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Cultural & social affairs Department

OIC islamophobia Observatory

Monthly Bulletin – May 2013

I. Manifestations of Islamophobia: 1. US: Tenn. Lawmaker’s Facebook post frightens Muslims – A Coffee County commissioner’s Facebook post suggesting Muslims were best greeted from behind a rifle barrel was prompting demands for an apology. Commissioner Barry West’s post followed a string of anti-Muslim acts throughout Middle Tennessee in recent years, including at least four incidents of mosque vandalism. Opposition to a new mosque in Rutherford County was so strong it took federal Justice Department intervention to open it in 2012. West played no active role in any of those incidents. He just put an image on his Facebook page,

which showed a man aiming a shotgun under the phrase “How to wink at a Muslim”. But even that put a chill through Muslims in Middle Tennessee. Muslim groups tweeted a screen grab of his post and it went viral. West, who lived in Manchester, removed it about an hour later. He did not apologize, instead questioning how his tweet had become the focus of attention. West responded with this email: “No I did not Twitter this … no I did not create this picture … yes I shared it … so why am I being singled out?” Drost Kokoye, an American Muslim Advisory Council board member, said that it was particularly troubling when elected officials posted such Internet memes because they set the tone for how constituents should behave. The statewide group was created to promote communication between Muslims and

Tennessee law enforcement and government. He added: “This may just be a picture to him, but for us it is very threatening…Muslims in Coffee County should not feel safe to walk outside their homes.” She said it was important for her group and others to expose and condemn the post to show it was not funny and could be dangerous. In: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/01/commissioner-anti-muslim-facebook-post/2125953/, retrieved on 02.05.2013 2. US: Muslim Cabdriver, an Army Reservist and Iraqi veteran,assaulted for being Muslim – An Army reservist and Iraq veteran who worked as a cabdriver said a passenger he picked up early Friday (26 April) at a Northern Virginia country club accused him of being a terrorist because he was Muslim, then fractured his jaw in an attack being described by Islamic activists as a hate crime. Mohamed A. Salim said the passenger compared him to the men accused of carrying out the Boston Marathon bombing 11 days earlier and threatened to kill him, adding: “Because I’m a Muslim, he treated me like a piece of trash…I love this country. I didn’t deserve this.” Ed Dahlberg of Clifton, who has been charged with misdemeanor assault, denied hitting Salim in a statement released by his attorney. Muslim rights workers said Salim’s account was supported by medical records and an 11-minute, obscenity-filled video of Dahlberg’s remarks leading up to the alleged assault. Salim, a 39-year-old from Great Falls, provided The Washington Post with a

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copy, which his attorney described as evidence of the prejudice that others sometimes faced but rarely document. The video, which Salim took on his phone, appeared to show physical contact between the men but did not capture the alleged punch that Salim said fractured his jaw, the Boston bombing reference or the threat to kill. Salim said that those happened after he stopped recording so he could call the police. On the video, a middle-aged businessman can be heard asking Salim if he was Islamic and then asserting that most Muslims were terrorists. He said the Koran directed Muslims to kill nonbelievers and then repeatedly and loudly demands that Salim denounced the Sept. 11, 2001, attackers. When Salim asked if the passenger was threatening him, the passenger used an obscene phrase to respond in the affirmative, and added: “If you’re a Muslim, you’re a [expletive] jihadist…You are just as bad as the rest of them.” The video ends with a blur of motion and audio of Salim asking, “Why are you punching me? Sir, why are you punching me?” The passenger replies: “You’re a [expletive] Muslim.” The insult is followed by the sound of a car door slamming. In an interview, Salim said Dahlberg left briefly but returned, struck him and ran into the woods. In: http://www.islamophobiatoday.com/2013/05/01/muslim-cabdriver-an-army-reservist-and-iraqi-veteranassaulted-for-being-muslim/, retrieved on 02.05.2013 3. UK: EDL protest against proposed mosque for Moortown in Leeds – A rally by the English Defence League protested against the proposed development of yet another mosque, this time in Moortown, Leeds. According to West Yorkshire Police, around 150 EDL supporters attended the demonstration, which passed off largely peacefully. Only around 120 attended a counter-protest organized by the anti-English UAF (backed by British Prime Minister David Cameron). West Yorkshire Police also mentioned that reports in some media that pig’s heads had been thrown were inaccurate. The community they were in was Moortown in Leeds, where, the Yorkshire Evening Post reported that UK Islamic Mission (UKIM) had plans to turn a disused pub into a centre with a public gym, IT suite, library, training facilities and a prayer room for up to 70 worshippers. There had been more than 400 letters of objection against the proposal. The EDL organiser believed that the community had been let down badly by the council and their voice had been silenced. “You have that Islamic centre one day, believe me in five, ten years time, you’re out of here.” She said. In: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/349530, retrieved on 06.05.2013

4. Islamophobia on the rise in France – According to the Observatory of Islamophobia in France, the total number of registered cases has gone up by 28 percent in just one year. The figures also showed that the Internet had become the new battlefield. According to the Observatory, a rising number of hate mails were being circulated through internet, which described Muslims as terrorists, extremists and a danger to other cultures. In April 2013, a Tilder Opinion poll revealed that over 70% of the French had a negative idea about Islam. More than one in four thought the Hajj pilgrimage was compatible with life in France. But the figures dropped sharply when it came to questions over a Halal diet, the Muslim festival of Eid, and fasting during the month of Ramadan. Only one in ten considered the headscarf in public areas as acceptable. By and large, women had borne the brunt of anti-Muslim sentiments. And a future law could prevent women with headscarves from taking up any job in childcare. In: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/05/08/302397/islamophobia-on-the-rise-in-france/, retrieved on 09.05.2013

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5. US: Missouri Lawmaker’s Email Attacking Muslims Drawing Fire – An e-mail from a powerful Missouri lawmaker attacking Muslims was drawing fire from Christian pastors in the lawmakers St. Louis County hometown. State Representative Rick Stream of Kirkwood chairs the house budget committee. He sent out an e-mail from his official state account a week ago, attacking Muslims. Representative Stream had refused to comment, but Christian ministers in Kirkwood were saying plenty. Representative Stream sent an e-mail from his office to all other Republican representatives, senators, and staff personnel in the general assembly. The e-mail quoted an 1899 speech from Winston Churchill attacking Muslims and Islam. It read, in part quoting Churchill: “Individual Muslims may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyzes the social development of those who follow it. Islam is a militant faith. Churchill saw it coming.” In: http://fox2now.com/2013/05/07/missouri-lawmakers-email-attacking-muslims-drawing-fire/, retrieved on 09.05.2013

6. US: Muslim Terrorist Doll: Card Painting Hijab-Wearing Girl as Suicide Bomber Angers Civil Rights Group – A member of a Chicago-area civil rights group made a disturbing discovering when she found a neighborhood card and novelty shop selling a card that depicted a young hijab-wearing Muslim girl — as a terrorist. The Chicago Monitor, a website associated with the Chicago chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, reported the card featuring the smiling cartoon girl is covered with messages like, “She’ll love you to death!” and “She’ll blow your brains out!” Inside, the card reads, “Hope your birthday is a blow out!” A communications coordinator with CAIR-Chicago spotted the card at the Lakeview store He Who Eats Mud — a shop the coordinator told HuffPost Chicago she had frequented for years.

Ahmed Rehab, CAIR-Chicago executive director, called the card “moronic” according to CBS Chicago and said he had heard from plenty of people decrying the card as offensive and feeding into negative stereotypes about Muslims. Rehab told CBS: “The woman in Massachusetts just two weeks ago that was punched while walking her kids for no other reason than wearing a hijab on her head, was because someone thought that because she wears it, she is a terrorist.” In: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/06/muslim-terrorist-doll-car_n_3222996.html?utm_hp_ref=chicago, retrieved on 09.05.2013

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7. US: Pastor Speaks Out Against Proposed Edmond Mosque – A local pastor, Paul Blair, stirred up controversy during a hearing about a proposed mosque in Edmond, as he spoke out against the mosque, making some serious allegations against the group trying to get it built. The fellowship hall would go up in a residential neighborhood in Edmond. The plan was to expand, demolishing a house and occupy an empty lot. A proposal to build a Islamic Fellowship Hall in Edmond was moving forward, but not without controversy as Pastor Paul Blair with Fairview Baptist Church fired off serious allegations about the group trying to expand their mosque, stating: “The Islamic Society of North America, which is one of the applicants and North American Islamic Trust, which is also an owner of the property were both listed and proven by the United States Federal District Court in the holy land trials to be a proven affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood and in particular with Hammas.” Attorney Randel Shadid represented the Islamic Society of Edmond and said it was no surprise Blair showed up, adding: “If this was any other church, we wouldn’t be having this conversation…This is a land use issue. It’s not a ‘We don’t like the Muslim belief issue’' If we go there then you just throw freedom of religion out the window and we don’t want to go there.” And the Planning Commission agreed. Shadid said as far as the plans went, everything was in order and Blair’s views were not shared by all of Edmond. In: http://www.news9.com/story/22211725/pastor-speaks-out-against-proposed-edmond-mosque, retrieved on 10.05.2013

8. Greece: Athens Mosque Irks Greek Neo-Nazis – Accelerating their hostile campaigns against Muslims, A neo-Nazi party had threatened to fight against plans to build a long-sought mosque in the

Greek capital. Ilias Kasidiaris, spokesman for the far-right Golden Dawn party, told supporters at a rally late on Sunday, 19 May, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported: “If a mosque is constructed for Islamist criminals in Greece, a front of 100,000 Greeks headed by Golden Dawn will be created.”

Greek Muslims had long called for building a grand mosque in Athens to accommodate the religious needs of the growing Muslim minority. Despite objections from its powerful Orthodox Church, Greece had pledged to build a mosque in Athens to serve the city’s growing Muslim minority. But the crunching economic crisis, coupled with public enmity associating mosques with the Ottoman presence, had prevented the pledge from being translated into action. Decked with minarets two centuries ago, Athens had not had a functioning mosque since the end of Ottoman rule in the early 1800s. About 130 windowless, airless basements or warehouses in Athens had been serving as makeshift mosques for an estimated 200,000 Muslims in the Greek capital. Tens of thousands of Muslim immigrants perform

prayers in private homes and had had to travel hundreds of kilometers to northern Greece for weddings, burials and other ceremonies. The Orthodox Church had for years insisted that Greeks were not ready to see a minaret in downtown Athens. The threat came days after the far-right party had given a one-month ultimatum for Muslims to leave Greece. In a letter sent to the Muslim Association in Greece from Golden Dawn threatened to “slaughter like chickens” any Muslims who did not leave the country by 30 June 2013. Police said they were examining the threatening letter, which was written in Greek, English and Arabic. In: http://www.onislam.net/english/news/europe/462798-athens-mosque-irks-greek-neo-nazis.html & http://www.islamophobia-watch.com/islamophobia-watch/2013/5/18/golden-dawn-letter-demands-muslims-leave-greece.html, retrieved on 20.05.2013

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Related: Protest held against Athens mosque plan – Members of the ultra-right National Front had led dozens of protesters in a march against the Greek government’s plans to build the first state-funded mosque in Athens, the capital. The government had budgeted about one million euros ($1.3m) to build the mosque at a reduced price because of the country’s economic crisis, which had delayed the process. However, construction was expected to begin in 2014. The protesters, including a woman dressed in nun’s clothing, waved Greek flags at the rally on Sunday (26 May) as they shouted: “We don’t want sharia, we want Greece and Orthodoxy” and “No to mosques, give money to the schools.” Emmanouil Konstas, the National Front general secretary, said that plans to build the religious centre were unacceptable and that the government should refrain from catering to the religious needs of immigrants while the country faced an economic crisis, adding: “The religious needs of hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants shouldn’t be a matter of concern for the government; they should be deported since they came here illegally. And for the rest who are here legally, there are enough places for them to pray…Also, during this harsh economic crisis, it is unacceptable for so much money to be spent on the building of a mosque.” In: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/05/2013526234115105760.html, retrieved on 28.05.2013

9. US: Islamophobes discover ludicrous “hospital jihad” plot – Chicago Business reported that “Dr. Naser Rustom plans to open the first outpatient surgery center in Illinois that he says will follow Islamic law. … He proposes to establish a $5.5 million medical facility in southwest suburban Orland Park that would cater to Muslims, including space for prayer and ritual washing and partitions for enhanced patient privacy. … Patients of all religious and cultural backgrounds will be treated at the center, which will not be different from other surgery centers except “to the trained eye.” Summary of the facts: a Muslim doctor had applied for permits to open a hospital in an area of Chicago with a large Muslim population. The hospital would be for the entire community, no matter what their religion, but would accommodate Muslim religious and cultural customs to make Muslim patients more comfortable. The Islamophobes were on this right way. Debbie Schlussel, for example, posted New SHARIAH/ISLAM-ONLY Medical Center to Open in Chicago. Schlussel introduced an article about this planned hospital with this comment: “More and more, America becomes Islamerica. And here’s yet another example. But this is only the symptom, not the problem: a growing Muslim population that has metastasized and is a ticking population timebomb–through immigration (legal and illegal) and birth rate. A Muslim doctor, who also owns a Chicago Middle East restaurant (where you should NOT eat, or you are financing shariah), is opening a shariah-compliant medical center. You can bet, by the way, that the government will not force the constructs of Obamacare down the throats of these Muslims, just Catholic-operated hospitals and the like. (On the other hand, I’ve repeatedly told you about the medical jihadists–how Islamic doctors treat non-Muslim patients, so maybe it’s better if Muslim doctors treat only other Muslims. Sadly, that ain’t how it works.)” Schlussel is Jewish, and for an American Jew to find this proposed hospital to be some sinister Muslim plot is unbelievable. Schussel was not the only Jewish Islamophobe to condemn the hospital. Bonni Benstock-Intall of Bare Naked Islam titled her “expose” COMING SOON TO CHICAGO: Islamic Female Genital Mutilation. And, Daniel Pipes wrote Islamists in the Hospital Ward in which he said: “A Muslim surgery center in Chicago: It was inevitable: not fitting in to normal medical facilities, Islamists would have their own. But who would imagine the trend starting in a Chicago suburb, Orland Park, where Dr. Naser Rustom, an internist, plans to build a $5.5 million surgical center?” This issue of hospitals that would cater to Muslim patients truly bothered the Islamophobes. Pamela Geller & Creeping Sharia previously called Muslim hospitals “hospital jihad”. This was an obvious attempt to create a story out of nothing. The concept behind this hospital catering to Muslim patients was well-established in the Jewish community, for instance, an article to cater to the Orthodox community, back to basics reported that:

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“Monmouth Medical Center, where more and more Orthodox Jewish patients from Lakewood are coming to give birth, is sensitive to cultural and religious needs. … To accommodate the growing Orthodox community in Long Branch, Deal and Lakewood, many physicians are opening offices nearby. “It’s a big part of what we do here,” said Dr. Dominick Lobraico where 35 percent of the practice’s births are to Orthodox parents. The hospital operates a program to treat Orthodox patients and their families with sensitivity and educates its staff to do the same. … Because of a prohibition against the operation of mechanical devices on the Sabbath, Monmouth Medical Center has established a Sabbath entrance, which is a manual door, and a Sabbath stairwell to patient rooms so observant Jews do not have to use the elevator. … The Eisenberg Family Center offers a unit of private rooms for new mothers, with sofas in case a new father wants to stay the night. That unit also includes kosher kitchenettes and areas for prayer. Prayer shawls are located in a nearby bookcase.” In: http://www.islamophobiatoday.com/2013/05/16/islamophobes-discover-ludicrous-hospital-jihad-plot/, retrieved on 22.05.2013, emphasis in the original.

10. US: North Carolina: Politicians Who Wanted to Make Christianity the State Religion Want to Ban “Shariah” – Talk about irony, in the same state in which politicians wanted to make Christianity the state religion you have a move to ban the non-existent threat of ‘Shariah,’ if they had their way they would probably really like to ban Islam altogether (their real intent). It was not looked at whether every NC politician who supported making Christianity the state religion also voted in favor of banning Sharia but both of the representatives who first proposed the legislation, Rep. Carl Ford and Rep. Harry Warren both voted “Aye” in favor of the ban. North Carolinians like Rep. John Blust and Rep. Larry Pittman thought some form of Taliban-esque Shariah with a southern drawl was already there and on the verge of taking over the USA. In fact, a proposal to ban the recognition of Islamic Sharia law in North Carolina courts was headed for the Senate after winning final House approval Thursday (16 May). Rep. Rick Glazier, D-Cumberland, said House Bill 695 was unnecessary, would conflict with constitutional due process rights and would damage North Carolina’s image in the eyes of the international business community. Bill sponsor Rep. Chris Whitmire, R-Transylvania, disagreed. “Take it as fact that this is a very, very present threat that must be dealt with,” Whitmire said. “We are making sure that the most fundamental basis on which we exist is protected.” Rep. John Blust, R-Guilford, disagreed with arguments that the state and federal constitution already protect citizens against foreign law, adding: “I’ve always wanted to depend on our own constitution, but we have seen that document put in, frankly, grave danger.” Corey Saylor with the Council on American-Islamic Relations called the proposal “anti-Islamic”, and stated: “Anyone who believes foreign law can replace the Constitution is misguided…The Supremacy Clause ensures that the Constitution will always remain our nation’s law. American Muslims like it that way, as it ensures every individual’s right to worship or not as they see fit…That is why CAIR’s lawsuit against an anti-Islam bill in Oklahoma argues First Amendment and Supremacy Clause issues…Four federal judges have ruled in our favor so far, so we are confident we are upholding the Constitution…Frankly, supporters of anti-Islam legislation, such as HB 695, are undermining its protections.” In: http://www.islamophobiatoday.com/2013/05/16/north-carolina-politicians-who-wanted-to-make-christianity-the-state-religion-want-to-ban-shariah/, retrieved on 22.05.2013

11. US: slamophobia Rages in Silicon Valley – According to a new study The Bay Area Muslim Study: Establishing Community and Identity, the quarter-million Muslims living in the San Francisco Bay Area faced ongoing, entrenched Islamophobia more than a decade after 9/11. It found 40% of Muslims in the region had experienced personal discrimination and 23% had been victims of a hate crime. The discrimination against Muslims was particularly pronounced in school-aged children.

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Hatem Bazian, Ph.D., one of the principal researchers and a University of California, Berkeley, senior lecturer said in a prepared statement: “More than a decade after 9/11, we see that Muslims of all ethnicities and backgrounds are still dealing with a lot of anxiety, a lot of fear, a lot of bias. Unfortunately, the tragic events in Boston won't help the problem.” Bay Area Muslims coped with cultural isolationism, socioeconomic factors and immigration issues, according to the study. Santa Clara County had second-largest Muslim population in region, at 27%. Alameda County was home to 37% of the approximately 250,000 Muslims living in the Bay Area. Four other counties had smaller populations: Contra Costa County — 12%; San Mateo County — 6%; San Francisco County — 3%; and Marin County County — 1%. The study, which surveyed more than 1,100 Muslims living in those six counties, found there were significant income disparities within the Muslim community. The median household income was $70,686, lower than the average for the general Bay Area region of $77,879. South Asian Muslims had the highest income levels, but some families made far less, with 11% of Muslim households reporting an income under $20,000 annually. Muslim immigrants in the Bay Area tended to be well-educated and multilingual. Among survey respondents, 74% had attended some college, 25% had earned a graduate degree and 5% had a Ph.D. Over 71% spoke a language other than English and 67% spoke at least three languages. Researchers attributed the high rate of bilingualism to high tech companies recruiting employees from India and Pakistan. But the study found that Muslim refugees, such as those from Iraq and Afghanistan, had tremendous needs for social and legal services. The larger Muslim community would benefit from opportunities for coalition building and collaboration with non-Muslim civic organizations to prevent isolationism among Muslims. “The Bay Area Muslim Study: Establishing Community and Identity” was commissioned by the One Nation Bay Area project, a partnership between The San Francisco Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Marin Community Foundation and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy. In: http://gilroy.patch.com/groups/local-connections/p/islamophobia-rages-in-silicon-valley, retrieved on 22.05.2013

12. US: Islamic School of San Diego threatened: Authorities investigate threatening messages – Investigators sought Tuesday to determine who was responsible for several recent bomb threats directed at a Muslim school in Clairemont. Authorities reported that on Saturday (18 May), a woman left three menacing telephone messages on an office answering machine at the Islamic School of San Diego. Among other hostile statements, the anonymous caller said: “I’m going to throw a bomb in your (expletive) school,” according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which reported the incident to the FBI and the San Diego Police Department. CAIR-San Diego Civil Rights Director Sadaf Hane: “Because of this and other reported threats, we urge local, state and federal law enforcement authorities to investigate the incident as a hate crime.” Staffers at the school, which also received a phoned-in bomb threat in late April 2013, had been working with area law enforcement agencies to review and refine their security measures at the Eckstrom Avenue campus. Authorities were treating the incident as a terrorist threat, but if more evidence came to light, it would then be treated as a hate crime. In: http://www.islamophobiatoday.com/2013/05/22/islamic-school-of-san-diego-threatened-authorities-investigate-threatening-messages/, retrieved on 23.05.2013

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13. German Mosque Attacks Draw Muslims Ire – Leaders of the German Muslim community had urged the government to take stronger measures against far-right groups after several mosques had come under Islamophobic attacks over the during two weeks of May 2013. Aiman Mazyek, spokesman of the Coordination Council of Muslims in Germany (KRM), told World Bulletin website on Friday, 24 May: “Attacks against Muslims and their houses of worship have been increasing for years…And this shows us that this issue should be addressed not only by security units, but also the whole of society.” Four mosques in different German states had been attacked after the trial of the terrorist National Socialist Underground (NSU) group began. The trial, in which neo-Nazi suspect Beate Zschäpe and four alleged supporters of the NSU terrorist group stand accused of 10 murders, started earlier in May 2013, bringing back the issue of Islamophobia to light. In the period between 10 May and 20 May, the KRM had announced that mosques in Bullay, in the Rhineland-Palatinate state, as well as its capital, Mainz; the town of Lengerich in the Steinfurt district and the town of Düren in the district of the same name in North Rhine-Westphalia were attacked. The attackers wrote on the door of the mosque in Düren on 20 May that, “The NSU is alive and you will be the next victims.” In Mainz, another attack occurred on May 18, when two unidentified assailants hung anti-Islamic posters on the walls of the mosque. The other recent attacks on mosques involved stones thrown at mosques and other damage to mosque property. The KRM also noted that about 30 attacks took place against mosques in 2012, nine of when included arson. The KRM condemned the incident, calling for stronger measures and a more determined fight against Islamophobic attacks in the country, especially during this sensitive period while the NSU trial was ongoing. Based on the new statistics, Muslims said the government should predict the places that might come under Islamophobic attacks. A study released in November 2012 showed that right-wing extremism was notably rising in Germany, particularly in the east of the European country. The study, “The Changing Society: Right-wing Views in Germany 2012”, found that the number of Germans identifying themselves had grown. The report also indicated that 9% of Germans had adopted extreme right-wing beliefs, up from 8.2% in 2010. In: http://www.onislam.net/english/news/europe/462843-german-mosque-attacks-draw-muslims-ire.html, retrieved on 25.05.2013

14. US: Vandals target Islamic mosque in Alpharetta – Alpharetta police were investigating after someone vandalized the Islamic Center of North Fulton in Atlanta Monday (27 May). Channel 2 Action News obtained photos of the sign outside of the mosque on Rucker Road. Vandals sprayed the words “London Justice” and some other similar phrases on the building. Police were investigating if the damage

was in response to the an attack on a British soldier last week in London. Channel 2’s Mike Petchenik got a copy of the incident report explaining what an officer saw when he arrived at the mosque: “Upon arrival, the eyewitness stated that he had seen an elderly Caucasian male wearing a rag on his head and short pants defacing the entrance sign at the Islamic Center. He approached the suspicious person and asked him, ‘What are you doing?’ at which the time the elderly man walked off towards the bushes. It was stated that the suspicious person appeared to have an English accent.”

In: http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/vandals-target-islamic-mosque-alpharetta/nX5FM/, retrieved on 28.05.2013

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I.I. On Islamophobic Behavior by US Military & Police: 1. New York City police department defends itself in court over surveillance of Muslims – A New York Police Department detective told a federal judge that he was seen no evidence that one of his informants brought up the subject of jihad as a way to bait Muslims into making incriminating remarks. But text messages obtained by The Associated Press showed otherwise. And while the detective, Stephen Hoban, described the activities in a new legal filing in U.S. District Court as narrowly focused on a few people under investigation, text messages showed a wide-ranging effort. Eager to make money, the informant, Shamiur Rahman, snapped pictures during prayer sessions, rallies and a parade; recorded the names of people who signed petitions or protested; and reported fellow Muslims who volunteered to feed needy families. When the detective responded, his text messages nearly always sought more information: “Did you take pictures?” or “I need pictures from the rally. And I need to know who is there” or “Get pictures”. Rahman told the AP in 2012 that he made about $9,000 over nine months spying widely on friends and others. He said the NYPD encouraged him to use a tactic called “create and capture”, which involved creating conversations about jihad or terrorism, then capturing the responses and sending them to the NYPD. Then, as the NYPD defended itself from allegations by civil rights lawyers that such tactics violated a longstanding federal court order, the department said Rahman was either lying or did not know what he was talking about. The different accounts of Rahman’s activities were significant. Taken with the NYPD’s use of plainclothes detectives assigned to the Demographics Unit to catalogue Muslim business and eavesdrop on conversations, civil rights lawyers said that Rahman’s tactics showed the NYPD was violating court-imposed rules about what files it could keep on activities protected by the First Amendment’s right to free speech. The NYPD strongly denied that, and Hoban’s affidavit was central to its defense: “Rahman was never tasked to, nor did he as far as I know, engage in what he refers to as a ‘create and capture’ methodology…There are 57 field reports documenting Rahman’s work as an informant. In reviewing those field reports, it is clear that Rahman did not use what he refers to in his declaration as a ‘create and capture’ strategy.” The NYPD’s court papers also revealed for the first time the scope of the monitoring by its Demographics Unit, renamed as the Zone Assessment Unit. In the past three years, the unit had filed more than 4,200 reports, or about four per day. Each report typically described a clandestine visit to a business or mosque, the ethnicity of the clientele and, in some cases, what conversations the officers overheard. The detectives reported details from more than 200 conversations, or about one a week. Thomas Galati, the commanding officer of the Intelligence Division, said most of those conversations were used to gauge people’s reactions to overseas events. The AP had previously reported that Demographics detectives were extremely interested in people’s reactions to U.S. drone attacks. In: http://www.theprovince.com/technology/York+City+police+defends+itself+court+over+surveillance+Muslims/8409866/story.html, retrieved on 21.05.2013 2. Judge compares alleged profiling of Muslims at border with NYC’s stop-and-frisk program – A federal judge in Detroit compared the alleged profiling of Muslim Americans at border crossings to claims that the New York City Police Department is targeting African Americans with its controversial stop-and-frisk program. U.S. District Court Judge Avern Cohn made his comments on 29 May during a hearing over a lawsuit filed last year on behalf of Muslim Americans in Michigan who said they were asked questions by federal agents about their religion while attempting to cross into the U.S. from Canada. Attorneys with the Department of Justice had filed a motion to dismiss the suit, saying that the U.S. government did not have a policy that specifically targeted people of any religion.

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Cohn did not rule on the case, but said the allegations of profiling were “gnawing at me.” He then brought up the case of alleged profiling in New York City of African Americans under the stop-and-frisk program, which has been criticized by civil rights groups, including the NAACP and ACLU. Cohn said in court: “This is analogous.” Attorneys for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which filed the lawsuit, welcomed Cohn’s comparison, but they said it was too early to say whether Cohn’s comments would result in a favorable decision. Cohn said at the end of the hearing the “matter will be taken under advisement.” In: http://www.freep.com/article/20130529/NEWS05/305290130/Judge-compares-profiling-of-Muslins-to-New-York-City-s-stop-and-frisk, retrieved on 30.05.2013

3. US Muslim sues FBI over ‘months of torture on unspecified charges’ – A US Muslim alleged he was held illegally for 106 days by FBI agents and was subjected to severe beatings. The plaintiff said he was abused when he refused to become an informant at the Portland Mosque he attended while living in the US. Yonas Fikre, a Sudanese man of Eritrean descent had filed a lawsuit against the FBI for $30 million and several injunctions for his mistreatment in custody in 2011. He was the fourth man from the Portland, Oregon, area to allege that the FBI detained and tortured him. The lawsuit accused the FBI of torture and denial of citizenship rights. Tom Nelson, Fikre’s attorney, said:“We want this practice to be exposed and stopped.” The plaintiff alleged that the FBI took an interest in him when he moved from Portland in the US to Sudan to open an electronics retail business in 2009. Fikre claimed he was summoned to the US embassy by a man claiming to be an official requiring advice on “how Americans might stay safe during a period of political turmoil in Sudan”. Upon arrival he was ushered into a small room where he was subjected to interrogation by FBI agents David Noordeloos and Jason Dundas for information on the worshippers at Portland’s largest Mosque, Masjid As-Saber. The agents sought to recruit Fikre as an informant at the Mosque, offering to take him off the American no-fly list in return and were angered when he refused, according to the plaintiff’s account. The following year he took a business trip to the United Arab Emirates where he was apprehended by Emirates police when they “invaded” his house in Abu Dhabi. Fikre said he was then incarcerated for 106 days in a cell with no windows and was beaten repeatedly during this period. Similarities in the questions that his captors asked him led Fikre to believe that the FBI was behind his detention in the UAE. They also interrogated him regarding the Masjid As-Saber Mosque in Portland. “[Fikre] thus inquired whether his confinement and mistreatment was at the request of the FBI,” according to the lawsuit. “On each such occasion, the interrogators responded by beating plaintiff severely.” The State Department had previously confirmed that Fikre had been detained in Abu Dhabi on “unspecified charges,” while the FBI said it was unable to comment on the allegations. Two months into his detention, Fikre was visited by a member of the US State Department. His captors forbade him from speaking about the treatment he had received at their hands under the threat of more severe beatings. Fikre claimed he tried to intimate with facial expressions that he needed help, but these attempts were either ignored or misconstrued. When Fikre was finally released he found that he had been placed on the US no-fly list and was forced to fly to Sweden to take refuge. Following a press conference in May 2012 a Federal indictment was filed against him for “conspiracy to structure” relating to money transfers to family in the UAE in 2010. In: http://rt.com/usa/muslim-sues-fbi-torture-037/, retrieved on 01.06.2013

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I.II. On Offences to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): 1. Spain Acquits Islam Critic of ‘Hate Crime’ Charges, May Deport – Imran Firasat, who had been in limbo in Spain for months with a growing list of charges over his vocal stance against what he considered the dangers of Islam, had been acquitted of “hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims”. This specific charge revolved around Firasat’s YouTube film, The Innocent Prophet. While the acquittal was great and welcome news for Firasat, he still faced the threat of deportation from Spain back to Pakistan. Firasat converted from Islam to Christianity in 2004. He had been a Muslim for 26 years prior to that conversion but became convinced that Islam was “not a religion” but a “political dictatorship which persecutes and teaches to persecute”. He was granted asylum in Spain to help him escape threats to his life. Firasat was being represented by the Legal Project of Dr. Daniel Pipe’s Middle East Forum. The focus going forward was to win in the deportation case just as they did against the hate crime accusations. In: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/05/05/Imran-Firasat-Acquitted-Of-Hate-Crime-Charges-Still-Faces-Deportation-Threat, retrieved on 06.05.2013

2. Israel: Arab Knesset Members Seek to Ban Mohammad Cartoons – Israel Hayom reported that three Israeli Arab MKs had reintroduced legislation that would more rigorously define a racist offense and would ban the publication of materials that disparage the Prophet Muhammad. As of 2013, Israeli law stated that a person whose actions were “crudely offensive” towards a religion and its believers was liable to a one-year prison sentence. The new bill, which was an amendment to the Israeli penal code, would remove the word “crudely” and more strictly define such instances where punishment would be applicable, such as the drawing of the Prophet Muhammad. The bill also made it illegal to denigrate Moses, Jesus and various religious scriptures. Arab MK Ibrahim Sarsur, one of the three sponsors of the bill, wrote in the bill’s preamble: “The publication of a cartoon that depicts the Prophet Muhammad is highly insulting towards Muslim believers as Islamic law forbids any attempt to draw the prophet or try to portray the image of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.” According to Israel Hayom, Sarsur believed his bill would strengthen interfaith relations and address the need to “preserve the foundations of our religions and keep the honor of all faiths and cultures.” In: http://www.algemeiner.com/2013/05/28/arab-knesset-members-seek-to-ban-mohammad-cartoons/, retrieved on 29.05.2013

II. Positive Developments: 1. On 10 May, an American-Jewish blogger, Aaron B. Cohen, posted an article in his blog entitled Pursuing peace means opposing Islamophobia. The following are his arguments:

The biblical imperative “Bakesh shalom v’radfehu” (seek peace and pursue it) came to mind the other morning as I awoke to a local news story that nauseated me. The story concerns a blatantly Islamophobic birthday card produced by Noble Works and sold locally. It features a hijab-wearing Muslim doll along with several incendiary phrases, overtly linking anyone who wears the traditional female Muslim head covering to terrorism. (Traditionally observant Muslim and Jewish women share the custom of covering their hair.) There’s no dearth of stories that enrage, nauseate, terrify, disgust, or make me just want to stay in bed; this one struck close to home because, unlike the slaughter in Syria or many other world problems, you and I can do something about this.

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We can be mindful of what we see on the shelves of stores selling greeting cards and other public displays of bigotry, and make our voices heard respectfully whenever we feel that something we see endangers the core values of our society. To my mind, this card, by directly linking traditional Muslim dress to terrorism, is utterly unacceptable in an open, diverse and pluralistic society. I oppose it for the same reasons I oppose cartoons riddled with anti-Semitic imagery, such as appear all too often in newspapers around the world (and especially in the Middle East). Is the card protected under First Amendment rights? Yes. Can a stationery story sell such a card legally? Yes. But is it good for us as Americans--be we Jews, Muslims, or Christians; of African, Asian, or Latin descent; straight or gay--to acquiesce to dangerous stereotypes of “the other”, whoever he or she may be, bandied about as though hateful words and images have no consequences? NO! I am in regular discourse with Muslim Americans of faith, who share the same values as I do when it comes to the kind of society in which we both wish not only to live, but to live and let live. Proud Americans of all faiths must be vigilant if we are to preserve a society ruled by law, where people are judged, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “not by the color of their skin [or whether or not they wear a kippah or for that matter, a hijab] but by the content of their character.” The anti-Muslim card is a gratuitous, opportunistic, and disgusting display of fear mongering. For Jews it offends our ethical values and insults our collective memory. We know, better than many, how slippery the slope can be from hate speech to violence. The purveyors of hateful message targeting a specific group may have the right to peddle their brand of pornography in public. Those who recognize it for what it is have the right to raise our voices in protest. That is the best way I know to seek peace and pursue it.

In: http://www.juf.org/news/blog.aspx?id=421031&blogid=13558, retrieved on 09.05.2013

2. Toronto Board of Rabbis Denounce Pamela Geller – A very welcome condemnation of Pamela Geller by prominent Toronto area Rabbis, including President Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl Vice-President Rabbi Debra Landsberg Secretary Rabbi Martin Lockshin Treasurer Rabbi David Seed Executive Director Rabbi Michal Shekel.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 13, 2012 The Toronto Board of Rabbis (TBR) expresses its profound disappointment that a local Jewish organization has extended an invitation to Pamela Geller, a blogger who is known for her extreme criticism of Muslims in language that is intended to shock and ridicule. The TBR is a strong supporter of freedom of speech for all, including Ms. Geller. Ms. Geller’s voice and message are already well known here in Canada and beyond. There was no sense in inviting her here to Toronto to speak before a Jewish audience. Sadly the only sure result of this event will be increasing tensions within the Jewish community and between Jews and Muslims in Toronto. The TBR, which represents rabbis from all denominations of Judaism, wishes to make clear to all that it finds the invitation distasteful, just as it finds Ms. Geller’s views distasteful. We dissociate ourselves from the actions of the radical fringe Jewish group that extended the invitation. We call for more events here in Toronto that will build up friendship and understanding between local Jews and Muslims.

In: http://www.islamophobiatoday.com/2013/05/14/toronto-board-of-rabbis-denounce-pamela-geller/, retrieved on 15.05.2013

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3. Australian National University bans Koran satire for fear of violent backlash – The Australian National University had cited international violence in the wake of the Danish cartoon and Innocence of Muslims controversies in justifying its decision to force student newspaper Woroni to pulp a satirical infographic which described a passage from the Koran as a “rape fantasy”. The university also threatened student authors and editors of the infographic with disciplinary action, including academic exclusion and the withdrawal of the publication’s funding. In: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/uni-bans-koran-satire-for-fear-of-violent-backlash/story-e6frgcjx-1226650955420, retrieved on 28.05.2013

4. US: Feds suggest anti-Muslim speech can be punished – A U.S. attorney in Tennessee was reportedly vowing to use federal civil rights statutes to clamp down on offensive and inflammatory speech about Islam. Bill Killian, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, was quoted by the Tullahoma News this week suggesting that some inflammatory material on Islam might run afoul of federal civil rights laws, adding: “We need to educate people about Muslims and their civil rights, and as long as we’re here, they’re going to be protected.” Killian, along with the FBI special agent running the Knoxville office, were set to speak a week after to a special meeting with the local Muslim community, informing them about their rights under federal law. Killian said about the meeting: “This is an educational effort with civil rights laws as they play into freedom of religion and exercising freedom of religion…This is also to inform the public what federal laws are in effect and what the consequences are.” Killian pointed to a recent controversy where a local Tennessee politician posted a photo of a man aiming a shotgun at the camera with the caption ‘How to wink at a Muslim’, and Killian asked, according to the newspaper: “If a Muslim had posted ‘How to Wink at a Christian,’ could you imagine what would have happened?” The Department of Justice did not respond Friday (31 May) to a question about what guidelines it drew concerning offensive speech and Islam, or whether the department believed that civil rights statutes could be used to stifle criticism of Islam. While threats directed at individuals or small groups could lead to punishment, First Amendment experts expressed doubt that the government had any power to stop offensive material about Islam from circulating. Floyd Abrams, one of the country’s most respected First Amendment attorneys, said: “He’s just wrong. The government may, indeed, play a useful and entirely constitutional role in urging people not to engage in speech that amounts to religious discrimination. But it may not, under the First Amendment, prevent or punish speech even if it may be viewed as hostile to a religion. And what it most clearly may not do is to stifle political or social debate, however rambunctious or offensive some may think it is.” In: http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2013/05/feds-suggest-antimuslim-speech-can-be-punished-165163.html, retrieved on 01.06.2013

III. On Muslims in US and Americas: 1. Toronto-area synagogue drops plan to host Islam critic Pamela Geller – A suburban Toronto synagogue canceled a speaking engagement by Pamela Geller, a vocal critic of radical Islam, as she was due to speak May 13 at a Chabad synagogue in Thornhill, north of Toronto, but the synagogue’s rabbi, Mendel Kaplan, backed out following a visit by the hate crimes unit of local police. A statement issued on 2nd May by the York Regional Police, where Kaplan also served as a police chaplain, read: “Rabbi Kaplan decided to cancel Ms. Geller’s appearance, as it would place him in conflict with the values of our organization, which support a safe, welcoming and inclusive community for all.” A Geller speech scheduled for early April 2013 at the Great Neck Synagogue in suburban New York’s Long Island also was canceled. In: http://www.jta.org/news/article/2013/05/05/3125766/toronto-rabbi-drops-plan-to-host-anti-islam-firebrand-pamela-geller, retrieved on 06.05.2013

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2. Muslims Fastest Growing in Canada – A National Household Survey found Wednesday, May 8, that Canada’s Muslim population increased by 82% over the past decade – from about 579,000 in 2001 to more than 1 million in 2011, which meant that Muslims were the fastest growing religious community in Canada and are proud to be Canadians. The survey of almost three million people showed that Muslims as of that date represented 3.2% of Canada’s total population, up from 2.0% recorded in the 2001 Census. Two-thirds of the country’s Muslims lived in the three largest metropolitan areas combined - Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Toronto had the largest population of Muslims, at just over 424,900. Montreal had just over 221,000 and Vancouver about 73,200. The median age of Canada’s Muslim population was 28.9 years of age compared to 47.4 years for the total immigrant population and 37.3 for those who were born in Canada. Among Muslim immigrants who came to Canada between 2006 and 2011, the largest share came from Pakistan. The survey also showed that the largest religion in Canada was Christianity with just over two-thirds (67.3%) of the respondents reporting that they were affiliated with a Christian religion. Consistent with changing immigration patterns, there were growing proportions of the population who reported religious affiliations other than Christian. These religions included Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist. In: http://www.onislam.net/english/news/americas/462570-muslims-canadas-fastest-growing-community.html, retrieved on 10.05.2013

3. Obama: U.S. is not at war with Islam – President Barack Obama said that the United States was not at war with Islam as some extremists claimed to justify their violence against the West. Obama, speaking at the U.S. Defense Department’s National Defense University in Washington, referred to various terrorism threats and how some were fueled by extremists saying Islam was in conflict with the West, adding: “Most, though not all, of the terrorism we faced is fueled by a common ideology -- a belief by some extremists that Islam is in conflict with the United States and the West, and that violence against Western targets, including civilians, is justified in pursuit of a larger cause…Of course, this ideology is based on a lie, for the United States is not at war with Islam. And this ideology is rejected by the vast majority of Muslims, who are the most frequent victims of terrorist attacks.” However, Obama warned the extremist ideology persisted and the U.S. response to terrorism could not depend just on the military or law enforcement. The president said the best way “to prevent violent extremism inspired by violent jihadists is to work with the Muslim-American community -- which has consistently rejected terrorism -- to identify signs of radicalization and partner with law enforcement when an individual is drifting towards violence.” Obama said it must be recognized Muslims were a fundamental part of the American family, asserting: “In fact, the success of American Muslims and our determination to guard against any encroachments on their civil liberties is the ultimate rebuke to those who say that we’re at war with Islam.” In: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2013/05/24/Obama-US-is-not-at-war-with-Islam/UPI-12711369370146/, retrieved on 25.05.2013

4. On 30 May, Lebanese newspaper Daily Star carried an article by Harvard Professor Jocelyne Cesar entitled Including Muslims in the U.S. narrative is a noble task. Some of her arguments are as follows:

While scholarly work has debunked the idea of incompatibility of Islam with Western values, it has not really changed this dominant perception that pervades political discourse and policymaking. This notion of incompatibility between Islam and the West has actually intensified in the last 15 years, as the perception of Islam as the external enemy has combined with a fear of Islam in liberal Western democracies. The consequence is that Muslims are now seen by many as an internal and external enemy in Europe and in the United States. The persistence of the Islam versus the West dichotomy has nothing to do with the quality of academic work, but rather the fact that this work is seldom used by political and cultural actors, not to mention media.

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Yet hope may lie in better understanding the social and cultural reality of Muslims, which contradicts the perceived divide. Muslims in the West are supportive of Western values and civic integration. In this regard, efforts could be made to familiarize citizens with this reality through different educational and cultural means. My forthcoming book “Why the West Fears Islam: Exploration of Islam in Western Liberal Democracies” indicates a persistent predisposition in the West to link Islam to uncivic behavior and to see assertive Muslims as internal enemies threatening national values and identities as well as external enemies at war with Western civilization. Intriguingly, there is no empirical evidence based on behaviors of Muslims in European countries or the United States that supports this fear. Actually, Muslim political practices are not different from that of their average fellow citizens. My investigation shows that in Europe and in the United States, Muslims express a greater trust in national institutions and democracy than fellow citizens and that mosque attendance actually facilitates social and political integration. Still, the construction of Muslims as the enemy within liberal democracies has taken place in a pre-existing environment influenced by history, adding the dimension of an internal enemy to the enduring feature of the external enemy. Muslims have been seen as “others” to the West since medieval times. More specifically, Western self-definition based on the concepts of progress, nation, rational individual and secularization was built in opposition to Muslim empires. Europe’s relationship with the Ottoman Empire gradually established the East-West binary that had a decisive impact on world politics since the 19th century. In the United States, during the 20th and 21st centuries, the perception of Islam as the external enemy traces back to the Iranian Hostage Crisis (1979 to 1981) and became more acute after the 9/11 attacks, when Muslims came to be seen as internal enemies due to the fear of homegrown terrorism. Many Muslims in post-World War II Europe have an immigrant background, and are currently estimated to constitute approximately 5 percent of the European Union’s 425 million inhabitants. As immigrants, generations came with very low labor skills, unlike most Muslims in the United States who generally possess a high level of education and marketable skills. Low levels of education and few job opportunities explain the poor economic performance of Muslims in Europe. Muslim immigrant populations across Europe are often concentrated in segregated, urban areas, which are plagued by delinquency, crime and deteriorated living conditions. There is a need across the Atlantic to rebuild national narratives to include Muslims and Islam as part of the memory and culture of the national communities to which they belong. This can likely be done if Islam is disconnected from partisan interests and becomes a national cause for political, social and religious actors across the ideological spectrum. The educational and political efforts of the last five decades to include African-Americans into the U.S. national narrative are a good illustration of such a collective effort. In the case of Islam, it will require a coalition among religious actors from all faiths who can play a decisive role in promoting similarities between Islam and other monotheistic religions. This is a noble political task for the decades to come.

In: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Commentary/2013/May-30/218823-including-muslims-in-the-us-narrative-is-a-noble-task.ashx#axzz2Ux9gSzB2, retrieved on 31.05.2013

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III.I. On Boston Bombings: 1. After Boston, Little Change in Views of Islam and Violence, 45% say Muslim Americans Face ‘A Lot’ of Discrimination – The public’s views of whether Islam was more likely than other religions to

encourage violence had changed little in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings. As of 07 May, 42% said Islam was more likely than other religions to encourage violence among its believers, while 46% said Islam did not encourage violence more than other religions. These were similar to opinions about Islam and violence for most of the past decade. But in March 2002, six months after the 9/11 attacks, just 25% said Islam was more likely to encourage violence

while 51% disagreed. The new national survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted 1-5 May among 1,504 adults, found sizable demographic and religious differences in attitudes toward Islam and violence. And the partisan gap was as large as ever: 62% of Republicans said that Islam encouraged violence more than other religions, compared with 39% of independents and just 29% of Democrats.

The survey also found that Muslim Americans were seen as facing more discrimination than some other groups in society, including gays and lesbians, Hispanic Americans, African Americans and women. Overall, 45% said that Muslim Americans faced a lot of discrimination, and 28% said they were subject to some discrimination. Only about one-in-five said that Muslim Americans faced only a little (13%) or no discrimination (6%). About four-in-ten (39%) said that gays and lesbians faced a lot of discrimination. Smaller percentages said that Hispanic Americans (25%), African Americans (22%) and women (15%) faced a lot of discrimination.

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Opinions about Islam and Violence Most young people continued to reject the idea that Islam was more likely than other religions to

encourage violence among its believers. Six-in-ten (60%) of those younger than 30 said that Islam did not encourage violence more than other religions, as did 54% of those 30 to 49. By contrast, about half of those 50 to 64 (51%) and 65 and older (53%) said that Islam was more likely to encourage violence. There also were gender differences in these opinions: By 48% to 39%, men said Islam was more likely than other religions to encourage violence; women, by 52% to 35%, disagreed. The wide partisan differences in these opinions were even starker among ideological groups: Fully 69% of conservative Republicans said Islam encouraged violence more than other religions. About the same percentage of liberal Democrats (71%) said that Islam was no more likely than other religions to encourage violence. Among religious groups, most white evangelical Protestants (63%) said that Islam was more likely than other religions to encourage violence. White Catholics were divided (43% more likely, 43% not more likely). By 53% to 40%, white mainline Protestants said Islam did not encourage violence more than other religions. The balance of opinion was similar among the religiously unaffiliated (54% to 35%). Views of Discrimination against Muslim Americans, Other Groups There were sizable partisan differences in views of discrimina

tion against

Muslim Americans and other groups included in the survey. Nearly twice as many Democrats (57%) as Republicans (29%) said Muslim Americans faced a lot of discrimination. About half of independents (47%) said the same. Democrats also were more likely than Republicans to see a lot of discrimination against Hispanics (by 23 points), African Americans (22 points), gays and lesbians (19 points) and women (11 points). Age also was a factor in these opinions: About half of those under 30 (51%) and 30-49 (49%) said there was a lot of discrimination against Muslim Americans. That compared with 42% of those 50-64 and just 35% of those 65 and older. There also were substantial differences between the youngest and oldest age groups in

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perceptions of discrimination against gays and lesbians: 51% of those younger than 30 thought there was a lot of discrimination against gays and lesbians, compared with 28% of those 65 and older. Notably, blacks, whites and Hispanics were all about equally likely to say there was a great deal of discrimination against Muslim Americans (47% of blacks and Hispanics and 45% of whites). When it came to perceptions of discrimination against blacks and Hispanics, however, the differences were much greater. Nearly half of blacks (46%) said there was a lot of discrimination against African Americans, compared with a quarter of Hispanics (25%) and 16% of whites. About four-in-ten blacks (43%) and Hispanics (38%) said there was a lot of discrimination against Hispanic Americans, compared with 20% of whites. Notably, blacks were about as likely to say there was a lot of discrimination against Muslim Americans (47%) and Hispanic Americans (43%) as against African Americans (46%). Far more whites saw a lot of discrimination against Muslim Americans than either Hispanic Americans (20%) or African Americans (16%). In: http://www.people-press.org/2013/05/07/after-boston-little-change-in-views-of-islam-and-violence/1/, retrieved on 07.05.2013

IV. On Muslims in Europe: 1. Germany: Terrorism Topic Derails German Islam Conf. – A government-sponsored conference on Muslims in Germany had sparked a storm of criticism for focusing on terrorism as a key subject rather than promoting dialogue between authorities and the Muslim minority. Erol Pürlü of the Association of Islamic Cultural Centers (VIKZ) which said it represented 300 Muslim communities nationwide, told the Süddeutsche Zeitung in a report cited by The Local newspaper: “The conference only makes sense as a dialogue with Muslim religious communities.” Planned for mid-May 2013, the agenda of the German Islamic Conference had drawn criticism of Muslim leaders across Germany. The agenda, drafted by the interior ministry, put terrorism as a key topic for talks. Though his organization had accepted its invitation to attend, Pürlü made it clear that expectations from the conference were low. First started in 2006, the conference was established by then-interior minister Wolfgang Schäuble to improve the working relationship between the government and Muslim communities. Topics discussed at subsequent meetings had included plans to put Islam on an equal footing with the Church, as well as Muslim religious education and the construction of mosques. But the conference had witnessed a loss of support over stalled talks and lack of progress. Making a shift towards issues of security, several prominent Muslim organizations had pulled out of the talks since 2011. In: http://www.onislam.net/english/news/europe/462493-terrorism-disrupts-german-islam-conference.html, retrieved on 05.05.2013

2. Croatia: Muslims Celebrate First Adriatic Mosque – Capping years of hard work, thousands of Muslims celebrated the opening of Croatia’s first mosque on the Adriatic Coast since the Ottoman era. Sadmir Kukuruzovic, a 27-year-old truck driver from Rijeka, told Agence France-Presse (AFP): “Building of this mosque was crucial for me because my daughter will go to kindergarten here .” More than 20,000 Muslims from Croatia and neighboring European countries gathered Saturday, May 4, in the western city of Rijeka on the Adriatic coast to celebrate their first mosque in the area. The opening caps years of hard work by Muslims to build the mosque and Islamic center, which was first suggested in 1968. Lack of funding had long stumbled the building of the mosque, which was designed by late prominent Croatian designer Dusan Dzamonja. The building only started in October 2009 after getting the finance from donations of Qatar’s emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. The project was estimated to have cost about 10 million euros ($13 million). In: http://www.onislam.net/english/news/europe/462511-adriatics-first-post-ottoman-mosque-opens.html, retrieved on 05.05.2013

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3. Greek Ministry of Education to fund construction of Athens mosque – The Greek Ministry of Education had provided the funds for the construction of a mosque in Athens. Building work was set to commence within the month, once the Council of State ruled on objections to the mosque. The Ministry of Education had struggled to provide essential classroom basics, including books and heating, due to decreased allocations of funds to satisfy demands by international creditors. Even as the department faced a strike by secondary school teachers over increased working hours for less pay, it had managed to allocate the sum of €946,000 to the Ministry of Growth to fund construction of the controversial mosque in Athens. According to To Vima the Council of State must first rule over objections to the mosque, including objections by the Metropolitan Bishop of Piraeus Seraphim and some local residents. However, if the objections were overruled then funds were then in place to begin construction. Once complete, GR reported the mosque would be transferred for free to the steering committee of the Islamic mosque in Athens. The mosque would service the estimated 120,000 Muslims, comprised primarily of immigrants and refugees, who had been using makeshift mosques. The Mayor of Athens, Giorgis Kaminis, favoured the construction of 14 mosques in the nation’s capital. In: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/350002, retrieved on 13.05.2013

4. Bayern Munich Build Mosque for Muslims – Helping their players to fulfil their religious duties, German football giants Bayern Munich had decided to build a mosque to help Muslim footballers to perform their prayers. The German football club agreed to a request to build a mosque in the Allianz Arena stadium to serve its Muslim players and fans. The request was made by the club’s Muslim

midfielder Bilal Franck Ribery, who asked for specifying a small room for players to perform their prayers. The new mosque would serve Muslim players and fans with a full time imam, an Islamic library and Islamic sessions. The administration also announced that they would finance 85% of the costs of the worship place, leaving 15% to Muslim players and fans who want to participate. The news about the new mosque was made public via the club’s official site. Bayern is not the first European club to build a mosque for its Muslim players after New Castle United specified a prayer room for Muslim players.

In: http://www.onislam.net/english/news/europe/462624-bayern-munich-muslim-players-get-mosque.html, retrieved on 14.05.2013

5. Dutch anxiety over ‘Sharia triangle’ police no-go area in The Hague – There had been calls for an urgent debate in the Dutch parliament about the integration of Muslim immigrants amid claims that one area of The Hague, known locally as “the Sharia triangle”, was being run by a form of unofficial Sharia police. The claims related to the district of Schilderswijk, about two kilometers from the city centre, where an almost entirely Muslim population of some 5,000 people surrounded the El Islam mosque, fuelling criticism that the government had failed to ensure a proper ethnic mix in schools and local housing. One recent investigation, in which local people were extensively interviewed, concluded that Schilderswijk had become “orthodox Muslim territory” which was then largely ignored by the city authorities, by politicians and even by the police, on the grounds that it had become self-regulating. The investigation found that orthodox Muslims had become so dominant that they were dictating what people in the neighbourhood wore and how they behaved. In the case of women, dress was a particular issue. One woman told how her daughter had been approached and told her short skirt was inappropriate, while her son had been called a “kaffir” for smoking. A youth who had previously been involved in local gangs said that criminality had dropped off, not because of the police, but because he and his friends were

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“afraid of the wrath of Allah”. Another man said he felt he was gradually being driven out of his home because he had a dog, and many traditional Muslims tended not to keep or favour dogs. A veiled Muslim woman, however, defended Islamic practices, and said dressing modestly would “do the locals good”. She pointed out that women in the Dutch ultra-conservative, largely Protestant, Bible Belt also wore long dresses, and that shops there were closed on Sundays – as many in Schilderswijk were on Fridays. Local police chief Michel de Roos said: “We have no indications there is a form of Sharia police here. That is not to say it does not happen, but we are unaware of it.” On Tuesday (21 May), social affairs minister Lodewijk Asscher and right-wing Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders paid separate visits to the area, and were to report to parliament. In: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/dutch-anxiety-over-sharia-triangle-police-no-go-area-in-the-hague-1.1404541, retrieved on 25.05.2013

IV.I. On Muslims in the United Kingdom, Including Australia & New Zealand: 1. UKIP councillor who said ‘Islam is a cancer which needs to be cured with radiation’ on racist Facebook page ‘to step down’ after just 12 days – A UKIP councillor had announced he would probably have to step down after less than two weeks because he posted a series of offensive messages about Jews and Muslims online. Eric Kitson, 59, had admitted “I don’t see how I can possibly carry on” after sharing racist cartoons and messages on Facebook. One included a picture of a nuclear weapon exploding emblazoned with the message: “Some cancers need to be treated with radiation, Islam is one of them.” He also shared an image of a Muslim being roasted over a pile of burning Korans, as well as several anti-Semitic outbursts linking the Rothschild banking dynasty to Adolf Hitler. In one comment he said in reference to Muslim women: “Hang um all first then ask questions later.” The councillor from Stourport, Worcestershire, had apologized to residents and party colleagues for his ‘stupid’ actions. But he denied being racist and claimed he had shared the material to expose the ‘unacceptable’ views they contained. He said: “I thought I could handle politics, but I can’t - I don’t see how I can possibly carry on. I’m not a racist, all my friends know me better than that. What I wrote was stupid, but it wasn’t racist. I am not racist. I’m the only white guy on my local five-a-side football team. I wanted to show people this is bad, this is wrong. What I should have done is write something on them about how bad it is but I didn’t. To say I have been stupid is mild. I do not agree with the comments and I have not got a racist bone in my body. I went to school with a lot of young Pakistanis and Indians and I have had wonderful Muslim friends over the years.” In: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2324335/UKIP-councillor-Eric-Kitson-said-Islam-cancer-racist-Facebook-page-step-down.html, retrieved on 15.05.2013

IV.I.I. On Woolwich Murder Attack:

1. Two arrested after UK mosque attacks – British police had boosted their presence after a man, believed to be a soldier, was butchered in broad daylight on the streets of southeast London. In a possible attempt at reprisal, a 43-year-old man was in custody on suspicion of attempted arson after reportedly walking into a mosque with a knife in Braintree, Essex. Local MP Brooks Newmark on Wednesday (23 May) night tweeted: “Local mosque in Braintree attacked by man with knives and incendiary device. Man arrested. No one injured…Just met with leaders of local mosque in Braintree which was attacked this evening. Thanked local police for their swift response.”

Essex Police confirmed a 43-year-old man from Braintree had been arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and attempted arson after the incident at 7.15pm local time (5.15am AEST). Meanwhile police in Kent were called to reports of criminal damage at a mosque in Gillingham about an hour later. A spokesman said a man was in custody on suspicion of racially-aggravated criminal damage.

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Supporters of the English Defence League (EDL) gathered at Woolwich Arsenal train station near the scene and they threw bottles at police. EDL leader Tommy Robinson, who was among a group of about 250 men, said: “They’re chopping our soldiers’ heads off. This is Islam. That’s what we’ve seen today. They’ve cut off one of our army’s heads off on the streets of London. Our next generations are being taught through schools that Islam is a religion of peace. It’s not. It never has been. What you saw today is Islam. Everyone’s had enough. There has to be a reaction, for the government to listen, for the police to listen, to understand how angry this British public are.”

The men engaged in brief skirmishes with police across the large public square opposite the station. The secretary of the mosque in Braintree, Sikander Saleemy, told Channel 4 News that he felt like it was a “revenge attack” and “The police said it’s too early to try and link it to what happened in Woolwich, but those of us who were here feel that it was some sort of revenge attack.” In: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/two-arrested-after-uk-mosque-attacks/story-fni0xqll-1226648908623, retrieved on 24.05.2013

2. PM Cameron: London attack ‘betrayal of Islam’ – British leader said that “there is nothing in Islam” that justified dreadful murder of soldier on London street. British Prime Minister David Cameron said the brutal killing of a soldier who was hacked to death in London by two men shouting Jihadist slogans was a betrayal of Islam. Cameron told reporters outside his Downing Street residence on Thursday (23 May): “We will never give in to terror or terrorism in any of its forms…This was not just an attack on Britain and on the British way of life, it was also a betrayal of Islam and of the Muslim communities who give so much to our country. There is nothing in Islam that justifies this truly dreadful act.” In: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4383384,00.html, retrieved on 24.05.2013

3. Fox News Responds To London Attack With Islamophobia – On Fox & Friends, co-host Brian Kilmeade claimed the London attacker was inspired by the Quran, saying: “So they looked at the Quran and said grab a meat cleaver and hack somebody up. Fantastic.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 5/23/13]

Fox News’ Bob Beckel Blamed Attack on “High Percentage” of Muslims “Who Are Terrorist by Training.” Fox News co-host Bob Beckel claimed on The Five that the attack could be explained by the fact that “London has an extraordinary high percentage of Muslims that they allowed in.” ANDREA TANTAROS (co-host): A lot of countries in Europe do. BECKEL: Yeah, but I mean, London is particularly packed with Muslims and there's a lot of these elements that are unemployed who are terrorist[s] by training from their clerics. I think this probably is a terrorist attack. [Fox News, The Five, 5/22/13]

Fox News contributor Allen West tweeted “Religion of peace: Somali Islamists behead UK solder on London street. See what appeasement gets you? Horrific”, and Fox News Radio reporter Todd Starnes tweeted: “Islamic fanatics butcher British soldier ... Just remember folks – it’s a peaceful religion”

In: http://mediamatters.org/research/2013/05/23/fox-news-responds-to-london-attack-with-islamop/194195, retrieved on 24.05.2013

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4. Petrol bomb attack on Granby Mosque ‘appalling’ – The chief of the city’s police condemned a petrol bomb attack on a mosque as ‘disgraceful and cowardly’. Local Area Commander Barry Halliday said the incident, which took place at the Granby Mosque in Peverel Drive, would not be allowed to divide Milton Keynes’ diverse community. A bottle containing flammable liquid was set alight and thrown onto the roof of the Zainabia Islamic Centre, commonly known as Granby Mosque, at 11.30pm on 24 May. It came just a day after a British soldier was murdered by two men, who said the attack was retaliation for the deaths of Muslims in Afghanistan and Iraq. Members of Granby Mosque were standing outside at the time of the petrol bombing and quickly extinguished the fire. There was no significant damage caused to the mosque. The KSI Muslim Community of Milton Keynes, which is based at the mosque, had called the Woolwich attack ‘savage, mindless and barbaric’. President of the Islamic Centre, Shabir Sabur, said such acts should never divide the nation. Talking about the petrol bombing, investigating officer, Detective Inspector Nick Glister said: “We are currently in the infancy of the investigation and details are limited at this time…There were people inside the mosque at the time of the incident and this could have been far worse had it not been for the quick actions of the people who were standing outside the mosque.” There had been a spike in Islamophobic crime since Woolwich attack, with the Guardian reporting there were 38 such incidents over Wednesday (22 May) night, including attacks on three mosques. Thames Valley Police officers were in place in Duncombe Street in Bletchley, which was also home to a mosque, on 25 May. In: http://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/local/petrol-bomb-attack-on-granby-mosque-appalling-1-5129495, retrieved on 25.05.2013

5. Attacks on Muslims rise in wake of Woolwich killing – Dozens of Islamophobic incidents had already been reported following the killing of Drummer Rigby on Wednesday (22 May), including graffiti and vandalism at mosques and a number of Muslims, including children, being abused in the street. The Tell Mama hotline for reporting such incidents logged 38 cases over that night, with more reported in the following day. In response to fears of a prolonged backlash against the Muslim community the Metropolitan police put 1,200 more officers on the street, stepping up patrols at mosques and religious sites. Their fears were reinforced by attempts by far-right groups such as the English Defence League (EDL) to exploit the situation. Within hours of Drummer Rigby’s death the EDL had organised a small protest in Woolwich town centre, which ended with its activists pelting police with bottles. Fiyaz Mughal, from Faith Matters, Tell Mama’s coordinator, said the service usually recorded three or four incidents on an average day, but that the spike after 22 May’s killing reflected simmering resentment against Muslims. He said that was unlikely to dissipate quickly. In: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/10077826/Attacks-on-Muslims-rise-in-wake-of-Woolwich-killing.html, retrieved on 25.05.2013

6. Thousands of Muslims gather in London to condemn murder of soldier Lee Rigby – Around five thousand Muslims gathered at Morden mosque on Friday (24 May) to condemn the murder of soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich two days earlier. The gathering of British Muslims from across the country took place at Western Europe’s largest Mosque. Worshippers offered prayers for Drummer Lee Rigby and his family and expressed solidarity against extremism. In: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/uk/thousands-of-muslims-gather-in-london-to-condemn-murder-of-soldier-lee-rigby-29294815.html, retrieved on 25.05.2013

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7. Clegg: Woolwich suspects ‘perverted’ religion of peace – British Deputy PM Nick Clegg quoted from the Koran as he told a meeting of faith leaders Islam had been “perverted” by the alleged murderers of Lee Rigby. Speaking alongside politicians from other parties, the Lib Dem leader called for people of all faiths to present a united front against terror. He said a message of “hope over fear, of community over division” was “immensely important”. He called on people to resist a “fear” in the aftermath of the murder. Mr Clegg was approached by leaders in the Muslim community asking for him to work with them to bring together people from all faiths and backgrounds to demonstrate that London stood united against all forms of extremism. Clegg cited verse 32 chapter 5 the Koran: “If anyone kills a human being it shall be as though he killed all mankind whereas if anyone saves a life it shall be as though he saved the whole of mankind.” He added: “A religion of peace was being distorted, turned upside down and inside out, perverted in the cause of an abhorrent and violent set of intentions…Terrorism has no religion because there is no religious conviction that can justify the kind of arbitrary, savage random violence that we saw on the streets of Woolwich…Together we stand united in the condemnation of a most despicable and horrific act.” In: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22652340, retrieved on 25.05.2013

8. Poll reveals rising fears of clashes in wake of Woolwich killing – According to the YouGov survey of 1,839 adults, nearly two-thirds of people believed there would be a ‘clash of civilizations’ between British Muslims and white Britons in the wake of the murder of a British soldier in Woolwich. The number of those who believed such a clash was inevitable had increased by 9% from 2012. There had also been a small increase in the proportion of people who believed British Muslims posed a serious threat to democracy, up to 34% on Thursday and Friday (23-24 May) from 30% in November 2012. The BNP had announced it would be demonstrating in Woolwich. National organizer Adam Walker claimed the brutal murder meant a “line has been drawn in the sand and it signals the beginning of the civil war we have predicted for years”. However the YouGov poll provided evidence that Britain did remain a tolerant country and that the far-right support remained at the margins of society. Nearly two-thirds (63%) believed the vast majority of Muslims were good British citizens, up by 1% from November 2012. There had also been an increase from 24% to 33% in the proportion who believed Muslims were compatible with the ‘British way of life’. Around two-thirds (65%) said on the whole most people tended to get along well with each other. One in five respondents said they felt positively about demonstrations being held against the killing, and half felt negatively. However, two-thirds said they felt negatively about such protests led by the BNP or English Defence League (EDL). Asked if they would join the EDL, 84% said they would never do so, although there had been a 9% increase in the proportion of respondents who had heard of the far-right organization. Dr Matthew Goodwin of Nottingham university, who commissioned the poll, said: “Compared to last year, when we ran the exact same survey, today people are either just as likely, or more likely, to endorse a series of more positive statements: that Muslims are compatible with the national way of life; are good citizens; make important contributions to society; and share British culture and values. In fact, while far right groups were pointing to the murder as evidence that Islam poses a fundamental threat to modern Britain, the percentage of respondents who view Muslims as compatible actually jumped by almost ten points, to 33%. Clearly, the numbers remain low, and point to wider challenges facing government, and our local communities. But in the aftermath of events that could well have triggered a more serious backlash, the direction of travel remains positive, and suggests there has not been a sharp spike in

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prejudice. The underlining tolerance appears to back up the prime minister’s statement last week in which he said the murder of Rigby on a Woolwich street was ‘not just an attack on Britain, and on the British way of life, it was also a betrayal of Islam and of the Muslim communities who give so much to this country’.” On Saturday (25 May) a demonstration by the EDL in Newcastle was met by an anti-fascist protest, chanting: “Nazi scum, off our streets”. Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said groups such as the EDL were fuelling division and helping those behind terror attacks, adding: “Anyone who seeks to divide our communities is doing the work of the extremists they say they oppose. Mindless acts of violence against any of our communities serve no-one. Some people are trying to use the vile attack in Woolwich as an excuse for more hatred, violence, and extremism. We must not let them. The police, security services and all right minded people in this country will do everything they can to make sure any act of violence and intimidation is dealt with robustly and quickly. The clear message from the overwhelming majority of British people is ‘not in my name’. We stand together against violent extremism, intolerance and hatred – whether it comes from Islamist extremists, the EDL, the BNP, or extremists of any kind.” In: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/may/25/woolwich-attack-islam, retrieved on 26.05.2013

9. Britons March Against Islamophobia – Appalled by a wave of attacks on Muslims and their worship

places in the wake of a machete killing in London, hundreds of Britons had marched through the city of Newcastle in protest at hate-preaching campaigns against Muslims and their religion. Veronica Killen marching with University and College Union lecturers told Socialist Worker newspaper: “We have a long and proud history of immigration and integration in the North East…But to combat far right groups on our streets we have to be constantly vigilant.” Hundreds of Britons marched Saturday, 25 May, through Newcastle against anti-Muslim rhetoric championed by the far-right English Defence League

(EDL). The rally, organized by Unite Against Fascism, aimed to condemn rising attacks against Muslims and mosques in the wake of a machete killing of a British soldier in London a week earlier. In: http://www.onislam.net/english/news/europe/462852-uk-activists-rally-against-islamophobia.html, retrieved on 27.05.2013

10. Grimsby mosque hit by suspected arson attack – The chairman of a mosque in Grimsby which was targeted by arsonists on Sunday (26 May) night had described the attack as attempted murder. Two people were arrested by police patrolling around the Grimsby Islamic Cultural Centre, which was attacked despite an increased police presence following another attack on the complex three earlier. The incident, which appeared to have been the most serious attack yet on the Muslim community amid fears of a backlash following the killing of drummer Lee Rigby, came at a time of increased activity by far right groups, including the English Defence League. The group was due to stage a demonstration close to Downing Street on Monday (27 May). Humberside police said a fire was started at the Grimsby Islamic Cultural Centre on Weelsby Road, shortly before 10pm on Sunday (26 May). The mosque’s chairman, Diler Gharib, told the Grimsby Telegraph: “We had just finished our prayers and were discussing how to thank our neighbours for the support they have shown us over the past few days when we heard a bang and saw fire coming under the door. I grabbed a fire extinguisher and put it out and then two more petrol bombs hit the fire escape and

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the bin so I had to put those out too.” CCTV footage showed three petrol bombs being thrown over the gate of the building, according to Sky News, which was told by the mosque imam, Ahmad Sabik, that it was an attempt to murder. A statement from Humberside police said it was too early to speculate why the fire was started, but added: “The force is currently aware of a number of messages which have been posted on social networking sites by a small minority of individuals. These messages appear to be an attempt to incite trouble by posting messages inviting people to assemble and cause trouble at particular locations. Those people should be aware that we are monitoring these sites in Humberside and we will take action against those intent on attempting to incite violence or post messages of a racial nature.” In: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/may/27/grimsby-mosque-suspected-arson-attack, retrieved on 28.05.2013

11. Internet troll posted messages on Facebook telling people to petrol bomb businesses run by Muslims the morning after Lee Rigby’s murder – A Facebook troll posted a series of vile messages telling people to attack businesses run by Muslims following the murder of soldier Lee Rigby. David Lee, 48, living just a few streets away from Drummer Rigby’s family, put the offensive rants on his social media

page just 24 hours after the serviceman was brutally hacked to death. In one offensive message, he wrote: “If just one person petrol bombed any local Muslim business in their area that would be the end of them in one day. F*** off you cheeky ungrateful s**m. Allah is a coward just like you. Two can play your game you Allah a*** kissing s**m. Take a petrol bomb to the whole shop, light a fire and watch it burn.”

Most of the hate-filled message posted by the joiner from Middleton, Greater Manchester, were too offensive to reproduce. The joiner was warned he could face jail after admitting posting the messages on Facebook at Bury Magistrates’ Court on 29 May. Police arrested Lee after they received an anonymous tip-off urging them to have

a look at the Facebook page. He claimed to have known drummer Rigby who was murdered just 200 yards from his barracks in Woolwich, south-east London. When he was arrested he told police he was just joking in the posts. Stephanie Varle, prosecuting, said: “He accepted that he had made the comments. It is clear that he didn’t appreciate the serious nature of the things that he had said. Some of the comments clearly come across as offensive but it is not clear if anyone responded. Police were able to access this, it may have been an open profile so people who were not just the friends would have been able to access them.” In: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2332779/Facebook-troll-tells-people-petrol-bomb-businesses-run-Muslims-Drummer-Lee-Rigby-murder.html?ito=feeds-newsxml, retrieved on 30.05.2013

12. English mosque responds to hostility with tea and biscuits – Eleven mosques across Britain had been attacked since the killing of a British soldier in London, and attacks on Muslims had soared, according to Faith Matters which monitored such crimes. Against this backdrop a simple story of courage has emerged. When supporters of the far-right English Defence League called for a demonstration outside a small mosque on 25 May in York city, some 175 miles (280 km) north of London, worshippers emerged to offer the protesters cups of tea, and then invited them in to play football. The BBC reported Imam Abid Salik as saying: “Some people went over with cups of tea and biscuits, they were talking for about 30 or 40 minutes and then they came inside, which was a really, really beautiful thing.” Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu said the mosque’s response was “fantastic”, adding: “Tea, biscuits and football are a great and typically Yorkshire combination when it comes to disarming hostile and extremist views.”

In the end, only six people turned up to protest, and more than 100 supporters of the mosque also showed up, including local Anglican priest Tom Jones, who said the worshippers showed great moral and physical courage. Local councillor Neil Barnes was also present, and said: “I don’t think I’ll ever forget the day that the York mosque tackled anger and hatred with peace and warmth – and I won’t forget the sight of a Muslim offering a protester tea and biscuits with absolute sincerity.” In: http://www.trust.org/item/20130530112644-pgdj4/?source=hpblogs, retrieved on 31.05.2013

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V. On Dialogue among Civilizations: 1. US: Muslim and Jewish Leaders Unite to Combat Hatred – Secretary of State John Kerry performed an important public service on May 20 by personally announcing the release of the U.S. State Department's 2012 Report on Religious Freedom, which contained the disturbing findings that anti-Semitism and Islamophobia were on the rise in countries around the world. Bad news was never welcome, yet Secretary Kerry deserved praise for highlighting the dangerous growth of anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim bigotry and for making a compelling case that both Islamophobia and anti-Semitism were closely related pathologies that should be opposed by people of conscience everywhere. The State Department’s linking of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia was not a new development. From early in the Obama Administration, Hannah Rosenthal, former Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, and Farah Pandith, the Special Representative to Muslim Communities, made frequent joint public appearances to show that Jews cared about Islamophobia and Muslims about anti-Semitism. The State Department’s sobering report made clear why it was that despite disagreements on aspects of the Middle East conflict, Jews and Muslims needed to stand united against Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry. The report showed that anti-Semitism was increasing in the Middle East and parts of Europe and South America, while anti-Muslim bigotry was growing across Europe and parts of Asia. It showcased notorious expressions of anti-Semitism by government officials and religious leaders, particularly in Venezuela, Egypt and Iran, while noting the rise of anti-Semitic xenophobic movements in European countries like Hungary, Greece and Ukraine. It also showed that anti-Muslim mass movements were growing in European and East Asian countries, and that some countries had placed onerous restrictions on freedom of expression by Muslims such as banning the wearing of headscarves and the building of minarets. On the week of 4-5 June, The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding (FFEU) and the Islamic Society of North America were co-sponsor a Mission to Washington of Muslim and Jewish Leaders from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The Mission was expected to be especially transformative for South Africa; opening lines of communication between key Muslim and Jewish leaders in a country where there had been a complete breakdown of relations between the two communities. Since 2007, FFEU had helped bring together Jewish and Muslim organizational leaders in the U.S. and Europe who had previously never talked to each other. Each November, thousands of grass roots Muslims and Jews around the world take part in their Weekend of Twinning, during which members of synagogues and mosques in more than 25 countries hold joint programs. In 2009, it sponsored a Mission to Washington of European Muslim and Jewish Leaders and in 2012, a Mission to Washington of Latin American Muslim and Jewish Leaders to give high-level participants from both communities the opportunity to learn about the “American model” of Muslim-Jewish relations. The European leaders had since held conferences in Brussels and Paris to develop a continent-wide coalition against Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, and to combat growing legislative and judicial efforts in European countries to ban religious practices central to both Islam and Judaism such as circumcision and ritual slaughtering. Latin American Jewish and Muslim leaders will be taking part in our upcoming Weekend of Twining. FFEU’s approach to building Muslim-Jewish ties around the world had been successful both because it was morally just and because it was in the interest of both communities. In the U.S, and Europe, prominent Jewish leaders had played an important role in recent years in countering demagogic campaigns to demonize the vast majority of decent and loyal Muslims for the terrible crimes of a few terrorists. Meanwhile, courageous Muslim leaders had spoken out against Holocaust denial; in the process helping to combat anti-Semitic extremism in their own community. In: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-marc-schneier/muslim-and-jewish-leaders-unite-to-combat-hatred_b_3366126.html, retrieved on 01.06.2013

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VI. General Issues: 1. Islamophobia Increases Worldwide: Report – A US report had found that Muslims around the world, particularly in Europe and Asia, were facing rising hostility and violence, amid restrictions on their right to wear religious outfits. The International Religious Freedom Report cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP), said: “Anti-Muslim rhetoric and actions were clearly on the rise -- particularly in Europe and Asia. Government restrictions, which often coincided with societal animosity, resulted in anti-Muslim actions that affected everyday life for numerous believers.” The report, released by US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday, 20 May, shed light on restrictions facing Muslims and other religious minorities around the world. Kerry said: “This report shines light on the challenges people face as they seek nothing more than basic religious freedom and the right to worship as they wish. And its release is a demonstration of the abiding commitment of the American people and the entire US government to the advancement of freedom of religion worldwide.” US Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Suzan Johnson Cook said Muslims in Asia and Europe were facing rising hostility, adding: “Anti-Muslim sentiment and discrimination are evident in places as diverse as Europe and Asia…We call on societies and governments to foster tolerance and hold perpetrators of violence accountable.” The report specifically mentioned Burma (Myanmar) in which “Muslims in Rakhine State, particularly those of the Rohingya minority group, continued to be subjected to lethal violence and to experience severe forms of legal, economic, educational, and social discrimination.” The report, which covered the year 2012, also referred to new restrictions on Muslim religious attire and discrimination Muslim women face in particular, adding: “The impact ranged from education, to employment, to personal safety within communities…Government restrictions on religious attire also remained an issue, as Muslim women faced increasing restrictions on head coverings in schools, in public sector employment, and in public spaces.” The report’s findings had won plaudits from a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the US. Nihad Awad, National Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said in a press release obtained by OnIslam.net: “We welcome the recognition by State Department officials that anti-Muslim rhetoric is on the rise worldwide…People of all faiths and backgrounds must work together to promote mutual understanding and to challenge the increasing hatred we see in many parts of the world.” In: http://www.onislam.net/english/news/americas/462801-islamophobia-increases-worldwide.html, retrieved on 22.05.2013

Compiled by: Abdula Manafi Mutualo,

Secretary of the Observatory Culture & Social Affairs Department

Email: abdmanafi@oic-oci.org