India
India: Why Modi's Plan Against Muslims Is Coming Unstuck
Al ArabyThe question now, is whether, even under the BJP, India can remain a secular country respecting all religions equally, which was envisaged by the fathers of Indian independence, or whether it is on the brink of becoming the “Hindu Pakistan” which Nehru adamantly rejected.
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Modi is Resurrecting the Most Horrifying Episode of His Career to Crush Dissent
The WeekWhen Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to bring his Gujarat Model to the rest of the country, everyone thought he meant the pro-growth reforms that had allegedly done wonders for the economy of his home state.
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I Have Been Made to Feel That If I am a Muslim, I am Not Indian Enough
Youth Ki AwaazThe Muslims population makes up approximately 14% of the Indian population. Back in 1947, this population had the option to move to Pakistan and live with their own community.
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Exclusive: India Plans Cuts to Imports From Malaysia, Turkey in Kashmir Row
Reuters IndiaIndia is planning to cut some imports from Turkey and widen curbs on palm oil from Malaysia to oil, gas and other products, government officials said, targeting the two Muslim-majority countries for their criticism of India’s policy towards Kashmir.
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In Kashmir, a Family's Harrowing Quest to Prove Their Son's Death
Al JazeeraAfter four months of denial, Kashmiri police finally admitted that Osaib’s death had been the first in the wake of the abrogation of Article 370 of the constitution that had granted special status to the Muslim-majority region.
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'Women Don’t Give Up.' Why Female Protesters Are at the Forefront of India's Resistance Movement
TimeIn Shaheen Bagh, a working-class, majority-Muslim neighborhood, the protests began with a small, peaceful sit-in and candlelit vigil by local women, including Ara.
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China
'Existential Threat': Report Warns on China Risk to Human Rights
Al JazeeraHuman Rights Watch report highlights abuses against Uighur minorities, activists in Hong Kong and warns of global risks.
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China's Attempt to Change the Quran
Daily SabahFoundational texts of religions should “reflect socialist values” and should be rewritten so that they do not contain any content that goes against the beliefs of the Communist Party, the committee concluded. Hence, some paragraphs of religious texts would be amended or re-translated.
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Bangladesh
Muslims Pray for Peace in Islamic Congregation in Bangladesh
Arab NewsThe Biswa Ijtema, or World Congregation of Muslims, is one of the largest gatherings of Muslim devotees. It is held on the sandy banks of the River Turag at Tongi, just north of Dhaka.
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Bangladesh Says Once-Submerged Island Ready for Rohingya
APAn island in Bangladesh that was regularly submerged during monsoon seasons is ready to house 100,000 Rohingya refugees, but no date has been announced to begin relocating people from crowded and squalid camps on the country’s border with Myanmar, officials said Thursday.
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Bangladesh Fears Rohingya-Like Crisis Over India Citizenship Law
Nikkei Asian ReviewTensions mount as many Indian Muslims fear detention or deportation.
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Myanmar
Myanmar Has Blazed a Path to Democracy Without Rights
Foreign PolicyAung San Suu Kyi’s persecution of the Rohingya paved the way for Modi.
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Myanmar to Release Its Rohingya Crackdown Investigation Results
Al JazeeraIndependent Commission of Enquiry is probing 2017 crackdown that led Rohingya to flee and UN has said was genocide.
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Thailand
Thailand asks Malaysia to help Find Dozens of Rohingya Escapees
Sydney Morning HeraldNineteen Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar escaped from the detention centre in Thailand’s southern Songkhla province, around 5 kilometres from the Thai-Malaysian border, early on Wednesday, using a piece of cloth to climb down from a third floor window, police said.
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Tajikistan
Imams, Politicians, Professors: Dozens Of Muslim Brotherhood Suspects Detained In Tajikistan
Radio Free EuropeAuthorities in Tajikistan have been silent about reports of the detention of at least 27 suspected followers of the banned Muslim Brotherhood movement in several different regions of the country in recent days.
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Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Unrelenting Repression
Human Rights WatchPositive Reforms for Women Tainted by Ongoing Arrests of Activists, Dissidents.
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Saudi Arabia Executed 184 People in 2019: Rights Group
Al JazeeraHuman rights group Reprieve calls the kingdom a ‘pariah state’ and questions why it is hosting this year’s G20 summit.
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Saudi Arabia’s Child Marriage Ban a Leap Forward
Arab NewsThe decision by the Ministry of Justice was the latest in a string of moves to improve the rights of women in the country. Earlier last year, the government banned marriages for children under the age of 15. Prior to that decision, there was no age limits on marriage for boys or girls.
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Iraq
Sadr Calls for 'Million-Man March' Against Us Presence in Iraq
Al JazeeraShia cleric and political leader calls on Iraqis to unite for ‘peaceful march’ against presence of US troops.
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Iran
Journalist on Significance of Khamenei Leading Friday Prayers
CNNIran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei led Friday prayers in Tehran for the first time in eight years, amid public fury over the military’s shooting down of a passenger jet and sky-high tensions with the US.
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Turkey
Turkey Edges Toward Islamic Law With New Finance Rules
Al-MonitorThe Turkish government set out Islamic directives to regulate inspections on interest-free finance. Independent auditing firms will have to obey Islamic rules and established Islamic practices while inspecting the interest-free financial institutions.
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Newspaper Helps Keep Turkey’s Bosniak Diaspora Alive
Balkan InsightHuseyin Agovic and his friends in Istanbul’s so-called ‘Bosniak ghetto’ publish Turkey’s only Bosniak diaspora newspaper – so helping to preserve its identity and the connections between Bosnia, Sandzak and Turkey.
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Kosovo
Kosovo Govt Allocates €250,000 to Fight against ISIS
Balkan InsightThe outgoing government of Kosovo under Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj on Friday allocated 250,000 euros to the Global Coalition against ISIS. The payment was described as an obligation for Kosovo in its role as part of the world organisation.
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Kosovo Commemorates Massacre that Prompted NATO Bombing
Balkan InsightKosovo is commemorating a massacre on January 15, 1999 in the village of Recak/Racak, which eventually led to NATO intervening to make Serbian forces end their military campaign.
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Albania
Albania Becomes a Frontline in the Proxy Battle Between Iran and the US
TRT WorldBy hosting the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) on behalf of the US, despite the group being labelled a terrorist organisation by Iran, Albania has drawn the ire of Supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
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Denmark
Denmark's 'Ghetto Plan' and the Communities it Targets
Al JazeeraResidents of largely Muslim neighbourhoods face increased penalties for crimes and ‘Danish values’ lessons for children.
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United Kingdom
Britain Has Left Islamophobia to Fester – I’ve Never Seen it This Bad in My Life
The IndependentAccording to recent polls by Hope Not Hate, 60 per cent of Tory members believe Islam “is generally a threat to western civilisation”, 40 per cent want to limit Britain’s Muslim population and 42 per cent believe “having people from a wide variety of racial and cultural backgrounds” has damaged British society.
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Opinion: Why Muslims Must Join the Labour Party to Vote in the Upcoming Leadership Election
The Muslim VibeThe Labour leadership election will be taking place shortly. It is imperative that we come out and support a candidate that will be both effective and support the socialist (is this now a dirty word?) agenda.
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Terror Police Recall Guidance Listing ‘Standard Muslim Beliefs’ as Signs of Extremism
Metro UKCounter terror police are recalling official guidance which suggested that ‘Muslims who believe they are oppressed’ could be a sign of extremism.
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Take It From Britain's Muslims, It's Not Extinction Rebellion That's the Problem, It's Prevent
Al ArabyYou could be forgiven for thinking the UK’s counter-terrorism scheme, ‘Prevent’, is relatively new, after it recently came under widespread criticism for putting the climate emergency campaign group, Extinction Rebellion (XR), on a list of extremist ideologies that should be reported to the police.
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Kenya
A Year After DusitD2 Attack, Grief and Pain Still Linger
Al JazeeraSurvivors struggle to move past trauma of al-Shabab siege on hotel and office complex in Nairobi that killed 21 people.
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Sudan
Women in Sudan Challenge Religious Beliefs While Pursuing Soccer Dreams
New York PostAll her life, Elham Balatone wanted to play soccer — like her brothers, like the boys on her street. But in the Sudan where she grew up, women could be flogged for wearing pants, let alone soccer shorts. She heard all the reasons why she had to give up her dream. It’s a Muslim country; the uniform is inappropriate; the sport was meant for men.
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United States
Trump Retweeted Pelosi in Muslim Garb. The White House Made It Worse.
The Washington PostAfter President Trump retweeted a doctored image of Democratic leaders dressed in Islamic garb, the White House offered a curious justification: Trump retweeted that image to send the message that Democrats are on the side of terrorists. This was apparently intended as a defense.
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Donald Trump Loves the Iranian People So Much He’s Banned Them From the U.S.
The Daily BeastIran, a nation of over 80 million, is the largest in terms of population of the five Muslim majority countries on Trump’s Muslim ban (aka “travel ban”) that was upheld by the Supreme Court’s five conservatives in December 2017.
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Texas' Misguided Decision on Refugees is State-Sponsored Islamophobia
Religion NewsTexas always seems to lead the way in hate — quite literally: we account for 10% of the country’s hate groups, many of them spurred by Islamophobia. Since 2016, Texas has led the country in arson attacks on mosques, where armed white supremacists regularly show up to protest.
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Dallas Billboard Seeks to Spark Conversation about Islam
Kera NewsA billboard up this month in Dallas is designed to encourage dialogue on the fundamental teachings of Islam.
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To This Man, Islamic State’s Ideology ‘Just Made Sense.’ Now, he Rejects Extremism
LA TimesLooking back on his time in custody, Rabbani now sees that kindness and education as the keys to what friends, family and law enforcement say was an unexpected transformation — a change that ultimately helped deepen and enrich his identity as an American Muslim.
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‘A Long Time Coming’: These Muslims Are Bringing Sex Abuse by Sheikhs out of the Shadows
Religion NewsOver the past two to three years, scholars and advocates say, North American Muslims have risen up in an unprecedented movement to openly confront sexual and spiritual abuse perpetrated by Muslim religious leaders.
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How a Jewish New Yorker Documented Muslim Life Under Trump
ForwardIn his new documentary “American Muslim,” filmmaker Adam Zucker, takes an intimate look at the diverse and lively Muslim communities in New York City.
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'Close Guantanamo': Protesters Rally in Washington on Anniversary of Prison Opening
Middle East EyeDemonstrators assemble at White House, then hold mock funeral at Trump International Hotel for those who died in prison.
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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!