For the past 16 years, filmmakers, producers, comedians, authors and artists have been descending upon Edmonton, Alta., for the annual Mosquers Film Festival to celebrate the power of storytelling.

This year, six short films made both in Canada and internationally made the cut and demonstrated the vast range and vibrancy of Muslim experiences.

They ranged in topic and genre. There was a comedic take on workplace discrimination; a dramatic representation of the impact of violent police responses to mental health crises; a documentary exploring the challenges and successes of four Syrian refugees in Calgary; and a mixed media portrayal of struggling with culture and Black hair.

What was remarkable about the event was how Canadian Muslims continue to reclaim their identities, proudly and unapologetically sharing their stories with local, national and international audiences.

Through such storytelling, Muslim cultural producers are either deliberately or inadvertently combatting Islamophobia by showing how unidimensional portrayals of Muslims as monolithic, violent, oppressive, insular, and opposed to Western democratic norms and values, are simply false and detached from reality.

Many of the festival’s creatives and audience members would have grown up in the shadow of 9/11, a time when “. . . Muslims were increasingly perceived as dangerous and their religious identities racialized,” as described by researcher and academic Baljit Nagra in her 2017 book, “Securitized Citizens: Canadian Muslims’ Experiences of Race Relations and Identity Formation Post 9/11.” Nagra documented how young people felt a loss of a sense of safety, security and belonging, living in a “climate of fear.”

For many, it feels like that climate of fear is back.

Hate crimes against Muslims are up, according to Statistics Canada, which noted a 94 per cent increase in 2023, along with a 52 per cent rise in hate crimes targeting those of Arab or West Asian descent. Cases of anti-Muslim hate, bias and discrimination have also increased, according to civil society organizations.

Many Canadian Muslim youth, along with older generations, are once again experiencing an “othering” that threatens their sense of home.

The devastating Islamophobic killings of 11 Canadian Muslims between 2017 and 2021, the highest number of any G7 country, spurred urgent action. These attacks led to federal, provincial and municipal efforts to respond to communities’ fears and anxieties ranging from raising awareness on how to report hate crimes, investing in anti-racism initiatives, and incorporating anti-Islamophobia strategies in education.

Yet, over the past year, hateful, anti-Muslim discourse has become more prevalent than ever. Since Oct. 7, 2023, the U.K.-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue, as well as researchers in Australia and Belgium, have tracked an increase of at least 400 per cent in Islamophobic content online, along with rises in antisemitism anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab hate.

One example: a recent AI-generated anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant video garnered over half a million views on YouTube before the associated account was closed.

Furthermore, as Chad Haines noted in the recently published book of essays, On Othering: Processes and Politics of Unpeace, “the ‘Islamophobia industry’ inspires acts of hatred against Muslims by producing and circulating vitriolic anti-Islamic messages. The industry comprises layers of actors who feed one another, creating a greater sense of legitimacy, at least in their eyes, and self-righteousness.”

Also troubling: reports of potential foreign interference in which Islamophobic misinformation campaigns have targeted Canadians, along with widespread polarization.

The federal government is working on solutions, tabling Bill C-63, the online harms act, as well as recently launching the Canada Action Plan on Combatting Hate. The plan includes the Changing Narratives Fund which is dedicated to supporting Indigenous, religious and racial minority journalists, creators and organizations.

Beyond legislation and public policy, storytelling persists as a powerful grassroots antidote to hate. October is Canadian Islamic History Month, so there’s no better time to start challenging assumptions and becoming better acquainted with generations of Canadian Muslims and their stories.

Source: Toronto Star

An additional intensified wave of Islamophobic disinformation – or the deliberate spread of false information – comes amid a rising tide of Islamophobia across Europe.

Official data show that Islamophobic crimes in Germany more than doubled in 2023, with nearly one in 10 incidents involving violence, according to the German Alliance against Islamophobia and discrimination against Muslims (CLAIM).

Austria and other EU countries have also reported similar trends while racism and intolerance are rising in France, fuelled by the war in Gaza and far-right ideas in public debate, according to France’s human rights commission, the CNCDH.

It says reports of antisemitic and anti-Muslim acts have increased by 284% and 29% respectively, while other types of racist acts increased by 21%.

Anti-Muslim hate in the UK has more than tripled in the four months since Hamas’s attacks, says the charity Tell Mama which documented 2,010 Islamophobic incidents between 7 October and 7 February – a steep rise from the 600 it recorded for the same period the year previously.
It is the largest number over four months since the charity began in 2011.

Generally, anti-Muslim and anti-semitic attacks have surged in the UK following the Israel-Gaza conflict while in the U.S the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, received a staggering 3,578 complaints about discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or religion in the last three months of 2023.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is also concerned, saying that, “amidst an increase in prejudice and violence against Muslims in a growing number of countries, greater efforts are needed to build dialogue and counter anti-Muslim hatred.”

It hails the fact that all 57 OSCE states, including Uzbekistan, “have committed to fighting prejudice, intolerance and discrimination against Muslims and members of other religions. But it also called on all participating states “to intensify commitments and actions towards this crucial endeavor, striving to nurture an environment where every person can live free from hate and discrimination.”

The OSCE said, “There has been an upsurge in hatred against Muslims especially since the renewed outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East in October last year, with online and offline hate speech, threats and violence having a negative impact on Muslim communities, particularly women and girls.

The organization says all OSCE participating States have committed to combating discrimination and hate crime, adding: “Supporting countries across the OSCE region in combating anti-Muslim hate crime is a key area of our work, but victims across the OSCE area are reluctant to report their experiences to the authorities.”

This worrying trend is not confined to Europe or the U.S and was one of the issues of discussion by international scientists and scholars who got together recently in Uzbekistan to find ways to combat the problem.

Participants from 35 countries were attending the eighth annual Congress of the World Society for the Study, Preservation and Popularization of the Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan (WOSCU) in Uzbekistan, with representatives of the International Organization of Turkic Culture, Muslim World Islamic League, the Al-Furqan Foundation, the International Turkic Academy, the Arab World Institute and others.

The event heard that there is a growing global concern related to islamophobia and how the international community, both in the West and beyond, should deal with it.

The conference focused on efforts by Uzbekistan – a Muslim country- to address the issue.

The event heard that the Uzbek focus is on education and “enlightenment”, an approach and policy which the country’s president outlined during his landmark speech in the 78th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations in September last year in which he reaffirmed his commitment to freedom of speech.

He also spoke of the “need to strengthen our joint efforts in preventing the spread of the scourge of extremism.”

A declaration was issued at the end of the annual WOSCU congress by the 300 participants from 35 countries, including 15 academicians, 40 professors, 103 doctors of science, 54 directors of museums and libraries and others.

It said: “We are firmly convinced that the work on studying and preserving cultural legacy is of paramount importance for the sustainable development and prosperity of not only Uzbekistan, but also the entire world community.”

A resolution supporting Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s call for “enlightenment against ignorance” and for an end to Islamophobia was adopted.

Those attending agreed that education on Islam should be the main objective and agreed that improved understanding is vital for addressing the “irrational fear or hostility towards the religion of Islam and Muslims in general.”

In a letter to President Mirziyoyev, conference participants noted his broad support for the idea of a “humane Islam” that he expressed in his UN address and his emphasis on the importance of “spiritual enrichment”.

The letter said the congress “fully” supported his initiatives, including in large-scale projects to “preserve the cultural legacy of Uzbekistan for world civilization.”

The congress, held both in Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent and ancient Samarkand, approved some 150 projects, including a forthcoming heritage project, developed around the world by the World Scientific Society on Preservation and Popularization of the Uzbek Heritage (WOSCU).

The projects, it was said, seek to foster recognition of “the great contribution of Oriental scholars who have made a significant contribution to world civilization.”

Participants went on to praise Uzbekistan’s investment in Tashkent’s Centre of Islamic Civilization and the Imam al Bukhari Spiritual Centre near Samarkand, both currently under construction, saying, “We consider it our most important task not only to join the activities of the Centre of Islamic Civilization, but also to create a powerful and rapidly developing scientific and cultural platform that will become a bright beacon of enlightenment and knowledge in the East.”

The declaration, adopted at the congress’s plenary session, recognizes the “importance” of the Centre, a “cultural and humanistic mega-project which will give a powerful impetus to fundamental research dedicated to the worthy contribution of great scholars and thinkers of the East to the development of world science and civilization.”

However, the declaration cautioned, “We are concerned about the situation in the world and believe that the ideas of the Uzbekistan president on the truly humanistic and educational essence of the religion of Islam are worthy of the closest attention.”

Established in 2017, the Tashkent-based WOSCU, sponsored by leading Uzbek businessman Bakhtiyor Fazilov, works to highlight the country’s cultural heritage around the world.

A conference in Baku, Azerbaijan in March heard similar concerns to those voiced at the WOSCU event, with Ilham Aliyev, the Azer president, saying, “Regrettably, Islamophobia trends across the world are on the rise.

“We are witnessing the portrayal of Islam as a potential threat, with doubt, discrimination and open hatred against the Muslims becoming increasingly widespread with each passing day.”

He said that Azerbaijan’s determination to combat Islamophobia was “one of the challenges of the modern era” and called for “concerted efforts” to combat Islamophobia and to “generate fresh initiatives aimed at promoting the culture of tolerance and peace found d on respect for religious and faith diversity”.

Source: EU Reporter

Nine out of 10 Muslims subjected to Islamophobic attacks in Germany did not complain to the police, believing that the competent authorities would not pay attention, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) researcher.

“Research on anti-Muslim discrimination shows that nine out 10 survey respondents have not reported the most recent anti-Muslim racism. Why is that? How can you trust authorities that don’t understand or acknowledge anti-Muslim racism to help you in a situation where you have been attacked based on your identity?,” Almaz Teffera told Anadolu.

Teffera added the authorities, including the police or the judiciary, need to be first equipped with the knowledge and tools to understand, recognize, and respond to anti-Muslim incidents of hate.

Pointing out that anti-Muslim sentiment, which has existed for many years in Germany, has increased in recent years, she said comprehensive research was conducted over three years by a group of independent experts appointed by the German government.

The research has shown that hostility towards Muslims and people perceived as Muslims is widespread throughout German society.

Attacks on “other” groups in Germany have increased with the rise of the far right, she said, adding the immigrants and ethnic communities in Germany have had their share of these hate crimes.

Germany, with a population of more than 84 million, is the second country with the largest Muslim population in Western Europe after France.

According to official figures, approximately five million Muslims live in Germany.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Human Rights Watch has called on German authorities to take stronger measures against anti-Muslim racism, amid an alarming increase in racist attacks and hate crimes.

“The German government is falling short in protecting Muslims and people perceived to be Muslims from racism amid rising incidents of hate and discrimination,” the group said in a statement on April 30, 2024.

Germany’s Muslim communities reported a surge in Islamophobic hate crimes since the escalation of Israel’s war on Gaza, triggered by biased media coverage of the recent developments, and propaganda by far-right politicians.

Human Rights Watch expert Almaz Teffera underlined that the German government needs to change its approach to address anti-Muslim racism, and it should ensure better reporting and tracking of hate crimes targeting Muslims.

‘Hate crimes on rise’

According to the official figures, German police registered 686 Islamophobic hate crimes and attacks between January and October last year, including threatening letters, verbal and physical assaults, vandalism and property damage.

The figures were well above the prior year when German authorities recorded 610 Islamophobic hate crimes and attacks for all of 2022. According to experts, the number of incidents is likely to be much higher, as Islamophobic and racist crimes are often not properly classified by authorities, and registered as incidents of insults or personal rows.

Many victims of anti-Muslim hate crimes also do not report such incidents to the law enforcement authorities due to a lack of trust in the police and judicial system, and the absence of an effective complaints mechanism.

Human Rights Watch said the German government should develop mechanisms for countrywide monitoring and data collection, based on clear indicators that would equip authorities with the necessary knowledge and tools to address the problem.

According to the Alliance Against Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Hate (CLAIM), a German network of nongovernmental organizations, 2023 marked “a frighteningly new high” for anti-Muslim incidents.

In November, the group documented an average of three anti-Muslim incidents a day. In one case, a man perceived to be Muslim was called a “terrorist” when exiting a public bus, assaulted, and hospitalised for his injuries.

A country of over 84 million people, Germany has the second-largest Muslim population in Western Europe after France. It is home to nearly 5 million Muslims, according to official figures.

Source: Anadolu Agency

It comes amid a 365 percent surge in anti-Muslim hate incidents across the UK since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

She said: “There’s been an explosion of Islamophobia since October 7 – but there’s also a huge underreporting of the issue.”

“In my constituency, people report it to me but not the police. They kind of just put it down to the price you pay for being a Muslim in this country, (but) reporting is then what drives police policy, social policy and potential legislation. We all have a role to play.”

Ms Mahmood made the comments after the recent screening of HIJABI, a documentary created by BAFTA award-winning filmmaker, Samir Mehanovic, at the House of Commons.

The documentary charts the journeys of five British women who choose to wear the hijab and their experiences of Islamophobia in the UK and was unveiled to mark the International Day To Combat Islamophobia and International Women’s Day.

The heartwrenching story of a Muslim grandmother left devastated after an Islamophobic attack by teenagers and forced to flee Britain formed part of the testimonies heard in the film.

During a panel discussion after the screening, Ms Mahmood, who has been MP for Birmingham Ladywood since 2010, added: “Islamophobia has passed the dinner party test – it’s seen as acceptable. This is not just a Muslim problem, it should be addressed by all of society.”

According to Tell Mama, an organization dedicated to fighting Islamophobia, 65 percent of all incidents target women, with those who wear a hijab or niqab especially vulnerable.

Lee Anderson, the former Tory deputy chairman, was suspended from his party last month after accusing Sadiq Khan, the Labour mayor of London, of being controlled by Islamists.

Mr Anderson has refused to apologise for the remarks despite Rishi Sunak, Britain’s first Asian prime minister, labelling them “wrong”.

Speaking after the screening, Labour MP Afzal Khan said: “With Islamophobic hate crime having trebled since October and senior members of the Conservative Party spouting Islamophobia through the media in recent weeks, there has never been a more pressing time to listen to the testimonies of visibly Muslim women in Britain.

A government spokesperson told The Independent: “British Muslim women make a huge contribution to the United Kingdom and in strengthening the ties that bind our country together.

“It is unacceptable for anyone to feel unsafe while practising their religion and we take a zero-tolerance approach to anti-Muslim hatred.

“We expect the police to fully investigate all hate crimes and work with the Crown Prosecution Service to make sure the cowards who commit these abhorrent offences feel the full force of the law.”

Shaista Aziz, who was among the first Labour councillors to resign in protest over Keir Starmer’s response to the Gaza attacks said: “When it comes to Islamophobia, there’s rightly lots of focus on the government and what is they are doing and not doing. There’s no focus though, on the man who wants to become the next leader of this country: Keir Starmer.”

A recent poll by HOPE not Hate revealed that 58 percent of Conservative Party members think Islam is a threat to the British way of life while Labour’s support amongst British Muslims has plummeted amid major concerns about Sir Keir Starmer’s handling of the Gaza war.

London-based charity Islamophobia Response Unit (IRU) reports that many Islamophobia incidents have involved people being targeted over their support for Palestine, as the Israel-Hamas war spirals on.

Source: The Independent