Islam in Media Roundup | 6 April – 12 April 2020

India

How Islamophobia Is Hurting India's Battle Against the Coronavirus

Huffington Post

The hate campaign has made an already marginalized community wary of state authorities, making it harder to tackle the virus, and prompting even more Islamophobia.
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It Was Already Dangerous to Be Muslim in India. Then Came the Coronavirus

Time

The Islamophobic hashtags began circulating shortly after the news broke in late March.
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A Cluster of Coronavirus Cases Can Be Traced Back to a Single Mosque and Now 200 Million Muslims Are Being Vilified

BuzzFeed News

Six COVID-19 deaths have been linked to a religious gathering in March. It’s led to a huge spike in anti-Muslim narratives and misinformation.
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‘Muslims Are Foreigners’: Inside India’s Campaign to Decide Who Is a Citizen

The New York Times

Tribunal members in the state of Assam say they felt pressured to declare Muslims noncitizens as the government seeks to expel illegal migrants. Some politicians have vowed to take the process nationwide.
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Bangladesh

Crowded in Camps, Rohingya Refugees Vulnerable to Virus

The New York Times

Aid workers are bracing for a possible outbreak of the coronavirus in one of the world’s largest refugee camps in Bangladesh, with officials warning that containing the disease among more than I million tightly packed Rohingya Muslims will be a daunting task.
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Malaysia

Malaysian Authorities Hold 202 Rohingya From Boat off Langkawi

Al Jazeera

The Rohingya were detained after they were found on a wooden boat off the northwestern resort island.
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Afghanistan

Afghanistan Needs a Government of National Reconciliation

Al Jazeera

This new entity should give priority to negotiating peace with the Taliban and minimising corruption by the elites.
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Living Scared: In Kabul's Shi'Ite Enclave, Hazara Fear a Taliban Return

Radio Free Europe RadioLibrary

Ahmad Zia was sitting behind his wooden registration table when a suicide bombing ripped through Kabul’s Maiwand Wrestling Club, where scores of athletes were in the middle of a training session.
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Muslim Call to Prayer Now Carries Stay-At-Home Message in Afghanistan

Gandhara

A recent fatwa or religious ruling by leading clerics in Afghanistan has asked mosques across the country to amend the call to prayer. Instead of calling on Muslims to “hurry to prayer” and “hurry to salvation” at mosques, it calls on them to “pray at home.”
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Iran

Why Has the Coronavirus Hit Iran so Hard?

Al Jazeera

We ask whether US sanctions or Tehran are to blame for exacerbating COVID-19 and discuss Brazil’s approach to the virus.
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Turkey

Turkey Builds More Hospitals as Coronavirus Cases Spike

Al-Monitor

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised on Monday to expand the number of hospital beds in Istanbul, the epicenter of the country’s coronavirus outbreak, as the disease claimed another 75 lives despite tighter restrictions on residents to enforce social distancing.
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Muslims in Turkey to Observe Holy Night of Barat

Anadolu Agency

Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate also issued celebratory message marking holy night.
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Turkish Minister Offers Resignation Over Weekend Lockdowns

ABC News

Turkey introduced a coronavirus lockdown over the weekend that took many by surprise and led to Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu offering his resignation.
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Germany

Turkish Family Receives Racist 'Coronavirus-Infected' Letter as Islamophobia Grows in Germany

Daily Sabah

A Turkish family in the northern German city of Hamburg received a letter allegedly containing the coronavirus, with a message by the sender saying that they hope the family contracts the virus.
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United Kingdom

Third of Critically Ill COVID-19 UK Patients From BME Backgrounds

Al Jazeera

Release of figures comes amid wider concerns coronavirus is exacerbating health inequalities in the country.
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BBC Broadcasts Muslim Prayers on Radio for the First Time

Arab News

Muslims in the UK can now listen to Friday prayers broadcast on BBC radio for the first time. Mosques and other places of worship in the UK have been closed since March 23 in efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus.
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Police Investigate UK Far-Right Groups Over Anti-Muslim Coronavirus Claims

The Guardian

Monitoring service says it has had reports of fake news online as well as physical attacks.
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Why Are Beauty Brands Afraid to Say They’re Halal?

Refinery 29

Once at dinner at a London restaurant, I asked whether the steak was halal. Horrified and unprepared, the managing staff explained they had a vegan menu instead. While there’s no denying that veganism and ‘clean eating’ have truly taken off, it’s fair to say the halal requirement is rarely catered to.
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United States

An Imam Leads His Congregation Through the Pandemic

New Yorker

In most states, religious institutions are exempt from shutdowns, and leaders have struggled with whether to close their doors.
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How Seattle Copes: Fuad Mohamed Holds His Muslim Congregation Together

Settle Met

The White Center imam comforts his followers and looks toward Ramadan.
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'It's a Racial Justice Issue': Black Americans Are Dying in Greater Numbers From COVID-19

The Guardian

The coronavirus can infect anybody but African Americans are dying in disproportionate numbers, especially in certain big cities.
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Claire Danes Responds to Claims That Homeland Is Racist

The Independent

“I get it. I think it’s tricky and kind of inherently problematic, right? There are a lot of brown people in our story who are doing really bad things, and there aren’t enough opportunities to create a more balanced portrait of that demographic.
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US Far Right Seeks Ways to Exploit Coronavirus and Cause Social Collapse

The Guardian

‘Accelerationist’ groups aim to sow chaos to hasten the collapse of society and build a white supremacist one in its place
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FBI Opened Terrorism Investigations Into Nonviolent Palestinian Solidarity Group, Documents Reveal

The Intercept

In 2006, St. Louis-based activist and academic Mark Chmiel received a message on his answering machine from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The FBI wanted to talk to Chmiel about trip three years ago that he and other St. Louis activists took with the International Solidarity Movement to the West Bank, in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. When Chmiel’s attorney reached out to the FBI, they did not respond.
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Muslim Woman Sues Yonkers, New York, Says Police Forced Her to Remove Hijab After Arrest

NBC News

Wearing religious head coverings is a First Amendment right, the woman’s attorney said. “We don’t lose those rights because we have interactions with law enforcement.”
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Muslim Detainee's Family Issues Plea for Help as ICE Detention Centres Report Coronavirus Cases

The Middle East

Ibrahim Mohammad was scheduled to be released from US prison last month but is now languishing at ICE facility amid Covid-19.
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United Arab Emirates

20,000 Pakistanis in UAE Stranded by Coronavirus Lockdown

Al-Monitor

More than 20,000 Pakistanis are stranded in the United Arab Emirates as the Gulf country ratchets up travel restrictions in an attempt to reel in its COVID-19 outbreak.
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Lebanon

Lebanon Prisons Hit by Unrest Amid Coronavirus Fears

Al Jazeera

Riot erupts at Tripoli’s Qoubbeh Prison a day after police prevent potential escape attempt at Bekaa Valley facility.
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Yemen

Yemen: First Bombs, Soon a Coronavirus Epidemic

Al Jazeera

Five years of war have devastated Yemen’s healthcare system. A COVID-19 outbreak would be a catastrophe.
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Egypt

COVID-19: Egypt Suspends All Ramadan Activities and Group Iftar

GULF News

Egypt announced today it will suspend all Ramadan activities and group iftars due to the spread of the deadly coronavirus, Al Arabiya reported.
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Egypt's Family Planning Policies Tested by COVID-19

Al-Monitor

To feed his wife and three daughters, Mahmoud Imam worked two jobs in Cairo — as an office assistant in the morning and a waiter in the afternoon. Now, as the Egyptian government enforces measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Imam is being forced to stay home.
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Explore Ancient Egyptian Queen's Tomb and a Coptic Monastery With This New 3D Virtual Tour

Live Science

The tours explain the ancient hieroglyphics, including those detailing the “opening of the mouth” ceremony.
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Coronavirus the Egyptian Way

Middle East Monitor

At a time when all countries of the world announced the coronavirus and took the necessary precautions to confront it, and the World Health Organisation declared the coronavirus a global pandemic, Egypt continued to deny the virus’ spread in the country and covered up the deaths resulting from it.
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Libya

UN Condemns Rocket Attack on Tripoli Hospital

Al Jazeera

Six health workers wounded in Monday’s attack, blamed on Haftar’s forces, on hospital treating coronavirus patients.
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Sudan

COVID-19: Sudan Struggles With Denial and Misinformation

Al Jazeera

Sudan’s government is fighting to contain the spread of the coronavirus after at least 14 people tested positive and two others died.
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Sudan Finalises Settlement With US Families Over USS Cole Bombing

Al Jazeera

Deal seen as the latest move by Sudan’s government to remove the country from a US list of state sponsors of ‘terrorism’.
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Niger

Hundreds of Migrants Stuck in Niger Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Al Jazeera

As countries close borders to curb the spread of coronavirus, aid groups in Niger ‘overwhelmed’ by requests for support.
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Ghana

What COVID-19 Reveals About Educational Inequality in Ghana

Al Jazeera

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed stark inequalities in Ghana’s educational system.
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Mozambique

Mozambique’s Mysterious Conflict Is Intensifying

The Economist

The killing jeopardises Africa’s largest gas project.
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Ethiopia

Abiy Ahmed—a Philosopher King or a Sophist?

Ethiopia Insight

There are several lines of evidence from his speeches and books to suggest that Abiy has deliberately crafted a deceptive ethos as a persuasive tool.
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International

Coronavirus and Ramadan: How the Muslim Month of Fasting Will Differ This Year

Middle East Eye

COVID-19 will impact Muslims celebrating Ramadan – but how? What will happen to holy month gatherings? Middle East Eye explains.
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Anti-Muslim Propaganda Is Seeping Into Online Discourse About The Coronavirus

Huffington Post

Far-right groups and websites across the globe have taken advantage of people’s fears and vulnerabilities in order to push disinformation to vilify Muslims.
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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! [[ Curated by Yoko Nagashima with the Maydan team.]