Spread Love Not Hate – Islamic Research and Information Center (IRIC) https://iric.org Sat, 06 Jul 2024 13:07:50 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.14 https://iric.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/iric-favicon.png Spread Love Not Hate – Islamic Research and Information Center (IRIC) https://iric.org 32 32 Texas woman charged with attempted capital murder for allegedly trying to drown 3-year-old Palestinian Muslim girl https://iric.org/texas-woman-charged-with-attempted-capital-murder-for-allegedly-trying-to-drown-3-year-old-palestinian-muslim-girl/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=texas-woman-charged-with-attempted-capital-murder-for-allegedly-trying-to-drown-3-year-old-palestinian-muslim-girl https://iric.org/texas-woman-charged-with-attempted-capital-murder-for-allegedly-trying-to-drown-3-year-old-palestinian-muslim-girl/#respond Wed, 26 Jun 2024 15:57:00 +0000 https://iric.org/?p=38786 A Texas woman was charged with attempted capital murder after she tried to drown a 3-year-old Palestinian Muslim girl in an apartment complex pool after making racist comments, officials said. The incident highlights the growing trend of anti-Muslim hate crimes in the United States.

Reports released June 23, revealed that Elizabeth Wolf, 42, was arrested on May 19 in the Dallas suburb of Euless, a day after the incident took place.

Investigators said a disturbance was reported between two women at the apartment pool where Wolf questioned the 32-year-old mother about her country of origin, as she was wearing a hijab, or Muslim headscarf.

Police said Wolf attempted to grab the woman’s 6-year-old son, who was able to get away, then tried drowning her 3-year-old daughter in the pool.

“The mother began helping her son when Wolf grabbed her 3-year-old daughter and forced her underwater,” police told reporters.

“The mother was able to pull back her daughter from the water. Her daughter had been yelling for help and was coughing up water.”

Authorities said witnesses told them that Wolf was intoxicated and spewed racist remarks at the mother and her children regarding their nationality.

“We are American citizens originally from Palestine, and I don’t know where to go to feel safe with my kids,” the mom, identified only as Mrs. H, told news outlets in the aftermath of the incident.

“My country is facing a war, and we are facing that hate here,” she continued. “My daughter is traumatized. Whenever I open the apartment door, she runs away and hides, telling me she is afraid the lady will come and immerse her head in the water again.”

Texas woman charged with attempted capital murder for allegedly trying to drown 3-year-old Palestinian Muslim girl
Investigators said a disturbance was reported between two women at the apartment pool where Wolf questioned the 32-year-old mother about her country of origin, as she was wearing a hijab, or Muslim headscarf.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) alleged that Wolf also snatched the mother’s headscarf off while she tried to save her daughter and beat her with it.

The Austin, Texas chapter of CAIR has called on state and federal authorities to probe the incident as a hate crime.

“We are seeing a new level of bigotry here where a person deeply believes they get to decide, based on religion, spoken language and country of origin whose kids deserve to stay alive and whose don’t,” said CAIR Austin operations manager Shaimaa Zayan in a statement.

Wolf was charged with several counts, including attempted capital murder, injury to a child and public intoxication.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

]]> https://iric.org/texas-woman-charged-with-attempted-capital-murder-for-allegedly-trying-to-drown-3-year-old-palestinian-muslim-girl/feed/ 0 Gary Lineker: “I cannot be silent about what is happening in Gaza.” https://iric.org/gary-lineker-i-cannot-be-silent-about-what-is-happening-in-gaza/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gary-lineker-i-cannot-be-silent-about-what-is-happening-in-gaza https://iric.org/gary-lineker-i-cannot-be-silent-about-what-is-happening-in-gaza/#respond Sat, 22 Jun 2024 13:43:17 +0000 https://iric.org/?p=38569 Former English footballer and BBC sports host Gary Lineker has condemned Israeli attacks in Gaza, describing the humanitarian crisis as the worst he’s witnessed.

Lineker emphasized his neutral perspective and condemned the silencing of criticism. He rejected accusations of anti-Semitism and urged awareness of the ongoing conflict’s complexities.

“Actually, this issue does not concern me directly. I am not a Muslim. I am not Jewish. I am not Israeli. I am not Palestinian,” Lineker spoke to journalist Mehdi Hasan, about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

“So, I see, I think purely from the outside as from a neutral perspective and I cannot think of anything that I have seen worse in my lifetime. The constant images of children losing their lives day in, day out,” he said.

Lineker expressed profound sadness at the loss of innocent lives, stating that the images from Gaza move him to tears.

Gary Lineker: “I cannot be silent about what is happening in Gaza.”
Smoke rises during Israeli air strike on Gaza City, Palestine, Oct. 7, 2023.

“We all know that the Hamas incident happened on Oct. 7th. But right now, as soon as you raise your voice against what they (Israel) are doing there, you are accused of being a Hamas supporter or something like that. There is a lot of lobbying to keep people silent,” said the former footballer.

“I do not think it is anti-semitic to say that what Israel is doing is wrong. I do not understand how everyone does not see it that way at the moment. Whatever the reason, whatever started it, we all know that the history of this part of the world goes back much further than Oct. 7,” said Lineker.

 

Source: AboutIslam.net

]]> https://iric.org/gary-lineker-i-cannot-be-silent-about-what-is-happening-in-gaza/feed/ 0 Thank you, Muslim voters, for injecting principles and decency into British democracy https://iric.org/thank-you-muslim-voters-for-injecting-principles-and-decency-into-british-democracy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=thank-you-muslim-voters-for-injecting-principles-and-decency-into-british-democracy https://iric.org/thank-you-muslim-voters-for-injecting-principles-and-decency-into-british-democracy/#respond Fri, 07 Jun 2024 13:45:52 +0000 https://iric.org/?p=38036
Far from being ‘the enemy within’, as seen by most UK media, Muslims who rejected the rotten two-party system in the local elections were voting patriotically and deserve praise

For many years, the mainstream media and political class have portrayed Muslims as an “enemy within” which refuses to engage with British democracy and cultivates a separatist agenda.

That line of attack has always been false, and last week was decisively proved wrong.

Thank you, Muslim voters, for injecting principles and decency into British democracy
British Muslims made a massive intervention in the May elections. They abandoned Labour, voting instead for independent parties which support a ceasefire and have condemned Israeli atrocities in Gaza.

British Muslims made a massive intervention in the May elections. They abandoned Labour, voting instead for independent parties which support a ceasefire and have condemned Israeli atrocities in Gaza.

By doing so they sent out a message to Keir Starmer that his slavish support for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may cost his party dozens of seats in the looming general election.

‘Foments hatred’

Take for example the splash headline in the Daily Mail: “Dozens of pro-Gaza activists elected.”

In the words of Chris Doyle, the respected director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, this was “one of the worst most dangerous front pages ever on a British publication” – one that “foments hatred and risk lives”.

The Daily Mail failed to mention in its coverage that over 34,700 Palestinians have, according to Gaza’s health ministry, been slaughtered over the last seven months.

Thank you, Muslim voters, for injecting principles and decency into British democracy
In such terrible circumstances, it’s only natural that Muslim voters should rise up against Starmer and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s cross-party coalition in support of Israel’s far-right prime minister, Netanyahu.

In such terrible circumstances, it’s only natural that Muslim voters should rise up against Starmer and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s cross-party coalition in support of Israel’s far-right prime minister, Netanyahu.

And, of course, it’s not just Muslims who are horrified by the line taken by our two main party leaders. So are countless other Britons, including many Jews.

Principled opposition

In this terrible moment in the history of the Middle East, there’s nothing wrong with being a “pro-Gaza activist”, to use the clumsy Daily Mail formulation.

In fact, the phrase is surely synonymous with support for human decency and principled opposition to the indiscriminate slaughter being carried out by the Israeli army.

Thank you, Muslim voters, for injecting principles and decency into British democracy
The Labour Party is in an “uncomfortable position on Gaza and it is not just Muslim voters”, one expert said.

Do not forget that Islamophobia is rife within Starmer’s Labour. Ali Milani, Labour’s candidate against Boris Johnson in Uxbridge in 2019, highlighted this inconvenient fact in a devastating interview with Middle East Eye.

The Martin Forde KC report into racism inside Labour confirmed that Labour has a serious Islamophobia problem. Though not as dreadful as Sunak’s Conservatives.

Patriotic

As I set out in a series of investigative articles for MEE, the Conservatives persistently smear and target Britain’s Muslim minority, always operating in alliance with a poisonously Islamophobic mass media.

This does raise the urgent question: how should Muslims vote at a time when the two main political parties have turned virulently against them? It would have been entirely understandable had British Muslims recoiled from a democratic system that has treated them with disdain and contempt.

They did not reject British democracy. Instead, they turned their back on a rotten two-party system that has chosen to target and despise Muslims rather than give them a voice.

To sum up, British Muslims have voted in a patriotic way. Over the last few months, most voters, though not the political and media classes, have supported an immediate ceasefire.

Thank you, Muslim voters, for injecting principles and decency into British democracy
To sum up, British Muslims have voted in a patriotic way. Over the last few months, most voters, though not the political and media classes, have supported an immediate ceasefire.

Most important of all, their votes have had an effect. Recently, Starmer, who for so long saw his role as Westminster point man for Netanyahu, suddenly changed his tune.

He demanded that Netanyahu should abandon plans for a Rafah offensive, and called for an immediate ceasefire.

This was new language from Starmer. It would never have happened but for last week’s Muslim vote.

Source: Middle East Eye

]]> https://iric.org/thank-you-muslim-voters-for-injecting-principles-and-decency-into-british-democracy/feed/ 0 Elon Musk slammed for promoting falsehood-riddled, Islamophobic post https://iric.org/elon-musk-slammed-for-promoting-falsehood-riddled-islamophobic-post/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=elon-musk-slammed-for-promoting-falsehood-riddled-islamophobic-post https://iric.org/elon-musk-slammed-for-promoting-falsehood-riddled-islamophobic-post/#respond Sat, 01 Jun 2024 11:28:07 +0000 https://iric.org/?p=37709 Elon Musk faced criticism for promoting falsehood-riddled anti-Islam post on X, formerly Twitter, on May 4, to his tens of millions of followers.

British actor Laurence Fox wrote a post on X, claiming that the mayors of some of the largest towns and cities in the United Kingdom are Muslim. Fox then claimed that Muslim families receive state support, free housing, and free accommodation, and cited a stratospherically false and unrealistic unemployment rate.

Elon Musk slammed for promoting falsehood-riddled, Islamophobic post
The Islamophobic tweet was later community noted with the following corrections: “Chaman Lal is Sikh and the mayor of West Midlands- Birmingham. Al Garthwaite is a white German-born Brit- mayor of Leeds. Colin Ross is a white Brit and the mayor of South Yorkshire is a white Brit – Sheffield. Mike Holly is a white Brit- mayor of Rochdale.”

He then complained, “Now every school in the UK is required to teach lessons about Islam. Has anyone ever been given an opportunity to vote for this?”

 

The Islamophobic tweet was later community noted with the following corrections: “Chaman Lal is Sikh and the mayor of West Midlands- Birmingham. Al Garthwaite is a white German-born Brit- mayor of Leeds. Colin Ross is a white Brit and the mayor of South Yorkshire is a white Brit – Sheffield. Mike Holly is a white Brit- mayor of Rochdale.”

Regardless that did not stop the Tesla CEO and one of the world’s richest men from endorsing the post by claiming to be shocked by Fox’s statement.

Others users encouraged Musk to read the community notes feature provided by his own platform.

Meanwhile, the original tweet was slammed for its misleading statistics, including the claim that the unemployment rate for Muslims in the UK was 63% when in reality it stands at 6.7%.

Source: Mediaite.com

]]> https://iric.org/elon-musk-slammed-for-promoting-falsehood-riddled-islamophobic-post/feed/ 0 The effects of bullying on Muslim students https://iric.org/the-effects-of-bullying-on-muslim-students/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-effects-of-bullying-on-muslim-students https://iric.org/the-effects-of-bullying-on-muslim-students/#respond Sat, 02 Mar 2024 13:16:26 +0000 https://iric.org/?p=35482 Bullying is a pervasive issue in schools, affecting students from various backgrounds. However, Muslim students often face unique challenges due to their faith and cultural identity.

Bullying against Muslim students is happening all across the United States. It is real, it is ugly, and it is happening way more often than you might think.

According to a 2022 survey by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding:

– 48% of Muslim families reported that their child had been bullied because of their faith.

– 20% of Muslim students experience bullying nearly every day.

The effects of bullying on Muslim students
Bullying against Muslim students is happening all across the United States. It is real, it is ugly, and it is happening way more often than you might think.

Muslim students encounter various forms of bullying, including physical attacks, verbal threats, and social isolation. These experiences can leave them feeling threatened, frightened, and disconnected from their school community. Some common examples of bullying reported by Muslim students include:

Having their hijab pulled off without reason, being targeted with jokes and unfairly blamed, facing offensive questions about terrorism and bomb-making.

Bullying and racism have far-reaching effects on Muslim students such as:

– Emotional Impact: Anxiety, depression, insomnia, and low self-esteem are common consequences.

– Identity Struggle: Some students feel torn between being a citizen of their country and being Muslim.

– Cultural Disconnection: The feeling of a deep gap between the student and the society in which he lives.

In order to take action, we need to pay attention to the critical role of the educators. First, they should train to recognize the address biases. Then, they can raise the awareness about the contributions of Muslim Americans to dispel stereotypes. Providing moral lessons to educate students in terms of morality can be helpful as well.

]]> https://iric.org/the-effects-of-bullying-on-muslim-students/feed/ 0 Dutch-translated Quran distributed at ‘Don’t Burn, Read’ event in Netherlands https://iric.org/dutch-translated-quran-distributed-at-dont-burn-read-event-in-netherlands/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dutch-translated-quran-distributed-at-dont-burn-read-event-in-netherlands https://iric.org/dutch-translated-quran-distributed-at-dont-burn-read-event-in-netherlands/#respond Tue, 27 Feb 2024 19:23:33 +0000 https://iric.org/?p=35034 President of Arnhem Türkiyem Mosque Foundation expressed desire for unity, solidarity among people.

Dutch-translated Quran distributed at 'Don't Burn, Read' event in Netherlands
Dutch-translated Quran distributed at ‘Don’t Burn, Read’ event in Netherlands,

Copies of the Quran with Dutch translation were distributed in the Netherlands as part of the “Don’t Burn, Read” event, after the latest attack on the Muslim holy book by the leader of the racist and far-right Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West (PEGIDA) movement.

Dutch-translated Quran distributed at 'Don't Burn, Read' event in Netherlands
following a recent failed Qur’ān burning attempt by the leader of the Dutch branch of the extreme group known as Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West or PEGIDA, Muslims in the Netherlands have collaborated on an excellent response that has led to hundreds of copies of the Qur’ān being distributed.

In Arnhem, located in the eastern part of the Netherlands, six mosque leaders organized this event and free Dutch-translated copies of the Quran and brochures explaining Islam were distributed to passersby.

The major aim of this event was to convey to the people why Islam and the Quran are sacred for Muslims.

Dutch-translated Quran distributed at 'Don't Burn, Read' event in Netherlands
The easel says, “Books are there to read, not to burn”. The joint initiative has been a large success with interest in Islam increasing rapidly.

The organizers expressed a desire for unity and solidarity among the people of Arnhem, saying: “Let the Quran and all sacred texts not be burned, but read.”

John Maters, a Dutch attendee who received a copy of the Quran, appreciated the event and criticized last month’s provocative actions by far-right leader Edwin Wagensveld.

 

Dutch-translated Quran distributed at 'Don't Burn, Read' event in Netherlands
In addition to the heightened interest in Islam and the collaborative response to the hate-filled actions of PEGIDA, there has been a sea-change in the political environment in the Netherlands.

“When you think about the provocative action carried out last month, you turn people into enemies against each other. I don’t think you have to be religious to understand that this doesn’t make any sense,” he added.

 

Source: Anadolu Agency

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