Michigan's largest Arab American cities reject Biden over his handling of Israel-Hamas war
Dearborn and two other Michigan cities with large Arab and Muslim populations turned against President Joe Biden in the stateโs primary after Democratic leaders there warned for months that voters were angry about his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
China sanctions a US research firm and 2 individuals over reports on human rights abuses in Xinjiang
China says it is banning a United States research company and two analysts who have reported extensively on claims of human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups native to the countryโs northwest.
Hundreds gather in Sarajevo to pay their respects to Srebrenica massacre victims
Hundreds have lined the main street of the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, as a truck carrying 30 coffins passed on its way to Srebrenica, where newly identified victims of Europeโs only acknowledged genocide since World War II will be buried on the 28th anniversary of the crime.
Muslims across Pakistan hold anti-Sweden protests to denounce burning of Islam's holy book
Thousands of Muslims in Pakistan have held protests to denounce last weekโs burning of the Islamic holy book in Stockholm following a call by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to โsend a strong message to Sweden.โ.
Troy City Council taking up Mosque decision
After losing at the federal court level, the City of Troy needs to decide whether to appeal the decision or take no further legal action. The city was sued by a Muslim group and the Department of Justice over the cityโs refusal to grant zoning approval for the proposed Mosque in a commercial site at 3565 Rochester Road.
Turkey reimposes restrictions after sharp rise in infections
Turkey is reinstating weekend lockdowns in most of Turkey's provinces and will also impose restrictions over the Muslim holy month of Ramadan following a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)ANKARA โ Turkey is re-introducing weekend lockdowns in most of its provinces and will also impose restrictions over the Muslim holy month of Ramadan following a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases. Infections in Turkey have soared less than a month after authorities divided the 81 provinces into four color-coded categories and relaxed restrictions in some provinces under a โcontrolled normalizationโ effort. The number of infections hit a record on Tuesday, with the Health Ministry confirming 37,303 new cases in the past 24 hours. The total number of infections in the country since the start of the outbreak last year stands at more than 3.2 million.
Metro Detroit Muslim community leaders say COVID vaccine is OK to get during Ramadan
Imad Hamad is a longtime member of the Islamic Center of Detroit and a leader in Metro Detroitโs Muslim community. Hamad is trying to spread the message that during Ramadan the COVID-19 vaccine is OK to take. During Ramadan, Muslims have to fast all day and can only eat at sundown. But Muslim community leaders, like Imamโs and scholars, are saying the vaccine has no nutritional value. Heโll get his second dose during Ramadan and said that Muslims getting the shot during Ramadan wonโt have to make up days.
The Latest: Pope meets father of drowned Syrian refugee boy
Following a Mass on Sunday in the Iraqi city of Irbil, Francis met with Abdullah Kurdi and spent a long time with him, the Vatican said. Through an interpreter, the pope listened to Kurdiโs story and expressed sympathy for the loss of his family. Francis issued the appeal during a joyful visit to the Christian community of Qaraqosh, on the Nineveh Plains of northern Iraq. Chaldean Catholic Patriarch, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako said Francisโ visit to Iraq was โmiraculousโ and had already borne fruits. AdChristian and Muslim leaders in Mosul have welcomed Pope Francis' visit to the Iraqi city devastated by war and are calling on Christians who fled the Islamic State group's onslaught to return.
Philippine president approves amnesty program for rebels
The Philippine president has approved an amnesty program for Muslim and communist rebels who would agree to surrender their weapons as they return to normal life in the latest such attempt to tame rural insurgencies that have raged for half a century. (Joey Dalumpines/Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division via AP)MANILA โ The Philippine president has approved an amnesty program for Muslim and communist rebels who would agree to surrender their weapons as they return to normal life in the latest such attempt to tame rural insurgencies that have raged for half a century. Duterte also agreed to include former insurgents who once belonged to the main communist New Peopleโs Army in his amnesty program. The 75-year-old Duterte has promised to resolve Muslim and communist insurgencies before he leaves office. The amnesty program excludes the notoriously brutal Abu Sayyaf and other small armed bands associated with the Islamic State group.
France passes anti-radicalism bill that worries Muslims
The wide-ranging bill, titled โSupporting respect for the principles of the Republic,โ covers most aspects of French life. But Le Pen criticized the bill as too weak and offered what she called her own, tougher counter-proposal. The bill mentions neither Muslims nor Islam by name. The measure has been dubbed the "separatism" bill, a term used by Macron to refer to radicals who would create a โcounter societyโ in France. Associations must sign a contract of respect for French values and pay back state funds, if they cross a line.
UK tribunal to hear witnesses on China genocide accusations
Organizer Nick Vetch said Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021, a eight-member panel who will act as jury has been finalized. The panel has been selected to represent diverse backgrounds and no expert on China was included on purpose, Vetch said. In declaring genocide, Pompeo cited widespread forced birth control and forced labor among Uighurs. China denies any abuses and insists that the steps it has taken are necessary to combat terrorism and a separatist movement. AdVetch said the tribunal has written to the former and current Chinese ambassadors to London to request the Chinese governmentโs presence and cooperation, but so far received no response.
Rohingya refugees fear returning to Myanmar after coup
Rohingya refugee Mohammad Jaffar, 70, talks to the Associated Press at the Balukhali refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Feb.2, 2021. Rohingya refugees from Myanmar living in camps in Bangladesh are condemning the military coup in their homeland and saying it makes them more fearful to return. (AP Photo/Shafiqur Rahman)DHAKA โ Rohingya refugees from Myanmar living in camps in Bangladesh condemned the military coup in their homeland and said it makes them more fearful to return. Bangladeshโs Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that it hopes the coup will not hamper the refugees' return. The United Nations has described the Myanmar military crackdown on the Rohingya as a form of genocide.
Metro Detroit leaders respond to the repeal of Trumpโs โMuslim travel banโ
DETROIT โ One of President Joe Bidenโs first moves in the White House was to repeal former President Donald Trumpโs travel ban on people from several predominantly Muslim countries. When Trump enacted the travel ban, thousands of Metro Detroiters protested nearly immediately. Initially the ban restricted travel from many Middle Eastern countries. And when visa applicants request entry to the United States, we will apply a rigorous, individualized vetting system. But we will not turn our backs on our values with discriminatory bans on entry into the United States.
China labels Pompeo 'doomsday clown' over genocide claims
The accusation of genocide by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo against China touches on a hot-button human rights issue between China and the West. Pompeoโs announcement Tuesday doesnโt require any immediate actions, although the U.S. must take the designation into account in formulating policy toward China. China says its policies in Xinjiang aim only to promote economic growth and social stability. โSo hopefully weโll see a continued continuity with regards to the new (Joe Biden) administration on holding China to account," Leibold said in an interview. โAnd hopefully the Biden administration can bring its allies along to continue to put pressure on the Chinese government," he said.
Bosnian city of Mostar holds 1st local election in 12 years
(AP Photo/Kemal Softic)MOSTAR โ MOSTAR, Bosnia-Long-entrenched ethno-nationalists were projected to win the first local election in Bosniaโs southern city of Mostar in 12 years, but early results of Sunday's vote also indicated multiethnic parties and alliances would be a strong part of the future city council. Mostar is split between Muslim Bosniaks and Catholic Croats, who fought fiercely for control over the city during the countryโs 1992-95 war. It hasnโt held a local election since 2008, when Bosniaโs constitutional court declared its election rules discriminatory and ordered them changed. Thus, the lawmakers from multiethnic parties appear set to become tiebreakers in all but certain disputes between the dominant Bosniak and Croat nationalists. Prior to the war, ethnically mixed couples made up 10% of all marriages in Mostar, and the city was markedly cosmopolitan.
Anti-France protests continue, as Macron seeks understanding
Smaller demonstrations in Lebanon, Turkey and India followed on anti-France protests across the Muslim world last week that were mostly led by Islamist groups. The renewed protests came after President Macron's interview late Saturday in which he said that he understood the shock Muslims felt at caricatures depicting the Prophet Muhammad. โI have never said that,โ Macron told the Al-Jazeera interviewer, explaining that some false translations of his words in the media showed him to support the cartoons mocking Prophet Muhammad. โWe condemn blasphemy of Islam and Prophet Muhammad by French President,โ read a slogan scribbled on a French flag. Anti-France protests were held by Muslim groups on Friday in Mumbai, Indiaโs financial and entertainment capital, and Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh state.
New arrest after France church attack, security tightened
NICE โ A new suspect is in custody Friday in the investigation into a gruesome attack by a Tunisian man who killed three people in a French church, as France heightened its security alert amid religious and geopolitical tensions around cartoons mocking the Muslim prophet. The attacker, Ibrahim Issaoui, was seriously wounded by police and hospitalized in life-threatening condition, authorities said. In an interview broadcast Friday with Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV, Issaoui's mother said she was shocked by the events. His brother told Al-Arabiya that Issaoui had informed the family he would sleep in front of the church, and sent them a photograph showing him at the cathedral where the attack took place. President Emmanuel Macron said he would immediately increase the number of soldiers deployed to protect schools and religious sites from around 3,000 to 7,000.
France reacts after Erdogan questions Macron's mental health
FILE - In this Sunday, Jan. 20, 2020 file photo, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left and French President Emmanuel Macron stand, during a group photo at a conference on Libya at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany. France has recalled its ambassador to Turkey after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said President Emmanuel Macron needed mental health treatment and made other comments that the French government described as unacceptably rude. Erdogan questioned his French counterparts mental condition while criticizing Macrons attitude toward Islam and Muslims. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)PARIS โ France recalled its ambassador to Turkey for consultations after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said President Emmanuel Macron needed mental health treatment and made other comments that the French government described as unacceptably rude. Erdogan questioned his French counterpart's mental condition while criticizing Macronโs attitude toward Islam and Muslims.
Grisly beheading of teacher in terror attack rattles France
French President Emmanuel Macron denounced what he called an "Islamist terrorist attack" against a history teacher decapitated in a Paris suburb Friday, urging the nation to stand united against extremism. (Abdulmonam Eassa, Pool via AP)PARIS โ For the second time in three weeks, terror struck France, this time with the gruesome beheading of a history teacher in a street in a Paris suburb. French President Emmanuel Macron denounced what he called an โIslamist terrorist attackโ and urged the nation to stand united against extremism. Macron visited the school where the teacher worked in the town of Conflans-Saint-Honorine and met with staff after the slaying. ... Why does a history teacher behave this way in front of 13-year-olds?โ the man asked.
Lawsuit: Detroit police forced Muslim woman to remove hijab during booking photo
DETROIT โ Detroit police are facing a new federal lawsuit that says a Muslim woman was forced to remove her hijab for a booking photo at the Detroit Detention Center. According to the lawsuit, Zainab Chaaban was forced to remove her hijab in front of male staff members inside the jail. She was arrested by Detroit police for her involvement in a domestic situation with her husband. We did a trial by jury and I was found not guilty.โShe said when she was taken for a mug shot she was forced to remove her hijab. โWhen I went to the prison cell, they asked me to remove my scarf.
Pilgrims return to Mecca as Saudi eases virus restrictions
But as nations begin to ease those restrictions, the Saudi government on Sunday started allowing a maximum of 6,000 pilgrims a day to enter the sprawling Grand Mosque in Mecca. Muslim travelers from outside Saudi Arabia could be allowed to perform the umrah pilgrimage as early as Nov. 1, the Interior Ministry has said. Saudi Arabia recently began easing some restrictions on international flights for the first time since March. Pilgrims were selected after applying through an online portal and all were residents or citizens of Saudi Arabia. Despite taking early and sweeping measures to contain the virus, Saudi Arabia has recorded nearly 336,000 cases, including 4,850 deaths.
House approves second bill aimed at forced labor in China
FILE - In this Dec. 3, 2018, file photo, people line up at the Artux City Vocational Skills Education Training Service Center at the Kunshan Industrial Park in Artux in western China's Xinjiang region. The Associated Press has found that the Chinese government is carrying out a birth control program aimed at Uighurs, Kazakhs and other largely Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. Chinas repression in Tibet, the status of the exiled Dali Lama, and its treatment of ethnic minorities spurred violent protests ahead of Beijings 2008 Olympics. China is host to the 2022 Winter Olympics with rumblings of a boycott and calls to remove the games from Beijing because of widespread human rights violations. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
32 acquitted in razing of India mosque that set off violence
An Indian court on Wednesday acquitted all 32 accused, including senior leaders of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, in the case. Last year, Indiaโs Supreme Court ruled in favor of building a Hindu temple on the disputed site. The Supreme Court also ruled that the demolition of the Babri Masjid was illegal and ordered that the separate trial in the mosque demolition case be completed expeditiously. The four acquitted BJP leaders โ L.K. โWhen the Supreme Court said that the demolition of the mosque was an unlawful act, how can a lower court set free the accused?โ he said.
Australian think tank finds 380 detention camps in Xinjiang
CANBERRA โ China appears to be expanding its network of secret detention centers in Xinjiang, where predominantly Muslim minorities are targeted in a forced assimilation campaign, and more of the facilities resemble prisons, an Australian think tank has found. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute used satellite images and official construction tender documents to map more than 380 suspected detention facilities in the far northwestern region, highlighting internment camps, detention centers and prisons that have been newly built or expanded since 2017. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Friday dismissed the report as โpure disinformation and slander,โ saying the Australian institute had โno academic credibility.โ China does not operate โso-called detention campsโ in Xinjiang, Wang told reporters at a daily briefing. โOf these, about 50% are higher security facilities, which may suggest a shift in usage from the lower-security, โre-education centersโ toward higher-security prison-style facilities,โ Ruser wrote. Of the camps stripped of security infrastructure, 90% were lower security facilities, the report said.
Saudi Arabia to lift ban on Mecca pilgrimage amid virus
FILE - In this May 25, 2019 file photo, Muslim worshippers circumambulate the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, during the minor pilgrimage, known as Umrah in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Muslim travelers from outside Saudi Arabia could be allowed to perform the โumrahโ pilgrimage as early as Nov. 1, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Saudi Arabia recently began easing some restrictions on international flights for the first time since March. Pilgrims were selected after applying through an online portal and all were residents or citizens of Saudi Arabia. Despite taking early and sweeping measures to contain the virus, Saudi Arabia has recorded more than 330,000 cases, including more than 4,500 deaths.
Gas pipeline blast burns dozens praying at Bangladesh mosque
Doctors treat a burn Muslim worshipper in a hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020. Dozens of Muslim worshipers suffered burn injuries critically during evening prayers after explosions of a gas pipeline installed underground near a mosque outside Bangladesh capital, officials said Saturday. (AP Photo/Abdul Goni)DHAKA An underground gas pipeline near a mosque exploded during evening prayers outside the capital of Bangladesh, leaving dozens of Muslim worshipers with critical burns, officials said Saturday. The blast occurred Friday night as people were finishing their prayers at Baitus Salat Jame Mosque at Narayanganj, local police chief Zayedul Alam said. TV stations reported that because of the impact of the gas line blast, at least six air conditioners also exploded inside the mosque.
Very different, symbolic hajj in Saudi Arabia amid virus
Hundreds of Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, as they keep social destination to protect themselves against the coronavirus ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, July 29, 2020. During the first rites of hajj, Muslims circle the Kaaba counter-clockwise seven times while reciting supplications to God, then walk between two hills where Ibrahim's wife, Hagar, is believed to have run as she searched for water for her dying son before God brought forth a well that runs to this day.
Ramadan lights challenge in Dearborn helps families celebrate while social distancing
Ramadan lights challenge in Dearborn helps families celebrate while social distancingPublished: May 13, 2020, 11:23 pmFor Muslim families Ramadan is one of the most social months of the year -- making it hard to celebrate during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa sworn in as Sri Lankas new president
COLOMBO Former defense official Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been sworn in as Sri Lankas president and appealed to the minority Tamil and Muslim communities who voted against him to rally around him. Rajapaksa is credited with helping to end a long civil war and comfortably won last Saturdays presidential election. But minorities feared his election over human rights allegations against him dating from the war. Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya administered the oath of office to Rajapaksa at the 140 B.C Ruwanweli Seya Buddhist temple in ancient kingdom of Anuradhapura in north-central Sri Lanka. In his address to the nation Monday, he also pledged to give national security priority and follow a neutral foreign policy.
Disturbing video shows hundreds of blindfolded prisoners in Xinjiang
CNNXINJIANG, China (CNN) - A drone video appearing to show hundreds of blindfolded men being led from a train in China has raised new concerns over the ongoing crackdown on Muslim Uyghurs in the far western region of Xinjiang. Evidence points to XinjiangA western intelligence official told CNN they believed the video was authentic. 'That used to be me'For two former detainees in Xinjiang, the video was strikingly familiar. Xinjiang authorities and Chinese foreign ministry officials did not respond to requests for comment about the former detainees' allegations. The predominantly Muslim Uyghurs are ethnically distinct from the country's majority ethnic group, the Han Chinese.
Paris police attacker followed a 'radical vision of Islam'
Police block the bridge near Paris Police headquarters after four officers were killed in a knife attack on Oct. 3, 2019, in Paris. (CNN) - The perpetrator of a knife attack that left four people dead at a Paris police headquarters had recently adhered to a "radical vision of Islam," according to witnesses, anti-terrorism prosecutor Jean-Franois Ricard said Saturday. The attacker, identified by police only as Mickal H., had converted "about 10 years ago" to Islam and recently had kept to a more "radical vision," Ricard said during a news conference. The attacker had contacts with people suspected of belonging to the ultraconservative Salafist movement of Islam, the prosecutor said. These text messages were sent 30 minutes before the attacker visited a local store and bought two knives that would be used in the attack.
Dearborn teacher under investigation for alleged racist comments made to students
DEARBORN, Mich. - An eighth grade student at Stout Middle School in Dearborn said one of her teachers made racist and insensitive remarks regarding her Muslim heritage. The student reported the comments in a written statement. She said the teacher didn't deny the comments at a meeting with the principal and her mother was told the remarks were misinterpreted. After the incident Sept. 23 that she had reported, the student said the teacher sat on her desk in her personal space. "This teacher clearly has a bias against Muslim women who wear the headscarf," Fatina Abdrabboh, with the Muslim American Advocacy League, said.
Watch Local 4 News at 11 -- Oct. 3, 2019
DETROIT - Here's what is coming up on Local 4 News at 11:Teacher harasses studentAn eight grade student at Stout Middle School in Dearborn said one of her teachers made racist and insensitive remarks regarding her Muslim heritage. Fire updateA fire that sent 5 Detroit firefighters to a hospital has been deemed suspicious. Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.
2 Muslim men say their flight was canceled over 'security concerns'
Getty Images(CNN) - Two Muslim men say their American Airlines flight was canceled after security concerns were raised by on-board crew members. American Airlines said the flight was canceled "due to concerns raised by a crew member and a passenger." The agent allegedly told Abdallah that the flight crew called police to say they were uncomfortable flying with him after he flushed twice in the restroom, according to Abdallah. All passengers on the flight, including the two men, were rebooked on the next flight to Dallas. American Airlines said in a statement they have reached out to the two men to better understand what happened that day.
Toronto Raptors selling team-branded hijab for Muslim women athletes
Ghaith Abdul-Ahad/Getty ImagesTORONTO (CNN) - The Toronto Raptors are making history once again. This week, they became the first team to sell a branded hijab, the headscarf worn by many Muslim women. The tweet included a video of Muslim women playing basketball. The women in the video are members of Hijabi Ballers, a Toronto-area athletic club for Muslim girls and women. They also thanked the Raptors for recognizing the role Muslim women play in "changing the culture around sport" in the city.
Metro Detroit weather forecast: Sunshine, cloudy skies Saturday
Expect sunshine mixed with some high clouds todayitll be a pretty skywith highs reaching the low 80s (28 degrees Celsius). This evening marks the beginning of the Muslim holy day, Eid al-Adha, and the weather will be perfect for family gatherings. Skies will become mostly clear Saturday night, with lows in the low 60s (16 degrees Celsius). Itll be increasingly humid, with highs in the mid 80s (29 to 30 degrees Celsius). Monday night is the focus of this forecast, as there is the potential for a batch of severe storms to head this way.
Indian parliament criminalizes Muslim instant divorce
iStock/ardaguldogan(CNN) - India's parliament has passed a bill criminalizing the controversial Muslim practice of instant divorce -- "triple talaq" -- and making it punishable with up to three years in prison. The age-old practice, allows a Muslim man to divorce his wife by simply saying the Arabic word for divorce, "talaq", three times. In 2017, India's Supreme Court found that the controversial divorce practice was unconstitutional. The abolition of Triple Talaq will contribute to women empowerment and give women the dignity they deserve in our society." "Fail to understand the need to pass the triple talaq bill especially since the Supreme Court had already declared it illegal," tweeted Mehbooba Mufti, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir state.
Discrimination lawsuit filed against Ypsilanti Tim Hortons
YPSILANTI, Mich. - A couple claims they were discriminated against at the Tim Hortons restaurant in Ypsilanti in June. ORIGINAL STORY: CAIR-MI files complaint against Ypsilanti Tim Hortons on behalf of Muslim womanWatch the vide below for the report:The couple recorded the incident on video inside the Tim Hortons. "Its the cheapest thing on the menu.Kouider said they were in the drive-thru at the Tim Hortons on Michigan Avenue in Ypsilanti. "She said, 'Im not going to serve you and if you have a problem, you can go to the other Tim Hortons thats down the street. Local 4 contacted Tim Hortons, who released the following statement:We always want team members and guests to have a positive, welcoming and rewarding experience at our restaurants.