films ‘Willy Wonka’ and ‘Dune Part 2’, both of which are set to release in December.

    Several cases of people getting fired or losing gigs because of their support for Palestine have come to light since the genocide began.

    Many also pointed out the difference in how SNL responded to the Ukraine war by inviting a choir to sing a song about peace, in contrast to mocking the deaths of countless Palestinians in which USA is complicit.

    Many also reshared a comedy skit featuring actor Adam Driver playing Aladdin, taking Jasmine on a magic carpet ride. In the scene, when a drone hits Jasmine’s head, Adam remarks “We must be flying over Syria.”

  • Pro-Palestinian students, protest groups suppressed in American schools, universities

    Three separate cases of suppression of pro-Palestinian students and groups have been reported in America in just one day as voices are raised higher against the genocide of Gaza. Israeli tanks have forced citizens of Northern Gaza to walk countless miles towards the South with their hands in the air, a scene that has been described as “The Second Nakba”.

    Columbia University announced that they are suspending pro-Palestine groups ‘Jewish Voice For Peace’ and ‘Students For Justice In Palestine’- both comprised majorly of Jewish students- who called for a ceasefire.

    Columnist and writer Fatima Bhutto, a Columbia alum, slammed the decision.

    Columbia University is the institute where famous academic Edward Said taught, who dedicated his life to bringing the occupation of Palestine to light.

    The current president of Columbia University, Egyptian-American economist Nemat Talaat Shafik, is drawing outrage from social media users.

    At Harvard University, a black student was evicted from campus housing for acting as a student safety marshal during the protests.

    Previously, pro-Palestinian supporters at Harvard were doxxed after an open letter by the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee condemned the genocide of Gaza.

    In California, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy was suspended for three days by Corona Del Mar School for responding ‘Free Palestine’ to racists who were bullying him. The school notice was shared on social media by journalist Amina Waheed, who said that the school admin told the boy’s aunt saying ‘Free Palestine’ was akin to calling for the death of all Jews.

    The action against students takes place while several documented cases of Islamophobia, racism towards Palestinians have come to light. On October 17, a Palestinian-American boy was stabbed to death by his neighbour. On October 30, Pakistani-American doctor Talat Jehan Khan was stabbed out side her apartment complex in Texas.

    Social media users showed outrage at Corona del Mar High School and the racism shown towards Palestinian children.

  • Petition filed in Indian High Court claims Shah Jehan didn’t build Taj Mahal

    Petition filed in Indian High Court claims Shah Jehan didn’t build Taj Mahal

    A petition filed in the Indian High Court on November 2 by Surjit Singh Yadav, the president of the Hindu Sena, claims that the Taj Mahal wasn’t built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan.

    According to India Today, Yadav asserted that the monument was originally the palace of Raja Man Singh which was refurbished by the Mughals, hence there is no mention of his name in Shah Jehan’s books.

    “Further, the book titled Taj Museum mentions that the dead body of Mumtaz Mahal was interred under a temporary domed structure within the land premises of Raja Jai Singh. It is pertinent to mention that there is no account which states that the mansion of Raja Man Singh was demolished to construct Taj Mahal,” the petition explained.

    Yadav urged the Archeological Survey of India (ASI), the Central government, the National Archives of India and the Uttar Pradesh Government to correct “historically inaccurate facts” related to the history behind Taj Mahal’s construction. Yadav further said he had done an indepth study of Taj Mahal. He felt it was necessary to fix historical inaccuracies in order to provide accurate information to the public.

    On Friday, the Delhi High Court directed the ASI to examine the representation.

    In 2022, the Supreme Court of India rejected a plea filed by Yadav where he claimed there were “wrong historical facts” regarding the construction of the Taj Mahal.

    “What kind of PIL is this,” the bench responded according to The Wire. “The PILs are not meant for fishing enquiry. We are not here to reopen history. Let history continue. The writ petition is dismissed as withdrawn. The petitioner is granted liberty to make representation to the ASI. We have not expressed any merits on the same.”