Reducing History: The Crackdown on Islam in China and India
International Policy DigestWe enter 2020 with a sense that Islamic populations are under siege in both China’s Xinjiang province and throughout India. That the two greatest new powers on the global stage, both committed to international pluralism, should be so determined to crush and restrain a particular expression of pluralism is in some ways astounding, and in other ways fully tragic.
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The World's Muslims Are Facing Unprecedented Repression
AxiosThe global trend is rooted in the U.S. war on terror, inflated fears of Islamic terrorism, and the rise of authoritarian populism around the world.
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Opinion: The Muslim World's Nightmare Decade
Buzzfeed NewsThe tragedies are too numerous to list, and their enormity is even more alarming in hindsight.
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Opinion | A New Secularism Is Appearing in Islam
The New York TimesAcross much of the Islamic world, many Muslims are disillusioned with the ugly things done in the name of their religion.
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Christmastime Means Good Spirits for Everyone. Even a Secular Muslim Like Me.
The Washington PostIn our multicultural, irreligious household, where we encourage our son to celebrate his dual European-Arab heritage, Christmas is the favorite festival. With how secularized it has become in the West, it is more fun than the Islamic feasts we also mark.
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Today's Muslims Are Changing With the Times – yet They Remain Rooted to Their Beliefs
The NationalEnd of the decade: the emergence of a young generation that is strong, positive, faithful and proud of its identity is one of the most significant developments of the 2010s.
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The Worth of a Girl
Voice of AmericaWhat does a child bride bring to a marriage — a dowry, social status, domestic labor, business connections? What is her value to two families, the one she leaves and the one she joins? And what is the cost to the girl?
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What Cities Say About the History of Islam
The Sydney Morning HeraldJustin Marozzi had a very good idea: to explore the history of the Muslim countries of the Middle East through the histories of their greatest cities.
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Lessons From War Zones: What Syria, Bosnia and Chechnya Had in Common
The NationalAll wars are characterised by crimes of unimaginable horror but despite templates that overlap, no two conflicts are the same.
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Ethiopia
Ethiopian Muslims Protest after Several Mosques Burned
Al JazeeraEthiopians call for justice after four mosques burned in attacks in the Amhara region.
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Somalia
Somalia Bomb Death Toll Rises to at Least 80
Voice of AmericaThe death toll from a suicide bomb attack at a busy checkpoint in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, has risen to at least 80. More than 90 others were wounded. Mogadishu Mayer Omar Finish, police and medical sources said it is the deadliest incident to hit the capital in months.
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Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: 'We're Raising our Daughter as both Christian and Muslim'
BBCMuslim-majority Burkina Faso has been hit by a wave of violence by militant Islamists in recent years. Christmas Eve saw more than 30 people, mostly women, killed in a suspected jihadist attack. But behind such grim headlines lies a more complex picture.
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Tanzania
Tanzania: Islamic Finance Legal Framework Coming
All AfricaCurrently, Tanzania has only one fully-fledged bank that provides only sharia-compliant financial products and services. But, three conventional banks have opened a window for Islamic banking.
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Sudan
Xenophobia Threatens to Undermine Sudan's Revolution
Al JazeeraBy targeting refugees and migrants, Sudan’s new rulers are betraying the popular revolt that brought them to power.
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Sudan After Bashir: 'the Revolution Is on the Curriculum'
BBCThe ousting of Sudan’s long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir was arguably the most significant event in Africa in 2019. The BBC’s former Sudan correspondent James Copnall went back to Khartoum to find out how much has changed.
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Yemen
Yemen's Women With Disabilities Seek Inclusion Through Wheelchair Basketball
Voice of AmericaFive teams competed in a weeklong championship that started on December 7 and was sponsored by the Red Cross and other organizations in Yemen working to benefit people with disabilities.
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Iraq
Iraq’s Shiites Helped Boost the Political Elite in Baghdad. Now They Want to Bring It Down.
The Washington PostFor weeks, Iraq’s Shiite heartland has turned against the central government in open revolt against a system it helped sustain — going from reliable backers of Baghdad’s ruling elite to a potentially powerful voice of opposition.
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Iraqis Threaten to Escalate Protests as Death Toll Approaches 500
The NationalFor almost three months, the country has been rocked by anti-government protests, with the political elite accused of corruption and failing to provide public services and employment.
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China
In China’s Crackdown on Muslims, Children Have Not Been Spared
The New York TimesIn Xinjiang the authorities have separated nearly half a million children from their families, aiming to instill loyalty to China and the Communist Party.
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India
Indian Muslims Wave National Flag to Show Protest is Not Anti-India
ReutersIndian Muslims protesting against a citizenship law which they say is discriminatory are carrying national flags and copies of the constitution, aiming to prevent supporters of the Hindu nationalist government from painting them as anti-India.
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Pakistan
Poets Celebrated in Pakistan Inspire India's Protesters
Al JazeeraFaiz Ahmad Faiz, Habib Jalib and Allama Iqbal remain integral to popular protests against ‘anti-Muslim’ citizenship law.
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Transgender in Pakistan: Maya, the Woman Who Almost Broke Free
BBCA series of court rulings since 2009 have recognised a third gender in law, but implementation is problematic. Socially, transgender individuals continue to be treated as lesser beings, having no right to claim privacy or personal dignity, or even safety. Maya’s story highlights the dark side of these realities.
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'Arbitrary': Pakistan Rejects US Religious Freedom Designation
Al JazeeraUS State Department last week said it was re-designating Pakistan a ‘country of particular concern’ over violations.
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Indonesia
The Changing Face of Indonesian Islam
The DiplomatHijrah movements are flourishing on Indonesian campuses, worrying some proponents of Indonesia’s more moderate traditions.
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Malaysia
What Does Malaysia’s New Islamic Summit Reveal About its Foreign Policy?
The DiplomatThe engagement spotlighted the Malaysian government’s approach to Muslim issues within its wider global outlook.
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Hong Kong
Hong Kong Rallies in Solidarity With Uighurs
Foreign PolicyActivists in Hong Kong link their pro-democracy struggle with the plight of Muslim minorities in China.
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United Kingdom
Young British Muslims Support Homeless Over Christmas Period
Al JazeeraMuslim leaders to deliver 10,000 meals to rough sleepers before December 31 and vow to clean up after New Year parties.
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Anti-Muslim Group Says 5,000 Members Join Conservatives
Anadolu AgencyFar-right Islamophobic group says members joined Boris Johnson’s party.
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The Netherlands
Germany
How a German Family Ended up in Syria's Islamic State-Controlled Territory
Deutsche WelleHundreds of Europeans who joined “Islamic State” abroad are in detention in northern Syria. Among them are Aicha and her four kids, who wish to return to Germany. Aicha’s lawyer explains the family’s predicament.
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Albania
Jewish Group to Repair Home of Muslim Family That Saved Jews in Holocaust
HaaretzPoland-based group raises $10,000 for Albanian family, dubbed Righteous Among the Nations, whose home was destroyed in the November earthquake.
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United States
Hate Crimes Soar in Major US Cities
Voice of AmericaHate crime in America’s five largest cities rose sharply in 2019, with New York, Los Angeles and Chicago all setting highs not seen since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, according to a new report from California State University.
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Howard University Leading Way for Islamic Finance in the US
PatchHoward University’s School of Divinity School, located in Washington DC’s unique Brookland neighborhood, could soon become a global center of excellence for the study and practice of Islamic finance in the United States.
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'This is Oshkosh's Mosque': The Story Behind the Place that Served as a Sanctuary for Wisconsin Students During a School Attack
Post CrescentIn 2010, leaders of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Oshkosh made the city a promise: If their wish to open a mosque was granted, that mosque would always be an open door to anyone who needed it. A few weeks ago, they got a chance to fulfill it literally.
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Brooklyn Woman Accuses Venmo Of 'Singling Out Muslims' When Blocking Transactions
GothamistA Venmo spokesperson told Newsweek at the time that the payment restriction was aimed at following government sanctions under the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
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Understanding Structural Anti-Shī‘ism in Sunnī Diaspora Spaces
Joojoo AzadBut regardless of the intentions or situations that create and perpetuate anti-Shi’ism, the result is ultimately always traumatic, harmful, and requires urgent redress.
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For Struggling Minnesota Muslims, Help is a Phone Call Away
Minnesota Public Radio NewsSisters Sumaya and Fadumo Hassan help callers manage their experiences with bullying, anti-Islam sentiment and issues of identity.
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US: MAS-ICNA Islamic Convention Kicks off in Chicago
Anadolu News AgencyConvention to address most important challenges American Muslim community faces.
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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!