[This is a roundup of news articles and other materials circulating about Islam and reflects a wide variety of opinions and approaches. It does not reflect the views of the Critical Currents in Islam page or of Jadaliyya. You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each week`s roundup to cci@jadaliyya.com by Saturday night of every week.]
Macy’s Courts Muslims With New Hijab Brand
The New York Times
Macy’s will introduce a collection of modest clothing, including hijabs, next week, making it the latest company to try to capture a piece of the lucrative Muslim clothing market.
Building A Latino-Muslim Coalition With #TacoTrucksAtEveryMosque
NPR
Urging Muslim-Latino Unity in light of increasing discrimination, California residents are looking to spread their #TacoTrucksAtEveryMosque initiative across the country to connect the two groups by way of food.
China’s Muslim Minority Sent To Political Education Camps Amid Allegations of Gross Human Rights Violations
Newsweek
The Uyghur Muslims in China are being rounded up and forced into political education camps that resemble the prisons ubiquitous in the country during the repressive Maoist era, according to reports.
How the National Prayer Breakfast Sparked An Unusual Meeting Between Muslims and Evangelicals
The Washington Post
Renown scholar Sh. Abdallah bin Bayyah and Bob Robert led Evangelical wing organize an interfaith meeting in Washington, D.C.
This 33-Year-Old Muslim Doctor Might Just Be The Next Governor of Michigan
The Week
Abdul El-Sayed, a 33-year-old doctor and son of an Egyptian immigrant, is running an economically populist campaign that would also make him the first Muslim governor in American history.
More Women Are Protesting Hijab In Iran. This Time, The World Is Listening.
The Lily
The recent protests against the compulsory hijab in Iran are gaining momentum as surveys show that almost half of Iranians consider the hijab to be a private matter the state has no business in.
Islamic Scholar Courted Fans, Detractors Before Rape Charges
AP News
Calling him to be adept at ‘taqiyah’ (a protective lying), the ongoing controversy surrounding the outspoken Tariq Ramadan develops as French courts keep him in detention.
Republicans Mull Resolutions That Critics Call Anti-Muslim
Star Tribune
A Minnesota GOP leader urged fellow Republicans to introduce a resolution at a precinct caucus meetings that would require attendees to ‘denounce sharia law, swear to support and defend the United States Constitution and prohibit the use of the Qur’an in the taking of this oath.’
Pakistan Court Convicts 31 Over Campus Lynching of Student Accused of Blasphemy
Reuters
A Pakistani court on Wednesday convicted 31 people over the campus lynching of a university student who was falsely accused of blasphemy, and sentenced one of them to death.
King of Jordan: ‘Maybe there’s a lack of understanding of Islam’ in Washington
The Hill
King Abdullah II of Jordan said he believes Islam is not fully understood within both the halls of Congress and the walls of the White House when asked about President Trump’s rhetoric about the religion.
Tajikistan, Most Muslim Country in Central Asia, Struggles to Rein In Islam
The Jamestown Foundation
A country with a vast Muslim population, Tajikistan is beginning to feel the backlash of tight official regulations on Islamic practices, mosques, and imams as citizens are looking to the ‘underground’ for their religion.
Nike Just Launched Its First Sports Hijab. What Does That Mean for the Future of Running?
Runner's World
In an interview with three Muslim-American athletes, the impact and future of female Muslim athletes is explored as Nike releases their new product.
Can You Be An Independent Woman And A Good Muslim?
BBC News
TV presenter Mehreen Baig wants to know if you can be an independent woman and a ‘good Muslim,’ as she speaks to Muslim women on their feelings about Islam being sexist or empowering of women.
Daesh Neither Humane Nor Islamic, Top Religious Body Says
Daily Sabah
Turkey’s Diyanet published a detailed report that explains Daesh’s destruction of the global image of Islam. In the report, the DİB stressed that Daesh’s activities tarnish the concept of jihad by enslaving people, spreading violence and triggering Islamophobia.
Malaysia: Muslim Coalition to Challenge Federal Court Decision On Unilateral Conversion
Malay Mail Online
A Muslim coalition will file a judicial review in a bid to overturn a landmark Federal Court decision that outlawed the unilateral conversion of children recently.
Draft DHS Report Called for Long-Term Surveillance of Sunni Muslim Immigrants
Foreign Policy
Department of Homeland Security draft report from late January called on authorities to continuously vet Sunni Muslim immigrants deemed to have “at-risk” demographic profiles.
Tunisia to Train Callers For Prayers At Music Institutes
Al Arabiya English
Tunisia will soon begin training the callers for prayers at the Rachidi Institute of Tunisian Music to improve their voices and performance. The initiative is set to assert the countries identity, resist extremism in an unprecedented move by the authorities.
AP Exclusive: Rohingya Say Military Cut Off Food In Myanmar
AP News
In an emotional interview with a refugee from the northern Rakhine state, a Rohingya Muslims deliberates on the steady process by which food and other critical resources were cut off from his family and other Rohingya.
Social Media Monitoring in Boston: Free Speech in the Crosshairs
Privacy SOS
The ACLU of Massachusetts has discovered police and justice forces in Boston using extensive surveillance systems, to no justifiable benefit, to monitor and track people on social media discussing Islam, terrorism, and extremism.
Released Suspects In Pakistani 'Blasphemy' Lynching Case Given Hero's Welcome
Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty
The suspects acquitted this week in the mob lynching of a Pakistani university student falsely accused of blasphemy received a hero’s welcome following their release from detention.
Muslim Prayer Room Plan Scuppered by Islamophobes
Korea Exposé
In a plan to create a ‘Muslim-friendly Korea,’ the Korean Tourism Organization received major backlash from religious critics for plans to build a mobile prayer room for Muslim athletes in the Olympic games.
Italy's Northern League Leader Ramps Up Anti-Muslim Rhetoric: 'Islam is incompatible with our values'
International Business Times UK
Vowing to close all ‘illegal Islamic centres,’ Matteo Salvini of Italy’s Northern League delivered a speech criticizing Islam for being incompatible with Italian values alongside promises to cut down on Muslim immigration.
'Pillar of the community' Deported From US After 39 Years to A Land He Barely Knows
CNN
An active presence in his Ohio community, Amer Adi was detained and deported by ICE after living in the U.S. for over forty years.
Massacre in Myanmar
Reuters
In a detailed investigation of the Myanmar crisis, thorough interviews with both Buddhist and Muslim shed light into some of the horrors committed against the Rohingya.
Reuters Report on Myanmar Massacre Brings Calls For Independent Probe
Reuters
A Reuters investigation into the killing of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar prompted a demand from Washington for a credible probe into the bloodshed there and calls for the release of two journalists who were arrested while working on the report.
Study: Extremists Still Flourishing In Indonesia’s Prisons
AP News
Indonesia’s overcrowded prisons are ill-equipped to deal with Islamic militant inmates, hampering efforts to prevent the spread of violent radicalism in institutions that have become known as jihadist breeding grounds, a study has found.
Emmanuel Macron to Propose Reorganization of Islam in France
Politico
French President Emmanuel Macron wants to reorganize Islam in France to better integrate worship, fight fundamentalism and preserve ‘national cohesion.’
Let There Be No Mistake: If You’re Outspoken and Black or Muslim, ‘They’ Are Definitely Watching You
The Root
In the name of fighting crime and public security, both local and federal authorities have been caught red-handed in monitoring the activity of both Muslim and African American activists.
Jakarta Author Seeks A Lighter Side of Islam
The Austrailian
Putting her literary work out for interpretation, Feby Indirani writes a variety of stories on Islam with her message causing a plethora of conflicts, amusements, and controversies.
Saudi Women Should Not Have To Wear Abaya Robes, Top Cleric Says
BBC News
In contradiction with the Saudi legal code, Sheikh Abdullah al-Mutlaq, a member of the Council of Senior Scholars, said women should dress modestly, but this did not have to mean wearing the abaya.
Ireland: Muslim Spokesman Criticised For Saying It's Acceptable For Girls to Undergo FGM
The Journal
Healthcare professionals and the Islamic community have criticised the comments made by head of a mosque claiming FGM can be both medically and Islamically rationalized.
A Mainstream French Politician Deploys The Rhetoric of the Far Right On Two Fronts
The Washington Post
Wanting to oppose both the centre-left and far-right of French politics, Wauquiez, , uses both anti-Islam and the anti-globalization rhetoric to carve a new front.
Asma Jehangir, Pakistani Lawyer and Human Rights Activist, Dies at 66
The Washington Post
A champion for the rights of women, non-Muslims, and the alike in Pakistan, Jehangir is remembered for her clever, bold rhetoric against the hard-line Islamists in control of Pakistan’s society and legislature.
French Muslim singer quits TV show amid row over online posts
The BBC
A Muslim singer who became an internet sensation following her performance on France's The Voice has quit the TV show after being criticised for comments she had made on social media.
#MosqueMeToo: Muslim women reveal sexual misconduct at places of worship
SBS
Building on the global #MeToo campaign, Muslim women have begun to use #MosqueMeToo to discuss sexual harassment in religious places and gatherings.
#MosqueMeToo Puts Muslim Women “Between a Rock and a Hard Place”
Slate
In finally speaking up about the abuse they have suffered, Muslim women also have to deal with outsiders using their stories to justify stereotypes.