The United Nations committee responsible for combating racism has criticized the United Kingdom over continuing hate crimes, hate speech and xenophobic incidents, following riots fueled by hate and misinformation that gripped the country this summer.

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) expressed deep concern on Friday, August 23, over the presence of racist speech on various platforms, particularly when perpetuated by politicians and public figures.

The committee was “particularly concerned about recurring racist acts, violence, and hate speech against ethnic and ethno-religious minorities, migrants, refugees and asylum seekers by extremist far-right and white supremacist individuals and groups.”

According to CERD’s report, the UK must act to curb the sharp increase in the use of racist hate speech by British politicians and high-profile public figures. Ministers must “adopt comprehensive measures to discourage and combat racist hate speech and xenophobic discourse by political and public figures” and ensure that such cases are “effectively investigated and sanctioned.”

The committee members declined to name which politicians or public figures had made comments triggering the committee’s concern, but added there were “so many credible reports” of racist comments by high-profile individuals that there was “no doubt that the issue is a serious one in the UK”.

The unrest, which gripped the UK for over a week in July and August, was triggered by misinformation surrounding a tragic stabbing incident in Southport, England, where three young girls were killed.

The suspect, a 17-year-old boy named Axel Rudakubana, was initially reported as a Muslim immigrant, despite being born in Cardiff to Christian Rwandan parents. This false narrative quickly spread on social media, inciting violence across the country.

Exploiting the tragedy, far-right groups launched protests that spiraled into violent clashes with police. Hotels housing asylum seekers were set on fire, and mosques and businesses owned by ethnic and religious minorities were attacked. In total, around 600 people were arrested in connection with the riots.

Notorious anti-immigration figures like Tommy Robinson and Nigel Farage were accused of stoking the flames. Farage, a prominent MP and leader of Reform UK, warned ominously of further unrest, while his previous comments on Muslims not sharing British values further fueled tensions.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the violence, labeling it as “far-right thuggery.”

Presenting the report on Friday based on a four-year review into Britain’s record on tackling race discrimination, the committee highlighted “very troubling” manifestations of racism within the UK, flagging particular concern about racial profiling in stop and search practices, and the “excessive and deadly” use of force by law enforcement.

Committee members were “particularly concerned about the high number of strip-searches carried out on children, especially children of African descent, by law enforcement officials, and at the increase of police presence in schools with higher proportions of ethnic minority children”.

The government should “take steps to address the over-policing of schools with higher proportions of ethnic minority pupils and adopt and strengthen legislation and other measures to explicitly prohibit strip-searches on children”, the report advised.

A UK government spokesperson said on Friday: “There is no excuse for the hatred, violence and intimidation we saw online and on our streets. It was not legitimate protest, it was violent thuggery, and why we have taken the toughest action to ensure those involved in the disorder, directly or indirectly by stirring up hatred, face the full force of the law.”

Source: UN News

Muslim workers in the National Health Service (NHS) have reported a surge in abuse and racism since the start of the far-right riots in the UK last week, hindering their ability to provide effective care, a British Muslim medical body has told The New Arab.

Muslim medical staff across the UK have been targeted in their personal and professional spaces, forcing them to close practices early, avoid certain routes home, and feel unsafe when travelling to work.

Dr Sahira Dar, the vice president of the British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA) said health workers have been on the receiving end of racial slurs and serious threats.

“There are lots of stories being shared about things that are happening in different localities, and we’re hearing of GP practices that have had to close early out of fear for their staff, some staff are also working remotely,” she told TNA.

“There’s been an incident of someone randomly walking into a GP practice shouting ‘kill this Muslim man’…people are very understandably extremely afraid,” she added.

Dozens of far-right riots spread across the UK after misinformation over the identity of a perpetrator of a Southport attack which killed three girls spread.

Social media was awash with false information suggesting the attacker was Muslim or an immigrant, triggering a wave of violent anger and mob riots across the country.

Impact on access to healthcare

According to Dr Dar, the far-right abuse has not just affected Muslim staff, but people of color (POC) staff more generally.

“It is affecting people that share characteristics with Muslims, and people are afraid of being attacked at work, including Hindu and Sikh staff,” she said.

It has had a knock-on effect on patients, as more doctors were forced to stay home during the riots, despite others still going in while afraid.

“Because of staff shortages and various other things, the NHS is already under a lot of stress, and now we have staff fearing for their lives…some patients will now not be able to access healthcare and we know that ethnic minorities, marginalized communities, asylum seekers, refugees are affected greatly by health inequalities and access to health,” she added, saying the full extent of the consequences of healthcare will be seen in the coming weeks and months.

Other medical organizations have also reported a skyrocket in abuse, raising alar over the impact it was having on the medical sector.

The London ambulance service on Monday said staff were reporting an “increase in racial abuse and hostility from a small minority”.

According to the Guardian, the British Egyptian Medical Association (BEMA) said it observed a “troubling increase in fear of racist abuse and discrimination” among the 11,000 doctors, dentists and pharmacists it represents.

The association said the abuse hindered their ability to provide proper care to patients, particularly as some staff were forced to work remotely or could not do home visits.

Dr Dar told TNA there had been a “mixed response” around the country to the riots and abuse against Muslim medical staff.

“It’s really important for our NHS leadership to call it what it is, and use precise language because that helps with the support element of it. We have asked for certain organizations to correct their statements and call these attacks Islamophobic because that is what they are. We have had a positive response to this campaign” she said, noting one institution issued a correction and called the attacks ‘Islamophobic’ following a request from BIMA.

She also urged the media and the British government to be “very careful” of the language that they use and be responsible when reporting information.

This week, chief executive of NHS England addressed the rising concerns and feelings of unsafety among Muslim NHS workers.

“We shouldn’t let dedication to duty disguise the fact that for many NHS workers, seeing this flare-up of racism will leave them feeling afraid and unwelcome,” Amanda Pritchard said.

Source: Arab News

A 43-year-old man has been killed outside a Philadelphia mosque in an execution-style shooting that’s been condemned by Pennsylvania’s governor.

Officers found the man, later identified as Raheem Jefferson, unresponsive on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds on Tuesday afternoon, July 30, including at least one to his head and multiple to his torso, according to the Philadelphia Police Department. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital shortly afterward.

The killer fired at least 17 shots using a large-caliber semi-automatic weapon, police Chief Inspector Scott Small said a news conference on Wednesday, July 31. Security footage reviewed by police shows Jefferson and another man walking to the Al-Aqsa Islamic Society for prayer service when a suspect approaches from behind before opening fire, Small said.

“It’s all caught on camera,” Scott told reporters. “The shooter stands over the victim from just a few feet away and continues firing shots at this 43-year-old victim while he lays on the parking lot. So clearly, an execution-type homicide.”

No arrests have been made in the case and police haven’t determined a motive but Small said it appears Jefferson was the intended target of the crime.

The shooter was seen getting into a vehicle and fleeing the parking lot while wearing dark-colored clothing, Small said.

A $20,000 reward has been offered for anyone with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.

The shooting happened at the Al-Aqsa Islamic Society mosque, established in 1989 in the lower northeast neighborhood of Kensington. Its goal is to “maintain the Islamic Identity and to protect and sustain the Islamic Community in Philadelphia,” according to its website.

Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro condemned the incident on X and shared his condolences.

“Violence outside of a house of worship is deeply painful and traumatizing for those simply showing up to worship and practice their faith,” Shapiro wrote. “As an investigation into this killing proceeds, I’m praying for Philadelphia’s Al-Aqsa Islamic Society community, a place I’ve been several times, and hoping they find peace in each other and in their faith.”

Source: USA Today

Adam Kelwick, 41, an imam at Abdullah Quilliam Mosque, Liverpool’s oldest mosque, was met with a group of 50 far-right sympathising demonstrators.

It was to be one of the first major demonstrations by the far right this weekend and fears were high of a violent outburst posing a danger to communities.

On one side of the road, with their backs to the mosque, was a diverse group of about 200 anti-fascists – equal numbers men and women and a mixture of ages, from students to retirees, including one woman with a “Nans against Nazis” placard.

On the other, facing the mosque, were a bunch of mostly white men, about 30 in number at their peak. Between them, in the road, officers from Merseyside and nearby north Wales forces kept the groups apart, some wearing fireproof clothing, with batons and helmets strapped to their waist. Half a dozen police cars and vans blocked either end.

Police had feared a serious disturbance when a flyer was circulated in far-right groups calling for a demonstration outside Abdullah Quilliam Society mosque on West Derby Road in Liverpool on Friday night, August 2. It followed riots outside a mosque in Southport on Tuesday night, July 30, during which police were pelted with bricks, a police van was torched and property walls and the road were damaged.

The violence was triggered by the fatal stabbing of three girls in the town, Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, while attending a Taylor Swift-inspired dance class on Monday, July 29. Despite official information to the contrary, many rioters chose to believe lies spread on social media that the 17-year-old alleged perpetrator was an undocumented immigrant.

Early on Friday evening, a couple of men appeared to film the anti-racist group gathered outside the mosque in Liverpool. “He’ll be a scout for the far right,” said one seasoned anti-fascist about a lone middle-aged man in a sports top who disappeared as quickly as he had arrived. “Once they see us lot on video, they won’t bother leaving the pub.”

His predictions were broadly right. An early scuffle occurred when a far-right protester was goaded to cross the road by the anti-fascists, who sang: “There are many, many more of us than you” to the tune of the folk song She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain. But after some aggression directed at a young Asian woman, police pulled the middle-aged white man back to his side of the road.

One woman, Rebecca, who held a “No room for racism” banner, said there was something about the character of the people of Liverpool that meant the far right rarely managed to cause more than a slight nuisance to people in the city.

“Liverpool is a place that comes together as a community,” she said. “We’re a very socialist city and we have no room for any sort of unreasoned bias where we’re singling out one ethnic group over another at the end of the day.”

Later in the evening, some members of each group began to talk.

“What is the definition of right wing?” asked Lee, originally from London, who had come because of concerns about immigration. “Doctors, nurses, teachers, we need to embrace them, we need them, chefs, let them come in. But when you have people coming on small boats, mostly males …”

Scarlett, a young Asian woman asked him: “I agree that you can protest about the boats, but what has that got to do with the young girls in Southport? How is it related?”

Lee admitted: “Maybe it’s not related.”

At about 10pm, the imam, Adam Kelwick, crossed the road to hand out burgers and talk to those left about why they had gathered outside the mosque.

Some of them refused to engage in earnest but Don Cornell, originally from Glasgow but living in Liverpool, had a long conversation with Kelwick.

“That’s a fair point,” said Cornell, after Kelwick said the Muslim community shared the same concerns as him about extremism and grooming gangs, two of the far right’s favorite issues.

Kelwick said: “When things have calmed down a bit, we’re going to arrange a forum and we want genuine people like you to come in, and we’ll listen to each other, talk about the issues. But you’ve got to be ready to step up and talk.”

Cornell agreed and the conversation ended in a hug.

Kelwick said he believes most of the people going to these protests are angry and fed up – struggling in their lives, whether it’s with cost of living, the NHS, or fear from hearing stories about “Muslims taking over”.

How do we address this? he says the formula is simple: “Recognising that we’re all humans. We all share these issues which people are raising, and the more we can communicate to each other.”

Kelwick added: “We recognize that a lot of the people who are ‘Islamophobic’, the reason that they have those fears is because they are genuinely worried. Whether those concerns are based on misinformation or or ignorance, that’s another question. But you need to open channels of communication.

“This is the oldest mosque in the country, it’s been there for over 100 years and was founded by a British man.”

Adam pointed out that when the mosque was attacked decades ago, founder Abdullah Quilliam – a British man who converted to Islam – opened the doors of the mosque and invited people in to eat and solve their issues.

“That is a core part of the mosque today,” Adam said. “Don’t protest against us. Protest with us. Your concerns are also our concerns – whether it’s gangs, terrorism and extremism.”

Friday night in Liverpool may have been a scene of uneasy peace but on the opposite English coast in Sunderland, a far-right riot led to a police station being set alight.

With more than a dozen far-right protests organized across the UK on Saturday, police and communities will be hoping they resemble Liverpool, though early indications show any such optimism may be misplaced.

Qari Asim, the chair of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board and an imam at Makkah Mosque in Leeds, said Muslims were “deeply worried and anxious” about the nature of the planned demonstrations.

He said he had been visiting mosques to encourage worshippers “to stay vigilant and calm, and ensure that adequate security measures are in place”.

Many Muslims were afraid to walk alone to their local mosque for Friday prayers, feeling as though people on the far right were “out to get us”, one imam said. In Southport, at the mosque that was the scene of Tuesday’s riots, attendance was down and worshippers kept their children at home when they went for lunchtime prayers on Friday, August 2.

Asim said he wanted to thank the police, who had “shown remarkable courage whilst under constant and sustained attack from racist thugs”.

He said: “The support and friendship offered by people of other faiths and beliefs has been heartening. Many non-Muslims visiting mosques to show solidarity or making a human chain outside a mosque to protect it from damage, is what makes Britain so special, and reminds us that only by coming together, can we defeat hatred and extremism. Love will prevail over hatred.”

Source: The Guardian

26 October 2023

These days, the world is witnessing the most severe and inhumane attacks carried out by the Israeli military against the oppressed people of Palestine. These attacks have had devastating consequences in the region and the whole world, resulting in the tragic loss of lives of children, women and men of all ages, mass displacement of innocent people.

Over the past few days, the escalation of attacks on residential areas, schools, hospitals, mosques, churches, and medical facilities in Gaza has caused a wave of fear and displacement among the vulnerable Palestinian population. These are the people who have experienced illegal occupation of their homes for more than 70 years with humiliation, oppression and act of apartheid by the Zionist regime. As mentioned by the Secretary General of the United Nations and the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, the roots of the existing problem need to be taken into consideration when dealing with the causes of recent incidents. The Israeli regime’s targeting of medical centers not only violates international laws and rules that prohibit attacks on civilian infrastructure but also exposes its disregard for international conventions, causing deep concern among Muslims worldwide and all advocates of human rights.

We express our heartfelt sympathy and condolences to all nations who value justice and respect for human rights, particularly the oppressed people of Palestine.

We call upon the international community, and especially religious organizations (Muslims, Jews and Christians), to take positive steps towards peaceful coexistence and to take immediate action to halt these atrocities and protect the lives of innocent Palestinian people.

Violation of the religious ethical rules, as well as international law, even at the time of war has to be strongly condemned. It is not only the lives of innocent human beings that is perished, but the horrendous damage is inflicted on dignity and glory of religion itself, that these atrocities are being committed under its name.

Finally, we ask Almighty God and pray to Him to hasten the return and reappearance of the Promised Savior of all true religions in order to bring peace, justice and tranquility to the whole world.

Islamic Research and Information Center (IRIC)

www.IRIC.org

The fourth Islamophobia in Australia report which analyzed 930 incidents reported to the Islamophobia Register Australia in 2014-2021, found that verbal abuse hurts as much as physical abuse.

The research conducted by the Islamophobia Register Australia, Charles Sturt University and Islamic Science and Research Academy (ISRA), reveals that of the 515 incidents occurred in real life circumstance, 62% were in the form of verbal threats and intimidation in contrast to 23% physical attacks and 15% property damage. The ratio of those expressing a long-term impact was similar both for verbal (24%) and physical (25%) abuse.

Inaction by surrounding people aggravated the emotional impact on victims. Almost three quarters (72%) of those cases involved only the perpetrator and victim in the absence of bystander intervention. People’s non-interference in preventing these behaviors deepens the damage to the victims to the point they become traumatized or even avoid being alone or hesitant about traveling to the places with no diversity present.

Avoidance behavior was prevalent in two thirds (66%) of the physical cases. Yet, the impact was deeper since 81% of those showing avoidance behavior also expressed an emotional impact (in contrast to those who felt no emotion and did not show any avoidance behaviors 65%). The most commonly felt emotional impact by those showing avoidance behavior was fear and fright followed by humiliation and disappointment.

The statistics derived from the reported cases of Islamophobia inform the public and policy makers about the harm caused by Islamophobia and urge everyone to combat Islamophobia in their respective areas to protect the wellbeing of the public and contributed to the public health.

Source: Australasian Muslim Times

انا لله و انا الیه راجعون

“We belong to Allah, and to Him shall we return”

[The Holy Quran]

The horrific and gruesome news about the martyrdom of more than 50 girl students at Sayed ul-Shohada High School in Kabul was shocking and quite disturbing. The name of the high school which means “The Master of the Martyrs” refers to and is a reminder of the terrifying violence by the infidels of the time against Imam Hussain (a.s.), the grandson of the Holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH). Now, the history is repeating itself.

We, at the Islamic Research and Information Center (IRIC), strongly condemn this barbaric and terrorist attack against the innocent students whose only sin was that they were Shia girls. We ask all relevant international organizations and local authorities to hold accountable those who performed such a heinous crime.

We, at IRIC, are deeply saddened by this violent act and express our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the martyred students. May Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, bring comfort and peace to them and punish the ones responsible for this inhumane act of violence in this world and in the Hereafter.

IRIC Management, Researchers and Staff

Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, in a report to the Human Rights Council, referred to widespread negative representations of Islam, fear of Muslims generally, and security and counter terrorism policies.

He said these have served to perpetuate, validate, and normalize discrimination, hostility, and violence towards Muslim individuals and communities.

“Islamophobia builds imaginary constructs around Muslims that are used to justify state-sponsored discrimination, hostility, and violence against Muslims with stark consequences for the enjoyment of human rights including freedom of religion or belief,” said Shaheed, also a former foreign minister of the Maldives.

The UN expert said that following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US in 2001 and “other horrific acts of terrorism purportedly carried out in the name of Islam,” institutional suspicion of Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim have escalated to “epidemic proportions.” “In such climates of exclusion, fear, and distrust, Muslims report that they often feel stigma, shame, and a sense that they are ‘suspect communities’ that are being forced to bear collective responsibility for the actions of a small minority,” he said, without naming specific countries.

The report cites European surveys in 2018 and 2019 showing that 37% of the population held unfavorable views of Muslims.

In 2017, some 30% of Americans surveyed viewed Muslims in a negative light.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Macron has been the subject of protests for his perceived attacks on Islam, after he backed the publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad and claimed in a speech that Islam “is in crisis all over the world today”. Protesters in some countries have called for a boycott of French products.

Source: The Guardian

A spotlight of suspicion was trained on them again even before the latest acts of extremist violence, including two beheadings. President Emmanuel Macron has forged ahead with his effort to rid Islam in France of extremists, part of a project he labels “separatism,” a term that makes Muslims wince.

Amid intensifying rhetoric and fresh attacks by outsiders, including the killings of three people Thursday at a Catholic church in Nice, Muslims in France have kept their heads down and chins up. But deep down, some are squirming, feeling they are being held responsible.

Islam is the second religion in France, which has the largest Muslim population in Western Europe. But the country’s estimated 5 million Muslims have walked a delicate line in search of full acceptance in what for many is their nation of birth. Discrimination casts a shadow over some and is an outright barrier to mainstream life for others.

France’s cherished value of secularism, which is meant to ensure religious freedom, has in recent years been used by the state to reign in customs practiced by some Muslims. The president’s proposed law may mean further tinkering with the 1905 secularism law born out of a conflict with the powerful Roman Catholic clergy.

The rise of Islam into public view was gradual and mostly went unnoticed until the far right seized upon it as a threat to the French identity. Over the years mosques have multiplied, along with Muslim schools.

The religion with no single leader has multiple strains in France, running from moderate to Salafist with a rigorous interpretation of the religion to outright radical upstarts.

In his project, Macron envisions measures like training imams in France instead of bringing them in from Turkey, Morocco or Algeria.

Source: The Associated Press