11-17 March Islam in Media Roundup

‘This is about equality’: Muslim couple produces braille Quran in English

‘This is about equality’: Muslim couple produces braille Quran in English

Religion News Service

In the past three years, under the auspices of their nonprofit, Islam By Touch, Yadira, and Nadir Thabatah have sent more than 150 braille Qurans to U.S. mosques for distribution to visually impaired Muslims as well as to individuals directly.
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Fox News rebukes Jeanine Pirro after she questioned Ilhan Omar's hijab

Fox News rebukes Jeanine Pirro after she questioned Ilhan Omar's hijab

CNN Business

In a rare rebuke of one of its star hosts, Fox News condemned Jeanine Pirro late Sunday for questioning whether Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s Islamic religious beliefs stand in opposition to the US Constitution.
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Ilhan Omar: Fox News host Jeanine Pirro suggests congresswoman's hijab means she is against US constitution

Ilhan Omar: Fox News host Jeanine Pirro suggests congresswoman's hijab means she is against US constitution

The Independent

Judge Jeanine Pirro accused the Somali-American congresswoman of being anti-Israel and a believer in sharia law. Her bizarre claims came amid the continuing fallout over comments made by Ms. Omar last week in which she said she was being pressured to pledge “allegiance” to Israel.
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Erdogan accuses women's march of disrespecting Islam

Erdogan accuses women's march of disrespecting Islam

Reuters

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused a march in central Istanbul marking International Women’s Day of insulting Islam after they booed the call to prayer.
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Jeanine Pirro’s ‘hijab’ segment on Ilhan Omar earned a rebuke from Fox News — but sounds a lot like 2016 Donald Trump

Jeanine Pirro’s ‘hijab’ segment on Ilhan Omar earned a rebuke from Fox News — but sounds a lot like 2016 Donald Trump

The Washington Post

Aaron Blake shows us that what Judge Pirro said isn’t hugely different from what the president she and many other high-profile Fox hosts supported said in 2016.
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In Muslim Malaysia, uproar over LGBTQ groups at Women's Day march

In Muslim Malaysia, uproar over LGBTQ groups at Women's Day march

NBC News

A Malaysian minister has decried the presence of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups at a march celebrating International Women’s Day on Saturday, calling it “a misuse of democratic space”.
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Britain's Conservative Party has an Islamophobia problem

Britain's Conservative Party has an Islamophobia problem

Al Jazeera

Maya Goodfellow says that if governing politicians continue to shy away from the problem Baroness Sayeeda Warsi has repeatedly warned about, the consequences could be dire – both for the party and the UK.
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Jeanine Pirro’s anti-Muslim comments earned a rebuke from Fox News. They weren’t her first.

Jeanine Pirro’s anti-Muslim comments earned a rebuke from Fox News. They weren’t her first.

The Washington Post

Judge Pirro’s comments, falsely equating adherence to the Muslim faith with opposition to the U.S. Constitution, caused a wave of outrage, and were condemned by her network, but they weren’t her first forays into anti-Muslim rhetoric.
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 Muslim groups condemn Fox News host for questioning Rep. Omar’s loyalty to US

Muslim groups condemn Fox News host for questioning Rep. Omar’s loyalty to US

Religion News Service

“Such an open and un-American expression of religious bigotry should be rejected by any media outlet seeking even a modicum of credibility,” said Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “Jeanine Pirro should be fired, and Fox News should apologize to its viewing audience.”
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Anti-Semitism is linked to public opinion about Israel. But so is Islamophobia.

Anti-Semitism is linked to public opinion about Israel. But so is Islamophobia.

The Washington Post

In investigating whether bias is behind the backlash against Rep. Ilhan Omar, Michael Tesler checks public opinion.
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 China says Muslim ‘training’ centers will slowly disappear

China says Muslim ‘training’ centers will slowly disappear

AP News

Heavily guarded internment camps for Muslims which China calls vocational training centers will gradually disappear if there comes a time that “society does not need” them, regional authorities said Tuesday.
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Clock winding down on Israel's Bab al-Rahma ultimatum

Clock winding down on Israel's Bab al-Rahma ultimatum

Al-Monitor

Israel’s judicial system and the Palestinian Council for Religious Endowments are in a standoff after the council has not responded to a deadline it was given to shut the re-opened prayer space in the al-Aqsa compound.
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Israel shuts Jerusalem holy site after unrest

Israel shuts Jerusalem holy site after unrest

France 24

Unrest at a highly sensitive Jerusalem holy site led Israeli police to shut off access to it on Tuesday after several weeks of tension at the location.
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 US envoy calls China’s Muslim camps ‘horrific,’ wants probe

US envoy calls China’s Muslim camps ‘horrific,’ wants probe

AP News

Describing China’s internment of an estimated 1 million Muslims as a “horrific situation,” Ambassador Sam Brownback, a U.S. envoy on religion called Tuesday for an independent investigation into the detentions and for the release of those being held.
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My complaints of Tory Islamophobia were ignored, so I had to resign

My complaints of Tory Islamophobia were ignored, so I had to resign

The Guardian

The party Ajay Jagota was proud of seemed to want to brush his case under the carpet. What is that if not institutional racism?
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Astana Tries to Silence China Critics

Astana Tries to Silence China Critics

Foreign Policy

The arrest of a single activist has the pushed the Kazakh government into siding with Beijing.
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 Iranian president meets Iraq’s most senior Shiite cleric

Iranian president meets Iraq’s most senior Shiite cleric

AP News

President Hassan Rouhani became the first Iranian leader to meet with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani on the third and last day of his official visit to Iraq.
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Kazakhs are the latest victims in the Chinese war on Islam

Kazakhs are the latest victims in the Chinese war on Islam

The Independent

The Muslim ‘crackdown’ has seen millions of minorities locked up in the country’s notorious ‘reeducation’ camps – now the regime is going after ethnic Kazakhs, writes Reid Standish.
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Some Rohingya refugees prefer death in Bangladesh over repatriation to Myanmar

Some Rohingya refugees prefer death in Bangladesh over repatriation to Myanmar

Religion News Service

“It’s better to die in Bangladesh, where I would get a proper Islamic burial, than be killed in Myanmar for being Muslim,” said Dil Mohammed, who drank a bottle of rat poison after hearing he was going to be sent back to Myanmar “God will forgive my act of suicide because he knows our pain.”
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Why Young Muslims Need To Hear From Former Extremists

Why Young Muslims Need To Hear From Former Extremists

National Public Radio

Steve Inskeep talks to Farah Pandith, former U.S. envoy to Muslim communities, about the fight against terrorism. Pandith is the author of How We Win.
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'Pure fabrications': China on Uighur internment camp conditions

'Pure fabrications': China on Uighur internment camp conditions

Al Jazeera

Xinjiang’s governor says Uighur camps will gradually disappear if there comes a time that ‘society does not need’ them.
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Translators aim to bring Richard Dawkins’s books on atheism and evolution to a Muslim audience

Translators aim to bring Richard Dawkins’s books on atheism and evolution to a Muslim audience

The Washington Post

In the introduction to his 2006 book “The God Delusion,” author Richard Dawkins boldly declares his goal: “If this book works as I intend, religious readers who open it will be atheists when they put it down.” A team of translators is now working to realize Dawkins’ goal.
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'Racists see me as a threat to what Swedish society should be'

'Racists see me as a threat to what Swedish society should be'

Al Jazeera

Leila Ali Elmi, Sweden’s first hijab-wearing MP, who fled war in Somalia three decades ago, is battling rising support for the far right.
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Anish Kapoor: 'If I was a young Muslim, would I feel angry enough to join Isis? I would at least think about it'

Anish Kapoor: 'If I was a young Muslim, would I feel angry enough to join Isis? I would at least think about it'

The Guardian

Britain has gone through the looking glass and the artist’s new show follows it into the abyss. He talks about the upsurge in racism, fighting for Shamima Begum – and his clash with France’s president.
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Opinion// Why Anti-Muslim Hate Is Back With a Vengeance in Britain's Ruling Party

Opinion// Why Anti-Muslim Hate Is Back With a Vengeance in Britain's Ruling Party

Haaretz

The Tories have come a long way since Enoch Powell’s nativist ‘rivers of blood’ speech, detoxifying some of its prejudices. But a hard-right membership influx means, for British Muslims, it’s now going backward.
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 Netanyahu, King Abdullah in a bind over Temple Mount

Netanyahu, King Abdullah in a bind over Temple Mount

Al-Monitor

Ben Caspit examines Jordan and Israel’s latest shared dilemma.
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China rejects US criticism of its treatment of Muslim minorities

China rejects US criticism of its treatment of Muslim minorities

Al Jazeera

China’s foreign ministry said on Thursday a US State Department report critical of its human rights record which labeled its treatment of the Uighurs “one of the worst human rights violations in the world today” was filled with “ideological prejudice and groundless accusations”.
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Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric tells Rouhani ties must respect sovereignty

Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric tells Rouhani ties must respect sovereignty

Reuters

Iraq’s top Shi’ite cleric told Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday that Iraqi sovereignty must be respected and weapons kept in state hands, a veiled reference to increasingly influential Iran-backed militias.
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The exception: behind Senegal’s history of stability

The exception: behind Senegal’s history of stability

The Conversation

Professor Mara Lichtman, who researched the interplay of religious traditions in Senegal for over two decades says the country’s secret ingredient is the resilient cultural influence of Sufism.
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Hijab-wearing Muslim Americans get haircuts in basements, closets and restrooms. One salon wants to change that.

Hijab-wearing Muslim Americans get haircuts in basements, closets and restrooms. One salon wants to change that.

The Washington Post

Shamso Ahmed’s studio and spa in Boston is providing a sanctuary where observant Muslim women can avoid having to duck into the back room to get their hair done. “With this space,” she says, “I can guarantee that there’s not going to be guys that walk in, so women will have the privacy they are looking for.”
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The West Doesn’t Want ISIS Members to Return. Why Should the Syrians Put Up With Them?

The West Doesn’t Want ISIS Members to Return. Why Should the Syrians Put Up With Them?

The New York Times

British and American governments must take responsibility for their citizens who joined the Islamic State. A decision about their future should be made by the penal systems of their countries.
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Primary suspect, one alleged accomplice identified in terrorist attack that killed 49 in New Zealand

Primary suspect, one alleged accomplice identified in terrorist attack that killed 49 in New Zealand

The Washington Post

An Australian national in his late 20’s attacked two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, during Friday prayers. The death toll now stands at 50.
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The world reacts to New Zealand mosque attacks

The world reacts to New Zealand mosque attacks

Al Jazeera

Political and religious leaders from across the world have expressed their condemnation at the deadly shooting at two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch.
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UK Muslim leaders urge protection for mosques after Christchurch

UK Muslim leaders urge protection for mosques after Christchurch

The Guardian

Muslim leaders in the UK have called on the government to redouble its efforts to ensure the country’s mosques are protected in the wake of the shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, as they said worshippers attending Friday prayers would be doing so in the face of “unabated Islamophobia”.
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American Muslims anxiously consider security needs at mosques after New Zealand shooting

American Muslims anxiously consider security needs at mosques after New Zealand shooting

The Washington Post

Wajahat Ali, a prominent Muslim writer, summed up the feelings of many American Muslims as they mourn the terrorist attacks on two New Zealand Mosques: “Our houses of worship are no longer safe places,” he said.
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How this online app gives gamers keys to Al-Aaqa

How this online app gives gamers keys to Al-Aaqa

Al-Monitor

Protector of al-Aqsa, a new smartphone game launched by a West Bank software company aims to familiarize young people with the with Al-Aqsa’s importance in the Islamic heritage. “We are trying to instill the identity of the mosque, Jerusalem and its holy sites in the minds of young gamers through innovative and fun means, particularly at a time that Israel is trying to Judaize Jerusalem,” says Muntasir Idkeydik, the game’s supervisor.
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New Zealand mosque attacks: Politicians and media have blood on their hands

New Zealand mosque attacks: Politicians and media have blood on their hands

Middle East Eye

This type of hatred is not confined to any country but is widespread across the world, says Siema Iqbal.
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American Muslims Mourn and Mosques Heighten Security After New Zealand Attacks

American Muslims Mourn and Mosques Heighten Security After New Zealand Attacks

The New York Times

Police departments in major American cities intensified security around houses of worship. At some mosques in New York, clusters of police officers wearing tactical gear and armed with semi-automatic rifles stood sentry as worshipers entered for prayer.
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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!