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Cultural & social affairs Department

OIC islamophobia Observatory

Monthly Bulletin – November 2013

I. Manifestations of Islamophobia: 1. US: 10-Year Old Booted from Bus for Speaking Arabic – “A new lawsuit filed Friday in Brooklyn Federal Court charges that a 10-year-old Brooklyn boy was called a “terrorist” and banned from boarding a bus when he recited a Muslim prayer in Arabic after losing his MetroCard. According to the family’s lawyer, Hyder Naqvi, the boy was trying to board a bus home from school in Sheepshead Bay in October 2012 when he realized he had lost his MetroCard. He recited the following prayer in Arabic as he searched for, and found, his card: “I stand in the name of God the most merciful, the most beneficent.” After hearing him do so, the driver became angry, called the boy a “terrorist,” and slammed the door shut…”.* In: http://www.islamophobiatoday.com/2013/10/31/10-year-old-booted-from-bus-for-speaking-arabic/, retrieved on 06.11.2013 2. Canada: Céline Dion, Not Only Can’t She Sing but She Also Is a Bigot – Céline Dion had likely become the most famous celebrity to have thrown support behind the Parti Québécois’s proposed “Charter of Quebec Values.” Dion said she did so because “foreigners” (all Muslims are by default “foreigners“) needed to adapt to “our country” (If you’re a Muslim born in Canada you still aren’t

Canadian) that had been so “hospitable” to them. Maybe Premier Pauline Marois would want to re-consider her decision on Saturday (03 November) not to call a general election in fall 2013, after the Parti Québécois’s proposed “Charter of Quebec Values” had picked up the biggest endorsement of them all. As of Sunday (04 November) night, Céline Dion had not yet been recruited by her friend, PQ supporter Julie Snyder, as an official member of the “Janettes,” the group of celebrities and other women who support the PQ’s proposed

anti-hijab law. And Quebec’s biggest female celebrity of them all did not join Saturday (03 Nov)’s march in Montreal by the Janettes’ supporters, some of whom called for the “liberation” of Muslim women. But here’s what Dion said when she was asked about the charter in an interview with Maclean’s posted on the magazine’s website on Saturday (03 Nov) evening:

Q: Lucien Bouchard once called you Quebec’s greatest ambassador. With that in mind, Amnesty International just declared Quebec’s controversial charter of values as a limit on fundamental rights that further stigmatizes vulnerable women. Do you agree with Amnesty? A: It’s a very delicate question to answer because I’ll hurt some people and please others but you have to have an opinion. For me, it’s not about the veil—it’s beyond that. I’m not against what people wear but if you go to the hospital, and you are in Quebec and we have embraced you and opened our country for you to live in a better world, you have to adapt to our rules. If the doctor is a boy or a girl, you’re gonna see the doctor that [is] sent to [treat] you. You

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can’t just say, “My religion doesn’t permit me to see a woman or a male doctor.” That’s the problem for me. If I’m going to see a doctor and he is gay, I’m not going to have a problem with that. It should not be an issue. Q: Yet you’ve stood up for women’s causes throughout the years. A: Of course! It’s just that these women who practise the things they believe in have to adapt to our country. They have to not change our laws. Because you have a lot of Anglican or veiled women in a school—you can’t just take off the [Catholic] cross from the walls, or take down Christmas trees. If I go live in their country and have to be veiled, I will.

In: http://www.islamophobiatoday.com/2013/11/04/celine-dion-not-only-cant-she-sing-but-she-also-is-a-bigot/, retrieved on 06.11.2013 3. US: Volusia parents protest chapter on Islam – A school board meeting was postponed Tuesday (05 November) after upset Volusia County (Florida) parents said a world history textbook in schools statewide taught children more about Islam than other religions. Parents in Volusia County said the book had an entire chapter on Islam but did not give the same attention to other religions. They protested outside school district headquarters, calling for equal education. Demonstrators on both sides had a heated discussion. Hassan Shibly, CAIR Florida executive director, said: “The people behind this movement are reflecting a national trend of hate groups that are promoting hatred of their Muslim neighbors. I think that’s un-American and it’s frankly just promoting intolerance, and right now what I think our community needs is to learn from each other.” The Volusia County School Board said it postponed its meeting “in the interest of public safety”. The district said it was contacted by the U.S. Department of Justice before the meeting was supposed to start and said “the nature of this information raised substantial safety concerns.” The district said with the information it received, it decided to put more security measures in place to make sure everyone at the meeting would be safe. The district said it did not comment on procedures but did said there was no specific threat of violence. In: http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/volusia-parents-protest-chapter-islam-textbook/nbjBm/, retrieved on 06.11.2013 Related: Florida school board rejects Islamophobic hysteria over history textbook – The School Board decided Monday (18 November) after hearing four hours of public comments about its merits and shortcomings that a world history textbook that sparked a heated controversy over the way it covered Islam would remain in Volusia County high schools. School Board Chairwoman Diane Smith said after hearing from nearly 80 speakers with widely differing opinions: “I’m still confident with this book and its presentation to our students.”

The board did not take a formal vote, but only member Linda Costello pushed for a more thorough review. Candace Lankford, Stan Schmidt and Ida Wright sided with Smith to keep the textbook in Volusia classrooms. Walter Hanford, a book opponent who stuck around long enough to hear the board discussion, said: “It’s kind of what I would have expected,” adding that he told the board earlier in the meeting the “World History” textbook published by Prentice Hall “whitewashes” the history of Islam and its Muslim followers, including involvement in the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the shootings at Fort Hood, Texas.

The textbook controversy erupted in early November 2013 after a Deltona High parent complained about the book’s treatment of the Islamic religion to a Lake County friend, who posted information on Facebook and organized a protest rally before the School Board’s Nov. 5 meeting. The Nov. 5 meeting was canceled before it began over security concerns and the controversy has continued to simmer, with Volusia County Republican Executive Committee Chairman Tony Ledbetter taking leadership of the textbook protest. The atmosphere at Nov 18’s meeting was quieter with opponents and supporters of the textbook filling the boardroom to overflowing while a small number of people milled around outside. In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/florida-school-board-rejects-islamophobic-hysteria-over-history-textbook/#more-25997, retrieved on 21.11.2013

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4. France: Far-right graffiti on two mosques in Besançon – La Dépêche reported that two mosques at Besançon in eastern France had been desecrated with racist and fascist graffiti. Three swastikas, accompanied by the slogans “France for the French”, “Vive la France”, “Arabs out” and “death to Muslims” were sprayed on the Al-Fath mosque. A swastika and the words “Long live the FN” (Front National) were also found on the wall of the Souna mosque.

This was not the first time the mosques had been attacked. In August 2013, an SS sign, a Celtic cross an Odal rune and the words “Vive la France” were sprayed on the Souna mosque. In February 2013, Star of David graffiti was daubed on both the Souna and Al-Fath mosques.

In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/far-right-graffiti-on-two-mosques-in-besancon/#more-25203, retrieved on 06.11.2013 5. Australia: Racist vandalized graffiti Queensland mosque – A mosque in Cairns in far north Queensland had been targeted by vandals. The front of the Cairns North mosque was sprayed with large red letters early on 04 November, calling for the worshippers to “integrate” or return to their “homelands”.

The attack has been condemned by local political leaders. The Federal Member for Leichhardt, Warren Entsch, said it was laughable, given the Imam’s family had as history in the far north dating back more than a century, adding: “He’s got an accent that’s broader than mine and I think as a community we need to be able to get behind Abdul and his community…They are part of our rich culture, and any suggestion they are anything other than that is an absolute nonsense. It shows you the small-minded minority that we have in this town.”

In: http://www.loonwatch.com/2013/11/racist-vandals-graffiti-queensland-mosque/, retrieved on 07.11.2013

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6. Canada: Survey Shows Islamophobia on the rise in Quebec – A survey showed that Islamophobic abuse had soared in the Canadian province of Quebec since the government proposed a ban on religious symbols for public workers. The Collectif Québécois contre l’islamophobie, a local anti-Islamophobia group, said on 05 November that 117 complaints of verbal or physical abuse against Muslims were made between 15 September and 15 October 2013.This could be compared to a total of 25 complaints made in the first seven months of 2013 or 3.5 complaints per month on average. The group’s spokesman, Adil Charkaoui, said Muslim women were overrepresented in the study as they accounted for 114 of the 117 complaints. According to Salam Elmenyawi, president of the Muslim Council of Montreal, the spike in attacks was a consequence of the debate over the Parti Québécois government’s proposed Charter of Values. The charter was to ban all public workers from wearing visible religious symbols such as the hijab, kippa, turbans and larger-than-average sized crucifixes in the workplace. The research firm conducted a recent Internet poll, which showed that 85% of Muslims found the current social atmosphere in Quebec either tense or very tense. The Quebec Human Rights Commission had censured the planned charter, saying the ruling party’s proposal was a clear violation of personal freedoms guaranteed under the province’s own charter of rights, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as well as the international law. In: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/11/06/333330/islamophobia-on-the-rise-in-quebec/, retrieved on 07.11.2013 7. US: Muslim workers say they were fired for praying – For more than three years, Mohamed Maow worked at DHL Global Mail in Hebron (Cincinnati). He said he earned $11.57 an hour to sort mail and was paid time-and-a-half for overtime. Maow, 27, a refugee from Somalia who came to the U.S. in 2007, said he never received any negative comments about his performance. Yet on 09 October, after he said DHL supervisors reversed a policy of flexible break times that allowed Maow and fellow Somalis time to pray, he was among two dozen Muslims fired for stopping to say five-minute evening prayers required by their religious beliefs. Maow was one of 11 complaints filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission – of an expected 24 total – that alleged DHL Global Mail fired a group of Somali Muslims for exercising their legally protected religious rights. The Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) had filed the EEOC complaints on behalf of the fired workers. Booker Washington, CAIR staff attorney, said: “We are requesting all available remedies allowed under Title VII (of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964) and the Kentucky Civil Rights Act, including but not limited to: damages, reinstatement where appropriate and policy changes to ensure that all worker’s civil rights are respected.” Federal civil rights law called for “reasonable accommodation” to allow religious requirements to be followed by employees. Fired workers, three of them full-time employees of DHL and the other 21 part-time who helped through two temporary service agencies, said they had been allowed to pray by previous supervisors. DHL officials at corporate headquarters in Weston, Florida, and at the Hebron location did not respond to requests from The Cincinnati Enquirer for comment. In: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/06/muslim-workers-say-they-were-fired-for-praying/3462061/, retrieved on 07.11.2013 8. US: Twitter Goes After Conan O’Brien for ‘Racist’ Muslim Female Superhero Joke – Conan O’Brien uses his influential Twitter account almost exclusively to share jokes on the latest news with his more than 9 million followers that may or may not end up in his late night monologue. Inevitably, some of these jokes rub his followers (and the rest of Twitter) the wrong way.

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Friday (08 November) evening, O’Brien posted a joke about Marvel’s new Muslim female superhero that had caused a major backlash and brought out accusations of racism against the comedian. The tweet received a barrage of angry responses from people who not only pointed out to O’Brien that his comment was prejudiced towards Muslims but also that the character being introduced by Marvel was a teenage girl from Jersey City. In other words, there’s more than one type of Muslim woman. A sampling of the backlash is below:

After ABC and Jimmy Kimmel were forced to apologize for a young boy who suggested “killing all the people in China” during an on-air segment about the debt crisis, it would not be surprising if TBS and

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O’Brien end up retracting this joke and issuing an apology, even though it didn’t even appear on the Conan show. But just as Kimmel wasn’t the one who wanted to kill everyone in China, you have to wonder whether it was actually Conan O’Brien who wrote and posted this joke on Twitter. As some have suggested, perhaps there was an over-eager intern running the account. But even if O’Brien didn’t personally come up with this off-base joke, you have to think he approves messages that get sent out to 9 million of his closest friends. Meanwhile, Conan O’Brien had deleted the offending tweet and as of Saturday (09 November) afternoon had not posted any comment about or apology for it to his Twitter account. In: http://www.mediaite.com/online/twitter-goes-after-conan-obrien-for-racist-muslim-female-superhero-joke/, retrieved on 11.11.2013

9. US: Anti-Muslim License Plate Battle Back In Court – Iraqi War vet, Sean Bujno, who was suing to use the license plates “ICUHAJI”, had his case dismissed for a second time by a circuit court judge. The license plate was deemed offensive and racist towards certain groups, such as Arabs and Muslims. Bujno’s attorney said it a First Amendment issue. They were considering a third appeal, this time possibly

with a U.S. District Court. The DMV revoked the plates in 2011. The DMV believed it violated a prohibition on letter combinations that may be interpreted as “socially, racially, or ethnically offensive or disparaging”. The license plate can be read as: “I see you, Haji.” “Haji” was often used by U.S. soldiers as a racial slur to describe Muslims or Arabs.

In: http://illumemagazine.com/zine/articleDetail.php?Anti-Muslim-License-Plate-Battle-Back-In-Court-14494, retrieved on 14.11.2013 10. UK: MI5 humiliates British Muslims – British Muslims had complained about falling victims to repeated follow-up calls, visits and questioning by MI5 agents trying to recruit them as informants in their Muslim communities. Known as Schedule 7, the curious but wide-ranging legal provision enabled the authorities to stop virtually anyone at British ports of entry for up to nine hours with no evidence or even suspicion of involvement in crime. For many individuals subjected to the regulation, however, an airport interrogation was just the beginning of a series of strange encounters with the security forces. British intelligence agencies were using such stops to recruit young Muslim men as informants, GlobalPost had learned through conversations with lawyers, human rights groups and individuals stopped under Schedule 7. Ahmed, a Londoner native Muslim who requested his real name not be used, said: “The psychology of the whole thing — it’s humiliating, it’s aggressive.” The misery of Ahemd started in 2006 when he was stopped for the first time as he was returning home from a trip to Jordan to study Arabic. The native Londoner was questioned for nine hours about his travel history, family and mosque. The interrogators, who identified themselves as agents from the domestic security agency MI5 and the national security police Special Branch, took fingerprints, photographs and an oral swab. Ahmed’s unforgettable experience was done under a legal cover in the British law, known as Schedule 7. A provision of the sweeping Terrorism Act of 2000, Schedule 7 gave the authorities broad powers during such detentions. Property may be confiscated for up to seven days. Any information on cellphones, computers or other electronic devices may be downloaded and the copies kept. Refusing to answer questions could be considered a criminal offense. Alice Wyss of Amnesty International, one of several rights groups calling for a review of the regulation, described its powers as “intrusive”, adding: “Drawn so broadly, you can see the consequences for individuals who are caught up in them.” In: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_11_12/MI5-humiliates-British-Muslims-8391/, retrieved on 14.11.2013

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11. France: Pig’s head left at site of Turkish cultural centre – Fait Réligieux reported that on 8 November workers at the new Turkish cultural center under construction in Amboise, in the Indre-et-Loir department in west-central France, found a pig’s head on the site. This was the third such incident there. Kazim Oflu and Ismail Ozdemir, secretary and president of the Association culturelle turque d’Amboise (Acta), said: “Another pig’s head was left here recently. And on 29 September 2012 we found a boar’s head, under the same circumstances: on our way to noon prayer, on a Friday.” Previously, although they had filed complaints with the police, Acta had not alerted the press to these incidents, in order to avoid “pouring oil on the fire”, said Kazim Oflu. But they had changed their minds after this latest “provocation”. In addition to the police, Acta had also informed the Turkish embassy in Paris. The construction of the cultural centre began in February 2012. In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/pigs-head-left-at-site-of-turkish-cultural-centre/#more-25785, retrieved on 14.11.2013 12. France: Pig’s head left at mosque site in northern part of the country – The Collectif contre l’Islamophobie en France draws our attention to a report in La Voix du Nord that on 10 November, in Hazebrouck in northern France, a pig’s head was found at the site where a mosque was to be built. The leaders of the association responsible for the mosque project refused to comment, in order to avoid controversy over the issue. However, as the CCIF points out, this was not an isolated case – it was the seventh act of desecration of Muslim places of worship in France over the past three months. In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/pigs-head-left-at-mosque-site-in-northern-france/#more-25782, retrieved on 16.11.2013 13. US: Muslim woman bombarded with slurs at New School: suit – Jamilah Moudiab, a New Jersey Muslim woman, slapped The New School with a lawsuit on 15 November alleging she had to quit her job there in March 2013 after being routinely bombarded with racist slurs by co-workers – and was even ordered not to wear her Hijab to work. She filed a civil-rights lawsuit in Manhattan federal court that also alleged her supervisor, Monique Ngozi Nri, told her shortly after she was hired in 2011 that the Manhattan university was a “religious free zone” and that “if [she] wants to stay at The New School, [she] must not wear a headdress.” Moudiab, who quit her job as an international student advisor in March 2013, claimed mischievous co-workers even anonymously placed a Christian cross and Rosary beads on her desk to “further castigate” her Muslim beliefs. Among the other complaints in the suit was that the Clifton, NJ-resident was harassed by co-workers for putting up photos of Trayvon Martin after he was shot to death by cops. She claimed she was scolded by Nri for expressing her belief to co-workers that Martin was “murdered for walking,” adding Nri felt the Florida teen was the “aggressor” with authorities in the high-profile shooting. Both The New School and Moudiab’s lawyer, Laurie Morrison, declined comment. In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/muslim-woman-bombarded-with-slurs-at-new-school-suit/#more-25856, retrieved on 16.11.2013 14. Greece: Golden Dawn threatens protests against Athens mosque – Golden Dawn had pledged to organize mass protests against the construction of a mosque in central Athens after the tender for the project was awarded earlier the week of 11 November. The neofascist party said the awarding of the contract was an “unprecedented provocation” and that it would use its position “within Parliament and mainly through mass, powerful demonstrations” to prevent the mosque being built. The right-wing anti-bailout party Independent Greeks also issued a statement condemning the project, saying it was against Greece’s national interests. Ex-Independent Greeks MP Christos Zois, leading his own party, Nea Mera, said the location of the mosque in Votanikos, “just a few meters from the sacred rock of the

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Acropolis and Plato’s olive tree” was disrespectful to Greek history and “This comes at a time when the government does not dare to demand that Hagia Sophia [in Istanbul] be recognized as a place of worship of worldwide importance and the reopening of the Halki theological seminary.” The Infrastructure Ministry said on 14 November it had awarded the contract for the mosque’s construction to a consortium comprising the firms J&P Avax, Terna, Aktor and Intrakat. The project had a budget of 946,000 euros and the mosque would be built on land that belonged to the Hellenic Navy in Votanikos, near central Athens. Ministry sources said the construction work should begin early 2014. In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/golden-dawn-threatens-protests-against-athens-mosque/#more-25867, retrieved on 17.11.2013 Related: Golden Dawn, government clash over mosque – After yet another attack on government plans to construct a mosque in central Athens, Greece’s neofascist Golden Dawn party had asked for a national vote on the issue. Speaking in Parliament on 28 November, Golden Dawn MP Ilias Panayiotaros said that plans to build a place of worship for Greece’s Muslim community were a “provocation” for Greeks, saying that the project should be put to a national referendum. Panayiotaros wrapped up his comments shouting “fire and axe to those who bow down,” quoting a phrase from a letter written by Theodoros Kolokotronis, a leader of Greece’s War of Independence against the Ottomans. Panayiotaros erroneously attributed the phrase to “Constantine” Kolokotronis. The Golden Dawn MP’s statements prompted a fierce response from Infrastructure Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis who slammed his “nationalist frenzy.” Chrysochoidis, a socialist, also said: “I do not distinguish people between Pontiac Greeks, Muslims, Buddhists…You are selling hatred against the world and you are quashing the souls and minds of desperate people,” Chrysochoidis added. In: http://www.loonwatch.com/2013/11/golden-dawn-government-clash-over-mosque/, retrieved on 30.11.2013

15. Islamophobia comes to Tahiti – Earlier, the blog Islamophobia Watch covered the backlash against a plan to establish Tahiti’s first mosque, resulting in its closure shortly after opening and death threats directed against its imam, Hishan el-Barkani. Des Dômes Et Des Minarets drew attention to a 400-strong anti-mosque demonstration that took place in the second weekend of November 2013 in Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia. In addition to the predictable “no to the mosque”, the slogans that featured on the banners and placards carried by protestors included “no to Islam, no to the imam”, “the burqa, yuck”, “hands off my pig”, “la charia faut pas charrier” (which loosely translates as “sharia shouldn’t take the piss”) and “not racist but realist”.

Romain Bonnard, one of the organizers, explained the purpose of the protest: “This is to say no to radical Islam and to inform the public of what Islam and the excesses of that religion really are. It is a religion that wants to gain entry and take power by imposition, that is what we are condemning. What troubles us most is to see what is happening in France, the insecurity generated because of this religion and those who practise it.” In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/islamophobia-comes-to-tahiti/#more-25918, retrieved on 18.11.2013

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16. Sweden: Stockholm mosque hit in pig’s trotters attack – Police suspected vandalism after pig’s trotters were thrown into a mosque near Stockholm after the windows of the building’s main door were smashed in the morning of 18 November. The mosque was the focus of attention in the spring 2013 as it hosted the first public call to prayer from a mosque in Sweden. The prayer call, on the last Friday in April 2013, came following a decision earlier in the month by local police who ruled that it would not violate local noise ordinances. The ruling allowed the prayer call for between three to five minutes on Fridays between midday and 1pm. Back in September 2013, local government officials had approved the move in principle, voting in favour of scrapping a 1994 prohibition on allowing prayer calls, which dated back from before the construction of the mosque. The mosque was built in 2007 in the municipality’s Fittja district and has over 1,500 members. In: http://www.thelocal.se/20131118/stockholm-mosque-targeted-in-pigs-trotters-attack, retrieved on 20.11.2013 17. UK: Hate DVD is sent to the Acton mosque – The mosque visited by a terror suspect who evaded police by wearing a burka has received a second hate DVD. It arrived through the post the morning after the mosque held an open evening for the public to learn more about Islam to help dispel fears that the faith nurtured extremists and terrorists. Abdul Maalik Tailor, an interfaith outreach worker at the An-Noor mosque, said the open evening on Monday (18 November) had an exhibition about Islam and that women who wore the face veil were there to answer any questions. But in the following morning, the mosque in Church Road, Acton, received a second copy of a DVD it was sent in August 2013, containing footage of a fake skull with the words ‘Prophet Mohamed’ scrawled across. Offensive words were held underneath it before it is cut with scenes from a pornographic film and a BBC Newsnight report about a banned extremist group. Police had received no further reports of the DVD being sent again and had made no arrests. In: http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/west-london-news/hate-dvd-sent-acton-mosque-6316432, retrieved on 20.11.2013 18. France: Racist slurs on Paris Mosque – Racist slurs against Allah were inscribed on the exterior face of the mosque of Paris at the level of the place of the place du puits de l’ermite in the fifth arrondissement (district) city hall and mosque leaders have indicated to Twenty Minutes. The mayor of Paris, Bertrand De la Delanoe, stated: “These insults are at the same time irresponsible and intolerable.

By targeting the Muslims in Paris, those that have professed these insults to Muslims in France and betray the republican pact that links us all. In the name of Parisians as well as in my personal name I want to assure the director of the mosque of Paris as well as the Muslim community of my support and of my friendship” The prefecture of the police of Paris stated that no complaints had been brought up but the mosque of Paris specifies that this has intentions of bringing up complaints towards the police station of the 5th district.

In: http://vladtepesblog.com/2013/11/19/racist-slurs-on-paris-mosque/, retrieved on 21.11.2013

19. France: Anti-Muslim graffiti in Alsace - L’Alsace reported that in the morning of 17 November, graffiti attacking Muslims and French president François Hollande was discovered on the wall of a disused service station on the road between Hirtzbach and Carspach in Haut-Rhin, having been sprayed on the

previous night. The slogans read “Muslims out” and “Hollande too”, followed by “Enough!!!” The graffiti was highly visible, being situated on a busy main road, and council services arranged to have it painted over on Monday

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(18 November). Other similar slogans were found on the road between Carspach and Ballersdorf. Hirtzbach’s deputy mayor Olivier Pflieger noted that such racist vandalism had become “part of everyday life in France”, adding “We cannot allow this to happen”. In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/anti-muslim-graffiti-in-alsace/, retrieved on 21.11.2013 20. US: Anti-Muslim stereotypes increase on TV, hinder understanding: Research – According to new research from Media Tenor International, the global media research company, made public Friday (22 November), with a decreased focus on the lives of Muslims in the Western world in U.S. and European TV, stereotypes and negativity had increased in the news. The findings were presented by Media Tenor CEO and founder Roland Schatz at the Alwaleed bin-Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU) at Washington’s Georgetown University. It was part of the Muslim-Christian Relations in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities conference. Schatz said: “Despite the increasing need for better understanding between people of all religious faiths, overall the news media is not helping to build compassion and tolerance, but, in many cases, is actively working against it.” He noted that Media Tenor analyzed more than 430,000 news reports from 2007 to 2013 in recognition of Professor John L. Esposito’s tireless work on these issues with the ACMCU. In: http://www.ecumenicalnews.com/article/anti-muslim-stereotypes-increase-on-tv-hinder-understanding-research-22580, retrieved on 25.11.2013 21. US: Ohio District Stops Showing Film about Islam – An Ohio school district had agreed to change its curriculum after a mother and public interest law firm filed public records requests related to several Islam-related materials. In 2011, Jenny McKeigue’s son was required to memorize the five pillars of Islam for his seventh-grade world history class. She also requested the district remove a video titled “30 Days: Muslims and America” from the curriculum. At first, they refused. According to the Thomas More Law Center (TMLC), the video featured a Christian named Dave who decided to try Islam for 30 days. He lived with a Muslim family, studying the Quran and praying daily, where Dave recited lines such as “I testify that Mohammad is the messenger of God.” A year and a half after McKeigue’s complaint, the Olmsted Falls district had removed the video and stopped requiring the memory work. Richard Thompson, TMLC’s chief counsel, said: “Teachers may not constitutionally show videotapes that violate the neutrality they must maintain toward religion. Under the guise of teaching the history of Islam to seventh graders, history teachers were proselytizing students to the Islamic faith.” In: http://news.heartland.org/newspaper-article/2013/11/23/ohio-district-stops-showing-film-about-islam, retrieved on 25.11.2013 22. Ireland: Shatter condemns hate mail sent to Muslim Community, says gardaí will take “appropriate action” – Irish Justice Minister Alan Shatter condemned the sending of hate mail to the Muslim community, and said he was bringing the matter to the attention of Garda Commissioner. An unsigned letter, which featured an image of Michael Collins, was posted to a number of schools and mosques recently, threatening extreme violence if building plans for a new mosque in north Dublin get underway. The Minister said in a statement that he utterly condemned “racism and religious bigotry in all of their forms” and that he was “appalled by the nature of the letters. He added: “Religious intolerance has no place in our society. Incitement to hatred and incitement to violence are offences under our laws.”

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In: http://www.thejournal.ie/muslims-attacked-racism-1191193-Nov2013/, retrieved on 26.11.2013

23. Angolan Official Denies Islam Ban, But Muslims Say Mosque Closings Persist – The controversy over reports that the southwest African nation of Angola had banned Islam and begun to demolish mosques took a new turn Tuesday (26 November) when Manuel Fernando, director of the Angolan Ministry of Culture's National Institute for Religious Affairs, denied both reported measures, as he told Agence France-Presse: “There is no war in Angola against Islam or any other religion," Fernando. There is no official position that targets the destruction or closure of places of worship, whichever they are.” But the Angolan magazine Exame Angola reported that a mosque in Huambo was closed recently “under express orders of the police authorities of the province of Huambo.” That came from a member of the mosque in question, which Exame reported was the 60th to be closed in Angola. All quotes from Exame referenced in this article had been translated from Portuguese. And AFP reported that prominent Angolan Muslim leader David Ja maintained that the government had been engaging in “political persecution” and “religious intolerance”, rejecting the denial by Fernando that Angola had been targeting Muslim groups. Ja added: “A mosque was closed last week in Huambo [in the south] and we have been subjected to pressure this week regarding a mosque in Luanda [the capital].” Ja reportedly also told Exame Angola that the “Islamic community is outraged by the closing of their places of worship.”

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Fernando’s comments appeared to represent the first public attempt by a government official based in Angola to refute the explosive claims, which first emerged in several African news outlets over the weekend of 23-24 November and then spread to media around the world. And they came on the heels of similarly dismissive statements made to IBTimes on Monday (25 November) by two officials at the Angolan Embassy in Washington, who did not want to be identified discussing the sensitive matter. An official at the embassy said via phone Monday (25 November) afternoon: “The Republic of Angola … it’s a country that does not interfere in religion. We have a lot of religions there. It is freedom of religion. We have Catholic, Protestants, Baptists, Muslims and evangelical people.” Another official confirmed on the same day that the embassy did not have knowledge of an Angolan ban on Islam or a plot by the government to destroy mosques, as follows: “At the moment, we don’t have any information about that…We’re reading about it just like you on the Internet. We don’t have any notice that what you’re reading on the Internet is true.” The reports of mosques being dismantled had come under scrutiny, as a quick Google Images search showed that a photograph published by numerous news outlets in November 2013 that supposedly depicted the minaret of an Angolan mosque being dismantled in October 2012 had been published at least as far back as 23 January 2008, when the Housing & Land Rights Network used it to illustrate an article about the demolition of Bedouin homes in Israel. On Friday (22 November), the weekly Beninese newspaper La Nouvelle Tribune published an article quoting “several” Angolan officials, including Minister of Culture Rosa Cruz, who reportedly offered the following remarks, which were translated from the French: “The process of legalization of Islam has not been approved by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights. Their mosques would be closed until further notice.” And the website OnIslam.net cited African news agency Agence Ecofin reporting: “According to several Angolan newspapers, Angola has become the first country in the world to ban Islam and Muslims, taking first measures by destroying mosques in the country.” The reports set off a massive surge of interest, as they spread across the world and eventually went viral, causing alarm among Muslims and jubilation by Islamophobes. As of 2008, Angola had a population of approximately 16 million people, of whom an estimated 55 percent were Catholic, 25 percent belonged to African Christian denominations, 10 percent followed major Protestant traditions, and 5 percent belonged to Brazilian Evangelical churches, while only 80,000 to 90,000 Angolans were Muslim, according to the U.S. State Department. In: http://www.ibtimes.com/angolan-official-denies-islam-ban-muslims-say-mosque-closings-persist-1487416, retrieved on 27.11.2013 Related: Angolan cleric denies government decision on Islam – Muslims living in Angola had denied that the country had banned Islam and was closing mosques. The imam of Nuru’l-Islam Mosque, Seikh Osman Ibn Zaid, told Anadolu Agency: "The reports about the closure of mosques are not true, the Cultural Ministry stated that there is no such thing.” Zaid also confirmed that a mosque was closed for some regulations in Huambo. He stressed that the government was working on 200 mosques in the country and also said that the government supported plans to build new mosques, adding: “If the government was against Islam, they could close the mosque in Huambo. I think the government shows goodwil towards Islam.” In: http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=123716, retrieved on 27.11.2013 Related: Angola Denies Singling Out Islam for Crackdown – Following widespread reports of Angola becoming the first country to ban Islam, the country had denied targeting Islam saying the reports were “false and misinterpretation of communication”. Speaking to IBTimes UK, Charge d’Affairs of the Angolan Embassy in India, Joaquim Ganga, said: “Once, the legislation process [obtaining licenses for worshipping places] is completed, all temporary banned

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religious faiths will be able to exercise their activities freely.” Denying the latest move was targeted at Islam, as many reports pointed out earlier, Ganga said: “The latest move by the Angolan government to come down on the religious groups is targeted at all religious faiths which are not legalized yet, including dozens of Christian churches.” When asked about the specific reason for the southern African nation’s administration to act at this point, he said: “Islam, along with many other religious groups, has been operating in Angola without legal permission and ‘quickly mushrooming’ in recent times forcing the authorities to act.” Ganga added: “So all reports mentioning that the Angolan government is targeting Muslims are false and amount to a misinterpretation of a communication. All religious faiths, namely Islam, are respected and protected in Angola provided they abide by laws of the land.” In: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/525424/20131127/angola-islam-ban-muslims-allah-mohammad-christianity.htm, retrieved on 27.11.2013 Related: OIC Probes Facts about Angola Muslims – With all eyes fixed on Angolan Muslims, the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressed dismay and shock about the reports of the Angolan Government’s decision to ban Islam and demolish mosques, voicing similar concerns for Burma and Philippine Muslims. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu told Al-Jazeera satellite channel in an interview aired on Wednesday, November 27: “We have clearly expressed our opinion that we cannot accept this [decision]…After denials from Angolan officials, we are working on dispatching a fact finding team to get an internationally accepted report…We have also launched a diplomatic campaign to ask the United Nations, the African Union, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) to take a firm position against any proposed ban.” In: http://www.onislam.net/english/news/global/466433-oic-probes-facts-about-angola-muslims.html, retrieved on 29.11.2013 Related: Angola defends barring Islamic groups - Angola said on Friday (29 November) it had refused registration to a number of Islamic religious groups and closed illegal mosques because they did not comply with national laws, but it denied any persecution of Muslims. The government of the No.2 oil producer in Africa had faced a storm of criticism after some international media reported it had “banned Islam”, causing embarrassment for this member of the OPEC oil cartel dominated by Muslim states. The outcry followed an announcement by the Ministry of Justice earlier this month listing 194 “religious confessions” whose requests for registration it rejected, among them the Islamic Community of Angola (COIA). Requests from a number of evangelical Christian and other non-Muslim groups were also turned down. In a briefing to diplomats on 29 November, Angolan Foreign Minister Georges Chikoti said there had been “misunderstandings” about the government action, as “There has been no Muslim persecuted…There is no government policy to persecute one church or religion, that was an interpretation made by the Islamic community in Angola.” Chikoti also said Angola’s constitution defends the right to religious freedom, but the law requires religious groups to meet legal criteria to be recognized as official churches. There are eight Islamic denominations here, all of which requested registration. But none fulfilled legal requisites so they can't practice their faith until concluding the process.” He said some groups had not registered their mosques as official places of worship but did not go into further detail on what legal requirements they had not met. In: http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=haber&ArticleID=123981, retrieved on 30.11.2013 24. Belgium: Mosques defilement angers Locals – Belgium Muslims denounced the heinous attacks

on mosques in the Belgian town of Genk after they were desecrated with swastikas and abusive slogans. Semsettin Ugurlu, the chairman of the Muslim Executive of Belgium (EMB), said in a statement cited by Saphir News: “Despite the shocking nature of the

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crimes committed, the EMB enjoins Muslims not to respond to the provocation, unless by peaceful and legal means, in accordance with what Islam advocates.” Ugurlu had also strongly condemned the “heinous acts of racism, Islamophobia and vandalism.” The attack occurred reportedly on the night of Friday, 22 November, when three mosques were desecrated with swastikas and abusive slogans. A pig head was also left outside one mosque. The attacks were widely condemned by Belgian officials, while police increased its patrols surrounding the mosques. Mayor of Genk Wim Dries condemned the attacks as

“unacceptable”. He was quoted as saying by NVO News: “We won’t tolerate this. Nobody wants this kind of signs on a religious building”. Launching an investigation to try and find the culprits, two people in their twenties had been identified by the police through the testimony of neighbors and images of surveillance cameras placed near the vandalized mosque. The suspects were arrested and placed in custody. In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/mosques-defilement-angers-belgians/#more-26302, retrieved on 27.11.2013 25. US: Muslim job candidates may face discrimination in Republican states – A new study by Carnegie Mellon University found that in the most Republican states in the US, employers may be less likely to interview job candidates whose social networking profiles indicated that the applicants were Muslims. As part of a social experiment, the researchers created four fictitious job candidates – each with a unique name that most likely pointed to someone who was male, U.S. born and Caucasian. The candidates had identical resumes. The researchers also created social network profiles for each of the candidates that revealed either his sexual orientation or whether he was a Muslim or Christian. All other information, including the profile photograph used for each candidate, was the same. The resumes, which did not mention the candidates’ online profile, were then sent out to more than 4,000 employers nationwide with job openings. Readers should note that the study’s authors did not design the pool of open jobs to be representative of all jobs available in the country, or in Republican-leaning or Democrat-leaning states. The number of job vacancies varied from state to state, and overall, a smaller share of all open jobs was located in Republican states. In both Republican and Democratic states, there was no difference between the call backs received by the gay candidate as compared with the straight candidate. But in the Republican states, the Christian candidate received more interview calls than the Muslim candidate. In the 10 states with the highest proportion of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney voters in the 2012 election, 17% of Christian applicants received interview calls, compared with 2% of the Muslim job candidates. There were no differences in call backs received by the Christian and Muslim candidates in the 10 states with the lowest proportion of Romney voters. The study was not the first to pick up on perceived negative views of Muslims in America. Nearly half of Muslim Americans pointed to either negative views about Muslims (29%) or discrimination and prejudice (20%) as the most pressing issues facing their community in a 2011 Pew Research Center survey. At the

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same time, however, more than half (56%) of Muslim Americans surveyed also said that they are satisfied with the way things are going in the country. In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/study-muslim-job-candidates-may-face-discrimination-in-republican-states/#more-26313, retrieved on 28.11.2013, emphasis added. 26. US: Anti-Islam activist Pam Geller says Pope Francis ‘sanctions savagery’ – Anti-Islam activist and blogger Pamela Geller lashed out at Pope Francis on 26 November, claiming he condoned violence against Christians. She wrote at her blog: “At a time when Christianity worldwide is under siege by Islamic jihadists, the leader of the Catholic Church claims that the quran teaches non-violence. As Christians across the Muslim world live in abject terror and fear kidnapping, rape and slaughter to the bloodcurdling cries of ‘Allahu akbar,’ the pope gives papal sanction to the savage.” In the apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, published on the same day, the pope contrasted “violent fundamentalism” with “authentic Islam.” The latter, he wrote, was “opposed to every form of violence.” “How does he know that? When did he become an imam?” Geller wrote, citing passages from the Koran. “Nothing will be gained by this refusal to face reality. Christians will still be slaughtered in the name of Islam and jihad all over the Muslim world. And now the Pope has forbidden Catholics to speak honestly about what is happening and why. It’s a disgrace,” she concluded. In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/anti-islam-activist-pam-geller-says-pope-francis-sanctions-savagery/#more-26356, retrieved on 28.11.2013 27. Iceland: Protest against Mosque may be defined as Hate Crime - Three pig heads and bloodied pages of the Koran were scattered across the plot of land allocated to the Association of Muslims in Iceland for the building of a mosque on Wednesday (27 November). The animal parts and pages of the Koran were discarded by City employees tasked with cleaning up the site after the incident. Óskar Bjarnason, living in Sweden, told visir.is that he was present when the incident took place and that a group of 20 people were behind the act. Óskar claimed that prominent figures in Reykjavík were among its members. He mentioned examples of protests by others in Sweden but said that the action taken in Iceland was less radical. Reykjavík City Council formally approved the building site for Iceland’s first mosque in September 2013. The Association of Muslims in Iceland was allocated the plot of land in January of the same year. In:http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/Protest_against_Mosque_may_be_Defined_as_Hate_Crime_0_404452.news.a

spx, retrieved on 30.11.2013 28. UK: Bacon attack on Wigan shop worker – A hunk of raw bacon was thrown at a shop worker in what police believe was a racially-motivated attack. The incident happened at the Pemberton Service Station on Ormskirk Road, Pemberton, at about 4.30am on Monday (25 November). The Asian attendant was working alone in the station when the door opened and the offender threw the slice of raw bacon. He then ran out of the shop and up Ormskirk Road towards Orrell. The attacker was white, about 5ft 8 of a medium build and with short, dark hair. He was wearing a bright-green and black-chequered snood covering the lower part of his face and head, a black jacket with two white stripes down each arm and a white line under the arms. He was also wearing baggy light-blue jeans and dark trainers with white laces and a white rim around the bottom. Police Constable Roy Lunio from Greater Manchester Police said: “Because of the connotations attached to the meat and the fact it was deliberately thrown at an Asian man, we are treating this as a racially motivated crime. To target someone in this way, simply because of their religion or race, is utterly

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abhorrent and the offender should be ashamed of themself. This is not a prank, this is not funny or a laugh, it is a very serious and cowardly thing to do and we need to trace him.” In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/bacon-attack-on-wigan-shop-worker/#more-26510, retrieved on 30.11.2013 I.I. On Islamophobic Behavior by US Military & Police: 1. Exclusive: The Crusader Sub-Culture in the US Military – The US military’s “Islam problem” captured news headlines even before Wired.com’s 2012 breaking story about a military course teaching soldiers that the USA was at “war with Islam.” Since 2007 the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) and its founder Mikey Weinstein had diligently documented violations of religious freedom within the military. During that time many of MRFF’s documentation of violations hade included cases of anti-Islam/Muslim propaganda and activities. In addition to these very troubling stories reported in the mainstream press and by rights organizations, Islamophobia Today, in an article by Jacob Hausner, had uncovered facts indicating that the pervasive “Crusader” sub-culture within the ranks of Islamophobes was not limited to internet forums and blogs but also existed within the US Military. Anti-Muslim/Islam and pro-Crusader themes tied to military-use paraphernalia, including: T-Shirts, insignias, bullet coating, rifle scope cases as well as tattoos inscribed “Kafir,” and “Infidel” had become common within a sub-set of the US military. Many soldiers had expressed deep concern about this Crusader sub-culture. A growing network of e-stores, as well as large chains such as SEARS (online) to the day of publication of the news (12 November) were selling the aforementioned anti-Muslim/Islam commodities. Most troubling, Crye Precision, which was under Department of Defense contract for the production of Multicam camouflage for the US Military was also involved in the anti-Muslim/Islam trade with a brand of “Infidel” themed clothing wear and accessories. Following are some examples:

USMC Marine with “Kafir”/Infidel Tattoo and Possible Navy SEAL (AOR pattern 1 camouflage- exclusive to Navy SEALS) with a menagerie of patches including “Infidel strong”, “Hadji Don’t Surf”

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Army 3rd ID soldier- photo #2 “infidel” tattoo and USAF Helicopter Crewman with “Infidel” patch

U.S. ARMY 10th Mountain Division soldier in Wardak Providence, Afghanistan, 2009. “Kafir” tattoo and Unknown SPEC OPS soldiers (Crye Precision Multicam uniform, OPS-CORE “FAST” ballistic helmet; both products designated to SPEC OPS community) conducting training in northern California. “Hadji Don’t Surf” patch

German soldier, Afghanistan. Part of the NATO ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) forces. Note that the patch was in Arabic as well as English so that the meaning was not obscured. The anti-Islam sub-culture that degraded and dehumanized the Muslim ‘other’ had given rise to online e-stores that sought to fill the special niche of serving officers with the most dehumanizing representations of Muslims and Islam, as

well as selling pro-Crusader images and insignia. Those involved were not only small online retailers, but such large and well know retailers as Crye Percision (manufactures all camoflague for US military) and SEARS. For a country that had invaded two Muslim nations, continues drone strikes in several more and suffered from a severe deficit of trust with 1.5 billion Muslims, claiming to want to seek to “win hearts and minds” may well be viewed in an altogether different, more cynical light.

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There were a number of internet businesses that propagated this culture. Two of the more well known sites to purchase “infidel” clothing and accessories are http://www.opsgear.com and http://www.milspecmonkey.com. Milspecmonkey.com had been the manufacturer/e-retailer of the: “Infidel,” “Infidel Strong,” “Pork Eating Crusader, and “Hadji Don’t Surf” patches shown in the body of this report. Opsgear.com especially had been catering to military, law enforcement, and aficionados with their infidel t-shirt line:

“Infidel” t-shirt and cap and “American Infidel”–Arabic & English One retailer to take note of is Crye Precision. What made them stand out in particular was the fact that Crye was, as 2012, the manufacturer of Multicam, which was then the new camouflage for all US armed forces. Crye was also under Department of Defence contract to produce newer camouflage for the Department of Defense as well as (of 2012) to supply uniforms to US forces. Crye’s side project apart from the Department of Defense contracts was a line of product called the “Major League Infidel” line. The most alarming part of this was that Crye manufactures camouflage and uniforms for the US Military and manufactures this brand of infidel products (which were also aimed towards service personnel). Here are some examples of what one can find at http://cryeprecision.com :

One of the most alarming aspects of this cottage industry may be that the “infidel” label was creeping into the mainstream. The author of the article came across Kafir/Infidel items for sale at a major retailer, SEARS. From rifle scope covers to t-shirts and more, SEARS was selling all the aforementioned on their website:

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Sold at SEARS: Eotec rifle scope case with Kafir/Infidel embedded in it & Sold at SEARS: Kafir/Infidel t-shirt “Alarming” may be an understatement: American military personnel were purchasing these goods and were displaying them in theater. One wonders what the indigenous Afghani and Iraqi citizens, police, contractors, and military personnel feel/felt when they see/saw US soldiers wearing these items? Another extremely concerning aspect within this industry of hate was a product called Silver Bullet Gun Oil (www.silverbulletgunoil.net/), or SBGO. It was quite clear what Silver Bullet Gun Oil was used for by the rhetoric on their websites blog:

SBGO claims that it sent Muslims ‘straight to hell’ if a shooter used the product in their weaponry. It should be pointed out that the gun oil contained 13% liquefied pork fat and that it was directly marketed towards coalition soldiers and law enforcement in Western nations:

And:

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This product was symptomatic of a greater Islamophobia that permeated deeper than clothing and tattoos. Because the product (reportedly) sends “Allahs’ followers to HELL”, or at least– that was the language employed by it’s manufacturer– one could say that it was actively pushing an agenda of Holy War against Muslims, as that had been the language employed throughout the website:

While the US Military took action against Sgt. Dooley, suspending him for teaching courses that discussed “total war on Islam,” it was vital that the military also addressed the Crusader sub-culture within its midst. A corrective course of action that both acknowledged the existing sub-culture and made amends where it could may be the only way to nip such sentiments in the bud. The belief that the USA’s “War on Terror” was really a “War Against Islam” had been widespread in Muslim nations, by not addressing these issues the military would provide AlQaeda and its affiliates with a propaganda coup. In: http://www.islamophobiatoday.com/2013/11/12/exclusive-the-crusader-sub-culture-in-the-us-military/, retrieved on 14.11.2013 2. NYPD Forced to Produce Muslim Surveillance Records – A federal judge ruled on Friday (22 November) that targets of the NYPD’s surveillance of Muslims could probe the department’s files. Brooklyn U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen’s order came at an early phase of a lawsuit against the NYPD, one of three such ongoing legal efforts. It would allow the plaintiffs in the case, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the New York Civil Liberties Union, and the City University of New York’s CLEAR project, to make extensive legal discovery that could bolster their allegations that the department has engaged in unconstitutional spying.

The groups sued the NYPD over revelations from reporting by the Associated Press that the NYPD had engaged in widespread surveillance of Muslim communities in and around New York City. Another group was suing over spying in New Jersey, and civil rights lawyers had also revived a lawsuit, first filed in the 1970s, in an attempt to curb the department’s surveillance after 9/11.

As part of its lawsuit, the plaintiffs were trying to find out whether the police force’s internal surveillance policies endorsed targeting Muslims because of their religion. A lawyer for the NYPD argued in court in October 2013 that the department had no program that surveilled Muslims solely because of their religion, and the city offered to hand over only documents pertaining to the Muslim individuals and groups who were plaintiffs in the suit. The legal groups representing the plaintiffs countered that that would allow the NYPD to essentially put the plaintiffs — instead of the police — under the microscope.

Judge Chen sided in part with the ACLU and its co-counsels, ruling that the NYPD would need to turn over records of its surveillance policies. At the same time, however, she blocked the civil liberties group from searching through police documents to discover how often Muslims were targeted for surveillance as opposed to non-Muslims. Hina Shamsi, the director of the ACLU’s National Security Project, said in a statement: “We’re gratified that the judge rejected the NYPD’s defense that we should not obtain documents showing it acted with a discriminatory purpose. For the first time, the NYPD will have to produce key records about its Muslim surveillance program, and answer questions about its biased policies and practices.” In: http://www.islamophobiatoday.com/2013/11/25/nypd-forced-to-produce-muslim-surveillance-records/, retrieved on 26.11.2013

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I.II. On Geert Wilders: 1. Le Pen and Wilders launch far-right alliance – Marine Le Pen, leader of the French far-right National Front, joined notorious anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders in The Hague on Wednesday (13 November) to announce a “historic” Europe-wide alliance of far-right parties ahead of next year’s European elections.

Le Pen told journalists after talks with Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Wilders: “Today is a historic day. We have taken a decision to ally ourselves with other patriots willing to work within the same dynamic.” And Wilders, known for his platinum-blonde hair and his eurosceptic and anti-Islamic views, said: “Today is the start of the liberation of Europe from the monster of Brussels.” He said that in October 2013 he and Le Pen would explore

building ties ahead of May 2014’s European Parliament elections, held against a backdrop of discontent over Europe’s economic woes. Both Le Pen’s National Front (FN) in France and Wilders’ PVV had said they would like to unite eurosceptic right-wing parties across the continent, as a way to challenge the European Union from within. Wilders added: “Working together, we want to repatriate the ability to decide ourselves how we control our borders, how we control our money and our economy.” While Le Pen and Wilders met, a small group of around 20 people protested loudly outside parliament by banging drums and blowing air horns.

A protester who asked not to be named, brandishing a placard with Le Pen’s face covered by a no-entry sign said: “We are here to protest against racism, which is what both Le Pen and Wilders’ parties stand for.” Demonstrator Ewout van den Berg, 26, said: “This alliance is dangerous. We’re against Wilders, against Le Pen and against all those who want to polarise society.” In order to form a far-right anti-European bloc, Wilders and Le

Pen would have to find like-minded politicians in at least a quarter of the EU’s 28 member states and see 25 members elected to the 766-seat European Parliament. If they become an official European political group, they would benefit from subsidies, offices, a communication budget, seats on committees and speaking time in parliament proportional to their number. In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/le-pen-and-wilders-launch-far-right-alliance/, retrieved on 14.11.2013 II. On Muslims in US and Americas:

1. Mosque appeal denied – In a much anticipated case, the Tennessee Supreme Court denied an appeal by opponents of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro and affirmed an appellate ruling in favor of the Rutherford County Planning Commission. Michael W. Catalano, the clerk for the Tennessee Appellate Court Clerk’s Office, said:“This action signifies the end of the appeal.” Catalano, overseeing the dockets and managing cases pending before the Supreme Court and other state circuits, sent a letter Thursday (31 October) on behalf of the justices informing all those involved in the lawsuit that the application for appeal had been denied – the case could finally be put to rest following more than three years of legal battles. In: http://www.murfreesboropost.com/breaking-news-mosque-appeal-denied-cms-37296, retrieved on 02.11.2013

Related: Opponents of mosque vow fight to U.S. Supreme Court after Tennessee justices declined to take up case – Opponents of a mosque in Murfreesboro were pledging to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court after Tennessee justices declined to take up the case. The attorney for the mosque

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opponents, Joe Brandon, told The Tennessean there were multiple unresolved issues in the case that required review. Brandon cited whether it went against a basic court doctrine when defendants got a federal court to halt a state court’s ruling in the case. Neighbors of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro had been arguing in court for three years that the construction approval was illegal. They said there was insufficient public notice for the planning commission meeting where the approval occurred. Mosque spokesman Saleh Sbenaty applauded the Tennessee court’s rejection of the case, saying the challenge had no merit. In: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/nov/02/opponents-mosque-vow-fight-us-supreme-court-after-/, retrieved on 04.11.2013

2. Study: Muslim-Americans Being Treated Better, But Much Discrimination Remains – A report released in the morning of 07 November claimed that while Muslim-Americans were generally being treated better in the U.S., they still faced significant hurdles both socially and politically.

Faizan Syed, xecutive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said: “We have seen a small, but highly welcome, decline in Islamophobia within the United States…We graph Islamophobia on a ten-point scale: we have seen a drop to 5.9 from 6.4 since 2010.” He added that that was not to say there was not a long way to go toward an end to someday bringing an end to discrimination. He claimed that the “inner core” of a U.S.-based Islamophobia network was funded to the tune of nearly $120 million between 2008 and 2011, as “The primary purpose of these institutions and individuals is to demonize and attack Islam and Muslims within the United States.” He went on to say that another problem was the depiction of Muslims in the media. “(The TV show) ‘24’ is a good example, ‘Homeland’ is a good example…where there’s this concept that there are terrorists in the United States and there’s these law enforcement agencies that are literally going to war with them. Terrorism in the United States – at least Muslim terrorism – is very limited.”

The 158-page report entitled “Legislating Fear: Islamophobia and its Impact in the United States 2011-2012” also purported that 78 bills or amendments designed to vilify Islamic religious practices were introduced in the legislatures of 29 states, including Missouri, over the past two years. Syed explained: “This report shows there are individuals and groups that have built institutions to target Islam and Muslims and manufacture fear. This has led to not only verbal attacks but bullying, physical assaults on individuals or institutions and houses of worship, and in extreme cases murder in the United States and abroad.” In: http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2013/11/07/study-muslim-americans-being-treated-better-but-much-discrimination-remains/, retrieved on 08.11.2013

3. Hundreds of Muslims attend conference to eradicate Islamophobia – Several hundred Muslims were in Atlanta on the weekend of 23-24 November to tackle two big issues: how do you overcome people’s fear of Islam, and how should the Muslim community address issues facing Muslim women. Those issues were the focus points of this Islamic World International Conference held near the Atlanta Airport.

Debbie Almontaser, working for the New York City Department of Education, was a guest speaker at the conference, and said that domestic violence had no race or religion and negative stereotypes on how Muslim women were treated was just another example of Islamophobia, as “Domestic violence, female genital mutilation, and human trafficking and slavery of women is not something specifically driven by Islam, but it is unfortunately a societal ill that exists regardless of the faith, racial, or ethnic background of individuals”. Maryam Abdul-Karim is a Douglasville homemaker attending the conference with her friend. For her, the main message of the Eradicating Islamophobia conference was about making a positive impact because they “…all have a responsibility and our responsibility is just to convey a message to people that yes we’re Muslim and we’re not going to stop being Muslim, but here’s how we effect society; not negatively but positively. Look at our doctors, look at our students, look at our political aspirations as a people. There is something we can bring to the table even in an Islamophobic society”. Members of the Islamic World International Conference hoped such discussions could lead to a future with more understanding, where their culture was not as feared. In: http://wabe.org/post/hundreds-muslims-attend-conference-eradicate-islamophobia, retrieved on 26.11.2013

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III. On Muslims in Europe: 1. France: French smartphone app targets Islamophobia – The Collectif Contre l’Islamophobie en France (the Collective against Islamophobia in France) on Monday (04 November) launched a smartphone app to enable members of the French public to report anti-Muslim acts and speech. On the same day, CCIF said in a statement: “In the face of Islamophobia, let’s all be witnesses.” The app – available on Apple phones and tablets and for Android – would allow users to filter news reports on racist and anti-Muslim activity, to check if there had been recent incidents in their area, and perhaps most significantly, to report such incidents, whether as victim or witness. CCIF spokesman Babacar Sene told The Local: “The primary goal is to allow people to send out instant reports…But the app also gives legal advice to anyone who might have been a victim of Islamophobia, and informs them of their rights.” The new reporting and intelligence tool came at a time when France had seen a sharp increase in Islamophobic incidents over the last year or so. In: http://www.thelocal.fr/20131104/french-smartphone-app-targets-islamophobia, retrieved on 07.11.2013 2. Discrimination Against Muslims in Europe is Focus of 2013-2014 Thorp Lecture – The Thorp lecture by Professor Pamela Irving Jackson, winner of the 2013-2014 Mary Tucker Thorp Award, was based on her recent book “Benchmarking Muslim Well-Being in Europe: Reducing Disparities and Polarizations,” which she coauthored with Peter Doerschler, assistant professor of political science at

Bloomsburg University. As director of RIC’s justice studies program and professor of sociology, Jackson knew that a case in court was won on the strength of the evidence. Her book drew evidence from numerous sources and contained more than 40 pages of tables and graphs on anti-Muslim biases in European states. Jackson said that she and Doerschler took on this project because

“data are key in enabling policy makers to convince the electorate that change is needed.” Their investigation centered on four European states: France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom because of their sizeable Muslim populations and because, she said, “these are the states that drive policy making in the European Union.” Using charts and graphs, Jackson compared Muslims to non-Muslims and examined the groups widely assumed to be the most vulnerable to dissatisfaction and extremism: 1) highly religious Muslims, 2) those born outside the country, 3) noncitizens and 4) young men. “In France,” she said, “the police have a policy of stopping young men of color to check their identity, though their identity papers are almost always valid. This issue has gone on to human rights courts beyond France. Central to this hostility toward Muslims is the assumption that Muslims do not accept the authority of the European states…Many Europeans argue that Muslims don’t integrate. But when you discriminate against a group, it leads to isolation, and if you isolate people, they don’t integrate.” Jackson wanted governments to do more to protect minorities. She hoped that the many statistics she and Doerschler compiled would assist human rights organizations in encouraging governments to change their policies. Jackson was selected for the Mary Tucker Thorp Award for excellence in teaching, scholarship and collegial service. For more information on her book, go to www.migration-boell.de/web/integration/47_3078.asp. In: http://www.ric.edu/news/details.php?News_ID=2351, retrieved on 07.11.2013

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3. Germany: President Praise Islamic Theology – German President Joachim Gauck praised the Muslim community as a part of the German society, asserting Germany as a common land for all its citizens. President Gauck was quoted by Anadolu Agency on Thursday, November 28: “Over two thousand sanctuaries and mosques have been built in different cities of the country.” The president was speaking during that day’s visit to Munster University’s Islamic Theology Center. He also asserted the fact that Islamic Theology departments in German universities were an important element of the country’s recent history as “The establishment of faculties providing education in Islamic Theology is a pragmatic agreement for the future…Everyday more Muslims become part of the German society and take part in the development of it…We want to educate people who in the future will give religion lessons in schools, mosques and universities.” In: http://www.onislam.net/english/news/europe/466451-german-president-praise-islamic-theology.html, retrieved on 30.11.2013 III.I. On Muslims in the United Kingdom, Including Australia & New Zealand: 1. Islamophobia Awareness Month – The second Islamophobia Awareness Month was launched. The month-long campaign would see activities and projects held throughout Britain to combat the continuing rising tide of Islamophobia. Islamophobia Awareness Month was being spearheaded by the Enough Coalition Against Islamophobia, the Muslim Council of Britain and ENGAGE, and other partners Racist and fascist fringe parties were gaining ground amidst economic crisis, and mainstream parties increasingly catering to populist, nativist and xenophobic electoral agendas fanned by sensationalist media scaremongering. From the niqab ban and anti-sharia legislation, to erosion of civil liberties and racist discrimination in housing and employment, Islamophobic prejudice was then prevalent in the mainstream, on display in political life, in the media and in the attitudes of the police and the courts. IAM coordinated a rich and diverse programme of events and activities organised with partners supporting the campaign to raise awareness and forge solidarities across anti-racist and anti-war agendas. The 1st anniversary was to be marked on 25 November at the House of Commons London. In: http://www.asianimage.co.uk/news/10797984.Islamophobia_Awareness_Month/?ref=nt, retrieved on 10.11.2013 2. Muslim Women more likely to suffer Islamophobic attacks than men – study – Maybe We Are Hated, a report on the impact of Islamophobic attacks, written by Dr Chris Allen, a social policy lecturer at the University of Birmingham, launched in the House of Commons on Wednesday (20 November), found that Muslim women are more likely to be subjected to Islamophobic attacks than men, especially if they are wearing the niqab or other clothing associated with their religion. The Study was intended to look beyond the statistics and, for the first time, give a voice to the female victims of Islamophobia. One of the women featuring in the report, Rachel, 28, was run over by a man after she asked him to move his car, which was blocking the drive of her house. Before attacking her, he said: “I’m gonna pop you, Muslim.” In another case, four decomposing pigs’ heads were placed outside a woman’s house. Shareefa, 33, told how she was repeatedly abused by a group of young people calling her names such as "ninja" and had fireworks posted through the letterbox of her home. Allen interviewed 20 women aged between 15 and 52 about their experiences. One was called “Mrs Osama bin Laden” and told to “go back to Afghanistan” while at the gym. Another, on her way home after dropping her children at school, was followed by a woman with a pushchair, who spat in her face and asked her: “Why do you look so ugly? Why are you covering your face?”

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Fiyaz Mughal, from Faith Matters, which commissioned the report, said: “This is the first time Muslim women’s voices have been given life in terms of anti-Muslim prejudice. We keep hearing people saying: ‘What are the numbers?’ We can understand that, but it’s important to recognize the actual impact on people.” Tell Mama, a hotline for recording Islamophobic crimes and incidents, found that, excluding online abuse and threats, 58% of all verified incidents between April 2012 and April 2013 were against women and that in 80% of those cases the woman was wearing a hijab, niqab or other clothing associated with Islam.

According to Allen, some of the women said their experiences had made them question their Britishness, with one saying her husband wanted them to leave the country. He said a refusal to take Islamophobia seriously risked giving credence to the “clash of civilizations” narrative promoted by Islamists and the far right. He said: “It feeds into the rhetoric of the Islamists saying: ‘No matter how hard you try, you will never belong here, they hate you…When it comes to Muslims, they won’t tackle these issues. It adds fuel to the fire.” In: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/20/muslim-women-islamaphonic-attacks, retrieved on 21.11.2013

3. Police ‘failing to investigate anti-Muslim abuse’ – according to a government-funded monitoring group, Tell Mama, the police were failing to investigate hundreds of cases of anti-Muslim hate messages on the internet. The group, which recorded anti-Muslim attacks, said it recorded 1,432 cases of abuse in the last 22 months (as of November 2013). But Tell Mama had told the BBC it had only had a response from the police regarding 70 cases. The Association of Chief Police Officers said it was working to address the concerns expressed by Tell Mama.

After recording details of the abuse, Tell Mama (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) reported directly to the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) hate crime reporting system. The group – which was set up in 2011 – told the BBC 5 live Investigates programme that the police response had been poor and in October 2013 it wrote a letter to the Acpo president Sir Hugh Orde, complaining about the lack of action. It cited two prolific social media users who promote their anti-Muslim beliefs daily.

Fiyaz Mughal, the founder of the interfaith Faith Matters organisation, running Tell Mama, said: “It is worrying for us, given that the number of call-backs and subsequently the number of investigations that have moved forward have been extremely small in comparison to the volume of hate crimes we have sent in to police forces…They go from harassment and abusive name-calling right the way through to threats – threats to come round to somebody’s house and harm them, threats to attack or do something to a mosque, threats even to burn a mosque. That’s the level of what we are passing through and there have been numerous occasions where we have sent information about direct threats to mosques, which frankly we haven’t heard anything about. That is worrying.”

One 25-year-old woman victim told 5 live Investigates she was targeted by a man who posted a photograph of her on Twitter and called her an ugly Pakistani. His followers commented on her appearance and there were racist overtones in many of the messages. He tweeted that “he lives very close to her” and a supporter of the English Defence League identified where it was. But when she reported the matter to the police they said they could not do anything.

Anyone posting an offensive comment online can face charges under the Communications Act, or be charged with inciting racial or religious hatred. However, the Crown Prosecution Service published guidelines in the summer on prosecutions involving social media and it set a high threshold for prosecution. Simply being offensive, shocking or disturbing was not enough. But the CPS said any messages that amounted to a credible threat of violence, a targeted campaign of harassment against an individual or which breach court orders should be “robustly prosecuted”. Acpo said reports of online hate messages were sent through to individual forces to investigate. Acpo had no role in monitoring how those forces handled those cases – that was a matter for each chief officer. In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/police-failing-to-investigate-anti-muslim-abuse/#more-26176, retrieved on 25.11.2013

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4. Blackpool man in court charged with throwing pig’s head into mosque – Andrew Warner, 29, of Kentmere Drive, Mereside, accused of being involved in throwing a pig’s head into a Blackpool mosque at prayer time has made his first appearance at court. He was charged with racially aggravated threatening behaviour. The offence was alleged to have taken place at the mosque on Revoe Street on 24 May 2013. Elliott Taylforth, prosecuting, asked for the case to be heard at the higher crown court. Defence lawyer, David Charnley, said his client would not indicate a plea to the offence at this stage. Warner was bailed to attend Preston Crown Court on 20 February 2014 by Blackpool magistrates. He must not go within 50 metres of any mosque as a condition of his bail, he was told. Thomas Ashton, who was part of the group who bought a pig’s head from a butcher’s shop and then hurled it into the mosque, had already pleaded guilty to racially aggravated threatening behaviour. In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/blackpool-man-in-court-charged-with-throwing-pigs-head-into-mosque/#more-26279, retrieved on 26.11.2013 5. Second man sentenced over Maidenhead mosque graffiti – Lee Hunt, 26, of Lincoln Road, and Gary Nuth, 23, of Blackamoor Lane vandalized the mosque in Holmanleaze on 8 June 2013, but they had been spared jail. Appearing for sentencing at Reading Magistrates Court on Friday (22 November), the court heard how the pair used paint stolen from a building site to vandalize the mosque, the road and a house. Hunt and Nuth wrote offensive words on the mosque’s wall, and “England till I die” on the road outside. They also painted a penis on the exterior of a nearby house. Hunt had denied charges of racially aggravated criminal damage, criminal damage and theft. He was found guilty at a trial. Hunt was sentenced to 300 hours of unpaid community work over 12 months. He was ordered to pay £750 in court costs, £300 in compensation and a £60 victim surcharge. Nuth admitted the charges. He was sentenced on 1st November 2013 to 270 hours of unpaid work. He was ordered to pay £150 compensation, £500 in costs and a £60 victim surcharge. In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/second-man-sentenced-over-maidenhead-mosque-graffiti/#more-26258, retrieved on 26.11.2013 IV. On Burqah and Veil Related Issues: 1. UK : British minister fans flames by backing ban on Muslim face veils in court – Muslim women should not be allowed to wear a veil when giving evidence in court, declared one of UK cabinet ministers, while arguing that it is a question of testimony validation – not Islamophobia.

Minister Ken Clarke told BBC radio on Sunday (04 November):“We do need a clear rule. I don’t think a witness should be allowed to give evidence from behind a veil.” Clarke, a minister without a portfolio, was also a criminal lawyer and the holder of several posts, including Justice Minister and Home Secretary in the past. He had also argued that wearing an Islamic women’s dress in court is akin to being “in a bag”, which was likely to add to the already heated debate following the September 2013 case where a judge banned a veiled Muslim woman from testifying at her own trial. He added: “I can’t see how on earth a judge and a jury can really appraise evidence when you’re facing someone who is cloaked and is completely invisible to you. It’s almost impossible to have a proper trial if one of the persons is in a kind of bag.” In: http://rt.com/news/islam-veil-uk-minister-177/, retrieved on 06.11.2013

2. Russia: Municipal deputy urges Moscow ban on hijab – Municipal deputy of the Yakimanka District Dmitry Zakharov was going to address Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin with a request to ban wearing hijab in city. The author of the initiative answered the questions. Zakharov said in his interview published by the Metro daily: “I believe it is not right for any religious formation to demand special attitude. In fact, hijab is outer manifestation of such demand. It’s no good, I think we need to ban wearing it in public places: in the streets, in state and educational establishments.” According to him, hijab would prevent people from integration, as “For instance, if a girl wears hijab to school, it’s more likely that girls in her class won’t communicate with her. And even more likely, she won’t be able to communicate with the boys there. So after graduation we will get an alien, rather than a child integrated in the society.” In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/municipal-deputy-urges-moscow-ban-on-hijab/, retrieved on 08.11.2013

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3. Czech Republic: Young Muslim women leave Prague nursing school over hijab ban – Czech Television (CT) said Friday (08 November) that two Muslim girls left a nursing secondary school in Prague as they were not permitted to wear their hijabs, being the first to have ended their studies for this reason in the Czech Republic. CT said the case would probably end up with the ombudsman’s office and lawyers were considering filing an anti-discrimination lawsuit. The principal of the Prague school Ivanka Kohoutova said the school had made no mistake. She said since the law did not define the wearing of hijab, schools could create their own rules. However, human rights organizations were of the view that this was discrimination and intervention in personality rights. When entering the school, the two Muslim girls, one Somali woman, aged 23, and an Afghan woman, 25, found out that teaching in hijab was impossible. Nasra, one of the women, told CT: “The principal summoned me and told me: ‘If you want to be in the school, you must not wear the scarf.’ I said this was against my religion as I am a Muslim.” She offered to wear the hijab in a way that would only cover her hair. The principal did not like this either. Nasra left the school on the same day. The second Muslim woman, named Zelmina, said she would try it, CT said. After two months, she was leaving, too as she “…was in the classroom and I could not concentrate myself. I could not do anything as I constantly had to think of my missing something. Why am I without the scarf here? I have my rights and religion.” The school was of the view that wearing headgear was banned by the school rules, the principal said. She said the school was attended by a large number of foreign students from four continents, but a similar problem had never occurred. She said the students primarily disagreed with the compulsory physical education and the conditions of compulsory practice. The Muslim girls had dismissed the allegation. Czech law did not regulate the wearing of headgear. In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/young-muslim-women-leave-prague-nursing-school-over-hijab-ban/, retrieved on 12.11.2013 4. France: Baby-Loup hijab ban upheld by appeals court – A French court had upheld the controversial sacking of a childcare worker who wore a headscarf to work. In a case that had gripped France for five years, a Paris appeals court ruled on 27 November that the dismissal of nursery worker Fatima Afif was legal. Baby-Loup, the crèche employing Fatima Afif in the multicultural Parisian suburb of Chanteloup-les-Vignes, fired her in 2008 after she refused to remove her Islamic headscarf at work. Secular France banned religious signs in public educational institutions. But the Court of Cassation ruled in March 2013 that privately-owned Baby-Loup had discriminated against its employee on religious grounds. France’s highest court then sent her case to the Paris appeals court for retrial. The judge followed the advice of the state prosecutor, who had asked for the sacking to be confirmed in the name of France’s secularism. 27 November’s ruling stated that the crèche had a “public service mission” and had a right to “impose neutrality on its personnel”. Michel Henry, Fatima Afif’s lawyer, said it was “likely” that she would again appeal the ruling, as “The court has invented an obligation to protect young children’s freedom of conscience, which does not exist in the law.” The lawyer defending Baby-Loup, Richard Malka, welcomed the ruling because it “reaffirms the strength of secularism”. A survey of French citizens by the BVA polling firm in October 2013 showed that more than 80% of respondents supported her dismissal and called for the ban on religious signs or symbols to be extended to private workplaces. But a commission created by President François Hollande after his election in 2012 concluded that there was no need to update existing legislation In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/baby-loup-hijab-ban-upheld-by-appeals-court/#more-26331, retrieved on 28.11.2013

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5. French veil law: Muslim woman’s challenge in Strasbourg – A young Muslim woman was challenging France’s full-face veil ban at the European Court of Human Rights, based in the French city of Strasbourg. The woman argued that the niqab, and the burka body covering, accorded with her “religious faith, culture and personal convictions”. She denied being under any pressure from her family to wear them. A leading French feminist group had urged the ECHR to uphold the ban, arguing that it liberated women. The head of the International League for Women’s Rights, Annie Sugier, said in a letter to the court: “The full-face veil, by literally burying the body and the face, constitutes a true deletion of the woman as an individual in public.” At 27 November’s hearing in Strasbourg, government lawyer Edwige Belliard argued that the law was democratic and backed by “a strong conviction among the French public” because “Wearing the full veil not only makes it difficult to identify a person, it makes her indistinguishable from other full veil wearers and effectively erases the woman who wears it.” Ramby de Mello, a British lawyer representing the unnamed woman, said the law violated his client’s religious, free speech and privacy rights and made her feel “like a prisoner in her own country”. The veil was “as much part of her identity as our DNA is of ours”, he argued. According to the ECHR, the woman also contended that the law gave rise to “discrimination based on gender, religion and ethnic origin, to the detriment of women who, like herself, wear the full-face veil”. While she was not named in the document, she was described as being a French national who was born in 1990 and living in France. The complaint was brought to the court in April 2011, when the law came into effect. According to France’s Le Figaro newspaper, the court’s ruling was not expected until the middle of 2014. In: http://www.islamophobiawatch.co.uk/26364/, retrieved on 28.11.2013 6. Canada: Canadian professors wear veil in protest against law targeting Muslims – According to CBC news, two Canadian non-Muslim professors, Nora Jaffari, a history professor at Concordia University, and Catherine Lu, a professor of political science at McGill university, decided to put on the hijab to workplace as a protest against a draft law that would ban teachers from wearing the veil in the country. Nora Jaffary was quoted as saying by CBS news: “I wear it as a kind of sign of solidarity.” Catherine Lu wore the Muslim headscarf in September 2013 in the hope to trigger a discussion about the topic in her classroom. Professor Jaffari was still reportedly wearing the veil on the campus at the time of this news (27 November). Jaafari argued that many Muslim women in Quebec were not forced by their relatives to wear the hijab, as they considered the veil a matter of their own choice, highlighting the need for more people to join the protest in order to have an impact on the proposed charter because “If many people are wearing religious signs, it’s impossible to tell who’s wearing them for what reason and so it sort of muddies the waters.” The proposed bill that aimed at banning public employees from wearing symbols had been a subject of hot discussions for months. In: http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2013/11/113707/canadian-professors-wear-veil-in-protest-against-law-targeting-muslims/, retrieved on 28.11.2013 VI. On Dialogue among Civilizations: 1. UK: Muslims and Jews stand together as part of International Weekend of Twinning – Muslims and Jews around the world came together during the Annual International Weekend of Twinning. In the North West the Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester (MJF) hosted several events around the County. MJF Twinning activities started at Khizra Mosque in North Manchester on Friday (15 November) with the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Cllr Naeem Hasan, welcoming Rabbi Arnold Saunders

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and Rabbi Daniel Walker to the Muslim Friday prayer service. Following the service, the Rabbis were given a tour of the mosque and community centre led by Cllr Afzal Khan, a former Lord Mayor. They were then met by group of worshippers and both Rabbis were given a copy of the Quran in English by a member of the Muslim community, Rasheed Mustapha. On Saturday (16 November), Rabbi Arnold Saunders from Higher Crumpsall Synagogue welcomed Cllr Afzal Khan to join in the service & kiddush, whilst the same time the South Manchester, Cheadle Yeshurun Synagogue opened their doors to a group of local Muslims who included Lord Mayor Cllr Naeem Hasan, Shahid Adam Saleem, Abdullah Saleem, Afzal Chaudhri and Jameela Chaudhri to join in the Jewish service. The guests were impressed with the warm hospitality and Jewish service, and particularly touched when an Islamic reference was quoted as part of the service. On Monday (17 November), Cheadle CMA Masjid, Chair, Dr Usman Choudry, welcomed the Chair of Yeshurun Synagogue, Dr Tony Kaye, along with Mrs Lesley Kaye, HHJ Charles Bloom QC, Janice Bloom and Amanda Kremnitzer to observe the Muslim Isha prayer. Following the prayers the guests enjoyed a lively meeting with the trustees & worshippers whilst eating kosher food provided by the CMA which was blessed by Charles with a traditional Hebrew prayer. Jonny Wineberg, Co-Chair of The MJF, said, “…we invite Synagogues and Mosques from around the County to start building relations with their nearest twin and participate in the 7th Weekend of Twinning in November 2014.” The Weekend of Twinning is an annual event sponsored by the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding (FFEU) and held every Autumn. In 2013, there were more than 130 twinning events involving Muslims and Jews in more than 30 countries on all six inhabited continents. Participating Synagogues and Mosques and Muslim and Jewish organizations around the world undertook a wide range of activities. The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding encouraged participants in this 2013’s Weekend of Twinning to join the movement against bigotry by forming local Muslim-Jewish Solidarity committees and by signing a pledge on Twitter reading: “I pledge to combat Islamophobia, anti-Semitism + all forms of hate for #WeekendofTwinning.” In: http://www.asianimage.co.uk/news/10818944.Muslims_and_Jews_stand_together_as_part_of_International_Weekend_of_Twinning/, retrieved on 21.11.2013 Related: Muslims, Jews form ‘watchdog’ committee – Local Muslims and Jews launched a solidarity committee to work for mutual understanding and together fight acts of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. The committee came out of a program at the Islamic Center of Morris County in Rockaway, which had been targeted by anti-Islam vandals in June 2013. During the Nov. 10 gathering, volunteers prepared and packaged meals to be distributed at the Somerville Food Bank and Penn Station in Newark. The event included discussions facilitated by Dr. M. Ali Chaudry, cofounder and president of the Islamic Center of Basking Ridge, and Deb Smith, founder of Havurah Or Ha-Lev, a Jewish Renewal community in Morris County. The program was part of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding’s Sixth Annual Weekend of Twinning, an initiative that brings together for joint programs synagogues and mosques on six continents. Programs were also held in New York City, Atlanta, and Washington, DC, as well as one the previous week at the Masjid-e-Ali mosque in Somerset. In: http://www.njjewishnews.com/article/19251/muslims-jews-form-watchdog-committee#.Upbb3yeNDfI, retrieved on 28.11.2013

Compiled by: Abdula Manafi Mutualo,

Secretary of the Observatory Culture & Social Affairs Department

Email: abdmanafi@oic-oci.org