November 13-19

The Muslims of South Korea

The Muslims of South Korea

AlJazeera

With a history going all the way back to the Eighth century, Muslims in South Korea reflect on their double identities in Islam and Korean culture, seeking to balance the two in a country where Islam has little, but growing, recognition.
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Czech Republic's Tiny Muslim Community Subject to Hate

Czech Republic's Tiny Muslim Community Subject to Hate

AlJazeera

Given the new anti-Islam political climate in the Czech Republic, the already disenfranchised Muslim population has been experiencing a new wave of hate speech and physical attacks.
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Why Did a Million Muslims Just Go on Pilgrimage to Senegal?

Why Did a Million Muslims Just Go on Pilgrimage to Senegal?

Newsweek

Up to one million Sufi Muslims made the pilgrimage to Touba, Senegal to celebrate and remember the life and teachings of Amadou Bamba, founder and spiritual leader of the Mouride Brotherhood.
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US Court Allows Part of Trump Travel Ban to go into Effect

US Court Allows Part of Trump Travel Ban to go into Effect

Reuters

A three-judge panel in San Francisco, CA ruled that people from the six ‘banned’ countries: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, and Chad will be barred entry from the U.S. if they have no internal connections.
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A New FBI Report Says Hate Crimes — Especially Against Muslims — Went Up in 2016

A New FBI Report Says Hate Crimes — Especially Against Muslims — Went Up in 2016

Vox

With an overall five percent increase in hate crimes from 2015, FBI crime statistics show that 2016 saw a twenty-percent increase in hate crimes against Muslims.
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Poland Defends Massive Far-Right Protest that Called for an ‘Islamic Holocaust’

Poland Defends Massive Far-Right Protest that Called for an ‘Islamic Holocaust’

The Washington Post

Poland’s Foreign Ministry took to defending the massive right-wing protests that were packed with anti-Semitic and Islamophobic rhetoric, calling the crowds a ‘beautiful sight.’
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A Progressive Muslim Candidate Wants to Flip a Florida District. He’ll Have to Beat Both Parties to Do It

A Progressive Muslim Candidate Wants to Flip a Florida District. He’ll Have to Beat Both Parties to Do It

The Intercept

Ahmad Saadaldin, a young, progressive Muslim politician from a predominantly republican district is vying for the democratic candidacy, but encounters a plethora of challenges in Islamophobia, misinformation, and resistance.
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Garry Wills' New Book Offers Peaceful, Palatable, Version of Islam

Garry Wills' New Book Offers Peaceful, Palatable, Version of Islam

The Chicago Tribune

To help diffuse Islamophobia in the U.S., historian Garry Wills’ new book ‘What the Quran Meant and Why It Matters’ is an enlightening discussions on the foundations of Islamic law and how it used and misused.
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German Islamic Associations Denied Religious Lessons in School

German Islamic Associations Denied Religious Lessons in School

Deutsche Welle

A state court has denied Muslim associations permission to introduce religious lessons in schools in North Rhine-Westphalia, citing fears such as failure to integrate.
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Polish President Sharply Condemns Weekend Nationalist March

Polish President Sharply Condemns Weekend Nationalist March

AP

Insisting Poland must remain open to all who wish to contribute good to the nation, The Polish president has sharply condemned expressions of xenophobia and racism at a weekend march by nationalists, saying there is no place in the country for anti-Semitism and “sick nationalism.”
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Lebanese Patriarch Makes Historic Saudi Visit Amid Hariri Crisis

Lebanese Patriarch Makes Historic Saudi Visit Amid Hariri Crisis

Reuters

Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Al-Rahi visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the intention of boosting religious tolerance in a country where other religions are banned.
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Turkish Cypriots Split Over Islam’s Rise in Northern Cyprus

Turkish Cypriots Split Over Islam’s Rise in Northern Cyprus

AP

The Turkish financed construction of mosque in Northern Cyprus has invoked a fear over the locals in protecting their secularized lifestyle after criticism over their degree of faith.
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Olympian Fencer Inspires Barbie's First Hijab-Wearing Doll

Olympian Fencer Inspires Barbie's First Hijab-Wearing Doll

Reuters

Olympic gold medalist fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad inspired the production of Barbie doll’s wearing the hijab, a signpost of opening up Western society to the common Islamic dress code and acceptance.
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The Muslim Overpopulation Myth That Just Won’t Die

The Muslim Overpopulation Myth That Just Won’t Die

The Atlantic

The popular, anti-Islam rhetoric that Muslims “have too many kids” is a misleading notion, new studies find that Muslim birthrates are now slowing down relative to the socio-economic factors that increased them.
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Prevent Counter-Terror Strategy 'Discriminatory And Counter-Productive' In Focus On Muslims, Runnymede Trust Report Says

Prevent Counter-Terror Strategy 'Discriminatory And Counter-Productive' In Focus On Muslims, Runnymede Trust Report Says

Huffington Post

The Government’s key anti-radicalisation strategy is “discriminatory, disproportionate and counterproductive” and should be subject to an inquiry over its focus on Muslims, a landmark report on Islamophobia has said.
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With Just One Mosque, Belgrade's Muslims Are Forced to Improvise

With Just One Mosque, Belgrade's Muslims Are Forced to Improvise

Reuters

The Islamic community in Belgrade, Serbia is under stress to find places to worship and congregate after the government has routinely denied requests for new mosques, with the only mosque dating back to the sixteenth century.
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Explaining Islam: In Las Cruces, N.M., members of a local mosque want to dispel rumors about Muslims

Explaining Islam: In Las Cruces, N.M., members of a local mosque want to dispel rumors about Muslims

The Washington Post

Muslims from a local mosque brought out tables of Qur’an, hoping to attract people to come and learn about Islam. The curious passersby began to approach with their questions, their comments and their concerns. The answers, Hussain hoped, would inform and enlighten — or at least spur constructive conversations about being Muslim in America.
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Assaults Against Muslims in U.S. Surpass 2001 Level

Assaults Against Muslims in U.S. Surpass 2001 Level

Pew Research Center

Assault, intimidation, and vandalism against Muslims all saw an increase from previous years in hate crime. Given the likelihood of victims to feel scared in reporting crimes, these numbers are likely undercounted.
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What It Takes To Make Saudi Islam ‘Moderate’

What It Takes To Make Saudi Islam ‘Moderate’

The Atlantic

Announcing a momentous effort to ‘modernize’ Islam, the Saudi royal family will need to be very cautious in their political and religious discourse as they go forward in changing some aspects of their religious leadership.
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Saying God Picked Trump, Nation of Islam Leader Louis Farrakhan Portrays Him as Both Truth-Talking Hero and Racist Villain

Saying God Picked Trump, Nation of Islam Leader Louis Farrakhan Portrays Him as Both Truth-Talking Hero and Racist Villain

The Washington Post

Controversial figure Louis Farrakhan invited journalists to hear him speak as he went on a two hour long discussion of the pros and cons of Trump’s character and presidency.
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Nearly Half of Canadians Have Negative Feelings Towards Islam: Poll

Nearly Half of Canadians Have Negative Feelings Towards Islam: Poll

VICE News

An Angus Reid poll from October shows that Canadians have overwhelmingly negative views of Islam and its place in Canadian society, feeling that it does not benefit Canada.
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Maydan editors selected some of the most thought-provoking news items on issues around Islam, religion and public-life for you. Let us know what you have been reading. Drop us a line at mediaroundups@themaydan.com!