When An Arab Carried Out An Islamophobic Attack In London

Nahella Ashraf (center)

An anti-racism campaigner with Stand Up To Racism, Nahella Ashraf, was for the first time in her life a victim of an Islamophobic attack on January 6th. The incident happened when Nahella was attending a conference in Hammersmith and came out to a nearby fish and chop shop during a lunch break in London.  A stranger who was described as having an Arab appearance and accent then walked up to her, grabbed her by the arm and attempted to throw her out of the shop telling her, “You shouldn’t be here”. A colleague of Nahella and a staff worker at the shop approached the attacker inquiring what the problem was and he replied, “People like her, they kill”. As he was being escorted out of the shop, he spat at the face of Nahella. After the attacker left, a worker at the shop phoned the police and the incident has been under investigation since then. Nahella Ashraf, 46, told Manchester Evening New: “I was totally shocked; it all seemed to happen so quickly. I have never had this before. It really shook me up. The staff were really nice, they said he had issues. I’m really surprised this has happened in London, especially in Hammersmith where it’s so multicultural. It just goes to show how serious this situation is. I needed to say something.” This has made observers ask the question, “What was actually his motive?” An attempt to blend-in? Stand Up To Racism organized a vigil to protest the attack, the vigil was attended by over 40 well-wishers.

UN Chief Quotes The Qur’an

UN Secretary General: Antonio Guiterres

The new UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, while speaking against discrimination against minorities (Muslims in particular), stressed that discrimination puts innocent people at great danger. The UN chief said in his video message, Wednesday 18th January, that anti-Muslim hate crimes are on the rise and that it prevents societies and individuals from reaching their full potentials. He said even though statistics might not reflect it, lots of people suffer from abuses based on mere suspicion which affects their integrity. In encouraging tolerance and unity, the 67 year old Portuguese quoted from Suratul Hujurat (49:13) “…we have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another…” a very rare happening at the world body. The high-profile diplomat who took over from Ban Ki Moon on 1st January was also quoted to have said, “People everywhere need to feel that their cultural identities are valued and at the same time, to have a strong sense of belonging to the community as a whole” while announcing what he called the ‘Together campaign’ initiative of the UN. The high level event was organized by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Delegation of the European Union and the Permanent Missions of Canada and the United States to the UN.

MUHAMMAD IBN MASLAMAH (Knight of the Prophet)

Muhammad bin Maslama was black, tall and sturdy, he was a giant among the companions of the Prophet, a giant in body and a giant in deeds. Significantly he was called Muhammad even before he became a Muslim. Ibn Maslamah was an ally of the Aws tribe in Madinah. He became a Muslim at the hands of Musab ibn Umayr, the first missionary sent out by the Prophet from Makkah to Madinah. When the Prophet, peace be on him, came to Madinah, he adopted the unique method of strengthening the bonds of brotherhood between the Muhajirin and the Ansar. He joined in brotherhood ibn Maslamah and Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah. Like Abu Ubaydah,  ibn Maslamah was quiet and pensive and had a strong sense of trust and devotion. He was a distinguished horseman who performed feats of heroism and sacrifice in the service of Islam.  ibn Maslamah took part in all

CHARITY: A Great Pillar of Islam

Charity in Islam could translate to Sadaqa or Zakat, with the latter being compulsory and the

America’s First Female Muslim Legislator Swears on Qur’an

Ilhan Umar 

As Trump era nears, Muslims and people of color have been in joy after Ilhan Umar, a Somali migrant was sworn into parliament to represent her district in Minnesota. Ilhan Umar who migrated to America fleeing war in Somalia at the age of 13, defeated 44 year old Phyllis Kahn in the November 2016 Democrat primaries and went on to defeat republican Abdimalik Askar in the general elections. Ilhan, who is the second Muslim in parliament after Keith Ellison, insisted on swearing on the Qur’an rather than the bible hence, she was allowed to swear on a copy of the Qur’an said to have belonged to Thomas Jefferson; the third President of America (1801 to 1809). Keith Ellison swore on the same Qur’an. There has been growing fears in the American Muslim and colored communities as inauguration of Donald Trump on January 20^th nears. It is believed that the presence of concerned individuals in parliament will bring some good to minority groups in the country. The 33 year old was heard saying after her election victory: "My election win offers a counter-narrative to the bigotry in the world. This is a land of immigrants, and most come here for opportunity, a second chance. It's our time to fight for the America we know we can have." Despite Ilhan's victory, 80% of the 115th congress are still white males.

CFR: America Dropped 26,171 Bombs on Muslims In 2016

A Syrian woman with her children

A survey carried out by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) has revealed that the America under Barack Obama’s administration dropped at least 26,171 bombs on seven Muslim countries in 2016; this is up from 23,144 in 2015. The bombed countries were Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Libya and Yemen. The authors of the survey have however hinted that the figures are most likely to be highly as there was limited access to government data. Majority of the bombs were dropped in Iraq and Syria followed by Afghanistan. 496 bombs were dropped in Libya in the so-called fight against extremist who took over the oil-rich country after America (through NATO) assisted rebels overthrow and kill Muammar Gaddafi. From data on American drone strikes in Afghanistan and Yemen, most of the 26,171 deaths are likely to be civilian.  

Morocco Burka Ban: What Next?

A woman in burka with her children

The interior ministry of Morocco last week Monday issued a written order banning the importation, manufacture and sale of the Burka (A veil that covers the face). Even though there has not been an official statement by the government, the move has gotten Moroccans ready for what is to come. The written order read thus: “Following the observations of the authorities, we notice that you make and sell burqas – we are calling on you to get rid of these clothes within 48 hours from your receipt of this message and to refrains from producing, selling them in the future.” An unidentified official was also quoted to have said, “We have taken the step of completely banning the import, manufacture and marketing of this garment in all the cities and towns of the kingdom.” 99% of Morocco’s 32.6 million population identify as Muslims which makes the new development quite shocking to most. Some individuals have linked the new development to ‘security’ while others have taken it from the religious/cultural perspective. Even though very few women wear the burka in Morocco, some observers believe this could be the beginning of a new wave of secularization which could even see the ban of the head scarf like has been done in the land of the colonial masters (France). Writers and thinkers have condemned the burqa ban. A columnist Abdellah Tourabi wrote “No authority in the world has the right to impose a dress code on a woman or a man for their everyday life. Is the burqa foreign to Moroccan culture? Sure, but “slim jeans were not the apparel of the sultans and our grandmothers were not crazy about Victoria’s Secret bras”.