Islam in Media Roundup | 21 October – 27 October

Hong Kong Leaders Apologize for Water Cannon Use at Mosque

Hong Kong Leaders Apologize for Water Cannon Use at Mosque

AP

Hong Kong officials apologized to Muslim leaders Monday after riot police sprayed a mosque and bystanders with a water cannon while trying to contain turbulent weekend pro-democracy demonstrations in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
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Anti-Semitic and Anti-Muslim Murders Are Latest in String of Fascist Attacks

Anti-Semitic and Anti-Muslim Murders Are Latest in String of Fascist Attacks

Truth Out

Last week’s attack on a synagogue and kebab shop was only a blip in the news in the United States. On the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, a fascist tried to storm a synagogue in Halle, Germany. Failing to get through the synagogue’s security door, he murdered a bystander on the street and then another in a nearby kebab shop.
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Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Public School Coursework on Islam

Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Public School Coursework on Islam

Washington Examiner

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rebuffed an appeal from a Christian former high school student who argued coursework on Islam at her Maryland school violated her First Amendment rights.
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An American Muslim Imam’s Letter to the American Sikh Community

An American Muslim Imam’s Letter to the American Sikh Community

Religion News

In fact the Sikhs, though they are the fifth largest faith group in the world, number only a few hundred thousand members in the entire U.S., most of whom live around New York City and in California. But in this rising climate of xenophobia, especially Islamophobia, they have become easy targets.
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China Is Exporting Its Anti-Muslim Strategy to India

China Is Exporting Its Anti-Muslim Strategy to India

The Nation

Muslims in Kashmir may find themselves in a Xinjiang-style dystopia thanks to Chinese technology and Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalism.
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A Mosque in the Land of Midnight Sun

A Mosque in the Land of Midnight Sun

BBC

No major religion’s daily ritual observances are tied more closely to the movement of the Sun than Islam’s, so what do they do when the Sun never rises or sets?
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A Group of Latina Women Are Building a Shelter for Muslim Migrants in Tijuana

A Group of Latina Women Are Building a Shelter for Muslim Migrants in Tijuana

San Diego Union Tribune

In response to the growing number of Muslim migrants south of the border, the Latina Muslim Foundation is raising money to build a shelter for both Muslim migrants and deported women and children of all faiths.
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Following Haajar’s Footsteps to a Feminist Reading of Islam

Following Haajar’s Footsteps to a Feminist Reading of Islam

JStor

A personal experience with the Hajj brought to life the iconic figure of Haajar, whose tenacity and stoicism highlight the importance of women in Islam.
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Deadly Bangladesh Riot over Facebook Post about Islam

Deadly Bangladesh Riot over Facebook Post about Islam

Deutsche Welle

At least four people have been killed during clashes with police that broke out over a social media post. A derogatory remark about the Prophet Muhammad prompted scores of Muslims to take to the streets.
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Bangladesh Says Thousands of Rohingya Agree Relocation to Island

Bangladesh Says Thousands of Rohingya Agree Relocation to Island

Al Jazeera

Rights groups have warned the island might not be able to withstand violent storms during the annual monsoon season.
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From Colonialism to Laicite: France Continues to Wage War on Muslim Women

From Colonialism to Laicite: France Continues to Wage War on Muslim Women

Middle East Eye

France’s extreme version of secularism is so centred upon the control of Muslim women, their bodies, and their place in society.
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(C)overt Islamophobia: The Aftermath of the Sri Lanka Easter Attacks

(C)overt Islamophobia: The Aftermath of the Sri Lanka Easter Attacks

Open Democracy

Sri Lanka’s Muslim community is suffering from continuous Islamophobia on two fronts.
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Muslim Employee Claims Discrimination by New York DMV over Friday Prayers

Muslim Employee Claims Discrimination by New York DMV over Friday Prayers

Religion News

A Muslim employee has filed a discrimination complaint against the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles for allegedly denying his repeated requests to attend weekly religious services.
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Deportation of African and other Black Immigrants is Quietly Increasing and no one is Taking Note

Deportation of African and other Black Immigrants is Quietly Increasing and no one is Taking Note

Atlanta Black Star

While the immigration debate in the U.S. is often framed in terms of undocumented immigrants from Mexico and Central America on the one hand and the infamous Muslim travel ban on the other, the issue is more complicated.
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Murrow Professor’s Book Examines America’s Tumultuous Relationship with Islam

Murrow Professor’s Book Examines America’s Tumultuous Relationship with Islam

Washington State University News

A book by Washington State University professor Lawrence Pintak examines the damage caused by the anti‑Muslim rhetoric of the 2016 presidential campaign in the context of centuries of stereotyping of Muslims and decades of U.S. policies that brought simplistic solutions to the complex problems of the Middle East.
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Tragedies Deepen Jewish-Muslim Bonds to Fight Hate Crimes

Tragedies Deepen Jewish-Muslim Bonds to Fight Hate Crimes

AP

As both faiths grapple with a rise in reported hate crimes and fears within their communities of being attacked for their beliefs, Jews and Muslims are forging bonds that rely on shared personal values to help combat anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
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Hope & Fear in Minnesota's Heartland: Growing Optimism with Every Conversation

Hope & Fear in Minnesota's Heartland: Growing Optimism with Every Conversation

St. Cloud Times

St. Cloud has developed a pervasive reputation for its less-than-welcoming reception of immigrants and refugees from East Africa —  fueling an emotionally laden conflict that’s caused some to leave, while others say the hate has “poisoned” the city they once called home.
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Albanian Police Say Iranian 'Terrorist' Plot Foiled

Albanian Police Say Iranian 'Terrorist' Plot Foiled

Radio Free Europe

Albanian police thwarted an attack allegedly planned by a Tehran-backed “terrorist cell” against opponents of the Iranian regime in the Balkan country last year, police said on October 23. The cell belonged to the Quds Force, an elite unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) responsible for foreign operations, police said in a statement.
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There Is No Room in Islam for Clerics Who Abuse Women—Not in Iraq, Not Anywhere | Opinion

There Is No Room in Islam for Clerics Who Abuse Women—Not in Iraq, Not Anywhere | Opinion

Newsweek

Child abuse revelations have rocked the Catholic church in the last generation, leading to lasting damage to how the Church is viewed worldwide and even shaking the faith of some believers. Some speculate that a similar scandal is brewing in Shia Islam, with abusers exposed to be using egregious misrepresentations of religious law to facilitate their attacks.
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 Niger's President Blames Explosive Birth Rate on 'a Misreading of Islam'

Niger's President Blames Explosive Birth Rate on 'a Misreading of Islam'

The Guardian

Mahamadou Issoufou calls for ‘responsible parenthood’ as he warns population boom will undermine climate adaptation.
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Chinese Facial Recognition Tech Rolls Out on Kazakh Buses

Chinese Facial Recognition Tech Rolls Out on Kazakh Buses

Radio Free Europe

The Kazakh capital, Nur-Sultan, has launched the first trials of an app that allows commuters to pay for bus tickets through facial-recognition technology. The system relies on cameras supplied by Hikvision, one of the Chinese companies recently sanctioned by Washington over its alleged role in human rights abuses.
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TikTok Used by Islamic State to Spread Propaganda Videos

TikTok Used by Islamic State to Spread Propaganda Videos

BBC

Video-sharing app TikTok is being used by Islamic State militants to spread propaganda to a younger audience, according to the Wall Street Journal.
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Google Removed Employee Questions about Its Hiring of A Former DHS Staffer Who Defended the Muslim Travel Ban

Google Removed Employee Questions about Its Hiring of A Former DHS Staffer Who Defended the Muslim Travel Ban

Buzzfeed

Ahead of an all-hands meeting on Thursday at Google’s Mountain View, California, headquarters, management twice deleted inquiries about Miles Taylor, the chief of staff of former DHS secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who joined the company last month as a government affairs and public policy manager.
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Blacklist: Many Muslims Listed by World-Check Without Evidence

Blacklist: Many Muslims Listed by World-Check Without Evidence

Al Jazeera

People and institutions placed in influential database as potential risks without proof of wrongdoing, Al Jazeera finds.
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Did a Muslim Slave Make Your Chinese Shirt?

Did a Muslim Slave Make Your Chinese Shirt?

Wall Street Journal

U.S. Customs and Border Protection accuses Hetian Taida Apparel Co. in China’s Xinjiang province of using forced or prison labor, and last month the agency banned U.S. imports of the company’s garments.
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What Do We Do about Bigoted Anti-Muslim Hashtags Trending on Twitter?

What Do We Do about Bigoted Anti-Muslim Hashtags Trending on Twitter?

Scroll India

Many have argued that the ‘trending’ bar needs to go away, and we must have a better conversation about social media algorithms.
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Muslim Canadians Who Won in the 2019 Federal Election

Muslim Canadians Who Won in the 2019 Federal Election

Muslim Link CA

The 2019 Canadian Federal Election took place on Monday, October 21, 2019. The following is a list of recently elected, the majority of them re-elected, Members of Parliament who identify as Muslim Canadian.
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18-Year-Old Becomes First Female Muslim Jockey to Win Major Race: ‘I Love Proving People Wrong’

18-Year-Old Becomes First Female Muslim Jockey to Win Major Race: ‘I Love Proving People Wrong’

Metro UK

Khadijah Mellah, from Peckham, made British history and global headlines in August when she became the first British female Muslim jockey to win a major race.
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 Muslim Teen Disqualified for Wearing A Hijab During A Race: ‘I Felt Humiliated’

Muslim Teen Disqualified for Wearing A Hijab During A Race: ‘I Felt Humiliated’

Huffington Post

Race officials told the teen that she needed to have a written waiver in order to compete, even though she’d never been asked for one before.
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Boston Cathedral’s Call to Be a ‘House of Prayer’ Extends to Muslims’ Friday Prayers

Boston Cathedral’s Call to Be a ‘House of Prayer’ Extends to Muslims’ Friday Prayers

Episcopal News Service

‘Out of One, Many’ exhibit to explore the three Abrahamic faiths.
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New England Art Exhibition Shows another Side of American Muslims

New England Art Exhibition Shows another Side of American Muslims

Religion News

The artwork is part of the annual art series “More Than My Religion,” now in its fifth year, a project organized by New England Muslim artists to reflect American Muslims’ multifaceted identities beyond their religious practice.
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Washington's Palestine Museum Brings New Voices to the US Capital

Washington's Palestine Museum Brings New Voices to the US Capital

Middle East Eye

The centre of American political power didn’t have a gallery or museum devoted to Palestine – until now.
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A Hawaii Home for Islamic Art Widens Its Scope

A Hawaii Home for Islamic Art Widens Its Scope

New York Times

At the Shangri La museum in Honolulu, curators are redefining their vision of the genre and reaching out to new visitors.
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Artist Shirin Neshat Challenges the Idea of Muslim Women as Victims and Explores Exile

Artist Shirin Neshat Challenges the Idea of Muslim Women as Victims and Explores Exile

LA Times

Shirin Neshat is currently the subject of a one-woman show at the Broad museum titled “I Will Greet the Sun Again.” It is the largest exhibition to date for the New York-based artist, who over more than three decades has produced sumptuous films and photographs that explore the nature of political conflict, personal longing, power and exile.
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Muslims in South Thailand Mark 15 Years since 'Tak Bai Massacre'

Muslims in South Thailand Mark 15 Years since 'Tak Bai Massacre'

Al Jazeera

The 2004 incident remains the deadliest day in the Malay-Muslim rebellion against rule by the Thai state.
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Bosnia’s Mosques without Muslims

Bosnia’s Mosques without Muslims

LA Review of Books

ON THE BANKS of the Ćehotina River in eastern Bosnia, a centuries-old minaret has been raised anew from the ruins. On May 4, locals in the sleepy town of Foča celebrated the reopening of the Aladža, or “Coloured” Mosque, built in 1550 when Bosnia was a province of the Ottoman Empire, and destroyed in 1992.
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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!