Islam in Media Roundup | 15 June – 21 June 2020

United States

Prayers of the Oppressed

Sapelo Square

I wrote this prayer because I wanted to pray for them and I shared this prayer because, quite frankly, I want everyone else to pray for them too.
Read More

Can Muslim College Students Heal Divisions in the US?

Al Jazeera

Amid rising Islamophobia, Muslim students show greater tendencies towards interfaith goodwill, a recent survey suggests.
Read More

Why Did Cup Foods Call the Cops on George Floyd?

The New York Times

Nuisance abatement laws force stores in low-income neighborhoods to operate almost as an arm of law enforcement.
Read More

US Muslims Join Calls for Police Reforms in Wake of Floyd Killing

Al Jazeera

In street protests, statements, sermons and webinars, US Muslims have rallied against racism and discussed reforms.
Read More

‘Ghosts of Sugar Land’: A Journey of Loss

New York Books

On its face, Ghosts of Sugar Land, the recent documentary short from Pakistani-American filmmaker Bassam Tariq, is a tender record of young Muslim men coming of age in the American suburbs under the shadow of Islamophobia and the War on Terror.
Read More

A Domestic Terror Law Could Quash Political Dissent in the US

Common Dreams

Passing a law allowing the designation of domestic groups as terrorist would allow the government to silence opposition.
Read More

Muslim Prayer Continues Amid Coronavirus Pandemic as CT Mosques Reopen

CT Insider

The COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped prayer among Muslims in Connecticut, but more people are coming to the mosques now that the state is easing restrictions.
Read More

Mahershala Ali and Ramy Youssef On Why Islam Is the Key to Acting

Vulture

On the new season of Ramy, Mahershala Ali stars as the wise and charismatic Sheik Ali to a lost and confused Ramy Hassan, played by show creator Ramy Youssef.
Read More

Ohio Woman Disqualified In Cross Country For Wearing Hijab Asks For Religious Expression Legislation

Patch

Noor Abukaram was 16 when she became fearful of the consequences of her hijab at her cross country meets.
Read More

Ilhan Omar Isn't Done Fighting

Huffington Post

In her new memoir, Ilhan Omar chronicles her own fight for life, safety, and stability. Now a member of Congress, she’s on the pursuit to give others the same chance.
Read More

Muslim Abolitionists On Islam, Carceral Systems, And The Surveillance State

Nazar

Freedom from surveillance allows for self-determination within our own communities and our people.
Read More

Non-Black Muslims Will Need To Do More Than Post Hashtags And Attend Rallies To Combat Anti-Black Racism

Muslim Matters

The events of the past two weeks have highlighted the disastrous outcomes that emerge when racism and white supremacy interplay with police brutality.
Read More

Mosque to Mosque March Unifies Muslim, Black Community in St. Louis

STL Today

Muslim residents in the area gathered on Saturday to march from one mosque to another in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Between 75 and 100 people marched a mile and a half from Masjid Bilal, 3843 West Pine Street, to Masjid Al-Mu’minun, 1435 North Grand Boulevard.
Read More

Canada

Students, Teachers, Parents Feel the Sting of Islamophobia in Peel Schools. They Share Their Stories

The Star

Three months after an education ministry review raised concerns of Islamophobia in Peel schools and some two weeks after the board placed a school principal on leave for alleged “xenophobic and racist” comments, students, teachers and parents have come forward to share their experiences.
Read More

Canadian Provinces And Territories By Muslim Population

World Atlas

Today, Christianity remains the most adhered to religion in the country, but over the past couple of decades, Islam has quickly grown to become the second largest.
Read More

Nigeria

The Violence in Nigeria Could End in Genocide – Both Christian and Muslim Populations Need Help Now

Independent

The true cost of the fighting is felt in lives and in hope for Christian communities increasingly dreading extermination, and Muslim communities affected by the vicious Boko Haram.
Read More

Northeast Nigeria Risks Losing a Generation of Boys and Girls

African Arguments

Children risk death to escape Boko Haram. Yet, for many, their trauma is then compounded by Nigerian authorities.
Read More

Sudan

Sudan Finds Mass Grave Believed to Be Linked to 1998 Killings

Al Jazeera

Discovery was made at al-Eifalon military camp where conscripts used to get trained under former ruler Omar al-Bashir.
Read More

Somalia

US Air Raids in Somalia in Early 2020 Killed Seven Civilians: HRW

Al Jazeera

US forces have not adequately investigated the two aerial attacks in February and March, Human Rights Watch says.
Read More

Fears That COVID-19 Is Spreading Silently in Somalia’s Vast Camps

Telegraph

One study found that Somalia was the most under-equipped country on earth to cope with the pandemic.
Read More

Somalia, Somaliland Talks Touted as 'Historic'

Anadolu News

Doubts abound over any breakthrough, as two sides’ long-standing differences are unlikely to disappear.
Read More

Ethiopia

In Pictures: Ethiopian Migrants Smuggled Through Horn of Africa

Al Jazeera

These are the stories of Ethiopian men, women and children who undertake dangerous journeys in search of a better life.
Read More

India

British Muslims Held for Two Months in India Claim Religious Persecution

The Guardian

Read More

A Style Revolution: How Modest Fashion Is Breaking Stereotypes About Muslim Women in India

The National

Modest fashion is coming into its own in the country with world’s third largest Muslim population.
Read More

93% Muslims View Hindus Favourably, but Only 65% Hindus View Muslims Positively: Pew Survey

The Print

The report, released by US think tank Pew Research Center, is based on a survey of 3,505 Indians that was conducted between September and October 2018.
Read More

Nepal

India’s Islamophobia Creeps Into Nepal

Foreign Policy

Nationalist media and pandemic fears have caused hatred to go viral.
Read More

Pakistan

Ertugrul: The Turkish TV Drama Enthralling Pakistan

BBC

The Turkish historical TV drama Dirilis Ertugrul (Ertugrul’s Resurrection) has been all the rage in Pakistan since the state broadcaster began airing a dubbed version in April.
Read More

Sri Lanka

Continued Harassment of Muslims Could Prove Detrimental to Sri Lanka: Amnesty International

Economy Next

In a report released last week (June 6), Amnesty International highlighted a series of alleged incidents of harassment targeting the island’s Muslims, including the alleged discriminatory handling of COVID-19 deaths as well as the recent arrest of lawyer Hejaaz Hizbullah.
Read More

Myanmar

Rohingya Genocide: Myanmar’s Facebook Records Case May Be Watershed Moment

Arab News

The lawyers prosecuting Myanmar for the alleged genocide against the Rohingya are once again breaking new legal ground. The International Court of Justice action by the Gambia was unprecedented, and long overdue, when initiated last year.
Read More

Will Facebook Finally Choose to Protect Rohingya Muslims From Further Genocide?

Byline Times

CJ Werleman reports on a case being brought against the social media giant by The Gambia to uncover who was involved in Myanmar’s mass murder of its Muslim minority.
Read More

United Kingdom

I Was So Sick of Stereotypes Surrounding Muslim Women That I Wrote a Book to Challenge Them

Telegraph

Fed up with the narrow definition of Muslim womanhood, Seema Yasmin started to challenge the stereotypes.
Read More

'Not Again': Academics Bemoan Munira Mirza's Appointment to Head Race Inequality Commission

Middle East Eye

Mirza has previously made comments where she downplayed the existence of structural racism.
Read More

'He Looks Like Bin Laden': Ex-Cop Accuses UK Police of Racism Over Airport Stops

Middle East Eye

Former counterterrorism officer describes culture of casual Islamophobia governing airport stop and search powers.
Read More

On British Muslims & Racism: Do Black Lives Matter?

Muslim Matters

Sadly, racism against black people – including fellow black Muslims – is all too common among British Asian Muslims of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi descent.
Read More

Annual UK Mosque Open Day Event Goes Online Due to Coronavirus Pandemic

Arab News

Under normal circumstances, Visit My Mosque day is a campaign that supports over 250 mosques across the UK to hold open days for tens of thousands of visitors, and is facilitated by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB). But this year, people of all faiths and none will be able to enjoy a virtual tour of a dozen mosques on June 19-21 from the comfort of their homes due to the lockdown in the UK.
Read More

Turkey

Armenian Leader in Turkey Suggests Muslims and Christians Share Hagia Sophia

Aleteia

Patriarch Sahak II says it would be better to see visitors prostrating themselves “with respect and awe” rather than running around taking pictures.
Read More

Iraq

Iraq's Al Nuri Mosque: Hope Arises from its Ruins

The National

Now, three years after the monument was destroyed, crucial first steps have already been completed in rebuilding the mosque, including its famous Al Hadba minaret, known as the hunchback because of its 45-metre leaning aspect.
Read More

Morocco

Why a Muslim Woman Safeguards Jewish History for All Moroccans

Christian Science Monitor

If history shapes identity, then shared history is a cherished resource in today’s world. For Zhor Rehihil, Muslim curator of the Museum of Moroccan Judaism, the shared past provides a path to a better future.
Read More

Israeli Court Freezes Construction on Jaffa Muslim Cemetery After Days of Protests

Haaretz

Clashes erupt again as judge rules construction will be halted until the court hears the petition filed by the Islamic Council.
Read More

Yemen

Coronavirus: Five Reasons Why it is so Bad in Yemen

BBC

Coronavirus could spread faster, wider and with deadlier consequences in Yemen than many other countries in the world, the UN says. Here’s five reasons why.
Read More

Egypt

How One Gay Egyptian Woman Stood up to Homophobia and Paid the Ultimate Price

CNN

In 2017, Sarah Hegazi was arrested and said she was tortured for waving a rainbow gay pride flag at a concert in Cairo. Last weekend, the 30-year-old died by suicide in Canada.
Read More

Egypt's Mohammed Morsi Remembered on 1st Anniversary of Death

Daily Sabah

One year has passed since Egypt’s first and only democratically elected president, Mohammed Morsi, died at the age of 67 in court during a trial.
Read More

Iran

Reclaiming Rumi: How Islam Was Erased From the Persian Poet's Work

Al Araby

Rumi is usually referred to as a ‘mystic’ or ‘spiritual’ but rarely Muslim.
Read More

Australia

Every Room in this Hotel is Booked. But the Guests are not Allowed to Leave

CNN

These men are not hotel guests, but refugees and asylum seekers who have been in Australian immigration custody for seven years. Many arrived in Australian waters in 2013, after the government introduced offshore immigration processing.
Read More

Why Explaining Racism to White Australians can be 'Exhausting'

ABC Net Australia

But she believes most white Australians have a less-developed understanding of racism and the lived experience of their culturally diverse counterparts around the country.
Read More

International

Trump Backed XI Over Concentration Camps for Uighur Muslims, Ex-Aide Bolton Claims

Independent

The claims came to light on the same day the president signed into legislation the Uighur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 to hold accountable the perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses.
Read More

‘Google Uighur Muslims’: Why Omar Doesn’t Want Kashmiris to See China as Saviour

The Week India

Abdullah had called the clash at Ladakh a “terrible day” for the armed forces.
Read More

An Essential Reading List on Black Muslim History

Al Araby

As worldwide anti-racism protests grow following the police killing of George Floyd in the United States, Black Muslims have begun a process of introspection on issues of discrimination within the wider Islamic world.
Read More

All 54 African Nations Were United in Calling for Urgent Racism Debate at the UN Human Rights Council

The Muslim Vibe

The letter addressed the case of the murder of George Floyd, whose death at the hands of a white police officer in part helped spur the current massive explosion of Black Lives Matter protests and renewed debate around systematic racism in the United States.
Read More

How Elite US Newspapers Ignore Muslim Victims of Terrorism

Middle East Eye

Cases involving non-Muslim victims of terrorism are more likely to be covered and humanised, as compared with attacks involving Muslim victims.
Read More

Who Speaks for Islam?: Kecia Ali on Gender and the Politics of Islamic Studies

Jadaliyya

How are the politics of Islamic studies gendered, and what does this mean for the field? Professor Kecia Ali’s keynote speech addressed this and other questions at the 17th Annual Duke-UNC Middle East and Islamic Studies Graduate Student Conference.
Read More

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!