Tag: racist

  • 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.

  • Renowned Washington Post faced extreme backlash for cartoon dehumanising Palestinian children, deleted later

    Renowned Washington Post faced extreme backlash for cartoon dehumanising Palestinian children, deleted later

    Washington Post was slammed on the internet on Wednesday for a racist cartoon dehumanising the Palestinians. Right now the number of Gazans killed in Israeli airstrikes has reached 10,000. The cartoon has since been deleted, while Post has put out an editorial note.

    The offensive drawing shows a crudely drawn Arabic man labeled Hamas with three children and a woman tied around him with ropes.

    “This is the kind of anti-Palestinian racism that they think is acceptable for publication,” slammed Palestinian poet Remi Kanazi.

    Palestinian journalist Ahmed Eldin re-shared the post to point out how the racism Palestinians are enduring in the Western media is similar to how the Jews were drawn as evil with physical features that compared them to rats or cockroaches.

    “Before the Holocaust, Jews were portrayed as irrational and evil, with physical features that made them appear akin to cockroaches and rats. These images dehumanized Jews to justify their mass extermination. Now, the Western press is doing the same to Palestinians. The source of this obscene and offensive piece of propaganda masquerading as a “political cartoon” by Michael Pramirez is not a lesser-known publication, but rather the widely recognized

    @washingtonpost. Regardless of the validity of the claims regarding Hamas using human shields, the notion that thousands of children being killed can be justified or deemed acceptable as collateral damage is absolutely unacceptable. The dehumanization of Palestinians, which serves as a pretext to permit and rationalize their mass killing, is a disturbing trend that seems to have no boundaries within American discussions and debates.”

    ‘What’s more troubling than this racist depiction,” Palestinian-American poet Mohammad El-Kurd wrote. “Is that the Washington Post thinks it’s OK to kill civilians if, hypothetically, ‘terrorists’ hid behind them. Even if the “human-shields” myth was true, only those who kill civilians are responsible for the act of killing.”

    Columnist and writer Fatima Bhutto tweeted her outrage:

    “This cartoon is so anti-Muslim, so racist it boggles the mind that any newspaper could print it. Beyond which, Israel has murdered over 4,000 children- do you have absolutely no shame depicting Palestinian children in this manner? What a disgrace.”

    The Washington Post opinion editor David Shipley published an apology for the cartoon on their website and took it down:

    “A cartoon we published by Michael Ramirez on the war in Gaza, a cartoon whose publication I approved, was seen by many readers as racist. This was not my intent. I saw the drawing as a caricature of a specific individual, the Hamas spokesperson who celebrated the attacks on unarmed civilians in Israel. However, the reaction to the image convinced me that I had missed something profound, and divisive, and I regret that. Our section is aimed at finding commonalities, understanding the bonds that hold us together, even in the darkest times.”

  • Cut-off-their-water-Sarah Silverman hosts The Daily Show, show faces calls of boycott

    Cut-off-their-water-Sarah Silverman hosts The Daily Show, show faces calls of boycott

    Comedian Sarah Silverman drew the ire of the internet in October after she reshared a post slamming criticism of Israel cutting off Gaza’s water supply. She later deleted the post, claiming to be “stoned” when she reshared it on her Instagram account.

    On November 6, it was announced that Silverman is set to return from Monday as the new host of The Daily Show, replacing Hasan Minhaj. The announcement came on the heels of Minhaj being removed from hosting due to a misleading New Yorker article controversy. The article accused Minhaj of fabricating stories about racism. The comedian then posted a 30 minute long video sharing evidence of how the journalist writing the piece refused to use evidence provided by Minhaj to discredit him.

    READ MORE: Hassan Minhaj says New Yorker lied and he has the receipts

    Twitter users were appalled at the racism in American media that allows a brown Muslim comedian to be booted without any further thought due to a misleading, poorly fact-checked article, but a racist woman is offered a platform without consequence. As one user wrote:

    “Hasan Minhaj loses the daily show gig due to an inaccurate hit piece that mostly confirmed that he, like EVERY comedian, embellished stories for his stand-up. Sarah Silverman posted her support for the collective punishment of Gazans and gets to host. Islamophobia is reality.”

    Countless journalists and public figures were attacked and removed from their offices, many of whom were Jewish and Palestine supporters. But Twitter users were outraged at how racist women like Amy Schumer and Sarah Silverman were granted platforms.

    Users called for the show to be boycotted.

    Many also brought up Silverman’s history of racism including wearing the blackface and imitating a black man for a skit.

  • Buzzfeed’s AI-generated Barbie Dolls article faces backlash for racial stereotypes

    Buzzfeed’s AI-generated Barbie Dolls article faces backlash for racial stereotypes

    Popular website Buzzfeed published an article featuring AI-generated images of Barbie Dolls from every country around the world. The piece has received extreme backlash for promoting racist micro-aggressions and cultural inaccuracies, which prompted the website to delete the article from all of their social media pages.

    Buzzfeed had given a brief disclaimer before the article that they acknowledged the biases and stereotypes demonstrated by AI models, clarifiying that these depictions should not be seen as accurate or comprehensive portrayals of human experiences.

    The article featured Barbies from all around the world, including one from Pakistan, who looked more like she stepped out of an Arabian fantasy book rather than from the streets of Lahore or Karachi.

    And the Barbie from India looks a lot more like subcontinent’s colonial masters than Deepika Padukone, the ACTUAL Barbie.

    And don’t even get me started on what the Afghanistan Barbie looks like. It’s a shame how a vibrant culture is reduced to burqas by racist algorithms

    A lot of the dolls featured in the article from Asian countries like Vietnam and Korea were wearing inaccurate clothing along with white-washed features.

    A Barbie from South Sudan was seen carrying a gun, drawing outrage from users.

  • ‘Disrespectful’: Twitter users are criticizing Jimmy Kimmel for awkward interaction with Malala Yousafzai at Oscars

    ‘Disrespectful’: Twitter users are criticizing Jimmy Kimmel for awkward interaction with Malala Yousafzai at Oscars

    After watching the Academy Awards last night, twitter users are furious at host Jimmy Kimmel after he had an awkward interaction with Nobel Prize winner and education activist Malala Yousafzai.

    First calling her ‘Malalaland’ at the ceremony, Kimmel then asked her opinion on whether Harry Styles spat on Chris Pine at the premier of All My Darlings.

    To which the Pakistani-origin activist had responded: ‘I only talk about peace”

    Twitter users called Kimmel ‘racist’ for using the word ‘Malalaland’ and called him a horrible host. He was also branded insensitive for undermining the work of brown women by also having previously tried to tamper with Quinta Brunson’s speech while she was was receiving the award for ‘Best Writing in Comedy’ at the Oscars.

    Users are demanding that Kimmel apologizes to Yousafzai for making a disrespectful joke.

    https://twitter.com/joeyIikespizza/status/1635105539788242947?s=20

    https://twitter.com/yEeyEe006/status/1635105416538636288?s=20
  • ‘Rajasthan Royals owner slapped me 3-4 times’: Ross Taylor makes shocking reveal

    ‘Rajasthan Royals owner slapped me 3-4 times’: Ross Taylor makes shocking reveal

    Former New Zealand batter Ross Taylor claims that an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise owner of the Rajasthan Royals team “slapped” him three to four times during the 2011 IPL season.

    The disclosure was made by Taylor in his latest recent book, Ross Taylor: Black & White, and he claimed that the incident happened after a loss to Kings XI Punjab in Mohali.

    In his book, Taylor stated, “The chase was 195, I was lbw for a duck and we didn’t get close.” An excerpt from Taylor’s book was posted on Stuff.co.nz.

    “The squad, support staff, and management were then at the hotel’s bar on the top floor. Warnie [Shane Warne] was present along with Liz Hurley. We didn’t pay you a million dollars to acquire a duck, one of the Royals owners said to me, slapping me three or four times in the face. I’m not certain if it was all play, but he was laughing and they weren’t hard slaps. I wasn’t going to complain about it because of the circumstances, but I couldn’t see it occurring in many professional sporting settings.”

    The Royals have not yet made a remark on this.

    Taylor played one season for Royals in 2011 after being acquired for USD $1 million at the auction after spending three years with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) between 2008 and 2010. Taylor wrote in his memoir that he regretted not staying at RCB.

    Taylor said, “While it was amazing to go for a million dollars, in the end I would’ve been better off RCB had got me for US$950,000.”

    “If they had, I would have been with them for the fourth year. Although the IPL is not very sentimental, there is devotion to long-serving players, and I probably would have had a longer IPL career if I had only played for one franchise. On the other side, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to play with legends like Virender Sehwag, Shane Warne, Mahela Jayawardene, and Yuvraj Singh if I had remained at RCB.”

    “When you fetch that sort of money, you’re desperately keen to prove that you’re worth it. And those who are paying you that sort of money have high expectations – that’s professional sport and human nature. I’d paid my dues at RCB: if I’d had a lean trot, the management would have had faith in me because of what I’d done in the past. When you go to a new team, you don’t get that backing. You never feel comfortable because you know that if you go two or three games without a score, you come under cold-eyed scrutiny,” he went on to write.

    Taylor played 12 matches for the Royals in 2011, hitting 181 runs at a strike rate of 119. He then played three more seasons in India for the Delhi Daredevils and Pune Warriors.

    While playing cricket in and for New Zealand, Taylor also acknowledged in his autobiography that he had encountered racial insensitivity.

  • Student in US harrased for highlighting Palestinians, Uighurs in her graduation speech

    Student in US harrased for highlighting Palestinians, Uighurs in her graduation speech

    Huda, a Muslim student, in the United States (US) became the target of racial insults by parents and students for highlighting the plight of Palestinians and Uighurs in her graduation speech.

    “Our lips are yet free. Speak for those who cannot speak for themselves and stand up for any injustice that you see,” Huda said in her speech

    “Educate yourself about international dilemmas including the ethnic cleansings of Palestinians and Uighur Muslims. Families are continuously torn apart and real human lives are being lost but ignored. Educate yourself on the widespread issues that plague our planet and threaten our very existence in the long run,” she added.

    Huda further said, “Consider global warming with the gravity that it needs to be looked at with and never stop speaking about these issues until they are resolved.”

    Huda was asked to ‘go back to Pakistan’ and was harassed by fellow students and their parents.

    One of the students can be heard in the video saying, “Why did not you say anything about Hamas? Hamas would have been nice.”

    Read More: UK media regulator fines Indian channel over hate speech against Pakistan

    As per reports, Huda’s speech was approved by the school but later the principal claimed that it wasn’t. The principal also apologised to the students and parents who targeted Huda with racial insults and sent them e-mails claiming that she “changed her speech”.

    A disclaimer was also added in the video that this line was not “approved by the Wheatley Speech Selection Committee”.

  • Khadijah Shah responds to backlash on Élan’s ‘racist’ lawn campaign

    Khadijah Shah responds to backlash on Élan’s ‘racist’ lawn campaign

    Lawn campaigns are a big deal in Pakistan and all designers go above and beyond to come up with eye-catching ones. However, some times, the campaigns come under fire for being controversial. This year, Élan was on the receiving end of backlash and criticism for being racist because it featured an African model, which people thought was being used as a prop.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_XoflYg6zv/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B9zU1JWg4gA/

    Following social media outrage, Élan’s creative head and CEO Khadijah Shah took to social media to explain the campaign and the concept behind it.

    “It’s heartening to see that we stand against racism and cultural misappropriation, but at the same time we must know what these terms mean,” wrote the designer on social media. Shah then proceeded to define the terms ‘cultural appropriation’ and ‘racism’ and explained how they do not apply to Élan’s campaign.

    https://twitter.com/khadijah_shah/status/1267821795219959815?s=20
    https://twitter.com/khadijah_shah/status/1267824733665427461?s=20
    https://twitter.com/khadijah_shah/status/1267826504194420738?s=20

    Khadijah then requested everyone criticising the campaign not to disrespect their friends from Lamu by passing insensitive comments.

    https://twitter.com/khadijah_shah/status/1267830078727061513?s=20

    She also explained why donkeys were part of some of the pictures.

    “As for those finding the image with the donkeys offensive; donkeys are beloved in Lamu,” wrote Khadijah. “They are taken care of and the only mode of transportation. In our country not only do we treat donkeys badly we also use it as a term to insult others.”

    https://twitter.com/khadijah_shah/status/1267841731468427265?s=20

    Read more – Khadijah Shah receives a signed ‘Thank you note’ from Kate Middleton

    The designer also shared that the brand has featured both male and female models in their previous campaigns and there has never been any such criticism.

    https://twitter.com/khadijah_shah/status/1267845940628652032?s=20

    Meanwhile, model Mushk Kaleem, who featured in the campaign, said that beauty, equality, love and acceptance have no skin tones.

    “This Élan’s campaign is so close to my heart and with its launch, it is extremely sad to see all the negativity that is pouring in,” wrote Mushk.

    “Posing alongside me, in this stunning campaign is my beautiful friend, who I had an excellent time working with, and who I also learnt a lot from – Gabriel Fords.”

    “Unfortunately, many people are speaking about how the male model is being used as a prop or an accessory. Why is that so?” she questioned.

    Kaleem added, “This campaign is a celebration and a declaration of love, of equality, of acceptance, of tolerance – of cultures and heritages without any borders and boundaries.”

    “Gabriel Fords, who is as much a vital part of this campaign as I am, is not a prop or an accessory. This entire shoot screams inclusivity. It is about bridging cultures, about educating people about the normalcy of an interracial love.”

    “I’m very proud to be part of this campaign,” concluded the model.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CA7SBxppzzD/

    Earlier in 2018, Sana Safinaz had come under fire for its racist representation of the Masai Mara people. They later issued a clarification and said that their campaign aimed to celebrate the beautiful Masai culture.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BgFp1tzng2o/?utm_source=ig_embed

  • VIDEO: Pregnant Muslim woman punch, kicked in racist attack in Australia

    A man in Australia has been charged for punching and kicking a heavily pregnant woman in what was described by a leading Australian Islamic association as an “Islamophobic” attack.

    Shocking security camera footage showed a man approaching a table of three women wearing headscarves as they chatted at a cafe Sydney on Wednesday (Nov 20).

    The 43-year-old suspect is seen lunging over the table to attack a 31-year-old woman, who police said is 38 weeks pregnant, without provocation.

    After several frenzied punches, the woman fell to the ground and was stamped on, before bystanders wrestled the assailant away.

    The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) said the man was heard “yelling anti-Islamic hate speech at the victim and her friends”.

    “This was clearly a racist and Islamophobic attack and we expect it to be treated as such,” said AFIC president Rateb Jneid.