[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.]
Rethinking Islamophobia
AlJazeera
A major reunderstanding of Islamophobia is necessary, at both private, social, and religious level of discourses, to best combat the issue plaguing Muslims communities in the West.
India’s Hindu Right Intensifies A Religious Battle Over A Demolished Mosque
The Washington Post
In the aftermath of a mosque demolition, Hindu and Muslim groups fight a legal battle over the proper allocation of the land to the religious owners.
Professor Who Made Anti-Muslim Comments Retires
Inside Higher Ed
Clifford Adams, an assistant professor of music at the University of Cincinnati, is on administrative leave until he retires on May 1, over comments he made to a student about Muslims.
Why the #MeToo Moment Is Especially Distressing for Muslim Women
Slate
Feeling restricted to speak out against religious authority abusing power, Muslim Women use #MosqueMeToo to counter the diminished space to speak on sexual harassment in the religious sphere.
The Ex-Jihadi in Plain Sight
The New York Times
In an interview with a senior ex-Al Qaeda official, he laments on his experiences as a fighter and speaks on his new understanding of choice and compulsion in religion.
Liverpool FC’s Mohamed Salah’s Goal Celebrations: A Guide To British Muslimness
The Conversation
Most interesting about Egyptian soccer player Mohamed Salah are his celebrations and their reception. Because consistently, Salah does two things after scoring. First, he hugs his teammates, a typical response. But then, he performs sujood, the Islamic act of prostration.
‘Punish a Muslim Day’ Letters Rattle U.K. Communities
The New York Times
An anonymous letter making a game out of assaulting Muslims and attacks mosques was spread throughout communities in the U.K., inciting fear and alerting counter-terrorism authorities.
Vienna Knife Attacker Had Radical Islamist Sympathies, Austria Says
Reuters
The man who stabbed a soldier outside the residence of the Iranian ambassador to Austria sympathized with radical Islamist ideology.
3 Rural Illinois Men Charged With Minnesota Mosque Bombing
AP News
Federal authorities charged three men from rural central Illinois with the bombing of a Minnesota mosque last year and said one of the suspects told an investigator the goal of the attack was to ‘scare’ Muslims out of the United States.
Mosque Approved For Group That Sued After Racist Attacks
AP News
A New Jersey city has finally given approval to a Muslim group’s bid to build a mosque, ending a saga that started last summer when Bayonne turned down the project and the group sued.
Attention Turns To Affiliations Of Mosque-Bombing Suspects
AP News
A former sheriff’s deputy and purported ringleader in the bombing of a Minnesota mosque emerges in court documents as a sometimes-threatening figure with anti-government views who also wrote books and attracted others into his shadowy group.
Mike Pompeo, Trump’s Pick To Replace Tillerson, Has Long Worried Muslim Advocates
The Washington Post
Mike Pompeo, former CIA director President Trump unveiled as his pick to run the State Department, has long worried Muslims and human rights groups for his sweeping statements about Islam.
German Minister Questions Islam’s Place in the Country
The Washington Post
Germany’s new interior minister said Friday he doesn’t consider Islam to be a part of Germany, a position that puts him at odds with Chancellor Angela Merkel on the central question of migration.
Why Erdogan Called For Updating Islam
Al-Monitor
In response to incidents regarding women’s rights and child marriages, Turkey’s President spoke on an Islamic Reformation, speaking to the shocked secularists as well the moderately religious voters.
Women In Pakistan Dared To March — And Didn't Care What Men Thought
NPR
Hundreds of women took to the streets of Karachi and Islamabad to protest Islamism, strict dress codes, and the overall lack of rights and representation for women in the conservative Islamic country.
Two Muslim Women Sue New York After Police Make Them Remove Hijabs
The Guardian
Two arrested Muslim women who said the New York police department forced them to remove their religious head coverings and pose for mugshots sued the city on Friday to try to change the practice.
‘I am totally innocent’: New Tariq Ramadan Video
The National
Tariq Ramadan, the prominent Islamic scholar who is being investigated for rape and sexual assault, has protested his innocence in a new video, in a ten minute clip dating back to November.
German Ministers Respond To Horst Seehofer's Islam Comments
Deutsche Welle
Chancellor Merkel led the response to the new interior minister’s remarks, saying the 4 million Muslims living in Germany and their religion belong in the country. SPD ministers called for practical integration measures.
Belgium Takes Back Brussels' Grand Mosque From Saudi Government
Reuters
Belgium is taking back control of the Grand Mosque of Brussels by terminating Saudi Arabia’s lease of the building with immediate effect over concerns it promotes radicalism, the government said.
Two Women Took Kids To A Mosque And Filmed Themselves Deriding The ‘illegal takeover’ By Muslims
The Washington Post
Two Arizona women have been arrested and charged with burglary after they went to a mosque, with three children in tow, and recorded themselves mocking the Muslim faith.
In West Philly, Street Artist Transforms W.E.B. Du Bois' Words Into Visual Art Through Arabic Calligraphy
Blavity
Across Philadelphia, a Tunisian-French street artist is dedicating his art to the civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois through his Arabic script ‘calligraffiti.’
Chinese Crackdown Separates Pakistani Husbands From Uighur Wives
The Guardian
Being arrested on flimsy charges of extremism, Chinese authorities are keeping Uighur wives from their families in Pakistan for purposes of ‘re-education.’
Rwanda Bans Kigali Mosques From Using Loudspeakers
BBC World News
Rwanda has banned mosques in the capital, Kigali, from using loudspeakers during the call to prayer, citing noise complaints and disturbances.
It’s Not Just About Race And Gender – Religious Stereotypes Need Tackling Too
The Conversation
Facing discrimination as both women and minorities, British Muslim women, particularly in the fashion world, are facing religious prejudices that complicate their daily lives.
Facing Far-Right Challenge, Minister Says Islam 'doesn't belong' to Germany
Reuters
New Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said Islam does not belong to Germany, and set out hardline immigration policies in his first major interview since being sworn in this week, as he sought to see off rising far-right challengers.