Article by Nesrine Malik

Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York’s mayoral primary has triggered a wave of Islamophobic backlash that exposes the deep-rooted prejudice Muslims continue to face in American politics. Rather than celebrating a democratic win driven by grassroots support and progressive ideals, many responded with hysteria, painting Mamdani as a dangerous outsider bent on imposing extremist agendas—simply because he is Muslim.

Islamophobia exploded in both subtle and overt forms. Public figures, media personalities, and Republican politicians launched coordinated attacks, portraying Mamdani as a threat to national identity. He was falsely labeled a “jihadist terrorist,” a “Hamas sympathizer,” and mockingly referred to as “little Muhammad.” Even the deputy chief of staff in the Trump administration used his win to reignite fears about immigration, while others imagined apocalyptic scenarios of Islamic domination, such as veiling the Statue of Liberty in a burqa. These grotesque portrayals weren’t fringe—they were mainstreamed and widely circulated, exposing how normalized anti-Muslim sentiment remains in American discourse.

More shocking is the silence from within Mamdani’s own Democratic Party. Senior leaders like Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries failed to condemn the Islamophobic onslaught. This silence speaks volumes: that anti-Muslim hate, when politically expedient, is not only tolerated but structurally supported. It confirms that Islamophobia isn’t just individual ignorance—it’s a systemic force used to marginalize and discipline Muslims in public life.

Mamdani’s “crime” isn’t merely being a Muslim politician—it’s that he refuses to compromise his values. He has stood firmly for affordable housing, economic justice, and Palestinian human rights. While condemning antisemitism and supporting Israel’s right to exist, he has not bowed to pressure to distance himself from slogans like “globalize the intifada,” which he sees as calls for equality. For this, he is seen as beyond redemption by a system that demands Muslims continually prove their loyalty and docility.

This episode reveals the broader truth: anti-Muslim hate operates as a gatekeeping mechanism, barring dissenting voices and progressive politics from entering the mainstream. Mamdani’s victory threatens this structure—not because of who he is, but because he won despite it. His success has forced Islamophobia into the open, where its cruelty and absurdity are visible to all. And in doing so, Mamdani has become a symbol of both the challenges and the possibilities facing Muslim Americans who dare to lead.

Source: The Guardian

Article by Nadeine Asbali

You would have thought that the victims of the horrific grooming gangs scandal have been through enough without being used as a political football to further the Islamophobic agenda of the far right. Yet, once again, this is what we are seeing. With grooming gangs back in the headlines, anti-Muslim sentiment is again dominating political discourse. It seems that justice for the victims – as well as preventing this from happening again – falls by the wayside when there are political points to be scored.

I’ve lost count of the number of headlines and social media posts I’ve encountered this week referring to “Muslim grooming gangs”, peddling the damaging myth that the organized child sexual exploitation occurring in countless cities across the UK in the early 2000s was somehow tightly linked to a religion peacefully followed by a billion people around the world.

Elon Musk has led this most recent wave of virulent Islamophobia, pushing disinformation on his X (Twitter) account about grooming gangs being a Muslim issue, a sign of failed multiculturalism and accusing Labour politicians like Keir Starmer and Jess Phillips of being “rape genocide apologists” and “complicit” in the “rape” of Britain.

Musk’s language is hard to ignore here. To talk about Britain itself being “raped” perpetuates this idea of violent, perverted foreigners (read: Muslims) coming to Britain and attacking native Brits. It paints all Muslims and all migrants as the enemy of Britain, ignoring the fact that Muslims like me have been part of the fabric of Britain for centuries.

When you consider Musk’s track record of peddling far-right, anti-migrant and Islamophobic narratives, like false reports claiming that the Southport attacker was Muslim last summer – which fuelled riots and widespread violence including hotels housing refugees being torched and mosques being attacked (as well as his ongoing support for the likes of Tommy Robinson who is known for his own anti-Muslim views) – it seems that this is less about securing justice for the victims of grooming and more about finding yet another way to demonize Muslims.

Of course, we have seen this misconception about grooming gangs presented as fact before. Consider when then-home secretary Suella Braverman claimed that the perpetrators of grooming in the UK are “almost all British-Pakistani men”. Yes, some of the crimes were carried out by British men of Pakistani heritage, but not “almost all” of them. In fact, a 2020 report conducted by the government concluded that most child sexual abuse gangs were made up of white men.

In fact, reports that the police were overly cautious about investigating the grooming gangs at the time due to fears of igniting community tensions or appearing racist have long been used to promote the idea that political correctness and pandering to the feelings of “foreigners” is repeatedly put before the safety of “native” Brits. Just last week, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick suggested that Britain should cap immigration for those from “alien cultures” with “medieval attitudes towards women”, pointing to the grooming scandal as evidence.

But it’s not just about the widespread, unchecked Islamophobia that is regurgitated every time grooming gangs are back in the news and its impact on everyday Muslims going about their lives. As a secondary school teacher of eight years, I have received regular training on identifying and preventing child sexual exploitation –and when you see how devastating the impact is on a young person’s life, it’s impossible not to feel as though the victims of these crimes are being let down once again.

First, they were failed by those who should have kept them safe, but now they are being failed for a second time by a system so fractured that it would rather exploit those suffering for political point-scoring than come together to stop this ever happening again. Those who are the most outspoken about this scandal are simply shouting over the voices of the victims, and jumping on the anti-Muslim bandwagon is only utilizing the trauma of vulnerable young girls to sow public discord.

Not only does this do nothing to heal the pain of those who lived through it, but it also makes meaningful change more difficult. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has spoken openly about how the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is being delayed by renewed calls for a public inquiry by those on the right. Considering how the bill includes propositions like a unique identifying number for every child, something that would revolutionize how authorities work together to protect those who need it most, it is clear that this Islamophobic wave sweeping our national politics is a direct danger to the nation’s most vulnerable children.

Rather than descending into divisive rhetoric, what the nation needs at a time like this is genuine systemic change. As a teacher, I see firsthand how the fragmentation of public services lets down the most vulnerable children every day. The horrific consequence of this failing is clear, too, in the tragic Sara Sharif case, where pulling their child out of school was enough for her parents to obscure the horrendous abuse they were inflicting upon her, despite teachers reporting bruising and her family being known to social services since before her birth.

Whatever they may claim, those latching onto this scandal as an opportunity to demonize Muslims and further their problematic agenda cannot really care about the victims of this public failure. If they did, they would be calling for genuine change, for authorities that are better connected, and for a more centralized system to keep the most vulnerable safe – rather than simply pitting one disenfranchised group against another.

Source: The Independent

The “European Islamophobia Report 2023”, which examined anti-Muslim sentiment in 28 European countries, revealed that Israel’s ongoing military actions in Gaza have contributed to a significant rise in Islamophobia across Western Europe.

Edited by Enes Bayrakli of the Turkish-German University in Istanbul and Farid Hafez of William & Mary University in the U.S., the report highlights how the Gaza conflict intensified Islamophobic rhetoric. It notes that pro-Palestinian solidarity has increasingly been framed as extremism, prompting protest bans and restrictive measures in countries such as Germany, France, and Denmark.

“No other political development has shaped the life of Muslims in 2023 as much as the war in Palestine,” the report said. “With the rising voices against the genocide in Gaza also coming from Muslims in European countries, the political response by various governments has put Muslims into an even more securitized position.”

Key highlights of the 2023 report include:

• Neglect of the International Day to Combat Islamophobia: Apart from Spain, no European government recognized this UN-designated day in 2023.
• Mainstream and far-right media, along with social media platforms, amplified anti-Muslim narratives, dehumanising Muslims and fostering disinformation.
• Hate crimes against Muslims increased significantly, especially in Norway, Spain and Greece.
• Legal and educational systems perpetuated biases against Muslims, with France and Denmark enforcing controversial policies targeting Muslim communities.

The report also focused on Islamophobia in several European countries:

United Kingdom

Aristotle Kallis, a professor at Keele University, UK, said that the UK witnessed a significant increase in Islamophobia in 2023, with a 600% surge in reported cases following the Hamas attack on Israel in October.

Mainstream Islamophobia saw a surge with the government’s anti-radicalization program, Prevent, continuing to focus disproportionately on “Islamist extremism” despite evidence of more significant threats from far-right ideologies.

Muslims faced workplace discrimination, underrepresentation, and hostility. In education, there were issues with teacher recruitment, student discrimination, and the influence of Prevent on Muslim students. The justice system showed biases with higher Muslim incarceration rates.

Media portrayal often vilified Muslims, contributing to Islamophobia. The internet, especially post-conflict, saw a surge in anti-Muslim content, with platforms like X (formerly Twitter) under scrutiny for poor moderation.

Suella Braverman’s role as Home Secretary in 2023 is highlighted for promoting anti-Muslim sentiments through policy and rhetoric.

France

The report noted that in France, President Emmanuel Macron’s pro-Israel statements following the attacks in Gaza by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, have exacerbated institutional racism against Muslims.

Kawtar Najib, who authored the France section of the report, pointed out that the government’s ban on headscarves in schools has led to significant concern for Muslim students and their families. The move has been viewed as a sign of the institutionalization of anti-Muslim sentiment in France.

Najib referenced the police killing of Nahel Merzouk, 17, in June 2023, and the subsequent lack of an immediate arrest of the officer involved, which fueled protests and fears for the Muslim community.

Germany

Fabian Goldmann, a journalist focused on improving media coverage of Islam and immigration, said that the war in Israel and Palestine marked a significant escalation in violence, discrimination, and hostility towards Muslims in Germany in 2023, reaching unprecedented levels in recent history.

Police records showed a 140% increase in Islamophobic crimes, totaling 1,464 incidents, the highest since records began. The Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency noted a record 10,772 consultation requests.

Migration policies became more restrictive, mirroring demands previously associated with far-right politics, with the AfD gaining significant support in polls.

German media coverage of Islam was predominantly negative, focusing on themes of violence, crime, and cultural clash. Notable outlets like Bild and Die Welt were highlighted for their role in shaping anti-Muslim discourse.

The AfD remained a key producer of Islamophobia, with individuals like Ahmad Mansour and Susanne Schröter influencing public discourse.

Switzerland

In Switzerland, researcher Nadia Lahdili found that increasing anti-immigrant sentiment has directly contributed to rising Islamophobia.

There were 1,058 Islamophobic incidents reported in 2023, including 876 involving racial discrimination and 62 instances of anti-Muslim attacks.

Lahdili noted that Muslim women, particularly those wearing headscarves, face significant discrimination in the workplace, where they are often blocked from career advancement.

The report also discussed the political exploitation of Islamic dress by politicians during election campaigns, which has contributed to increasing institutional Islamophobia.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Hikmet Karcic from Sarajevo University highlighted the rise of radical anti-Muslim rhetoric in Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly by Serbian nationalists.

It has led to tensions that mirror the situation in France and Switzerland, with hostile language used to weaken the multicultural fabric of Sarajevo.

The report noted that the closure of several mosques and the construction of hotels on land intended for mosques are part of efforts to erase the country’s cultural heritage and foster anti-Muslim sentiment.

Austria

Farid Hafez drew attention to Austria, where the United Arab Emirates has been implicated in funding anti-Muslim groups.

Anti-Muslim rhetoric surged after the outbreak of Israel’s attacks on Gaza, and schools in Austria held workshops against radicalization, which, in some cases, propagated Islamophobic sentiments.

The report also highlighted how protests against the Gaza violence were suppressed by police, with Austria voting against a UN General Assembly resolution that urged a cease-fire.

To address these challenges, EIR 2023 calls for:

• Full recognition of Islamophobia as a systemic issue by European governments.
• Strengthened legal frameworks to combat discrimination and hate crimes.
• Increased efforts by civil society and international organizations to promote inclusivity and counter anti-Muslim narratives.
• Enhanced monitoring and accountability for media and social media platforms to prevent the spread of hate speech and disinformation.

Source: 5Pillars 

“I don’t know what Legault is picking on. It seems to me that it’s always Muslims,” he said on Tuesday.

Miller, who called for respect for freedom of expression and religion, was asked to react to Legault’s announcement on Friday to “Islamists” that he might use the notwithstanding clause to ban prayer in public places such as parks.

“It was a comment he made from Notre-Dame, wasn’t it? (…) Ah, he wasn’t in the middle of mass,” Miller began ironically.
He pointed out that “it’s ironic” that his comments on secularism came just a few hours before Legault was due to attend the inauguration of the famous Paris cathedral, an “immensely religious” place.

“People have the right to pray in public, whether you’re Jewish, whether you’re on a pilgrimage to Saint-Joseph’s oratory as you see (…) especially in summer, people climbing the stairs on their knees, Christians. Would that be banned?” he asked, questioning the way in which such a provision would be applied.

Federal Justice Minister Arif Virani, for his part, said that this was only “speculation” since Legault had not tabled a bill.
“Basically, I believe that the rights of any Quebecer are the same under the Canadian Charter as those of any Canadian. That includes the right to practice their religion,” he added.

Justin Trudeau’s political lieutenant for Quebec, Jean-Yves Duclos, also explained that we will have to see “what Legault has in mind.”
“It’s clear that a number of people are raising questions about fundamental freedoms, but before we can make any further pronouncements, we need more details from Legault,” he said.

Legault made his comments last Friday on the last day of the parliamentary session in Quebec City. He explained that he would “fight” to defend Quebec’s fundamental values, such as “secularism and equality between men and women,” and said he was annoyed to see people praying “on their knees in the street.”

Source: CTV News

In 2015, three Muslim-American students were executed while eating dinner at their home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In 36 Seconds: Portrait of a Hate Crime, filmmaker Tarek Albaba makes an impassioned case for justice for these innocents and for the Muslim-American community. The film charts the victims’ families’ agonizing overnight pivot from trauma to advocacy as they struggle to prevent their loved ones’ deaths from being dismissed as the result of a mere ‘parking dispute’. They courageously speak the truth about the hate crime that destroyed their lives, about the overt and insidious ways racism plays out in society, and about the need to reform a hate crime system that is broken. This is a project about grace and the will to fight for the truth in the worst of circumstances.

Zeteo proudly presents, exclusive to paid subscribers, this award-winning documentary available in a limited release until December 31 only. 36 Seconds: Portrait of a Hate Crime is only available to watch here during that time. Free subscribers are able to watch just a 10-minute preview.

Part of Zeteo’s mission is to serve as a platform for voices, perspectives, and stories that mainstream news has ignored. 36 Seconds is a film that isn’t just about what happened in 2015. Zeteo has chosen to license it for subscribers and to co-host a screening of it in Washington, D.C. this week (more information on that here, including a link to tickets) because the film reopens the essential and timely conversation of race-based violence in the US, and Islamophobia in particular. With the return of Donald Trump and his allies to the White House in just weeks, Americans will very soon have to grapple with the consequences when it comes to racial tensions and the emboldening of far-right white supremacists, including even individuals in Trump’s inner circle.

A Note from the Director

“As a Muslim/Arab American growing up in the South, I had experienced challenges our community continues to face. In the weeks post 9/11, I was bullied, physically assaulted, and called a terrorist during my high school soccer matches. I had seen hate and ignorance up close and knew this virulent mix could ultimately kill. When the tragedy happened on February 10th, 2015 our worst fears had been realized in my home state. Over the ensuing months, I watched the Abu-Salha and Barakat families struggle to convince the authorities to investigate the murders as a hate crime. Whether on the news or in front of thousands of grieving supporters, they were stoic, articulate and brave. I was deeply moved by their dignity in the face of so much pain. Our community rallied behind these families, to help amplify their voices by all means necessary.

“Through our research on the film, we have found a direct parallel between the election cycle and an increase in hate crimes. There has also been a wave of dangerous Islamophobia since the war started in Oct 2023. Many of these targeted attacks are focused on our community members protesting the ongoing genocide in Gaza. We will not stand down and we will not be intimidated. Our stories matter and that is why we are so blessed and honored to partner with Zeteo. Mehdi and his team have been working around the clock to deliver bold, unfiltered news and independent films like 36 Seconds to people who demand the truth. I believe it is incredibly important to support platforms like Zeteo at a time when we desperately need reliable journalism.”

Source: Zeteo

Islamophobia Awareness Month was founded in 2012 by a coalition of Muslim organizations, including the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND).

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims defines Islamophobia as rooted in racism and a type of racism which targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.

CEO of The Runnymede Trust Dr. Shabna Begum said: “Islamophobia has become the normalized currency of political conversation.”

The Runnymede Trust is the UK’s leading race equality think tank and was established in 1968, notably the same year as the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

According to Dr. Begum, there is an overt belief that Muslim communities are a threat to Britain and she believes that from the benches of parliament to mainstream headlines, this sentiment no longer lurks euphemistically.

She noted that in the last year there has been a significant step-change in the normalization of Islamophobia.

Dr. Begum said: “Islamophobia has reached fever pitch in the UK and it is time that we put a rational conversation back on the agenda.”

The Home Office also observed a significant rise in religious hate crimes towards Muslims following the Israel-Hamas conflict with 3,866 offences reported in the last year, an increase of 13% from the previous year.

The Home Office further reported that in the last year 38% of all reported religious hate crimes were targeted against Muslims.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The appalling levels of Islamophobic hate crimes outlined in [Home Office] figures are a stain on our society, and this government will work tirelessly to tackle this toxic hatred wherever it is found.”

Baitul Futuh in Morden, South London, is the largest mosque in Britain and recently received a distressing bomb hoax call.

They were very grateful for the continued support of the Metropolitan Police, but the incident underscored the need for continued vigilance, following recent events this year such as the Southport riots.

A spokesperson for the mosque said: “[We] do feel safe in London [as] we have advanced security measures. There is always room for improvement in addressing broader issues that impact [our community’s] safety and well-being. Continued engagement and understanding are vital.”

These heightened security measures include 24/7 on-site security staff, CCTV surveillance, and airport-style security for major events such as Friday prayers.

Meanwhile, a parliamentary drop-in session was held on 20 November led by the MCB, Afzal Khan MP, and Amnesty International as part of Islamophobia Awareness Month.

Many politicians from various parties were in attendance such as co-leader of the Green Party Carla Denyer, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, and Caroline Nokes MP.

The session was constructive and highlighted the growing systemic crisis of Islamophobia in the UK – an issue that the MCB believes requires immediate and decisive action.

The MCB, the largest and most diverse representative body for the British Muslim community in the UK, have worked relentlessly to tackle Islamophobia and continue to urge the government to officially adopt the widely endorsed APPG on British Muslim’s definition of Islamophobia.

The MCB believe the group offers a crucial definition of Islamophobia which clearly recognizes this specific type of hate.

Source: South West Londoner

GB News accounted for half of all news broadcast coverage of Muslims over a two-year period, much of it negative, according to new analysis.
The findings demonstrate an “excessive” focus on Muslims bordering on an “obsession”, according to a new report by the Centre for Media Monitoring (CfMM).

Researchers alleged the stories about Islam are “overwhelmingly negative” and fail to understand the diverse nature of Muslim communities in the UK.
They said the coverage could fuel community tensions and contribute to civil unrest.

Sayeeda Warsi described the research as “shocking”, while former ITN executive and Ofcom regulator, Stewart Purvis, said the findings raised vital questions for the broadcasting regulator.

The two-year analysis found that GB News mentioned Muslims or Islam more than 17,000 times in its output, which they say accounted for almost 50% of total mentions on UK news channels. BBC News and Sky News accounted for 32% and 21% respectively.

The report found that GB News was particularly focused on domestic stories on these topics in comparison with its rival channels, where foreign news contributed a greater amount to their output.

It also alleged that Muslims and their beliefs are often presented on GB News as part of a conspiracy to undermine Britain or the British way of life. This takes the form of depicting Muslims as a Trojan horse in the UK.

According to the findings, Islamophobia was referenced on GB news on 1,180 occasions, accounting for 60% of all mentions when compared with BBC News and Sky News. The researchers said the stories were overwhelmingly critical of the concept of Islamophobia.

During last summer’s riots, GB News accounted for 62% of all clips on UK news channels that associated Muslims with the riots. Researchers allege that GB News repeatedly framed Muslims as “perpetrators rather than victims of violence”, pushed disinformation, and that the channel “downplayed attacks on mosques and Muslim communities”.

The report also notes that GB News were particularly animated by the idea of ‘two-tier’ policing, airing debates which questioned whether police responses were harsher towards certain groups, such as white working-class Britons, while allegedly being more lenient towards Muslim communities.

Lady Warsi said: The consistent stereotyping and stigmatization of British Muslim communities as the “enemy” or the “problem” by a platform with millions of viewers is deliberate, dangerous and has real life consequences. Seeing the impact of far-right radicalization with the alarming year-on-year rise in anti-Muslim hatred, culminating in this summer’s riots where mosques and Muslim communities were openly targeted, should have been a wakeup call for all.

“It is imperative that both the regulator and the government take decisive action to ensure broadcasting platforms are not used to fuel hatred and extremism that plays out as violent disorder on the streets of Britain.”

Purvis, who also wrote a commentary in the report, said the findings raise questions for Ofcom: “Has its deregulated model for broadcast news created an unintended consequence? Can a broadcaster be allowed to try to build its audience and political influence by a consistently negative portrayal of an ethnic community?”

Rizwana Hamid, the director of CfMM, said: “Prior to GB News entering the British media landscape most of our attention was focused on the misrepresentation of Muslims and Islam in print and online publications given that Ofcom’s broadcast regulations were always more robust than the press regulator IPSO. However, the volume of anti-Muslim hate on GB News and Ofcom’s reluctance to regulate its harmful content has meant that politicians and commentators have been give carte blanche to malign Muslims and Islam in a way that no other channel does.

“A robust regulator should demand that the channel performs according to long-established codes for broadcasters and enforce impartiality regulations.”

A GB News spokesperson said: “This inaccurate and defamatory report is nothing more than a cynical, self-serving attempt to silence free speech. It proves exactly why a news organization like GB News needs to exist and why it is succeeding. We are concerned that at no point did this project of the Muslim Council of Britain contact GB News or its presenters to allow them to respond to these highly defamatory allegations.”

Source: The Guardian

The study, entitled Young Muslims In Scotland: Politics, Racism, and The Media, offers a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and contributions of young Muslims in Scotland, particularly their engagement in national and global politics, their experiences of racism and Islamophobia, and their perceptions of mainstream and social media. The release of this report is particularly timely, coinciding with Islamophobia Awareness Month in the UK.

The study underscores that racism and Islamophobia are heavily embedded in the daily lives of young Muslims in Scotland. Participants expressed concerns about inadequate education on racism, which they believe fosters an environment for bullying and discrimination in both primary and secondary schools.

Indeed, Muslim students across the UK face high levels of bullying based on their religious and ethnic identities. Common slurs include “P***” and “terrorist”, labels rooted in harmful stereotypes that are often amplified by media and political narratives.

The Scottish Parliament’s Cross-Party Group (CPG) On Islamophobia’s public inquiry revealed deeply concerning statistics about the prevalence of Islamophobia in Scotland. According to the inquiry, 18% of young Muslims have directly experienced Islamophobia in school, while 45% have witnessed such incidents firsthand.

These figures underscore that Islamophobic bullying is not an isolated occurrence but a widespread issue affecting the daily lives of many young Muslims. Even more troubling, 75% of respondents described Islamophobia as a regular or everyday issue within Scottish society. This highlights the enduring nature of anti-Muslim racism, suggesting that many Muslims face discrimination and abuse long after leaving the school environment, with significant long-term impacts on their wellbeing and sense of belonging.

Political events surrounding October 7, 2023, have considerably heightened feelings of insecurity among young Muslims, particularly women and girls. Many expressed feeling increasingly vulnerable to harassment and abuse, especially those who are visibly Muslim, such as females wearing the hijab or males with beards.

This concern is underscored by data from the Islamophobia Response Unit (IRU), which recorded a staggering 365% increase in reports of Islamophobic hate crimes in the aftermath of October 7. Many of these incidents involved Muslims being targeted for expressing support for Palestine.

Participants in the study also viewed Israel’s onslaught in Gaza and the responses of Western nations as emblematic of a global climate of Islamophobia, where Muslim lives are systematically devalued.

This perceived climate not only amplifies the risk of prejudice and hostility at home but also reinforces feelings of alienation and vulnerability. Even those not directly targeted demonstrated an acute awareness of everyday manifestations of Islamophobia, reflecting the deep and pervasive unease that shapes their experiences.

The study also reveals a profound distrust of mainstream media among young Scottish Muslims, rooted in the negative and unbalanced portrayal of Muslims in the press.

Participants specifically pointed to a racial double standard in the reporting of the conflicts in Palestine and Ukraine, whereby media narratives surrounding Palestine often dehumanize Palestinians and Muslims more broadly. This misrepresentation is largely achieved through subtle language choices that manipulate audience perceptions of violence and its aggressors.

For instance, attacks initiated by Israeli forces are frequently described using passive terms like “clashes” or “violence erupting”, which obscures accountability and distorts the realities of the situation. In contrast, acts of aggression by Palestinians tend to be framed in far more active and emotive terms.

The Centre for Media Monitoring’s report analyzing the British media’s coverage of the Gaza war between October 7 and November 7, 2023, offers striking evidence of this disparity in reporting.

For example, Israelis were 11 times more likely than Palestinians to be described by the media as victims of attacks, exposing a clear emotive language bias. Similarly, broadcast media promoted “Israel’s right” to defend itself five times more often than the rights of Palestinians, reflecting a stark imbalance in the framing of rights.

Moreover, only 24% of online articles mentioning Israel, Hamas, or Gaza included references to Palestine or Palestinians, framing the conflict predominantly as an “Israel-Hamas war”, which erases crucial historical and political context.

This reporting not only skews public understanding of the situation but alienates Muslim communities by marginalizing their narratives and dismissing their experiences.

The effect is profoundly disempowering, leaving them feeling gaslighted, silenced, and excluded from public discourse.

Such biased narratives further erode trust in mainstream media, deepening the divide between these communities and the institutions meant to serve them. The study reveals that while young Muslims often rely on social media as an alternative source of news, they are cautious about its pitfalls, including the spread of mis/disinformation and hate speech.

In response to the mainstream media’s misrepresentation of the war in Gaza, many young Muslims have turned to platforms like Instagram and Twitter/X to gain a clearer understanding of the situation.

However, these platforms are also rife with Islamophobia, including far-right content and targeted comments against Muslims. Such exposure not only affects their mental wellbeing but also increases their fears of encountering Islamophobia in their everyday lives.

The recent far-right riots serve as a poignant reminder of how social media can be weaponized to amplify far-right ideologies, ultimately acting as a catalyst for real-world violence and hatred.

Following the Southport stabbings, disinformation spread rapidly online, falsely identifying the attacker as a Muslim refugee. This fabricated narrative – strategically propagated by far-right influencers and fake news outlets – sparked outrage and mobilized far-right groups.

High-profile figures such as Andrew Tate, Laurence Fox, and Tommy Robinson played a prominent role in amplifying these claims, leveraging their vast followings to spread disinformation.

As a result, the false narrative gained significant traction, culminating in violent clashes with police during a vigil for the victims in Southport.

In recent years, social media platforms have come under pressure from governments and civil society to curb extremist content, leading to increased efforts to remove far-right material and ban extremist accounts.

However, Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter in October 2022 marked a pivotal shift in content moderation policies. Under the pretext of promoting “free speech”, Musk implemented changes that weakened safeguards against misinformation, hate speech, and extremist content – elements central to the violence seen in the riots.

Notably, Musk reinstated several accounts previously banned for violating platform policies, including those of far-right figures like Robinson. Once relegated to the “digital wilderness”, Robinson became a key figure in spreading disinformation and inflammatory rhetoric that fuelled the riots. Robinson even credited Musk for giving him a platform, calling him a “voice for the truth”.

These policy changes have, therefore, led to a noticeable surge in the visibility and normalization of far-right, racist, and Islamophobic content online, enabling the conditions that led to real-world violence.

This study by Dr. White, Dr. Finlay, and Professor Hopkins provides a crucial exploration of the challenges faced by young Scottish Muslims in their daily lives, revealing the deep-seated racism and Islamophobia that pervades both personal and institutional contexts. It underscores the enduring consequences of biased media narratives, online hate speech, and the global climate of Islamophobia on their security and sense of belonging.

At the same time, the findings highlight the resilience of young Muslims and their efforts to overcome these challenges by amplifying their voices in local and national arenas.

By shedding light on these lived experiences, the research underscores the importance of reforms in education, media representation, and social media policies to foster a more inclusive and equitable society.

Source: The National

Article by Rakib Ehsan

This summer’s rioting across parts of England and Northern Ireland were a watershed moment in community relations – and the fall-out is beginning to emerge.

Fresh British Muslim survey data published by Tell MAMA (which stands for monitoring anti-Muslim attacks) provides much cause for concern. Carried out two months after the start of far-right public disorder following the horrific murder of three little girls in Southport, seven in ten British Muslims surveyed said anti-Muslim hate had become more widespread, with two in three also saying that the potential for risk and harm to their own religious communities had increased. However, it is not all doom-and-gloom and there are also some positive findings which make me feel optimistic. Three in five Muslims said they still feel safe in Britain, with half saying that they felt more open about their religious identity in the aftermath of the riots (especially when talking with friends and work colleagues).

The findings show that while we are a relatively successful multi-ethnic and religiously diverse democracy, there needs to be a more robust approach when it comes to ‘managing’ this diversity – which is not necessarily easy. For the newly elected Labour government, the Southport atrocity and subsequent disorder was quite the baptism of fire – but its response to the far-right rioting was left wanting and appears to have alienated a variety of groups in modern Britain.

The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, sought to drain the riots of their political and ideological character from the get-go – characterizing them as “mindless racist thuggery”. In the aftermath of Southport, an unfounded conspiracy theory that the suspect was an illegal Middle Eastern Muslim migrant who had arrived in the UK on a small boat from France was allowed to spread like wildfire on social media platforms such as X, with little to no intervention by the relevant authorities.

Dismissing the rioting as “mindless” risks overlooking the fact that there was the deliberate targeting of Muslim communities – including mosques and businesses. This included the attack on the local mosque in Southport and the destruction of a café in south Belfast. In addition to this, in Manvers near Rotherham, a hotel accommodating asylum seekers was set ablaze and had its windows smashed in. The idea that all those involved in the riots were thoughtless racist thugs masks the reality that some have deeply ideological histories which include anti-Muslim hatred. Last week, it was revealed that a man who pleaded guilty to taking part in the disorder was previously sentenced to ten years in prison for deliberately setting fire to a mosque in Stoke-on-Trent. Back in his 2011 trial, Simon Beech – now 36 years old – said that he had been a member of both the neo-fascist British National Party (BNP) and the English Defense League (EDL).

Rebuilding after Southport

Starmer may have deliberately set out to downplay the ideological elements of the rioting because doing otherwise would leave him vulnerable to the accusation that he was justifying such violent disorder. But this strategy has meant that the Labour leader has failed to truly recognize the anti-Muslim nature of much of the rioting which unfolded in the summer – further widening the disconnect between British Muslim communities and their so-called ‘natural party’.

As the country looks to rebuild from the trauma of the Southport murders and the subsequent violent disorder, part of that must be reassuring law-abiding, hard-working, and security-oriented British Muslim families of their rightful place in modern Britain. To shore up our national ‘community of communities’, it is vital that we all learn the right lessons from what took place this summer – including the Prime Minister.

Source: City A.M.

The study conducted by Professors Oliver Decker and Ayline Heller reveals a notable 4.8 percentage point rise in support for xenophobic views since 2022, now representing 21.8% of the population.

Particularly alarming is the sharp increase in western Germany, traditionally seen as more welcoming, where support for xenophobia spiked by 6.7 points to 19.3%.

In contrast, eastern Germany, where xenophobia has been historically higher, showed even more significant support at 31.5%.

The study also highlights an alarming rise in anti-Muslim sentiment.

Support for banning Muslim immigration in the western states surged from 23.6% in 2022 to 32.8%, while a staggering 48% of respondents reported feeling like “strangers in their own country” due to the Muslim presence – up from 36.6% just two years ago.

Adding to the concern, satisfaction with German democracy has plummeted, with nationwide approval dropping 15.4 points to just 42.3%.

The decline is more pronounced in the east, where only 29.7% of residents expressed satisfaction with the functioning of democracy, compared to 45.5% in the west.

The study also underscores the strong political ties between xenophobic views and party affiliation. Supporters of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) were the most likely to hold xenophobic views, with 60.5% agreeing with such rhetoric.

However, even followers of mainstream parties like the liberal Free Democrats (21.9%) and the Christian Democratic Union (21.5%) showed notable support for xenophobic positions.

Source: Daily Sabah