UN urged to punish Myanmar army over Rohingya ‘atrocities’
Pressure tightened on Myanmar Monday as a rights group urged world leaders to impose sanctions on the country’s military, which is accused of driving out more than 400,000 Rohingya Muslims in an orchestrated “ethnic cleansing” campaign. The call from Human Rights Watch came as the UN General Assembly prepared to convene in New York, with […]
Maine bank fires executive over anti-Muslim Facebook posts
In a post to their Facebook page on Friday afternoon, Kennebunk Savings Bank announced that Dawn Robinson, who had been hired last month as the bank’s Chief Information Officer, was no longer working for the company. The firing was a result of Robinson posting what the bank described as “disturbing and offensive images” on Facebook. […]
Muslims fear anti-Islam backlash in tolerant Barcelona
Prayer time is approaching but Raja Miah, an imam at a tiny mosque in the heart of Barcelona does not expect a big turnout. Since the twin attacks in Barcelona and the nearby seaside resort of Cambrils claimed by the Islamic State group, the Muslim community in central Barcelona’s neighbourhood of Raval fears an anti-Islam […]
Quran Swimming in Pork Lard Sent to California Mosque
Police in California are investigating a hate-related incident after a Sacramento Muslim group was sent a defiled copy of the Quran, immersed in a container of pork fat. Members of the Sacramento Valley Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) received a suspicious package on June 28. Wary of opening the package, they contacted the police.
Far-Right Group Plans to Patrol Mediterranean to Turn Back Migrants
A pan-European far-right group with a history of violent direct action has charted a 422-ton ship and says it plans to confront people-smugglers and turn back migrants it finds in the waters off Libya. Humanitarian organizations say the planned intervention is a “PR provocation” by the Defend Europe group, which is part of the continent-wide, […]
Muslim man reportedly attacked by Buddhist extremists in Myanmar
Myanmar police said Tuesday they were searching for several people who attacked a Muslim man in the central city of Meiktila. Locals said members of the Buddhist extremist organization Ma Ba Tha helped instigate the violence. The man was hospitalized after a crowd threw stones at his home late Monday. The dispute was reportedly sparked […]
Rise Seen in Hate Crimes, Yet Reporting Methods Seen as Inadequate
By all accounts, hate crimes are rising in the United States. From an increase in the number of attacks on hijab-wearing Muslim women to threats made against Jewish community centers earlier this year, all indications suggest hate-motivated offenses are on the rise. But their true extent remains a puzzle, in part because of poor data […]
Gunmen attack mosque in France, injuring eight
July 2 (UPI) — Gunmen opened fire at a crowd of people Sunday outside of a mosque in France, injuring eight, police said. The shooting took place in Avignon, Provence, in southern France at approximately 10:30 p.m. Among the injured was a 7-year-old girl. French news site La Provence reported worshippers were leaving the mosque […]
‘Call of Duty’ Is Islamophobic: Turkey
Video games like Call of Duty and Guitar Hero provide entertainment to millions around the world. But Turkey’s Youth and Sports Ministry says that many popular foreign-made games are responsible for intentionally spreading fear and hatred of Islam and Muslims—or Islamophobia—and desecrating Islamic symbols. The head of the ministry’s Education, Culture and Research Commission, Huzeyfe […]
Nabra Hassanen’s murder feeds anti-immigrant rhetoric on the conservative internet
The gruesome killing of a 17-year-old girl in Virginia this week has become fuel for political narratives on either side of the US spectrum. Nabra Hassanen was with friends outside her mosque, the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center, when a driver rode over the curb and scattered the crowd of teens.