www.amperspective.com Online Magazine
Executive Editor: Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Chronology of Islam in America (2015)
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
November 2015 - page two
Donald Trump says he would 'absolutely' implement Muslim database if elected president
Nov 20: Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump has voiced support for creating a mandatory database to track Muslims in the United States — the latest in an escalating series of responses from the real estate mogul following the deadly attacks in Paris. "I would certainly implement that. Absolutely," Trump told an NBC News reporter between campaign events Thursday in Newton, Iowa, according to video posted on MSNBC.com. He said Muslims would be signed up at "different places," adding, "It's all about management." Asked whether registering would be mandatory, Trump responded, "They have to be." Trump, along with retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, has stunned the political world with his rise to the top of some polls in the crowded Republican nomination race. With the first primary votes less than three months away, the two outsider candidates continue to overshadow established politicians who were expected to vie for front-runner status. [The Associated Press]
Far-right movement calls for ban on mosques in Cologne, Germany
Nov 22: Around 300 protesters linked with the far-right movement Pro-NRW, referencing the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, gathered at Breslauer Platz in Cologne, today, to protest against what they see as the Islamisation of Europe. The participants held banners depicting the controversial Muhammad cartoon drawn by Danish illustrator Kurt Westergaard, in which the Prophet Muhammad is depicted wearing a bomb instead of a 'turban'. Protesters also waved German flags and held banners calling for a ban on mosques and a stop to the acceptance of refugees in Europe. [Ruptly TV]
First Baptist Dallas pastor claims Islam ‘inspired by Satan’
Nov 22: As First Baptist Dallas members prepare for services Sunday, they may still be contemplating their pastor’s fierce sermon last week — in which he referred to Islam as a false religion “inspired by Satan himself.” Robert Jeffress’ remarks drew cheers and sustained applause from his congregation, and he has followed up on parts of his message in appearances on Fox News in the last week. He expounded on his views in reaction to the recent attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. In his sermon, Jeffress said, “I believe it is time for us to lay aside political correctness and identify the belief system that is responsible for these horrific acts, and that is the evil, evil religion of radical Islam.” Jeffress has been a longtime and harsh critic of Islam, asserting that it promotes all sorts of evils, including pedophilia. His opinions, and not only those about Muslims, have drawn widespread criticism. He also has faulted other faiths, including Catholicism, Mormonism, Hinduism and Buddhism. [Dallas News]
Little boy who gave $20 to vandalized mosque receives a special surprise
Nov 23: A little boy in south Texas did something pretty great last week, and the news spread quickly across the world, via social media. Seven-year-old Jack Swenson took $20 from his piggy bank and decided to give it to a community mosque that had been grossly defaced during a Muslim hate crime. Twenty dollars might not seem a lot to some, but to Jack Swanson, it was a life’s savings. And to Faisal Naem, a board member from the Islamic Center of Pflugerville, Jack’s gift was comparable to “$20 million” to the Muslim community. What many didn’t know last week was that Jack Swanson was saving his pennies for an Apple iPad. Ardalan Iftikhar heard about the story and said he was moved to tears. Known to some on social media as The Muslim Guy, Iftikar contacted Jack’s mother, Laura Swanson, and within days, Jack received a package in the mail along with this note from Iftikhar: ‘Dear Jack, you had saved $20 in your piggybank for an Apple iPad. But then a local Islamic mosque was vandalised. So you donated your $20 to this local Texas mosque. Because of your amazing generosity & kind heart. ‘Please enjoy this Apple iPad with our sincere thanks. Love The American Muslim Community.’ Jack Swanson will most likely always remember how his kindness was received by many around the world. [Daily Kos]
Muslim hate crimes soar In UK
Nov 23: Hate crimes against Muslims in the United Kingdom have jumped nearly 275 percent since the Nov. 13 Paris attacks, a new report has found, Reuters reported. At least 115 anti-Muslim hate incidents occurred in the U.K. within eight days of the attacks, according to data collected from the U.K.-based monitoring group Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks). The figure compares to just 42 incidents during the same period last year. The vast majority of the incidents were perpetrated against Muslim women between the ages of 14 and 45, the group’s report said. It also found that most of the perpetrators were young white men between 15 and 35. “This is concerning since the cases show that women who wear the hijab are the ones being targeted for general abuse and threats,” Tell MAMA’s report said. “Many of the victims have suggested that no one came to their assistance or even consoled them, meaning that they felt victimized, embarrassed, alone and angry about what had taken place against them.” A large number of the reported attacks occurred in public, such as on buses and trains. Thirty-four victims were women wearing the hijab, and eight of the incidents involved young children. Around 4.8 of the U.K.'s population is Muslim, in comparison with France, which at 7.5 percent holds the highest proportion of Muslims of major Western European countries, according to the U.S.-based Pew Research Center. [International Business Times]
Paris attacks foment anti-Muslim sentiments globally
Nov 25: Paris terrorist attacks, which killed 130 people, have fomented anti-Islam and anti-Muslim sentiments (Islamophobia) in Australia, Europe and the United States. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), an organization of 57 Muslim majority states, says that in the wake of attacks in Paris, hatred and Islamophobia had reached "alarming levels." An increase in hostility towards Muslims in the US following the terror attacks in Paris and amid the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis has created a climate worse than post-9/11. There were reports of anti-Muslim demonstrations in recent days in Australia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, and Poland. In Germany far-right protestors demanded the closure of all mosques. In Canada one mosque was burnt down. Islam is the second largest religion in Europe after Christianity, with no less than 45 million Muslims living in Europe (6 per cent of the entire population), half of which is in the European Union (3.8 per cent), according to various estimates. Larger numbers exist in France and Germany, 5 million Muslims in each; 3 million in the UK, 2.5 million in Italy and 1.5 million in both the Netherlands and Bulgaria. On Monday, November 23, the so-called "Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West" movement - known as PEGIDA - staged an anti-Muslim demonstration in Dresden that attracted about 10,000 people. They were calling for a halt to Germany's welcoming Syrian refugee policy. And they're also calling for a new government. On Sunday, Nov 22, around 300 protesters linked with the far-right movement Pro-NRW, from the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, gathered at Breslauer Platz in Cologne, to protest against what they see as the Islamization of Europe. Protesters held banners calling for a ban on mosques and a stop to the acceptance of refugees in Europe. Hate crimes against Muslims in the United Kingdom have jumped nearly 275 percent since the Nov. 13 Paris attacks, Reuters reported. At least 115 anti-Muslim hate incidents occurred in the U.K. within eight days of the attacks, according to data collected from the U.K.-based monitoring group Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks). The figure compares to just 42 incidents during the same period last year. The vast majority of the incidents were perpetrated against Muslim women between the ages of 14 and 45, the group’s report said. It also found that most of the perpetrators were young white men between 15 and 35.
In the United States, fueled by opportunistic rhetoric from politicians, an increase in hostility towards Muslims in the US following the terror attacks in Paris has created a climate worse than post-9/11. Several incidents of anti-Muslim violence or intimidation have been reported in the US since the attacks in Paris on November 13. Such incidents in the US include at least three instances in which Arabic speakers or "suspicious" passengers, some of "Middle Eastern descent," were thrown off commercial flights in the US; assaults, including on a pregnant woman in San Diego, a man attending a movie in Manhattan, an Uber driver in North Carolina, and a woman on the campus of San Diego State University; threats of violence to Muslims in general; campus harassment in Connecticut; and a targeted shooting at a Florida residence. At a county town hall meeting in Fredericksburg, Virginia last week, a man speaking on behalf of an Islamic center was berated by two men who said Islam is "an evil cult," and that "every Muslim is a terrorist." Furthermore, several mosques around the nation have been defaced or vandalized, threatened with violence and shot at with multiple rounds. On Saturday, a group of armed protesters gathered outside a mosque in Irving, Texas. They came to “Stop the Islamization of America,” as one protester's sign read. On Saturday, November 21, an armed anti-Muslim rally was held outside the Irving, Texas mosque. Dressed all in black with a tactical shotgun on his hip, organizer of the protest David Wright told the Dallas News that the weapons were “mostly for self-protection. But I’m not going to lie. We do want to show force. We’re not sitting ducks.” Meanwhile, several contenders for the Republican party's presidential nomination in 2016, including Donald Trump and Ben Carson, have stoked anti-Muslim suspicions. Referring to the Muslim population in the US, the billionaire previously said, "We’re going to have to do certain things that were frankly unthinkable a year ago." Carson, Trump’s top rival, suggested a comparison between some of the refugees and migrants coming into the US from the Syrian conflict zone and “rabid dogs” that should be vetted before being released.
On Sunday, November 22, Australian cities - Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, and Canberra - were hit by anti-Islam rallies. The recent terrorist attacks in Paris were used as a rallying cry for their cause. "Reclaim Australia" is a campaign that has already organized several rallies throughout Australia to protest what they call the ‘encroachment’ of Islam. The "Reclaim Australia" protesters had placards with anti-Muslim slogans, such as “Ban Islam” and “Ban Halal.” According to their website, they want the “freedom to be ‘Australian’” and notably ask that the country get rid of halal food certifications, the French newspaper Observers reported. Their earlier protests were marred by violence, and the latest batch was no exception: in Melbourne, where the "Reclaim Australia" protesters were also demonstrating against the building of a mosque, three men were arrested for possessing a weapon, and two others for riotous behavior. It is bizarre to implicate Islam and view all Muslims as suspects or as potential terrorists every time a heinous atrocity is committed by a follower of the Muslim faith, or when such a crime is claimed to be executed in the name of Islam. Worse is when such Islamophobic bias turns into active hostility against Muslim individuals, mosques, property and Muslim institutions.
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