Nike Asked To Recall Trainer That Appear to Have 'Allah' on Sole
IndependentNo stranger to controversy, Nike’s new line of Air Max 270 shoes appears to have “Allah” written in Arabic on the sole as part of a stylized logo.
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Bahrain court upholds life sentences for opposition figures
AP News“Bahrain’s highest court on Monday upheld life sentences for a prominent Shiite cleric who led the country’s now-outlawed opposition party and two of his colleagues after their earlier acquittal, continuing a crackdown on all dissent in the island nation.”
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Controversy implodes at Al-Azhar in the wake of PDA incident
Al-MonitorAl-Azhar University’s Mansoura branch is under fire for their decision to discharge a female student for hugging a male classmate at the university after accepting his marriage proposal. The incident has sparked an outpouring of public support for her.
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France Has Millions of Muslims. Why Does It Import Imams?
The New York TimesAlgerian novelist Kamel Daoud asks some important questions about the “funny” ways state secularism impacts France.
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Shia Islam and the Muslim Brotherhood: Could an alliance be on the cards?
Middle East EyeThe repression facing the Brotherhood in Egypt and several Gulf states, together with renewed sanctions against Iran and its allies, could herald an unprecedented political alliance
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Newcastle Islamic school leaders 'reach out' to vandals
BBC NewsAn Islamic academy in Newcastle, UK has called for dialogue with those who perpetrated acts of vandalism against it. Officials described their shock at what took place and gratitude for the overwhelming support of the community.
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AP Interview: Iraqi militia leader wants US troops to leave
AP News Shiite militia leader Qais al-Khazali said Monday that he expects a vote in the coming months by Iraq’s parliament calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, underscoring the jostling for power between Iran and the U.S. in Iraq.
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They Created a Muslim Enclave in Upstate N.Y. Then Came the Online Conspiracies.
The New York TimesHoly Islamberg was intended to be a refuge, a serene environment to pray and bring up children. Residents have found that there is no such thing as a safe haven in the internet age.
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'Muslim ban': Two years on, Trump's order still destroying lives
Middle East EyeTwo years after President Donald Trump signed an executive order severely restricting travel from several Muslim-majority countries, the effects of the executive order that came to be known as the Muslim ban continue unabated.
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'My son was terrified': how to Prevent alienates UK Muslims
The GuardianBritain’s “Prevent” anti-terrorism strategy is once again under scrutiny after a thirteen-year-old boy was questioned at school over affiliations with IS.
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Complicating hate speech matters
Immanent FrameWith a popular book which argues Islam is waging “civilizational war” against the West, Norwegian journalist Hege Storhaug is making a name for herself among those who fear global “Islamification.” Researcher Sindre Bangstad reminds us why “Western states and corporate elites’ support and funding of Islamophobia in our neoliberal times do ultimately matter more than hate speech and its legal regulation”.
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Two years after Québec mosque killings, Islamophobia continues to rise
The ConversationProfessor Jasmin Zine says the Québec City mosque massacre, the worst mass murder to take place in a house of worship in Canadian history, was a shock to Canada’s multicultural utopia.
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Why Sikhs don’t throw Muslims under the bus
Religion News ServiceIn response to misguided messages, columnist Simran Jeet Singh shares some thoughts on the anti-Muslim hate Sikhs endure and why he, along with many other Sikhs, continues to stand as allies to their Muslim sisters and brothers.
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Targeting the Muslim 'enemy within': The British government must come clean
Middle East EyeIf a programme needs to be based on deception, silence, and covert messaging towards the state’s own population, it is probably safe to say that it is part of the problem rather than the solution, writes Malia Bouattia in examining the UK government’s “Muslim problem” and flawed counter-terrorism efforts
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Quebec mosque attack: two years on, will security trump openness?
The GuardianTwo years after the Quebec city attack, the Guardian examines challenges that face Muslim communities and Islamic places of worship across North America.
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What are Muslim prayer rugs?
The ConversationProfessor Rose S. Aslan says her research indicates, “that Islamophobia often targets visible signs of Muslimness, such as modest clothing like headscarves, as well as prayer rituals and mosques. This time it is the prayer rug.”
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India's Rohingya shame
Al JazeeraThe Indian government has adopted attitudes similar to Myanmar’s towards the Rohingya, writes Ashley Starr Kinseth.
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Activists reject US resolution accusing Muslim congresswomen of anti-Semitism
Middle East EyeLeading Palestinian- and Muslim-American rights campaigners have decried a proposed US House of Representatives resolution accusing Muslim congresswomen of anti-Semitism due to their criticism of Israeli policies, saying the measure amounts to anti-Muslim bigotry.
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Palestine, the Women's March, and imperial feminism
Al JazeeraAs Azeezah Kanji explains, much effort is made in the US to maintain that Palestine is not a feminist cause and erase the plight of its women.
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'It could have been us': Canadians rally on two-year anniversary of mosque massacre
Middle East EyeDozens of Canadians braved subzero temperatures and blistering snow to remember the six worshipers killed two years ago in the attack on an Islamic center.
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Angola’s Muslims long to be legally recognized
AAAngola’s Muslim population is not officially recognized and faces challenges from tough government requirements, but local leaders say the tide may now be turning.
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Pakistan court upholds Aasia Bibi's blasphemy acquittal
Al JazeeraPakistan’s Supreme Court has upheld the acquittal of a Christian woman charged with blasphemy, standing by its earlier verdict that sparked days of protests, death threats, and nationwide chaos.
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A Black Muslim Hero: Othello Adaptation Explores Religious Roots of Shakespeare's Tragic Moor
Wisconsin Muslim journalA new adaptation of Othello subtly reinterprets the tragic hero’s religious identity, presenting to audiences the possibility that the Moor of Venice was a closeted, practicing Muslim.
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America's First Muslims Were Slaves
Voice of AmericaVoice of America explores how Omar ibn Said and others brought to America as slaves were the first Muslims to leave their mark on our history and society.
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US militia members plead guilty to pipe bomb attack on mosque
Al Jazeera“Hoping to scare Muslims into leaving the United States, members of an Illinoisan militia group rented a truck and drove more than 805km to bomb a Minnesota mosque, two men admitted on Thursday.”
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Why Israel is pushing for a reset in relations with the Muslim world
Middle East OnlineIsrael’s robust diplomatic efforts toward the rest of the Arab world may be designed to further isolate Palestine, writes Rashmee Roshan Lall.
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Sudan's protests: The revolt of the periphery
Al JazeeraJournalist Reem Abbas suggests that t is the countryside, not Khartoum, that is now leading the political struggle for Sudan’s future.
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Democrat or Islamist firebrand — who is Tunisia's Rachid Ghannouchi?
Al-Monitor“I bet on women,” says Rachid Ghannouchi, leader of Tunisia’s Islamist Ennahda (Renaissance) Party in this exclusive interview with Al Monitor. “My wife decides everything.”
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Quebec doesn't have a problem with Islamophobia, Premier Legault says
CBCQuebec’s Premier says there’s no need for a day devoted to action against Islamophobia – because Islamophobia isn’t a problem in the province. Muslim leaders disagree.
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World Hijab Day promotes visibility, not meaningful progress
The New ArabLet’s look forward to the day when World Hijab Day no longer exists, writes Ruqaya Izzidien.
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Iran’s seminaries debate financial independence amid budget cuts
Al-MonitorThe administration of Hassan Rouhani has cut funding for seminaries, and the Islamic Republic is facing questions about the future of their theological institutions.
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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!