By Roberta K. Timothy*

The recent news of Tina Fontaine&rsquo;s trial and the acquittal of Gerald Stanley, a white farmer accused of killing a young Indigenous man, Colten Boushie, of the Red Pheasant First Nation are examples of the Canadian legal system&rsquo;s commitment to the Indian Act and colonial dominance.

This ongoing colonial dominance has a transgenerational trauma impact on the health of Indigenous and colonized peoples.

Two recent examples that indicate the kind of violence that Black people experience: A school that allowed police to shackle a Black six-year old girl&rsquo;s wrists and ankles; a children&rsquo;s aid system that put a child refugee from Somalia into foster care yet never applied for his Canadian citizenship, so years later he received deportation orders to a country where he does not speak the language.

The impact of this colonialism and anti-Black racism on the health of Black and Indigenous peoples is elongated and insidious. We navigate systems, structures and communities that perpetuate abhorrence towards us in all aspects of our lives.

Experiencing and fighting such systems for justice for our children, ourselves and our community members has devastating effects on our health.

As a health and human rights researcher, therapist and professor who has explored the deep implications of racism, I would like to share some insights into the impacts of racism on our health.

My hope is that by doing so I create dialogue and encourage communities to continue to voice their experiences of violence and racism &mdash; in order to demand changes and ultimately create more supports.

Violence is a continuum

Health indicator statistics of Indigenous communities report increasing disparities between Indigenous and settler populations. Systemic racism affects Indigenous population&rsquo;s health in various ways, this includes limited healthy food choices, inadequate living conditions and substandard health care. The infant mortality rate within Indigenous communities is almost 12 times that of settler communities.

The statistics, usually presented by state authorities, come without context or consideration to the broad range of causes &mdash; one of which is the continued exposure to state violence on a daily basis.&nbsp;

We have anecdotal evidence: We see loved ones, friends, ourselves and respected community leaders struggle with the emotional and physiological impacts of racism on a daily basis. While anti-Black racism&rsquo;s effect on the health of Black communities is documented, studies from the U.S. are more illustrative.

In one U.S. study, researchers studied 1,574 Baltimore residents of which 20 per cent reported that they had been racially discriminated against &ldquo;a lot.&rdquo; This same group had higher systolic blood pressure than those who perceived they had been discriminated against very little. Additionally, over a five-year period the group that felt they had been discriminated against &ldquo;a lot&rdquo; had higher declines in kidney function.

In a 1997 to 2003 study on racial discrimination and breast cancer in U.S. Black women, researchers found that perceived experiences of racism resulted in increased incidents of breast cancer, especially among young Black women. In 2011, a pivotal study on the impact of racism on health scholars linked lifetime experiences of discrimination to higher prevalence of hypertension in African Americans.

Biases in research

These are just a few examples of some studies being done on the impact of racism on health. However, most studies have been conducted in the U.S., the U.K., New Zealand and Australia. Canada does not yet collect race-based health or experiences of racism on health data through any formal mechanism. This poses a problem when scholars are asked to produce &ldquo;scientific data&rdquo; to prove that racism impacts health inequities and disparities. How do you provide &ldquo;statistically significant evidence&rdquo; on the impact of anti-Black racism when systemic issues limits your access to collecting this same data? My future research proposes to support the collection of increased health data on the impact of anti-Black racism in Canada and globally.

In Black communities no one is immune from racism &mdash; from our unborn to our school age children to our elderly. Consciously and unconsciously our health becomes obstructed.

The impact on health intensifies for those in Black communities who are women, working class, lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans (LGBT), dis(abled), refugees or newcomers. Here, the combination of oppressions creates additional stress on mental and physical health and well-being. I call this intersectional violence.

For example, the massacre of Muslims in a Qu&eacute;bec mosque and anti-Islam policies continue to further impact the health of marginalized, often surveilled communities. Two victims of the Qu&eacute;bec massacre were Black. This fact is hardly mentioned. This is an example of anti-Black racism within communities of colour.

Health impacts from anti-Black racism and anti-Indigeneity are often dismissed or kept silent by health scholars and health-care workers. The findings challenge the illegitimacy of systems of dominance and question the humaneness and accountability of colonial power. As such, research on the health impact of anti-Black racism is underfunded and under researched.

The &ldquo;realness&rdquo; of health impacts related to racism interrupts narratives of the &ldquo;disadvantaged,&rdquo; the &ldquo;poor,&rdquo; the &ldquo;lazy&rdquo; and the &ldquo;needy.&rdquo; Such stereotypes re-victimize and further aggregate health inequities. Yet understanding racism as a determinant of health is important to understanding economic and social barriers to success.

When we fail to address the real impact of racism on Black communities&rsquo; health, we not only lose our community members to often preventable disease, illness, institutionalization and ultimately death, we also lose our opportunity for redress and to energetically participate in transnational anti-oppression movements.&nbsp;

Health impacts

Experiencing racism throughout our lifespan can overwhelm our health functionality. Repetitive acts of untreated trauma and violence lead to debilitating health issues.

The impact of anti-Black racism within our educational system is well documented by our lived experiences and &ldquo;unexplained&rdquo; drop-out rates. The effect of prolonged injustice from junior kindergarten through to post-secondary education, can lead to exacerbated health conditions.

The under-recruiting and under-hiring of African/Black and Indigenous peoples in medicine, psychology, education, health and in academia directly affects the impact of racism on these same communities.

Adversely, the over-hiring of African/Black community members as personal support workers, health aids and child care workers with little opportunity to move into positions of power in these fields directly establishes a division between the &ldquo;helper&rdquo; and &ldquo;the helped,&rdquo; resembling enslavement roles where Africans served whites while living in conditions that gravely impacted their own health.

The impact of the over-representation of our children in state care on the health of Black families due to separation and transgenerational trauma is never measured.

As our children and elders endure acts of violence during vulnerable times in their lives, without protection or support, their grief response becomes hidden or dissociated. This leads to challenges in seeking and receiving health care which increases despairing health results.

The myth that Black people do not seek mental health therapy comes from a falsified notion of &ldquo;super resiliency&rdquo; instead of the reality of under-funded and purposely delayed services that prevent health and wellness in our communities. This leads to many community members suffering and seeking services in silence and isolation.

The burden on Black and colonized folks&rsquo; bodies, minds, spirits, health and wellness is all-encompassing.&nbsp;

Possibilities for change

Having a provincial anti-racism directorate and local Toronto anti-Black racism action plan indicates a way forward. Much activism over many years resulted in these strategies getting put into action.

The directorate&rsquo;s effectiveness will be measured in its implementation, the diversity of its members and its power to eliminate health disparities and address the health impacts of racism and violence on the daily lives of Black, Indigenous and racialized peoples.

Research funding needs to be increased. Universities need to hire scholars from communities who are directly impacted by racism and whose work address these health inequities &mdash; to support communities impacted by these same injustices.

What if the Afrocentric Alternative school, the only one in Canada, was well resourced and supported as a health strategy to combat the early stigmatization and violence experienced by school-aged Black children?

What if, in the case of the killing of the late Colten Boushie, the jury was not all white?

What if we looked to Black Live Matters as a public health racial justice movement trying to prevent further health atrocities?

What if we collected health data on the impact of racism - using both informal and formal research methods - empowered, developed and implemented by Black and colonized communities to create health equity programs and strategies to address our health disparities?&nbsp;

*Roberta K. Timothy is an Assistant Lecturer at Global Health, Ethics and Human Rights School of Health, York University.&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Witnessing and hearing stories about racism can impact your health. The feelings evoked can make you ill if not processed.

By Roberta K. Timothy* The recent news of Tina Fontaine’s trial and the acquittal of Gerald Stanley, a white farmer accused of killing a young Indigenous man, Colten Boushie, of the Red Pheasant First Nation are examples of the Canadian legal system’s commitment to the Indian Act and colonial dominance. This ongoing colonial dominance has a transgenerational trauma impact on the health of Indigenous and colonized peoples. Two recent examples that indicate the kind of violence that Black people experience: A school that allowed police to shackle a Black six-year old girl’s wrists and ankles; a children’s aid system that put a child refugee from Somalia into foster care yet never applied for his Canadian citizenship, so years later he received deportation orders to a country where he does not speak the language. The impact of this colonialism and anti-Black racism on the health of Black and Indigenous peoples is elongated and insidious. We navigate systems, structures and communities that perpetuate abhorrence towards us in all aspects of our lives. Experiencing and fighting such systems for justice for our children, ourselves and our community members has devastating effects on our health. As a health and human rights researcher, therapist and professor who has explored the deep implications of racism, I would like to share some insights into the impacts of racism on our health. My hope is that by doing so I create dialogue and encourage communities to continue to voice their experiences of violence and racism — in order to demand changes and ultimately create more supports. Violence is a continuum Health indicator statistics of Indigenous communities report increasing disparities between Indigenous and settler populations. Systemic racism affects Indigenous population’s health in various ways, this includes limited healthy food choices, inadequate living conditions and substandard health care. The infant mortality rate within Indigenous communities is almost 12 times that of settler communities. The statistics, usually presented by state authorities, come without context or consideration to the broad range of causes — one of which is the continued exposure to state violence on a daily basis. We have anecdotal evidence: We see loved ones, friends, ourselves and respected community leaders struggle with the emotional and physiological impacts of racism on a daily basis. While anti-Black racism’s effect on the health of Black communities is documented, studies from the U.S. are more illustrative. In one U.S. study, researchers studied 1,574 Baltimore residents of which 20 per cent reported that they had been racially discriminated against “a lot.” This same group had higher systolic blood pressure than those who perceived they had been discriminated against very little. Additionally, over a five-year period the group that felt they had been discriminated against “a lot” had higher declines in kidney function. In a 1997 to 2003 study on racial discrimination and breast cancer in U.S. Black women, researchers found that perceived experiences of racism resulted in increased incidents of breast cancer, especially among young Black women. In 2011, a pivotal study on the impact of racism on health scholars linked lifetime experiences of discrimination to higher prevalence of hypertension in African Americans. Biases in research These are just a few examples of some studies being done on the impact of racism on health. However, most studies have been conducted in the U.S., the U.K., New Zealand and Australia. Canada does not yet collect race-based health or experiences of racism on health data through any formal mechanism. This poses a problem when scholars are asked to produce “scientific data” to prove that racism impacts health inequities and disparities. How do you provide “statistically significant evidence” on the impact of anti-Black racism when systemic issues limits your access to collecting this same data? My future research proposes to support the collection of increased health data on the impact of anti-Black racism in Canada and globally. In Black communities no one is immune from racism — from our unborn to our school age children to our elderly. Consciously and unconsciously our health becomes obstructed. The impact on health intensifies for those in Black communities who are women, working class, lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans (LGBT), dis(abled), refugees or newcomers. Here, the combination of oppressions creates additional stress on mental and physical health and well-being. I call this intersectional violence. For example, the massacre of Muslims in a Québec mosque and anti-Islam policies continue to further impact the health of marginalized, often surveilled communities. Two victims of the Québec massacre were Black. This fact is hardly mentioned. This is an example of anti-Black racism within communities of colour. Health impacts from anti-Black racism and anti-Indigeneity are often dismissed or kept silent by health scholars and health-care workers. The findings challenge the illegitimacy of systems of dominance and question the humaneness and accountability of colonial power. As such, research on the health impact of anti-Black racism is underfunded and under researched. The “realness” of health impacts related to racism interrupts narratives of the “disadvantaged,” the “poor,” the “lazy” and the “needy.” Such stereotypes re-victimize and further aggregate health inequities. Yet understanding racism as a determinant of health is important to understanding economic and social barriers to success. When we fail to address the real impact of racism on Black communities’ health, we not only lose our community members to often preventable disease, illness, institutionalization and ultimately death, we also lose our opportunity for redress and to energetically participate in transnational anti-oppression movements. Health impacts Experiencing racism throughout our lifespan can overwhelm our health functionality. Repetitive acts of untreated trauma and violence lead to debilitating health issues. The impact of anti-Black racism within our educational system is well documented by our lived experiences and “unexplained” drop-out rates. The effect of prolonged injustice from junior kindergarten through to post-secondary education, can lead to exacerbated health conditions. The under-recruiting and under-hiring of African/Black and Indigenous peoples in medicine, psychology, education, health and in academia directly affects the impact of racism on these same communities. Adversely, the over-hiring of African/Black community members as personal support workers, health aids and child care workers with little opportunity to move into positions of power in these fields directly establishes a division between the “helper” and “the helped,” resembling enslavement roles where Africans served whites while living in conditions that gravely impacted their own health. The impact of the over-representation of our children in state care on the health of Black families due to separation and transgenerational trauma is never measured. As our children and elders endure acts of violence during vulnerable times in their lives, without protection or support, their grief response becomes hidden or dissociated. This leads to challenges in seeking and receiving health care which increases despairing health results. The myth that Black people do not seek mental health therapy comes from a falsified notion of “super resiliency” instead of the reality of under-funded and purposely delayed services that prevent health and wellness in our communities. This leads to many community members suffering and seeking services in silence and isolation. The burden on Black and colonized folks’ bodies, minds, spirits, health and wellness is all-encompassing. Possibilities for change Having a provincial anti-racism directorate and local Toronto anti-Black racism action plan indicates a way forward. Much activism over many years resulted in these strategies getting put into action. The directorate’s effectiveness will be measured in its implementation, the diversity of its members and its power to eliminate health disparities and address the health impacts of racism and violence on the daily lives of Black, Indigenous and racialized peoples. Research funding needs to be increased. Universities need to hire scholars from communities who are directly impacted by racism and whose work address these health inequities — to support communities impacted by these same injustices. What if the Afrocentric Alternative school, the only one in Canada, was well resourced and supported as a health strategy to combat the early stigmatization and violence experienced by school-aged Black children? What if, in the case of the killing of the late Colten Boushie, the jury was not all white? What if we looked to Black Live Matters as a public health racial justice movement trying to prevent further health atrocities? What if we collected health data on the impact of racism - using both informal and formal research methods - empowered, developed and implemented by Black and colonized communities to create health equity programs and strategies to address our health disparities? *Roberta K. Timothy is an Assistant Lecturer at Global Health, Ethics and Human Rights School of Health, York University. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Racism impacts your health

New York is an intrepid city. One can&#39;t but fall in love with it. I for that matter was in complete awe. Having lived and worked there for years, I would marvel at the city&#39;s capacity to absorb the most myriad group of ethnic communities across the world. The heinous 9/11 attack did leave its scar on the city but failed to daunt its spirit. While rest of the US has become suspicious of foreigners in different degrees, NYC continues to live up to the unmatched standard of its own cosmopolitanism. An unusual mix of people, culture and religion.

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New York is an international symbol of freedom and democracy, and we will not be deterred. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NYCstrong?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NYCstrong</a> <a href="https://t.co/2antds3185">pic.twitter.com/2antds3185</a>
&mdash; Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYGovCuomo/status/925520087670493184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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New York&#39;s resilience is stronger than a cowardly act of terror. Thinking of the victims, their families, &amp; the responders who saved lives.
&mdash; Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) <a href="https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/925515496576962562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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No person, no group, no community own NYC. The city belongs to all New Yorkers. And who is a New Yorker? Anyone who lives there, works in the city, share the city&#39;s spirit. You don&#39;t have to be particularly white, a Jew or an American citizen to be a New Yorker. The city will embrace you. Slowly, with time, as you gain your foothold in that behemoth metropolis, if you start feeling comfortable with its peculiar ebb and flow of life, the city will suck you in. The people make New York City what it is. Not the buildings, shops, the cars or the affluence.

&quot;New York is very much like the movies&quot;, the Algerian-French couple pointed out to me as the sun set over the white desert, close to Jordan&#39;s border with Saudi Arabia. I agreed in politeness. But the city, in reality, is stranger than celluloid fiction.

In the real world, Italy may have very little to do with China; there could possibly be no overlaps between the languages, cultures, food types of the two countries but just across Mulberry Street, Little Italy and China Town co-exist. How do the residents of two blocs communicate? I have no idea. Do they fight each other? No.

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<h5>Life in the City is a rich tapestry of diverse colours, designs and motifs. And that is what makes it unique. You cannot essentialise it, reduce it, box it, or simplify it.</h5>
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This coexistence evident all over the city is not a doing of NYPD alone. Over years, the city has learned to live an eclectic life, slowing growing out of its more violent past. It respects stability but is not hankering for homogeneity. While one can decide to stick to one&#39;s culture and language, religion and dress, there is always the possibility of getting enriched by others who are very different. Different but no less.

Life in the City is a rich tapestry of diverse colours, designs and motifs. And that is what makes it unique. You cannot essentialise it, reduce it, box it, or simplify it. The City is a bundle of contradictions.

Yesterday&#39;s terrorist attack was a brutal blow to this richness of life, mauling to the ground the values the City stands for. Not only have we lost eight precious lives; we have jeopardised a spirit which is hard to find nowadays because there is so much hate, jingoism, and intolerance.

Let us for a moment not get into the number game by saying, oh, only eight died. I agree many more die in the war zones of West Asia every day. But we cannot for sake of humanity compare lives with lives. Every life lost is a loss. Let us condemn it.

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<h5>How is killing these people, most of whom are tourists and immigrants, help to maul the military might of the US?</h5>
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Also watch:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/school-bus-with-children-inside-hit-in-new-york-attack-6467">School bus with children inside hit in New York attack</a>

The mindless terror that motivated the assassin appals me. No for god&#39;s sake don&#39;t try to convince me of the ideological underpinning of the act. It had none. It was not even prompted by an empathy for a cause. The terrorist decided to strike at the hub of New York&#39;s tourist destination. It is very much a civilian space too. It is a stone throw away from Wall Trade Center, Wall Street, Anne Frank Museum. Millions of commuter included me, travelled through that locality every day. How is killing these people, most of whom are tourists and immigrants, help to maul the military might of the US?

In his mindless rage, what the assassin might have missed is that such actions make the US an even more paranoid country. The current president is already hellbent to stop immigration with his exclusionary ideology that has little regard for the New York spirit. This attack will give Donald Trump one more and a very big excuse to close the doors and come down hard on other countries whose citizens he is keen on relegating to lives of eternal damnation. It is already evident from Twitter posts how hate is flowing fast and thick

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Stop letting these animals in the country!
&mdash; Jose Guitian Cicero (@omgitzjose) <a href="https://twitter.com/omgitzjose/status/925589998312751104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Start deportations, entire families. Investigate all their neighbors. 
Ppl start paying attention who TFK lives next door! +Fk protesters!!!
&mdash; ?NdRE (@cruztomahawk) <a href="https://twitter.com/cruztomahawk/status/925597499502616577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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There will be no freedom when those terrorists will kill us all??
&mdash; Bina Arington (@Baring5225) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baring5225/status/925592483777593344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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My only plea today is if you wish to fight hegemony, violence, hatred, then think carefully and resist strategically. Killing innocent lives does not help whatever cause you are fighting for, it does not defeat your mighty opponent and, the worst is, you only help to bolster jingoistic responses. More importantly, you end up killing a spirit which you may actually want to champion, at least for the sake of a more tolerant world.

This attack will give Donald Trump one more and a very big excuse to close the doors and come down hard on other countries whose citizens he is keen on relegating to lives of eternal damnation.

New York is an intrepid city. One can't but fall in love with it. I for that matter was in complete awe. Having lived and worked there for years, I would marvel at the city's capacity to absorb the most myriad group of ethnic communities across the world. The heinous 9/11 attack did leave its scar on the city but failed to daunt its spirit. While rest of the US has become suspicious of foreigners in different degrees, NYC continues to live up to the unmatched standard of its own cosmopolitanism. An unusual mix of people, culture and religion. New York is an international symbol of freedom and democracy, and we will not be deterred. #NYCstrong pic.twitter.com/2antds3185 — Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) November 1, 2017 × New York's resilience is stronger than a cowardly act of terror. Thinking of the victims, their families, & the responders who saved lives. — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 1, 2017 × No person, no group, no community own NYC. The city belongs to all New Yorkers. And who is a New Yorker? Anyone who lives there, works in the city, share the city's spirit. You don't have to be particularly white, a Jew or an American citizen to be a New Yorker. The city will embrace you. Slowly, with time, as you gain your foothold in that behemoth metropolis, if you start feeling comfortable with its peculiar ebb and flow of life, the city will suck you in. The people make New York City what it is. Not the buildings, shops, the cars or the affluence. "New York is very much like the movies", the Algerian-French couple pointed out to me as the sun set over the white desert, close to Jordan's border with Saudi Arabia. I agreed in politeness. But the city, in reality, is stranger than celluloid fiction. In the real world, Italy may have very little to do with China; there could possibly be no overlaps between the languages, cultures, food types of the two countries but just across Mulberry Street, Little Italy and China Town co-exist. How do the residents of two blocs communicate? I have no idea. Do they fight each other? No. Life in the City is a rich tapestry of diverse colours, designs and motifs. And that is what makes it unique. You cannot essentialise it, reduce it, box it, or simplify it. × This coexistence evident all over the city is not a doing of NYPD alone. Over years, the city has learned to live an eclectic life, slowing growing out of its more violent past. It respects stability but is not hankering for homogeneity. While one can decide to stick to one's culture and language, religion and dress, there is always the possibility of getting enriched by others who are very different. Different but no less. Life in the City is a rich tapestry of diverse colours, designs and motifs. And that is what makes it unique. You cannot essentialise it, reduce it, box it, or simplify it. The City is a bundle of contradictions. Yesterday's terrorist attack was a brutal blow to this richness of life, mauling to the ground the values the City stands for. Not only have we lost eight precious lives; we have jeopardised a spirit which is hard to find nowadays because there is so much hate, jingoism, and intolerance. Let us for a moment not get into the number game by saying, oh, only eight died. I agree many more die in the war zones of West Asia every day. But we cannot for sake of humanity compare lives with lives. Every life lost is a loss. Let us condemn it. How is killing these people, most of whom are tourists and immigrants, help to maul the military might of the US? × Also watch: School bus with children inside hit in New York attack The mindless terror that motivated the assassin appals me. No for god's sake don't try to convince me of the ideological underpinning of the act. It had none. It was not even prompted by an empathy for a cause. The terrorist decided to strike at the hub of New York's tourist destination. It is very much a civilian space too. It is a stone throw away from Wall Trade Center, Wall Street, Anne Frank Museum. Millions of commuter included me, travelled through that locality every day. How is killing these people, most of whom are tourists and immigrants, help to maul the military might of the US? In his mindless rage, what the assassin might have missed is that such actions make the US an even more paranoid country. The current president is already hellbent to stop immigration with his exclusionary ideology that has little regard for the New York spirit. This attack will give Donald Trump one more and a very big excuse to close the doors and come down hard on other countries whose citizens he is keen on relegating to lives of eternal damnation. It is already evident from Twitter posts how hate is flowing fast and thick Stop letting these animals in the country! — Jose Guitian Cicero (@omgitzjose) November 1, 2017 × Start deportations, entire families. Investigate all their neighbors. Ppl start paying attention who TFK lives next door! +Fk protesters!!! — ?NdRE (@cruztomahawk) November 1, 2017 × There will be no freedom when those terrorists will kill us all?? — Bina Arington (@Baring5225) November 1, 2017 × My only plea today is if you wish to fight hegemony, violence, hatred, then think carefully and resist strategically. Killing innocent lives does not help whatever cause you are fighting for, it does not defeat your mighty opponent and, the worst is, you only help to bolster jingoistic responses. More importantly, you end up killing a spirit which you may actually want to champion, at least for the sake of a more tolerant world.

Terror attacks on NYC will bolster jingoism in the US

Within the space of a few moments, Jagmeet Singh became one of Canada&rsquo;s most admired politicians. His cool-under-pressure reaction to being confronted by an angry heckler is just one of the reasons Singh is considered to be the favourite contender for leadership of the federal New Democratic Party.

A video of the Sept. 6 incident at Singh&rsquo;s campaign event in Brampton, Ont., went viral and has been viewed millions of times in Canada and around the world. Moments into the event, an angry white woman interrupted Singh and shouted Islamophobic and vitriolic statements at him, and physically gesticulated, demonstrating her feeling of entitlement &mdash; to space, voice and position - in relation to others at the event.

Singh seemed undeterred by the outburst. His response to her rant was <a href="https://youtu.be/j2onmR-oBIY" nofollow="" rel="">to rally his audience to help him relay his campaign message</a>. He asked his guests to chant: &ldquo;Love and courage.&rdquo;

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="445" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j2onmR-oBIY" width="754"></iframe>

What is the nature of Singh&rsquo;s call for love? His political slogan is based on a message of universal love and courage. Singh&rsquo;s message &mdash; and chant that evening &mdash; is uniquely situated among the slogans of the <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2017/09/16/the-four-candidates-who-would-lead-the-ndp.html" nofollow="" rel="">three other candidates</a>: <a href="http://www.charlieangusndp.ca/" nofollow="" rel="">Charlie Angus</a> &ldquo;Got your back,&rdquo; <a href="http://www.nikiashton2017.ca/" nofollow="" rel="">Niki Ashton</a> &ldquo;Building a movement, together,&rdquo; and <a href="http://en.guycaron.ca/" nofollow="" rel="">Guy Caron,</a> &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s Build a Progressive and Sustainable Economy.&rdquo;

The dramatic events at the Sept. 6 meeting demonstrate something about Singh, as a person and as a candidate. It also points to new undercurrents of religion and spirituality and its role &mdash; not only in Canadian politics&nbsp;but also in the leadership race for the NDP.

Singh&rsquo;s campaign and potential leadership arrive in a <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-trump-emboldening-right-wing-extremism-in-canada-82635" nofollow="" rel="">climate of increasing hatred</a>, fear and division. His call for universal love is coherent with Sikhism, which challenges the division between daily life and a devotional love that guides all thought and action. How does the language of love and courage relate to a New Democratic Party trying to find its way in a shifting political landscape?

Singh&rsquo;s outward appearance solicits questions from some Canadians &mdash; as in the case of the heckler &mdash; regarding his secular position: To what degree does Singh&rsquo;s religion relate to his policy ideas or conduct?

Canada: Judeo-Christian values?

Canadian political institutions and traditions are imbued with Judeo-Christian values and symbols. Yet the separation of church and state maintains religion does not dictate the making of policy and law. However, in the game of politics, courting ethno-racial, national and religious identified voters has become a central art of party campaign strategists.

Political parties of all persuasions have had to navigate this division in a variety of ways. In Canada, the left social democratic tradition, represented now by the NDP, has had less experience with faith-based movements and the religious identity of its leaders than their right-wing counterparts and left-leaning parties elsewhere in the world. Singh&rsquo;s leadership challenge will likely change that.

While Singh is positioned as a secular politician, his ethos, sense of justice and formation of his identity is connected to a Sikh practice. The very essence of the message of universal love and courage is embedded in a Sikh devotion, rather than a secular idea of loving all humankind. Practising Sikhism defines a way of life &mdash; one that is contemplative, meditative and committed to spiritualism and positive actions.

The Clash of Civilizations

To understand the contemporary role of religion in politics, we need to look at one of our turning points: 9/11. The attacks on New York City and the Pentagon served as a marker of the time foreign and domestic policy in <a href="https://theconversation.com/9-11-anniversary-understanding-extremist-motives-could-stop-further-violence-83773" nofollow="" rel="">North America was called upon to name Islamic terrorism as a universal enemy</a>.

Once North America and other western governments embraced <a href="https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/1993-06-01/clash-civilizations" nofollow="" rel="">the rhetoric of a civilization divide</a>, the psyche of liberal democratic nations split apart. The already tenuous divide between the religious and secular began to rupture further.

This reinforced a binary division and <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/clash-ignorance/" nofollow="" rel="">emboldened a powerful discourse of racism and Islamophobia</a>. The basic premise is that Islam represents something universally distinct from Christian belief systems.

This <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/14/books/review/14yoshino.html" nofollow="" rel="">discourse of racism and difference</a> has gained strength and societal control through the election of conservative governments with moral platforms that build on fears and anxieties of susceptible citizens.

Sixteen years of corrosive discourses since 9/11 has led to: Us vs. Them, the Clash of Civilizations and racism. We are now at the point of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/quiet-canadian-ugly-american-does-racism-differ-north-of-the-border-81388" nofollow="" rel="">normalization of white supremacy</a> .&nbsp;It is no longer an oddity or a left-wing conspiracy theory to discuss the presence of fascism and neo-Nazis &mdash; these are events widely circulated in our social media feeds and featured during the evening new .

Religious discrimination in Canada

Islamophobia and racism are often understood to be twinned structures of oppression. In many ways they are, but there are complex differences between them. They disseminate and exist in different political, cultural and social taxonomies.

<a href="http://www.mediaed.org/transcripts/Edward-Said-The-Myth-of-Clash-Civilizations-Transcript.pdf" nofollow="" rel="">Islamophobia operates through systems of stereotypes</a>, often misunderstanding or misrepresenting the traditions, religious practices and customs of highly diverse ethno-national and racial communities. <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/10/is-islamophobia-real-maher-harris-aslan/381411/" nofollow="" rel="">Islamophobia</a> has been manufactured in multiple ways in society through popular culture, media, policy and criminalizing targeting Islam and Muslims.

Racism is a larger systemic operation of power denigrating one race while validating or elevating another.

When the Harper Conservatives were in government, they attempted to map onto Canadian national values a form of social conservatism. This was articulated through a distinction between Canada and the &ldquo;<a href="https://theconversation.com/media-portrays-indigenous-and-muslim-youth-as-savages-and-barbarians-79153" nofollow="" rel="">barbaric cultural practices&rdquo; of others</a>.

The clear lines that were being drawn between what <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2675751009/" nofollow="" rel="">Harper referred to as &ldquo;old stock Canadians&rdquo;</a> during a 2015 federal leaders&rsquo; debate brought into discourse front and center the relationship between white supremacy and Islamophobia. It connected the dots between a normative white Christian Canadian identity that could stand against the racialized others.

Now the Conservative Party has a leader who proudly accepts the label: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AndrewScheerMP/videos/1532870230080057/" nofollow="" rel="">&ldquo;Harper with a Smile.&rdquo;</a>&ldquo; Andrew Scheer has the support of social conservatives in the Conservative Party. He has steadfastly <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/scheer-five-things-policies-1.4137120" nofollow="" rel="">supported free speech over the condemnation of Islamophobia</a> and was absent during the House of Commons vote for the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/03/23/m-103-anti-islamophobia-motion-house-passes_n_15567120.html" nofollow="" rel="">Anti-Islamophobia Motion M-103</a>, overwhelmingly passed in the House of Commons.

When losing your cool is not an option

Singh said his ability to remain cool under pressure was largely owed to his experience of being a brown, Sikh and turbaned man, growing up in the 1980s in Brampton, Ont., just northwest of Toronto.

His past experiences of religious and racist intolerance helped to fortify him against racist language and assault.

In the moment in which the racist woman yelled at him, she assumed he was a Muslim. Many wondered why Singh did not attempt to correct her misconceived perception; he is not a Muslim, but rather, a Sikh.

Suggesting such a distinction in the moment, he said, would only further the misunderstanding that somehow being Muslim means such treatment is considered justifiable. His reaction, he said, should not be to proclaim his religion. By not correcting this misconception, Singh was acting in solidarity against Islamophobia.

Sikhs have been affected throughout the post-9/11 discourses of Islamophobia, mainly because of this misunderstood identity. In the U.S., and elsewhere, there has been a <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/columnists/sikhs-have-been-living-in-fear-of-hate-crimes-since-911/article4468643/?arc404=true" nofollow="" rel="">rise in hate bias attacks against Sikhs</a>, with the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/06/us/shooting-reported-at-temple-in-wisconsin.html" nofollow="" rel="">2012 Oak Creek, Wis., shooting</a> as a visible example.

While there are those who, in the similar vein as Singh, has sought to challenge Islamophobia by standing in solidarity, there have also been many instances where Sikhs in America, the U.K. and Canada painstakingly distinguish themselves from Muslims.

However, in countless examples, when Islamophobia is experienced in the public sphere against properly identified Muslims, there has been a lack of outcry.

In Canada, the <a href="https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/quebec-city-mosque-shooting-what-we-know-so-far/article33826078/" nofollow="" rel="">shooting deaths in Quebec&rsquo;s Sainte-Foy&rsquo;s Mosque</a>, in which Azzedine Soufiane, Khaled Belkacemi, Aboubakar Thabthi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Mamadou Tanou Barry, and Ibrahim Barry were killed, was unmistakably an act of terrorism. Canadians across the country mourned this tragedy. And yet was it recognized as an act of terrorism against the citizens of this state?

The day-to-day effects of Islamophobia have led to many <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/hate-crimes-muslims-statscan-1.4158042" nofollow="" rel="">Muslims living with heightened experiences of fear</a> and not knowing what they might encounter on a walk to school, a day at work or even waiting for a bus.

The left social-democrats of the NDP hold steadfastly to their conception of justice, fairness and equality in a secular world. The ways in which people are encountering the public today, however, is seemingly much murkier than these stark divisions.

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/83857/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1" />The issues of racism, religious intolerance and social justice are not central issues for any federal political party. These issues, however, should no longer be viewed as separate from major policy platforms including health, welfare reform, employment, national defence, national security, aboriginal relations and education. Perhaps a political leader such as Jagmeet Singh will be able to navigate these debates with an alacrity and style we have yet to witness in the Canadian political world.

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" nofollow="" rel="">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/jagmeet-singh-battles-racism-in-canadian-politics-with-love-83857" nofollow="" rel="">original article</a>.

Singh, one of Canada?s most admired politicians, has based his political slogan on a message of universal love and courage.

Within the space of a few moments, Jagmeet Singh became one of Canada’s most admired politicians. His cool-under-pressure reaction to being confronted by an angry heckler is just one of the reasons Singh is considered to be the favourite contender for leadership of the federal New Democratic Party. A video of the Sept. 6 incident at Singh’s campaign event in Brampton, Ont., went viral and has been viewed millions of times in Canada and around the world. Moments into the event, an angry white woman interrupted Singh and shouted Islamophobic and vitriolic statements at him, and physically gesticulated, demonstrating her feeling of entitlement — to space, voice and position - in relation to others at the event. Singh seemed undeterred by the outburst. His response to her rant was to rally his audience to help him relay his campaign message. He asked his guests to chant: “Love and courage.” What is the nature of Singh’s call for love? His political slogan is based on a message of universal love and courage. Singh’s message — and chant that evening — is uniquely situated among the slogans of the three other candidates: Charlie Angus “Got your back,” Niki Ashton “Building a movement, together,” and Guy Caron, “Let’s Build a Progressive and Sustainable Economy.” The dramatic events at the Sept. 6 meeting demonstrate something about Singh, as a person and as a candidate. It also points to new undercurrents of religion and spirituality and its role — not only in Canadian politics but also in the leadership race for the NDP. Singh’s campaign and potential leadership arrive in a climate of increasing hatred, fear and division. His call for universal love is coherent with Sikhism, which challenges the division between daily life and a devotional love that guides all thought and action. How does the language of love and courage relate to a New Democratic Party trying to find its way in a shifting political landscape? Singh’s outward appearance solicits questions from some Canadians — as in the case of the heckler — regarding his secular position: To what degree does Singh’s religion relate to his policy ideas or conduct? Canada: Judeo-Christian values? Canadian political institutions and traditions are imbued with Judeo-Christian values and symbols. Yet the separation of church and state maintains religion does not dictate the making of policy and law. However, in the game of politics, courting ethno-racial, national and religious identified voters has become a central art of party campaign strategists. Political parties of all persuasions have had to navigate this division in a variety of ways. In Canada, the left social democratic tradition, represented now by the NDP, has had less experience with faith-based movements and the religious identity of its leaders than their right-wing counterparts and left-leaning parties elsewhere in the world. Singh’s leadership challenge will likely change that. While Singh is positioned as a secular politician, his ethos, sense of justice and formation of his identity is connected to a Sikh practice. The very essence of the message of universal love and courage is embedded in a Sikh devotion, rather than a secular idea of loving all humankind. Practising Sikhism defines a way of life — one that is contemplative, meditative and committed to spiritualism and positive actions. The Clash of Civilizations To understand the contemporary role of religion in politics, we need to look at one of our turning points: 9/11. The attacks on New York City and the Pentagon served as a marker of the time foreign and domestic policy in North America was called upon to name Islamic terrorism as a universal enemy. Once North America and other western governments embraced the rhetoric of a civilization divide, the psyche of liberal democratic nations split apart. The already tenuous divide between the religious and secular began to rupture further. This reinforced a binary division and emboldened a powerful discourse of racism and Islamophobia. The basic premise is that Islam represents something universally distinct from Christian belief systems. This discourse of racism and difference has gained strength and societal control through the election of conservative governments with moral platforms that build on fears and anxieties of susceptible citizens. Sixteen years of corrosive discourses since 9/11 has led to: Us vs. Them, the Clash of Civilizations and racism. We are now at the point of the normalization of white supremacy . It is no longer an oddity or a left-wing conspiracy theory to discuss the presence of fascism and neo-Nazis — these are events widely circulated in our social media feeds and featured during the evening new . Religious discrimination in Canada Islamophobia and racism are often understood to be twinned structures of oppression. In many ways they are, but there are complex differences between them. They disseminate and exist in different political, cultural and social taxonomies. Islamophobia operates through systems of stereotypes, often misunderstanding or misrepresenting the traditions, religious practices and customs of highly diverse ethno-national and racial communities. Islamophobia has been manufactured in multiple ways in society through popular culture, media, policy and criminalizing targeting Islam and Muslims. Racism is a larger systemic operation of power denigrating one race while validating or elevating another. When the Harper Conservatives were in government, they attempted to map onto Canadian national values a form of social conservatism. This was articulated through a distinction between Canada and the “barbaric cultural practices” of others. The clear lines that were being drawn between what Harper referred to as “old stock Canadians” during a 2015 federal leaders’ debate brought into discourse front and center the relationship between white supremacy and Islamophobia. It connected the dots between a normative white Christian Canadian identity that could stand against the racialized others. Now the Conservative Party has a leader who proudly accepts the label: “Harper with a Smile.”“ Andrew Scheer has the support of social conservatives in the Conservative Party. He has steadfastly supported free speech over the condemnation of Islamophobia and was absent during the House of Commons vote for the Anti-Islamophobia Motion M-103, overwhelmingly passed in the House of Commons. When losing your cool is not an option Singh said his ability to remain cool under pressure was largely owed to his experience of being a brown, Sikh and turbaned man, growing up in the 1980s in Brampton, Ont., just northwest of Toronto. His past experiences of religious and racist intolerance helped to fortify him against racist language and assault. In the moment in which the racist woman yelled at him, she assumed he was a Muslim. Many wondered why Singh did not attempt to correct her misconceived perception; he is not a Muslim, but rather, a Sikh. Suggesting such a distinction in the moment, he said, would only further the misunderstanding that somehow being Muslim means such treatment is considered justifiable. His reaction, he said, should not be to proclaim his religion. By not correcting this misconception, Singh was acting in solidarity against Islamophobia. Sikhs have been affected throughout the post-9/11 discourses of Islamophobia, mainly because of this misunderstood identity. In the U.S., and elsewhere, there has been a rise in hate bias attacks against Sikhs, with the 2012 Oak Creek, Wis., shooting as a visible example. While there are those who, in the similar vein as Singh, has sought to challenge Islamophobia by standing in solidarity, there have also been many instances where Sikhs in America, the U.K. and Canada painstakingly distinguish themselves from Muslims. However, in countless examples, when Islamophobia is experienced in the public sphere against properly identified Muslims, there has been a lack of outcry. In Canada, the shooting deaths in Quebec’s Sainte-Foy’s Mosque, in which Azzedine Soufiane, Khaled Belkacemi, Aboubakar Thabthi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Mamadou Tanou Barry, and Ibrahim Barry were killed, was unmistakably an act of terrorism. Canadians across the country mourned this tragedy. And yet was it recognized as an act of terrorism against the citizens of this state? The day-to-day effects of Islamophobia have led to many Muslims living with heightened experiences of fear and not knowing what they might encounter on a walk to school, a day at work or even waiting for a bus. The left social-democrats of the NDP hold steadfastly to their conception of justice, fairness and equality in a secular world. The ways in which people are encountering the public today, however, is seemingly much murkier than these stark divisions. The issues of racism, religious intolerance and social justice are not central issues for any federal political party. These issues, however, should no longer be viewed as separate from major policy platforms including health, welfare reform, employment, national defence, national security, aboriginal relations and education. Perhaps a political leader such as Jagmeet Singh will be able to navigate these debates with an alacrity and style we have yet to witness in the Canadian political world. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Jagmeet Singh battles racism in Canadian politics with love

The police in Fairfax, Virginia found a body they believe to be a 17-year-old girl gone missing since being abducted walking from a restaurant to her mosque this Saturday night, <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/2017/06/virginia-police-arrest-suspect-in-abduction-beating-and-murder-of-17-year-old-muslim-girl/" target="_blank">Raw Story</a> reports.

<a href="http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Fairfax-County-Police-Searching-for-Missing-Teen-429249943.html">NBC Washington</a> reported that taken into custody and charged with murder&nbsp;was 22-year-old Darwin Martinez Torres, after the remains were found on Sunday afternoon in a pond.

A witness said that 17-year-old Nabra Hussein was with a group of friends heading from their mosque when they were accosted by a man in a red car, who shouted insults at them. This man stopped his car, before getting out with a baseball bat to attack Hussein. He disappeared with her.&nbsp;

The girl&#39;s friends called police and a desperate search was carried out, but she was not found.

At around 3 pm on Sunday, remains believed to be the girl&#39;s were found in a pond afer the cops saw a car driving erratically and pulled over the driver. They then took him into custody on suspicion of murder.

Police recovered a baseball bat from the area they believe is the murder weapon.

Before a positive identification of the body can take place, a medical examiner&#39;s certification will be necessary.

(WION)

A search was conducted Saturday after the girl went missing. Police found remains in a pond believed to be the girl's

The police in Fairfax, Virginia found a body they believe to be a 17-year-old girl gone missing since being abducted walking from a restaurant to her mosque this Saturday night, Raw Story reports. NBC Washington reported that taken into custody and charged with murder was 22-year-old Darwin Martinez Torres, after the remains were found on Sunday afternoon in a pond. A witness said that 17-year-old Nabra Hussein was with a group of friends heading from their mosque when they were accosted by a man in a red car, who shouted insults at them. This man stopped his car, before getting out with a baseball bat to attack Hussein. He disappeared with her. The girl's friends called police and a desperate search was carried out, but she was not found. At around 3 pm on Sunday, remains believed to be the girl's were found in a pond afer the cops saw a car driving erratically and pulled over the driver. They then took him into custody on suspicion of murder. Police recovered a baseball bat from the area they believe is the murder weapon. Before a positive identification of the body can take place, a medical examiner's certification will be necessary. (WION)

US: Man arrested in connection with abduction, murder of 17-year-old Muslim girl

Police in Sri Lanka have arrested a key figure from an extremist Buddhist organisation blamed for a series of hate crimes against Muslims that has drawn international censure.

The 32-year-old man from the radical Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), or Buddhist Force, is the first suspect to be arrested in connection with arson attacks against Muslims that have stoked religious tensions.

Police spokesman Priyantha Jayakody said investigations were continuing into 16 &quot;major incidents&quot; of arson since April that hit Muslim homes, businesses, mosques and a cemetery.

&quot;We are taking a tough stand against such crimes,&quot; he told reporters.

Police were criticised for failing to bring the radical Buddhist group to heel by capturing its fugitive ringleader Galagodaatte Gnanasara, as the minority Muslim community endured attacks with stones and petrol bombs.

Jayakody said the detained suspect is a close associate of Gnanasara, an extremist monk who has gone underground since late May when police ordered he turn himself in for questioning. Four specialist teams were hunting the BBS mastermind, he added.

The militant Buddhist outfit says its leader is in hiding out of fear for his life. It has also denied orchestrating the latest violence against Muslims, who make up 10 per cent of Sri Lanka&#39;s mainly Buddhist population.

The BBS was accused of instigating religious riots in mid-2014 that left four people dead but escaped prosecution under the then-strongman president Mahinda Rajapakse.

Rajapakse&#39;s brother Gotabhaya, a former defence secretary, was said to be close to the hardline Buddhist group.

The latest failure to arrest Gnanasara and stop a renewed outbreak of religious violence has seen the European Union and foreign envoys urge Sri Lanka to take action.

The European Union delegation chief in Colombo, Tung-Lai Margue, has said it was crucial there was &quot;no impunity for hate crimes&quot; and that the perpetrators are swiftly brought to justice.

(AFP)

Police said investigations were continuing into 16 'major incidents' of arson since April that hit Muslim homes, businesses, mosques and a cemetery

Police in Sri Lanka have arrested a key figure from an extremist Buddhist organisation blamed for a series of hate crimes against Muslims that has drawn international censure. The 32-year-old man from the radical Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), or Buddhist Force, is the first suspect to be arrested in connection with arson attacks against Muslims that have stoked religious tensions. Police spokesman Priyantha Jayakody said investigations were continuing into 16 "major incidents" of arson since April that hit Muslim homes, businesses, mosques and a cemetery. "We are taking a tough stand against such crimes," he told reporters. Police were criticised for failing to bring the radical Buddhist group to heel by capturing its fugitive ringleader Galagodaatte Gnanasara, as the minority Muslim community endured attacks with stones and petrol bombs. Jayakody said the detained suspect is a close associate of Gnanasara, an extremist monk who has gone underground since late May when police ordered he turn himself in for questioning. Four specialist teams were hunting the BBS mastermind, he added. The militant Buddhist outfit says its leader is in hiding out of fear for his life. It has also denied orchestrating the latest violence against Muslims, who make up 10 per cent of Sri Lanka's mainly Buddhist population. The BBS was accused of instigating religious riots in mid-2014 that left four people dead but escaped prosecution under the then-strongman president Mahinda Rajapakse. Rajapakse's brother Gotabhaya, a former defence secretary, was said to be close to the hardline Buddhist group. The latest failure to arrest Gnanasara and stop a renewed outbreak of religious violence has seen the European Union and foreign envoys urge Sri Lanka to take action. The European Union delegation chief in Colombo, Tung-Lai Margue, has said it was crucial there was "no impunity for hate crimes" and that the perpetrators are swiftly brought to justice. (AFP)

Sri Lanka makes first arrest over hate crimes against Muslims

A man fatally stabbed two passengers aboard a Portland, Oregon, commuter train after they tried to stop him from harassing two young women who appeared to be Muslim, police said on Saturday.

Police identified the assailant, who was arrested soon after the Friday afternoon attack, as Jeremy Joseph Christian of Portland, a 35-year-old convicted felon.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Here&#39;s Portland killer Jeremy Christian at a &quot;free speech rally&quot; three weeks ago making a Nazi salute: <a href="https://t.co/lSJUxyLkUy">pic.twitter.com/lSJUxyLkUy</a>
&mdash; Omar Ghabra (@omarghabra) <a href="https://twitter.com/omarghabra/status/868502294941245440">May 27, 2017</a></blockquote>
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In a statement, the Council on American-Islamic Relations blamed an increase in anti-Muslim incidents in part on President Donald Trump&#39;s focus on militant Islamist groups and anti-immigrant rhetoric. The administration has said that while it strongly opposes Islamist militants, it has no quarrel with Islam.

A senior researcher with the Southern Poverty Law Center, in a blog post, said Christian&#39;s Facebook page showed he held &quot;some racist and other extremist beliefs&quot;.

The attack unfolded hours before the start of Ramadan, Islam&#39;s holy month, when most of the world&#39;s 1.6 billion Muslims observe a daily religious fast.

The <a href="http://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2017/05/27/19041594/suspect-in-portland-hate-crime-murders-is-a-known-white-supremacist" target="_blank">Portland Mercury</a> reports that&nbsp;Jeremy Christian was a known white supremacist, who as recently as April 29 attended a &quot;March for Free Speech&quot; in Montavilla,&nbsp;carrying a baseball bat to assault left wing activists. When police confiscated it, he began shouting racist obscenities, and was reportedy&nbsp;giving Nazi salutes all day.

On the train Friday&nbsp;Christian started shouting ethnic and religious slurs, apparently at the two young women, one of whom wore a Muslim head-covering, the Portland Police Department said in a statement.

Three men who intervened were stabbed. Ricky John Best, 53, of Happy Valley, Oregon died at the scene, while Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche, 23, of Southeast Portland died at a hospital, police said. A third victim, Micah David-Cole Fletcher of 21, Southeast Portland, remained in a local hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

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.<a href="https://twitter.com/lsarsour">@lsarsour</a> This is one of the young men who gave his life yesterday to fight hatred. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Portland?src=hash">#Portland</a> <a href="https://t.co/xB3BAwthIc">pic.twitter.com/xB3BAwthIc</a>
&mdash; IndivisibleOregon (@Indivisible_OR) <a href="https://twitter.com/Indivisible_OR/status/868512884451557376">May 27, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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The surviving <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Portland?src=hash">#Portland</a> hero. Micah Fletcher, 21, won a 2013 poetry competition w/ a poem condemning Islamophobia. In hospital w/stab wounds <a href="https://t.co/zxZt4L3flL">pic.twitter.com/zxZt4L3flL</a>
&mdash; Tarek El-Messidi (@Elmessidi) <a href="https://twitter.com/Elmessidi/status/868656255702900736">May 28, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Christian was booked on two counts of aggravated murder and charges of attempted murder, intimidation and being a felon in possession of a restricted weapon, and was ordered held without bail. His arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday.

The women, who had left the train before officers arrived, were later in contact with authorities, according to police, who have not released their identities.

Dyjuana Hudson, the mother of one of them, told The Oregonian newspaper her 16-year-old daughter, who is black, boarded the train with a Muslim friend, also a teenager, who was wearing a hijab.

The attacker approached the girls while screaming at them, Hudson told the newspaper, relaying an account her daughter had given her. &quot;He was saying that Muslims should die,&quot; Hudson said.

On Friday, police said detectives wanted to speak to the two women. A detective later took a statement from her family, Hudson told the paper. She could not be reached for comment.

Police declined to release details of Christian&#39;s criminal history, but the newspaper reported he had been convicted of robbery, kidnapping and weapon charges, citing court records. It was not immediately clear if he had obtained an attorney.

The suspect had no known affiliation with a criminal gang member nor any mental health history, police said.&nbsp;

A Facebook page that appears to belong to Christian mentions &quot;Jihadi Muslims&quot; among people he disliked. The image on the page matches a photo of Christian released by police.

&quot;There is too much hatred in the world right now and far too much violence. Our current political climate allows far too much room for those who spread bigotry,&quot; Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler told a news conference.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

The men who stood up to this known white supremacist will be remembered as heroes

A man fatally stabbed two passengers aboard a Portland, Oregon, commuter train after they tried to stop him from harassing two young women who appeared to be Muslim, police said on Saturday. Police identified the assailant, who was arrested soon after the Friday afternoon attack, as Jeremy Joseph Christian of Portland, a 35-year-old convicted felon. Here's Portland killer Jeremy Christian at a "free speech rally" three weeks ago making a Nazi salute: pic.twitter.com/lSJUxyLkUy — Omar Ghabra (@omarghabra) May 27, 2017 × In a statement, the Council on American-Islamic Relations blamed an increase in anti-Muslim incidents in part on President Donald Trump's focus on militant Islamist groups and anti-immigrant rhetoric. The administration has said that while it strongly opposes Islamist militants, it has no quarrel with Islam. A senior researcher with the Southern Poverty Law Center, in a blog post, said Christian's Facebook page showed he held "some racist and other extremist beliefs". The attack unfolded hours before the start of Ramadan, Islam's holy month, when most of the world's 1.6 billion Muslims observe a daily religious fast. The Portland Mercury reports that Jeremy Christian was a known white supremacist, who as recently as April 29 attended a "March for Free Speech" in Montavilla, carrying a baseball bat to assault left wing activists. When police confiscated it, he began shouting racist obscenities, and was reportedy giving Nazi salutes all day. On the train Friday Christian started shouting ethnic and religious slurs, apparently at the two young women, one of whom wore a Muslim head-covering, the Portland Police Department said in a statement. Three men who intervened were stabbed. Ricky John Best, 53, of Happy Valley, Oregon died at the scene, while Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche, 23, of Southeast Portland died at a hospital, police said. A third victim, Micah David-Cole Fletcher of 21, Southeast Portland, remained in a local hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, police said. .@lsarsour This is one of the young men who gave his life yesterday to fight hatred. #Portland pic.twitter.com/xB3BAwthIc — IndivisibleOregon (@Indivisible_OR) May 27, 2017 × The surviving #Portland hero. Micah Fletcher, 21, won a 2013 poetry competition w/ a poem condemning Islamophobia. In hospital w/stab wounds pic.twitter.com/zxZt4L3flL — Tarek El-Messidi (@Elmessidi) May 28, 2017 × Christian was booked on two counts of aggravated murder and charges of attempted murder, intimidation and being a felon in possession of a restricted weapon, and was ordered held without bail. His arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday. The women, who had left the train before officers arrived, were later in contact with authorities, according to police, who have not released their identities. Dyjuana Hudson, the mother of one of them, told The Oregonian newspaper her 16-year-old daughter, who is black, boarded the train with a Muslim friend, also a teenager, who was wearing a hijab. The attacker approached the girls while screaming at them, Hudson told the newspaper, relaying an account her daughter had given her. "He was saying that Muslims should die," Hudson said. On Friday, police said detectives wanted to speak to the two women. A detective later took a statement from her family, Hudson told the paper. She could not be reached for comment. Police declined to release details of Christian's criminal history, but the newspaper reported he had been convicted of robbery, kidnapping and weapon charges, citing court records. It was not immediately clear if he had obtained an attorney. The suspect had no known affiliation with a criminal gang member nor any mental health history, police said. A Facebook page that appears to belong to Christian mentions "Jihadi Muslims" among people he disliked. The image on the page matches a photo of Christian released by police. "There is too much hatred in the world right now and far too much violence. Our current political climate allows far too much room for those who spread bigotry," Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler told a news conference. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Two men stabbed to death on Oregon train trying to stop anti-Muslim rant

In a sprawling banquet hall, Ahmed Rehab walked to a lectern facing a glittering group of diners and launched into a searing speech excoriating the Donald Trump administration.

&quot;This fight is not just our fight, it is America&#39;s fight,&quot; Rehab told the packed room of 1,200 attendees - mostly American Muslims at a fundraiser for the Chicago chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), which Rehab heads.

&quot;As you look at those who are trying to ban good people from coming to this country,&quot; Rehab continued, &quot;people who&#39;ve committed no crime whatsoever other than in their minds the crime of being Muslim... we will have none of it.&quot;

The room broke into applause.

The president&#39;s efforts to institute a ban on travellers from certain Muslim-majority countries have been met with a strong response from Muslim Americans and their supporters.&nbsp;

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<h5>My kids are all American citizens,&#39; explained Fraheen Hashmi, a 36-year-old pharmacist with four young children.&nbsp;&#39;It&#39;s just scary to raise them in this environment&#39;</h5>
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But there is also fear that Islamophobia is on the rise, and that the Trump administration may still target Muslims.&nbsp;

&quot;There&#39;s a real dread of what&#39;s coming next, what&#39;s going to happen, who will be targeted,&quot; said Louise Cainkar, president of the Arab American Studies Association, and author of a book that examined how Arab and Muslim Americans were affected by policies following the September 11 attacks.

&quot;There&#39;s a sense that they&#39;re going to once again go after civic organisations, possibly surveil mosques, things that have been done in the past,&quot; she said.&nbsp;

What is different now, she said, is that Muslim and Arab groups have established ties with other communities -- and demonstrations against Trump&#39;s rhetoric now draw a mix of people from various faiths and backgrounds.&nbsp;

&quot;This is new, and this is really energising people,&quot; she said.

&#39;It&#39;s just scary&#39; 
At the banquet hall, those listening to Rehab&#39;s speech had mixed reactions -- some concerned, others optimistic because of the sense of cooperation with outside groups.&nbsp;

&quot;My kids are all American citizens,&quot; explained Fraheen Hashmi, a 36-year-old pharmacist with four young children.&nbsp;

&quot;It&#39;s just scary to raise them in this environment,&quot; she said, worried that they might grow up embarrassed of their heritage or afraid to identify as Muslim.&nbsp;

Zayna Saadeh was worried, too. The 59-year-old Palestinian immigrant has lived in the United States for 40 years. But now, she keeps the front door of her clothing store locked for fear of xenophobic attacks. She unlocks only when someone rings the doorbell.

&quot;We&#39;re not stranger(s),&quot; in the United States she said, but&quot;that&#39;s how we feel a lot of times right now.&quot;

Advocacy groups have reported a sharp rise in hate crimes.

Anti-Muslim groups nearly tripled last year, according to an annual census by the Southern Poverty Law Center. And in 2015, hate crimes against Muslims increased 67 percent, according to the FBI.

Those numbers may be going up, amid increasing reports of new incidents.

Last month, an arson fire damaged a Florida mosque, and a Kansas man was accused of shooting two Indian immigrants who he perceived as Middle Easterners, killing one. &nbsp;

This week, the Islamic Center of Tucson reported that a vandal had scattered ripped up copies of the Quran, Islam&#39;s holy text, around the mosque.

&#39;Best of America&#39; 
But there has also been a rallying response from Muslim groups and supporters, as Muslim-Americans have felt more scrutiny and threats.

During his speech at the banquet hall, Rehab pointed to new allies in the room -- non-Muslim lawyers who helped travellers during Trump&#39;s ill-fated first attempt at a ban that triggered chaos at American airports until it was halted by US courts.

&quot;My friends, you are the best of America,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

Other attendees echoed that optimism.

&quot;The negative could be turned into a positive, and I think that&#39;s what we&#39;re seeing now,&quot; said Akif Ali, a 36-year-old born in Houston.

&quot;The best part is that the American public themselves have become very generous to us,&quot; added Saqib Khan, a US-born lawyer of Pakistani descent.

&#39;Rapidly mobilising&#39; 
One evidence of the growing support was a gathering at Chicago&#39;s Grace Place Episcopal Church, where about 30 people -- many community activists for various other causes -- attended a presentation billed as a teach-in about Islamophobia.

Sofia Sami, dressed in the traditional Muslim head covering known as the hijab, stepped in front of a projection screen to help lead the group.

They watched samples of news coverage, discussed their own perceptions, and considered ways rhetoric shapes policies.

Two hours later as people cleared out, Sami reflected on how American politics are changing.

&quot;A lot of people who aren&#39;t Muslims are watching the news and seeking ways to support,&quot; said the 24-year-old first generation American of Indian descent.

CAIR, Rehab&#39;s group, has expanded its capacity in Chicago to take on hundreds of new volunteers, grown its network of schools, mosques and community centers and held know-your-rights training sessions.

&quot;These are definitely times that are rapidly mobilising the Muslim community, or co-strugglers of colour and allies,&quot; said CAIR spokeswoman Hoda Katebi.

(AFP)

But there is also fear that Islamophobia is on the rise and that the administration may still target them

In a sprawling banquet hall, Ahmed Rehab walked to a lectern facing a glittering group of diners and launched into a searing speech excoriating the Donald Trump administration. "This fight is not just our fight, it is America's fight," Rehab told the packed room of 1,200 attendees - mostly American Muslims at a fundraiser for the Chicago chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), which Rehab heads. "As you look at those who are trying to ban good people from coming to this country," Rehab continued, "people who've committed no crime whatsoever other than in their minds the crime of being Muslim... we will have none of it." The room broke into applause. The president's efforts to institute a ban on travellers from certain Muslim-majority countries have been met with a strong response from Muslim Americans and their supporters. My kids are all American citizens,' explained Fraheen Hashmi, a 36-year-old pharmacist with four young children. 'It's just scary to raise them in this environment' × But there is also fear that Islamophobia is on the rise, and that the Trump administration may still target Muslims. "There's a real dread of what's coming next, what's going to happen, who will be targeted," said Louise Cainkar, president of the Arab American Studies Association, and author of a book that examined how Arab and Muslim Americans were affected by policies following the September 11 attacks. "There's a sense that they're going to once again go after civic organisations, possibly surveil mosques, things that have been done in the past," she said. What is different now, she said, is that Muslim and Arab groups have established ties with other communities -- and demonstrations against Trump's rhetoric now draw a mix of people from various faiths and backgrounds. "This is new, and this is really energising people," she said. 'It's just scary' At the banquet hall, those listening to Rehab's speech had mixed reactions -- some concerned, others optimistic because of the sense of cooperation with outside groups. "My kids are all American citizens," explained Fraheen Hashmi, a 36-year-old pharmacist with four young children. "It's just scary to raise them in this environment," she said, worried that they might grow up embarrassed of their heritage or afraid to identify as Muslim. Zayna Saadeh was worried, too. The 59-year-old Palestinian immigrant has lived in the United States for 40 years. But now, she keeps the front door of her clothing store locked for fear of xenophobic attacks. She unlocks only when someone rings the doorbell. "We're not stranger(s)," in the United States she said, but"that's how we feel a lot of times right now." Advocacy groups have reported a sharp rise in hate crimes. Anti-Muslim groups nearly tripled last year, according to an annual census by the Southern Poverty Law Center. And in 2015, hate crimes against Muslims increased 67 percent, according to the FBI. Those numbers may be going up, amid increasing reports of new incidents. Last month, an arson fire damaged a Florida mosque, and a Kansas man was accused of shooting two Indian immigrants who he perceived as Middle Easterners, killing one. This week, the Islamic Center of Tucson reported that a vandal had scattered ripped up copies of the Quran, Islam's holy text, around the mosque. 'Best of America' But there has also been a rallying response from Muslim groups and supporters, as Muslim-Americans have felt more scrutiny and threats. During his speech at the banquet hall, Rehab pointed to new allies in the room -- non-Muslim lawyers who helped travellers during Trump's ill-fated first attempt at a ban that triggered chaos at American airports until it was halted by US courts. "My friends, you are the best of America," he said. Other attendees echoed that optimism. "The negative could be turned into a positive, and I think that's what we're seeing now," said Akif Ali, a 36-year-old born in Houston. "The best part is that the American public themselves have become very generous to us," added Saqib Khan, a US-born lawyer of Pakistani descent. 'Rapidly mobilising' One evidence of the growing support was a gathering at Chicago's Grace Place Episcopal Church, where about 30 people -- many community activists for various other causes -- attended a presentation billed as a teach-in about Islamophobia. Sofia Sami, dressed in the traditional Muslim head covering known as the hijab, stepped in front of a projection screen to help lead the group. They watched samples of news coverage, discussed their own perceptions, and considered ways rhetoric shapes policies. Two hours later as people cleared out, Sami reflected on how American politics are changing. "A lot of people who aren't Muslims are watching the news and seeking ways to support," said the 24-year-old first generation American of Indian descent. CAIR, Rehab's group, has expanded its capacity in Chicago to take on hundreds of new volunteers, grown its network of schools, mosques and community centers and held know-your-rights training sessions. "These are definitely times that are rapidly mobilising the Muslim community, or co-strugglers of colour and allies," said CAIR spokeswoman Hoda Katebi. (AFP)

America's Muslims fight back

A man named Hisham Saadi, 47, has been charged with carrying out a hoax regarding terrorist activity, uttering threats and mischief after calling in a fake&nbsp;bomb threat at a Canadian university, Concordia University, <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-concordia-university-bomb-threats-1.4006151" target="_blank">CBC </a>reports.

His arrest comes one day after three buildings at Concordia were <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/canadian-university-evacuated-over-anti-muslim-bomb-threat-12945" target="_blank">evacuated </a>because a letter, circulated to the school and to local media, claimed there were explosive devices planted&nbsp;around the school.

The <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/canadian-university-evacuated-over-anti-muslim-bomb-threat-12945" target="_blank">letter </a>stated: &quot;Now that President (Donald) Trump is in office south of the border, things have changed. We will not tolerate your behaviour anymore...Until Concordia University stops religious activities of all kinds on campus, we decide the following action to show how far we are ready to go to fight Muslims.&quot;

Saadi appeared in a Montreal courtroom Thursday afternoon via a video link, the report states. He&nbsp;was arrested at 1:30 am local time&nbsp;Thursday, after police officers, including&nbsp;tactical and canine units, descended on his apartment, Constable Boisselle told the CBC.

The police constable said it was unclear&nbsp;whether or not Saadi is at all connected&nbsp;to the university, but a man&nbsp;who spoke on condition of anonymity, claiming to have subletted his apartment to Saadi,&nbsp;said that he was an economic PhD student at Concordia, the CBC report claims.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The anonyous&nbsp;man said that he thinks Saadi has Canadian citizenship, that &quot;he has been here for many years&quot;, and that he is of&nbsp;Lebanese origin, the CBC report claims.

Saadi has been ordered to undergo a psychological assessment before his bail hearing, which is scheduled for Friday, the CBC said.

Concordia University is located in Montreal, Quebec, the same Canadian province&nbsp;where in late January 2017 a man, who had &quot;liked&quot; Donald Trump on Facebook, murdered six Muslims inside a mosque.&nbsp;

(WION)

Hisham Saadi, 47, was charged after a letter which invoked 'Trump' said there were bombs around the school in an effort to 'fight Muslims'

A man named Hisham Saadi, 47, has been charged with carrying out a hoax regarding terrorist activity, uttering threats and mischief after calling in a fake bomb threat at a Canadian university, Concordia University, CBC reports. His arrest comes one day after three buildings at Concordia were evacuated because a letter, circulated to the school and to local media, claimed there were explosive devices planted around the school. The letter stated: "Now that President (Donald) Trump is in office south of the border, things have changed. We will not tolerate your behaviour anymore...Until Concordia University stops religious activities of all kinds on campus, we decide the following action to show how far we are ready to go to fight Muslims." Saadi appeared in a Montreal courtroom Thursday afternoon via a video link, the report states. He was arrested at 1:30 am local time Thursday, after police officers, including tactical and canine units, descended on his apartment, Constable Boisselle told the CBC. The police constable said it was unclear whether or not Saadi is at all connected to the university, but a man who spoke on condition of anonymity, claiming to have subletted his apartment to Saadi, said that he was an economic PhD student at Concordia, the CBC report claims. The anonyous man said that he thinks Saadi has Canadian citizenship, that "he has been here for many years", and that he is of Lebanese origin, the CBC report claims. Saadi has been ordered to undergo a psychological assessment before his bail hearing, which is scheduled for Friday, the CBC said. Concordia University is located in Montreal, Quebec, the same Canadian province where in late January 2017 a man, who had "liked" Donald Trump on Facebook, murdered six Muslims inside a mosque. (WION)

Canadian man charged with terror-related bomb hoax on university campus

Yesterday the White House officially released a list of 78 terrorist attacks&nbsp;carried out by Islamic State (IS) supporters--in the US&nbsp;and abroad, between September 2014 to December 2016--claiming that these attacks were not&nbsp;reported, or were&nbsp;under-reported, in the media. Why did the White House publish such a document?

The list was&nbsp;distributed hours after Trump&nbsp;had accused the media of downplaying terrorist attacks, <a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/318190-cnn-gets-wh-list-of-terror-attacks-media-ignored" target="_blank">The Hill</a> reports.&nbsp;&quot;And in many cases, the very, very dishonest press doesn&#39;t want to report it,&quot; Trump said. He&nbsp;suggested that the media buried stories of terrorist&nbsp;attacks for ulterior motives. &quot;They have their own reasons, and you understand that,&quot; he said, without providing&nbsp;evidence.&nbsp;

Some of the attacks on the White House list have received major&nbsp;coverage in America, despite Trump&#39;s claim. But also included on the list were&nbsp;smaller strikes&nbsp;overseas that got less.

&nbsp;

Justifying the Muslim ban

The list comes as Trump has been panned, by <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/british-speaker-opposes-letting-trump-address-parliament-12121" target="_blank">lawmakers </a>and by <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/womens-march-protesters-flood-washington-to-protest-trump-administration-11544" target="_blank">millions</a>&nbsp;around the world,&nbsp;for a severe&nbsp;&quot;travel ban&quot; imposed on seven majority Muslim countries. Rudy Giulianni went on live TV to explain that Trump himself originally called this executive order a &quot;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/rudy-giuliani-told-trump-how-to-make-muslim-ban-legal-11841" target="_blank">Muslim ban</a>&quot;, even as his administration publicly contests that nomenclature. But presumably the White House is publishing this list to make it appear like the Muslim ban is founded on rationale, not prejudice. The list is also aimed&nbsp;normalising Trump&#39;s&nbsp;world view.

Publishing a catalogue of Islamic terrorism&nbsp;is parallel to an earlier&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;pledge to&nbsp;publish a weekly list of crimes committed by <a href="http://www.salon.com/2017/01/26/trump-plans-to-shame-sanctuary-cities-by-publishing-a-weekly-list-of-crimes-committed-by-undocumented-immigrants/" target="_blank">undocumented immigrants</a>&nbsp;in sanctuary cities. <a href="http://www.thefader.com/2017/01/26/trump-crimes-committed-immigrants-nazi" target="_blank">Critics </a>pointed out that this bore a resemblance to the list of crimes commited by Jewish people, kept&nbsp;by&nbsp;the Institute for Reseach on the Jewish Question in <a href="http://www.thefader.com/2017/01/26/trump-crimes-committed-immigrants-nazi" target="_blank">Nazi Germany</a>.

Highlighting the criminality of minorities is not designed to improve public safety, but to falsely create this&nbsp;appearance.&nbsp;Further, it is designed to make people hate and fear minorities, and to make it appear like fear and hate are sensible.

&nbsp;

Trump&#39;s silence speaks loudly

Last week, Alexandre Bissonnette,&nbsp;a 27-year-old caucasian Francophone&nbsp;from Quebec City, murdered six Muslims&nbsp;and injured eight more in a shooting spree inside a mosque.&nbsp;Canadians&nbsp;of all persuasions were shocked and saddened, but Trump sent condolences to &quot;the Prime Minister and people of Canada&quot;, rather than single out Muslims&nbsp;for support in a time of grief and fear. But the man for whom wishing&nbsp;&quot;Happy holidays&quot; instead of &quot;Merry Christmas&quot; is a sin warranting multiple twitter rants was unusually silent on social media. Initially there were murmurs that&nbsp;the killer was heard saying &quot;Allah Akbar!&quot; before unleashing carnage. This did not happen. Actually, far from this, Bissonnette liked &quot;Donald Trump&quot; on Facebook, and now former classmates say he&nbsp;&quot;really like Trump and had a permanent grudge against the left&quot;.

More, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said: &quot;We condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms...It&#39;s a terrible reminder of why we must remain vigilant and why the president is taking steps to be pro-active, rather re-active, when it comes to our nation&#39;s safety and security.&quot; Thus,&nbsp;mass murder perpetrated by a white French-Canadian&nbsp;against Muslim Canadians&nbsp;is warped and recast as evidence supposedly supporting the need to ban Muslims from entering America. Spicer&#39;s response, which is essentially articulating&nbsp;Trump&#39;s world view,&nbsp;is&nbsp;objectively incoherent.

&nbsp;

Stigmatising Muslims amid&nbsp;general disinformation from&nbsp;White House 

The Trump administration&#39;s Islamophobia&nbsp;also comes amid a torrent from them&nbsp;of general disinformation.&nbsp;White House spokesperson Kellyanne Conway was broadly criticised&nbsp;for coining&nbsp;the Orwellian term &quot;alternative facts&quot;&nbsp;to justify Sean Spicer&#39;s palpably false claim&nbsp;that the media&nbsp;misrepresented the crowd size at Trump&#39;s presidential inauguration.&nbsp;Reports are emerging&nbsp;of the White House shutting down a range of ordinary&nbsp;communication for various&nbsp;imporant agencies.&nbsp;Trump just recently&nbsp;dismissed as &quot;Fake News&quot; any poll that reflects <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2017/02/06/media/donald-trump-poll-denialism/" target="_blank">negatively </a>against&nbsp;him.

That the White House is actively&nbsp;dissemenating lies and shutting down open communication does not mean the media covering Trump is perfect!&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/rubycramer/democrats-confront-lefty-fake-news?utm_term=.oeBZJy8ZA#.ro6GLr7GM" target="_blank">BuzzFeed </a>published criticism of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/rubycramer/democrats-confront-lefty-fake-news" target="_blank">Fake News</a> with a liberal bent, as some Trump critics sensationalise half-truths,&nbsp;publish factually wrong information or outright fabrications.&nbsp;But the White House&#39;s criticism of the media seems to exist independently of media errors, and is designed to&nbsp;accomplish at least two goals. The first is to create fear by both&nbsp;stigmatising&nbsp;minorities and to paint the state of the country as being in&nbsp;&quot;<a href="http://www.vox.com/a/president-trump-inauguration-speech-transcript-annotations" target="_blank">carnage</a>&quot; that requires&nbsp;a strongman leader to fix.&nbsp;The second is to discredit the media, not because they are sometimes inaccurate, but specifically because&nbsp;they are&nbsp;accurate.

&nbsp;

The White House&#39;s bias

The White House&nbsp;publishing a&nbsp;list of terrorism attacks is hardly the first time politicians have tried to manipulate the media into getting&nbsp;headlines they desire. The criticism is not merely that they&#39;re shaping the story, it&#39;s that their framing is biased: It stigmatises&nbsp;Muslim citizens by associating Muslims in general with terrorism, and ignores terrorism&nbsp;committed by white people.

A 2015 article by&nbsp;<a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/06/18/white_extremist_murders_killed_at_least_60_in_u_s_since_1995.html" target="_blank">Ben Mathis-Lilley at Slate</a>&nbsp;corrects&nbsp;this record by publishing a&nbsp;list of terrorist attacks&nbsp;committed by white Americans on&nbsp;United States soil.<a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/06/18/white_extremist_murders_killed_at_least_60_in_u_s_since_1995.html" target="_blank"> &quot;White extremists&quot;</a> have killed at least 60 people in 23 deadly attacks since the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

Trump claims that any&nbsp;failure to utter<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72SbL2SJt-4" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a>&quot;Radical Islamist terrorism&quot; is&nbsp;dangerous&nbsp;political correctness. Esssentially&nbsp;Trump,&nbsp;and he&#39;s far from alone in this, believes that liberals are so overeagerly tolerant&nbsp;that in their misguided&nbsp;effort to be inclusive&nbsp;that they ignore flagrant,&nbsp;fatal&nbsp;threats in their midst.

This mindset presupposes that Muslims are uniquely and inherently dangerous, a bogus presumption which leads to two negative outcomes:&nbsp;A&nbsp;hostile environment for millions of peaceful Muslims, and a society unguarded against the&nbsp;real but officially unacknowledged&nbsp;danger of white terrorism, swallowed up as it is in the hysteria surounding a&nbsp;real but exaggerated threat&nbsp;posed by&nbsp;Islamic terrorism.

It also fails to take into account what should be a unifying and heartening truth,&nbsp;that&nbsp;people of every religion and skin colour actually agree:&nbsp;Islamic terrorism is very bad! Muslims are disproportionately the victims of terrorism. Islamic State is in predominantly Muslim countries&nbsp;killing thousands of people, destroying&nbsp;ancient sites&nbsp;and committing various other atrocities. Most of the people&nbsp;fighting against Islamic State are&nbsp;Muslims. Nobody likes Islamic State!

If Trump&#39;s only&nbsp;interest is keeping Americans safe, why is he silent about the threat posed by white terrorists? Trump says that if a leader is unwilling to&nbsp;say &quot;Radical Islamist terrorism&quot; aloud,&nbsp;they are incapable of protecting their society. They are soft on terror.&nbsp;But there is a class of terrorism about which Trump&nbsp;is glaringly,&nbsp;hypocritically silent.&nbsp;Trump&#39;s&nbsp;silence is both dividing Americans and putting them&nbsp;at risk.

Who he systematically criticises and systematically ignores reveals much.

As a private citizen Trump was free to tweet how he liked,&nbsp;but he is issuing&nbsp;official White House communications now. His pledge to put America&nbsp;first must apply equally for&nbsp;all Americans. This balance is required both&nbsp;when keeping Americans safe&nbsp;and when condemning American murderers, too.&nbsp;

(WION)

Trump is actively stigmatising Muslims and vilifying the media, and in the process ignoring many real threats to America

Yesterday the White House officially released a list of 78 terrorist attacks carried out by Islamic State (IS) supporters--in the US and abroad, between September 2014 to December 2016--claiming that these attacks were not reported, or were under-reported, in the media. Why did the White House publish such a document? The list was distributed hours after Trump had accused the media of downplaying terrorist attacks, The Hill reports. "And in many cases, the very, very dishonest press doesn't want to report it," Trump said. He suggested that the media buried stories of terrorist attacks for ulterior motives. "They have their own reasons, and you understand that," he said, without providing evidence. Some of the attacks on the White House list have received major coverage in America, despite Trump's claim. But also included on the list were smaller strikes overseas that got less. Justifying the Muslim ban The list comes as Trump has been panned, by lawmakers and by millions around the world, for a severe "travel ban" imposed on seven majority Muslim countries. Rudy Giulianni went on live TV to explain that Trump himself originally called this executive order a "Muslim ban", even as his administration publicly contests that nomenclature. But presumably the White House is publishing this list to make it appear like the Muslim ban is founded on rationale, not prejudice. The list is also aimed normalising Trump's world view. Publishing a catalogue of Islamic terrorism is parallel to an earlier Trump pledge to publish a weekly list of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants in sanctuary cities. Critics pointed out that this bore a resemblance to the list of crimes commited by Jewish people, kept by the Institute for Reseach on the Jewish Question in Nazi Germany. Highlighting the criminality of minorities is not designed to improve public safety, but to falsely create this appearance. Further, it is designed to make people hate and fear minorities, and to make it appear like fear and hate are sensible. Trump's silence speaks loudly Last week, Alexandre Bissonnette, a 27-year-old caucasian Francophone from Quebec City, murdered six Muslims and injured eight more in a shooting spree inside a mosque. Canadians of all persuasions were shocked and saddened, but Trump sent condolences to "the Prime Minister and people of Canada", rather than single out Muslims for support in a time of grief and fear. But the man for whom wishing "Happy holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" is a sin warranting multiple twitter rants was unusually silent on social media. Initially there were murmurs that the killer was heard saying "Allah Akbar!" before unleashing carnage. This did not happen. Actually, far from this, Bissonnette liked "Donald Trump" on Facebook, and now former classmates say he "really like Trump and had a permanent grudge against the left". More, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said: "We condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms...It's a terrible reminder of why we must remain vigilant and why the president is taking steps to be pro-active, rather re-active, when it comes to our nation's safety and security." Thus, mass murder perpetrated by a white French-Canadian against Muslim Canadians is warped and recast as evidence supposedly supporting the need to ban Muslims from entering America. Spicer's response, which is essentially articulating Trump's world view, is objectively incoherent. Stigmatising Muslims amid general disinformation from White House The Trump administration's Islamophobia also comes amid a torrent from them of general disinformation. White House spokesperson Kellyanne Conway was broadly criticised for coining the Orwellian term "alternative facts" to justify Sean Spicer's palpably false claim that the media misrepresented the crowd size at Trump's presidential inauguration. Reports are emerging of the White House shutting down a range of ordinary communication for various imporant agencies. Trump just recently dismissed as "Fake News" any poll that reflects negatively against him. That the White House is actively dissemenating lies and shutting down open communication does not mean the media covering Trump is perfect! BuzzFeed published criticism of Fake News with a liberal bent, as some Trump critics sensationalise half-truths, publish factually wrong information or outright fabrications. But the White House's criticism of the media seems to exist independently of media errors, and is designed to accomplish at least two goals. The first is to create fear by both stigmatising minorities and to paint the state of the country as being in "carnage" that requires a strongman leader to fix. The second is to discredit the media, not because they are sometimes inaccurate, but specifically because they are accurate. The White House's bias The White House publishing a list of terrorism attacks is hardly the first time politicians have tried to manipulate the media into getting headlines they desire. The criticism is not merely that they're shaping the story, it's that their framing is biased: It stigmatises Muslim citizens by associating Muslims in general with terrorism, and ignores terrorism committed by white people. A 2015 article by Ben Mathis-Lilley at Slate corrects this record by publishing a list of terrorist attacks committed by white Americans on United States soil. "White extremists" have killed at least 60 people in 23 deadly attacks since the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Trump claims that any failure to utter "Radical Islamist terrorism" is dangerous political correctness. Esssentially Trump, and he's far from alone in this, believes that liberals are so overeagerly tolerant that in their misguided effort to be inclusive that they ignore flagrant, fatal threats in their midst. This mindset presupposes that Muslims are uniquely and inherently dangerous, a bogus presumption which leads to two negative outcomes: A hostile environment for millions of peaceful Muslims, and a society unguarded against the real but officially unacknowledged danger of white terrorism, swallowed up as it is in the hysteria surounding a real but exaggerated threat posed by Islamic terrorism. It also fails to take into account what should be a unifying and heartening truth, that people of every religion and skin colour actually agree: Islamic terrorism is very bad! Muslims are disproportionately the victims of terrorism. Islamic State is in predominantly Muslim countries killing thousands of people, destroying ancient sites and committing various other atrocities. Most of the people fighting against Islamic State are Muslims. Nobody likes Islamic State! If Trump's only interest is keeping Americans safe, why is he silent about the threat posed by white terrorists? Trump says that if a leader is unwilling to say "Radical Islamist terrorism" aloud, they are incapable of protecting their society. They are soft on terror. But there is a class of terrorism about which Trump is glaringly, hypocritically silent. Trump's silence is both dividing Americans and putting them at risk. Who he systematically criticises and systematically ignores reveals much. As a private citizen Trump was free to tweet how he liked, but he is issuing official White House communications now. His pledge to put America first must apply equally for all Americans. This balance is required both when keeping Americans safe and when condemning American murderers, too. (WION)

OPINION: White House list of 78 terrorist attacks it claims media ignored ignores terrorism by white people

In the wake of Sunday&#39;s fatal attack on a mosque in Quebec City, attention is turning to the role of populist talk radio stations and their possible role in whipping up resentment against Muslims.

The day after the massacre at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Qu&eacute;bec, one local talk show host in Quebec City told his listeners several times that two hooded men shouting &quot;Allahu Akbar!&quot; had carried out the attack.

&quot;Is this Islamophobia or an Islamist attack?&quot; asked Sylvain Bouchard on station FM93. In fact, police that day charged a white Quebec man with six counts of premeditated murder and five counts of attempted murder with a restricted weapon for the attack. Members of Quebec&#39;s Muslim community suggest views expressed on what is known popularly as &quot;radio poubelle&quot; (garbage pail radio) may be encouraging extremist views in a province which has at times struggled to cope with immigration.

Quebec has seen a steady rise of right-wing groups, especially since a heated debate in 2007 about &quot;reasonable accommodation&quot;: how far the province should go to make immigrants feel welcome. The province last year unveiled draft legislation to ban face-coverings in the public sector in a move criticized as marginalizing Muslim women and potentially inflaming anti-immigrant tensions.

&quot;This unhealthy climate is fed by &#39;garbage pail radio&#39; where you can say anything and where the hosts vomit all over Muslims, Jews -- in short, everyone who isn&#39;t &#39;us&#39; but &#39;them,&quot; wrote Michele Ouimet, a columnist for the La Presse daily. Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard on Tuesday would not answer directly when asked by a reporter whether the radio stations were partly to blame.

But, he added: &quot;Words are important - written words, spoken words. People need to think carefully about that.&quot;

By Tuesday morning, Bouchard had radically changed his tune. &quot;Did I make a mistake? Yes,&quot; he said on air warning listeners to beware of unverified social media messages.

He also interviewed Quebec City Muslims, who called for acceptance in Quebec society, and Mathieu Fiset, a native-born Quebecer, who went from skin-head neo-Nazi to opponent of the alternative-right.

The far-right in Quebec

Several far-right groups are active in Quebec, with their activities increasingly expanding from online discussion to physical displays of protest. Soldiers of Odin, an anti-immigrant group founded in Finland in 2015, has a particularly visible presence in Quebec City, where it has regularly patrolled streets since early last year.

&quot;There is an underground culture of small far-right groups in Quebec,&quot; said Chedly Belkhodja, a professor of public affairs at Concordia University in Montreal. &quot;They feel their values are threatened by immigrants, by the mainstream political elites accepting more immigrants,&quot; he said.

Couillard admitted Quebec society was not perfect.

&quot;Racism, xenophobia and exclusion exist here. We have to recognise that and act together to highlight the path we want society to take,&quot; he said.

Francois Blais, the provincial government minister in charge of the Quebec region, admitted frankly that relations between locals and Muslim immigrants could be better.

&quot;I think native Quebecers in the region still don&#39;t know enough about this community...We are going to focus on organising activities to boost rapprochement,&quot; he told reporters.

(Reuters)

'This unhealthy climate is fed by 'garbage pail radio'... where the hosts vomit all over Muslims, Jews; In short, everyone who isn't 'us''

In the wake of Sunday's fatal attack on a mosque in Quebec City, attention is turning to the role of populist talk radio stations and their possible role in whipping up resentment against Muslims. The day after the massacre at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec, one local talk show host in Quebec City told his listeners several times that two hooded men shouting "Allahu Akbar!" had carried out the attack. "Is this Islamophobia or an Islamist attack?" asked Sylvain Bouchard on station FM93. In fact, police that day charged a white Quebec man with six counts of premeditated murder and five counts of attempted murder with a restricted weapon for the attack. Members of Quebec's Muslim community suggest views expressed on what is known popularly as "radio poubelle" (garbage pail radio) may be encouraging extremist views in a province which has at times struggled to cope with immigration. Quebec has seen a steady rise of right-wing groups, especially since a heated debate in 2007 about "reasonable accommodation": how far the province should go to make immigrants feel welcome. The province last year unveiled draft legislation to ban face-coverings in the public sector in a move criticized as marginalizing Muslim women and potentially inflaming anti-immigrant tensions. "This unhealthy climate is fed by 'garbage pail radio' where you can say anything and where the hosts vomit all over Muslims, Jews -- in short, everyone who isn't 'us' but 'them," wrote Michele Ouimet, a columnist for the La Presse daily. Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard on Tuesday would not answer directly when asked by a reporter whether the radio stations were partly to blame. But, he added: "Words are important - written words, spoken words. People need to think carefully about that." By Tuesday morning, Bouchard had radically changed his tune. "Did I make a mistake? Yes," he said on air warning listeners to beware of unverified social media messages. He also interviewed Quebec City Muslims, who called for acceptance in Quebec society, and Mathieu Fiset, a native-born Quebecer, who went from skin-head neo-Nazi to opponent of the alternative-right. The far-right in Quebec Several far-right groups are active in Quebec, with their activities increasingly expanding from online discussion to physical displays of protest. Soldiers of Odin, an anti-immigrant group founded in Finland in 2015, has a particularly visible presence in Quebec City, where it has regularly patrolled streets since early last year. "There is an underground culture of small far-right groups in Quebec," said Chedly Belkhodja, a professor of public affairs at Concordia University in Montreal. "They feel their values are threatened by immigrants, by the mainstream political elites accepting more immigrants," he said. Couillard admitted Quebec society was not perfect. "Racism, xenophobia and exclusion exist here. We have to recognise that and act together to highlight the path we want society to take," he said. Francois Blais, the provincial government minister in charge of the Quebec region, admitted frankly that relations between locals and Muslim immigrants could be better. "I think native Quebecers in the region still don't know enough about this community...We are going to focus on organising activities to boost rapprochement," he told reporters. (Reuters)

Talk radio, intolerance in focus as Quebec seeks answers after Mosque mass shooting

It is that time of the year again. It is always that time of the year.

We are back to raising usual questions about comedy and satire. BBC&rsquo;s latest satirical offering, a sketch called &quot;The Real Housewives of ISIS,&quot; debuted this week. It has already gone viral on social media while eliciting some extreme responses from viewers. &quot;Revolting,&quot; the BBC Two show on which the sketch aired, is a satirical sketch and prank series by the makers of &quot;The Revolution Will Be Televised&rsquo; and &lsquo;Brexageddon.&quot; &nbsp; &nbsp;

<center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="430" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DOB6UDC-67w" width="770"></iframe></center>

 
The two-minute video manages to refer to jihad, suicide vests, burqa, bombings, slavery, forty virgins, chat room grooming, amongst other things. The content is indeed explosive. BBC has been criticised for airing a sketch that pokes fun at the real women suffering under the clutches of the ISIS fighters. Charges of Islamophobia have also been levelled against the makers &mdash; the BAFTA winning duo Heydon Prowse and Jolyon Rubinstein.

The makers seem to be engaged in a David-Goliath fight. But who is David here? Does the sketch punch down the victims of ISIS brutalities and fan the already raging fire of the anti-Muslim sentiments? Or, is it serving the great cause of satire &mdash; reformation &mdash; as proposed by celebrated satirists across cultures and centuries? &nbsp;

&ldquo;We poets will force you into our point of view,&rdquo; says Horace humourously towards the end of his fourth Satire. The classical Roman satirist believed in the power of satire in bringing social change through ridicule and laughter. He, however, warned against overuse of bitter invective. Talking of Old Comedy in the fourth Satire, Horace clearly says that ridicule is better than invective and Old Comedy should be imitated in this regard. He states that a good satire needs much more than wit. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Studying the culture of folk humour in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, Mikhail Bakhtin in his &quot;Rabelais and His World&quot; says, &ldquo;A boundless world of humorous forms and manifestations opposed the official and serious tone of medieval ecclesiastical and feudal culture.&rdquo; Laughter is subversive. It has been a traditional tool to dismantle status-quo.

In the current context, the &quot;Housewives&quot;&nbsp;sketch seems to be combating the demagoguery of the ISIS. Aditi Mittal, a Mumbai based comedienne who has been working closely with BBC, shares her view on the same. &ldquo;The sketch is hilarious. It&#39;s mocking what is a very real problem of young women getting groomed online and joining causes like this. It is mocking joining the ISIS by young people &mdash; a thing that ought to be seen as something absurd. In that spirit, I&#39;m 100% on it and think it is pitch perfect. If we&#39;re not going to make fun of ISIS, then who do we get to make fun of?&rdquo; She adds, however, &ldquo;Since it is being released into a pervasive culture of the online world &mdash; where sarcasm and subtleties can get lost &mdash; it is fair enough to say that the video could be construed as Islamophobic.&rdquo;

What makes the same video funny for some and offensive for others?

Mittal has a ready answer for this age-old conundrum. &ldquo;Without proper context nothing is funny. The challenge with the online world is that now context is very wide reaching and different, literally, from person to person. That is why it may/may not be problematic.&rdquo;

Mittal sees the Islamophobia and insensitivity charges against the sketch as emanating from the rise of hateful rhetoric against Islam in the past few years. &ldquo;Also, since a lot of people still don&#39;t know how to distinguish between Islam and ISIS, this video could easily be misconstrued to further anti-Muslim sentiments.&rdquo;

Rana Safvi, a Delhi based author and a practicing Muslim, puts it strongly, &ldquo;We have to separate Islam from the ISIS. The sketch is stereotyping the ISIS fighters but in this there&#39;s no Islamophobia at all.&rdquo; She says that ridicule always works better than anger. However, she finds the sketch a bit insensitive as it is trivialising a genuine problem: the plight of these young women. Nevertheless, Safvi grants the makers satiric license.

Mehr Tarar, a Pakistani columnist, lauds the sketch for capturing the essence of &ldquo;what we read about ISIS and women who join them willingly&rdquo;. She does not find the video Islamophobic at all. &ldquo;The video is about skewed narratives and priorities that are upside down,&rdquo; adds Tarar. &nbsp;

Commenting on those who are outraging against the video, Eiynah, the anonymous creator of the iconic anti-homophobia comic book for children, &quot;My Chacha is Gay,&quot; says, &ldquo;They don&#39;t realise that they are only making Muslims look bad. Outrage around &quot;The Real Housewives of ISIS&quot; reminds me just how sorely lacking Muslim community is in humour.&rdquo; She continues, &ldquo;I want to live to see a Muslim &quot;Book of Mormon&quot; style show take place, safely some day inshallah! We should be able mock without getting killed. I want to go into a craft beer store and see a tongue in cheek beer label referencing my culture.&rdquo; Eiynah, who identifies herself as an ex-Muslim feminist woman, has created and shared a visual of an array of Shariah-compliant liquor bottles.

Whenever any cultural or literary production aims at the ills of a community, a similar storm brews on and off mainstream and social media. Bloodbath at the Charlie Hebdo office, threats to Maqbool Fida Husain from the Indian Hindu right-wing, fatwa against Salman Rushdie have one thing in common: inability to laugh.

Jo Coppola, noted columnist and television critic in the 1950s was thus quoted on comedy in &quot;The Realist&quot; in 1958:

&ldquo;Good comedy is social criticism&hellip;Comedy is dying today because criticism is on its deathbed... because telecasters, frightened by the threats and pressure of sponsors, blacklists and viewers, helped introduce conformity to this age... In such a climate, comedy cannot flourish. For comedy is, after all, a look at ourselves, not as we pretend to be when we look in the mirror of our imagination, but as we really are. Look at the comedy of any age and you will know volumes about that period and its people which neither the historian nor anthropologist can tell you.&rdquo;

Coppola&rsquo;s words hold true even half a century later today. Comics, satirists, and&nbsp;filmmakers are pitted against intolerance in an unequal fight. It is easy to force exile upon artists, put the publications out of business, and take shows off-air through threats of violence and boycott. In this David-Goliath battle, it is the comedy that is David, fighting against the Goliath of conformity desired by religious, political, and terror outfits.

(WION) 
&nbsp;

The viral BBC sketch ridiculing the ISIS brides causes a furore. Does satire need defenders today more than ever?

It is that time of the year again. It is always that time of the year. We are back to raising usual questions about comedy and satire. BBC’s latest satirical offering, a sketch called "The Real Housewives of ISIS," debuted this week. It has already gone viral on social media while eliciting some extreme responses from viewers. "Revolting," the BBC Two show on which the sketch aired, is a satirical sketch and prank series by the makers of "The Revolution Will Be Televised’ and ‘Brexageddon." The two-minute video manages to refer to jihad, suicide vests, burqa, bombings, slavery, forty virgins, chat room grooming, amongst other things. The content is indeed explosive. BBC has been criticised for airing a sketch that pokes fun at the real women suffering under the clutches of the ISIS fighters. Charges of Islamophobia have also been levelled against the makers — the BAFTA winning duo Heydon Prowse and Jolyon Rubinstein. The makers seem to be engaged in a David-Goliath fight. But who is David here? Does the sketch punch down the victims of ISIS brutalities and fan the already raging fire of the anti-Muslim sentiments? Or, is it serving the great cause of satire — reformation — as proposed by celebrated satirists across cultures and centuries? “We poets will force you into our point of view,” says Horace humourously towards the end of his fourth Satire. The classical Roman satirist believed in the power of satire in bringing social change through ridicule and laughter. He, however, warned against overuse of bitter invective. Talking of Old Comedy in the fourth Satire, Horace clearly says that ridicule is better than invective and Old Comedy should be imitated in this regard. He states that a good satire needs much more than wit. Studying the culture of folk humour in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, Mikhail Bakhtin in his "Rabelais and His World" says, “A boundless world of humorous forms and manifestations opposed the official and serious tone of medieval ecclesiastical and feudal culture.” Laughter is subversive. It has been a traditional tool to dismantle status-quo. In the current context, the "Housewives" sketch seems to be combating the demagoguery of the ISIS. Aditi Mittal, a Mumbai based comedienne who has been working closely with BBC, shares her view on the same. “The sketch is hilarious. It's mocking what is a very real problem of young women getting groomed online and joining causes like this. It is mocking joining the ISIS by young people — a thing that ought to be seen as something absurd. In that spirit, I'm 100% on it and think it is pitch perfect. If we're not going to make fun of ISIS, then who do we get to make fun of?” She adds, however, “Since it is being released into a pervasive culture of the online world — where sarcasm and subtleties can get lost — it is fair enough to say that the video could be construed as Islamophobic.” What makes the same video funny for some and offensive for others? Mittal has a ready answer for this age-old conundrum. “Without proper context nothing is funny. The challenge with the online world is that now context is very wide reaching and different, literally, from person to person. That is why it may/may not be problematic.” Mittal sees the Islamophobia and insensitivity charges against the sketch as emanating from the rise of hateful rhetoric against Islam in the past few years. “Also, since a lot of people still don't know how to distinguish between Islam and ISIS, this video could easily be misconstrued to further anti-Muslim sentiments.” Rana Safvi, a Delhi based author and a practicing Muslim, puts it strongly, “We have to separate Islam from the ISIS. The sketch is stereotyping the ISIS fighters but in this there's no Islamophobia at all.” She says that ridicule always works better than anger. However, she finds the sketch a bit insensitive as it is trivialising a genuine problem: the plight of these young women. Nevertheless, Safvi grants the makers satiric license. Mehr Tarar, a Pakistani columnist, lauds the sketch for capturing the essence of “what we read about ISIS and women who join them willingly”. She does not find the video Islamophobic at all. “The video is about skewed narratives and priorities that are upside down,” adds Tarar. Commenting on those who are outraging against the video, Eiynah, the anonymous creator of the iconic anti-homophobia comic book for children, "My Chacha is Gay," says, “They don't realise that they are only making Muslims look bad. Outrage around "The Real Housewives of ISIS" reminds me just how sorely lacking Muslim community is in humour.” She continues, “I want to live to see a Muslim "Book of Mormon" style show take place, safely some day inshallah! We should be able mock without getting killed. I want to go into a craft beer store and see a tongue in cheek beer label referencing my culture.” Eiynah, who identifies herself as an ex-Muslim feminist woman, has created and shared a visual of an array of Shariah-compliant liquor bottles. Whenever any cultural or literary production aims at the ills of a community, a similar storm brews on and off mainstream and social media. Bloodbath at the Charlie Hebdo office, threats to Maqbool Fida Husain from the Indian Hindu right-wing, fatwa against Salman Rushdie have one thing in common: inability to laugh. Jo Coppola, noted columnist and television critic in the 1950s was thus quoted on comedy in "The Realist" in 1958: “Good comedy is social criticism…Comedy is dying today because criticism is on its deathbed... because telecasters, frightened by the threats and pressure of sponsors, blacklists and viewers, helped introduce conformity to this age... In such a climate, comedy cannot flourish. For comedy is, after all, a look at ourselves, not as we pretend to be when we look in the mirror of our imagination, but as we really are. Look at the comedy of any age and you will know volumes about that period and its people which neither the historian nor anthropologist can tell you.” Coppola’s words hold true even half a century later today. Comics, satirists, and filmmakers are pitted against intolerance in an unequal fight. It is easy to force exile upon artists, put the publications out of business, and take shows off-air through threats of violence and boycott. In this David-Goliath battle, it is the comedy that is David, fighting against the Goliath of conformity desired by religious, political, and terror outfits. (WION)

BBC's 'The Real Housewives of ISIS' sparks debate over Islamophobia, insensitivity

A commission probing violence in Myanmar&#39;s Rakhine state on Wednesday denied security forces have carried out a genocidal campaign against the Rohingya, days after a video emerged showing police beating civilians from the Muslim minority.

Tens of thousands of Rohingya -- a group loathed by many among Myanmar&#39;s Buddhist majority -- have fled a military operation in the northwestern state, launched after deadly attacks on police posts in October.

Dozens have died in the crackdown, while escapees now in neighbouring Bangladesh have claimed they suffered rape, arson, murder and torture at the hands of police or soldiers.

Myanmar&#39;s government, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has said the allegations are invented and has resisted mounting international pressure to protect the minority.&nbsp;

A state-appointed commission set up to investigate the violence released its interim report on Wednesday, dismissing claims troops and police have embarked on a campaign to force the Rohingya out of the country.

Its interim findings come days after the government detained multiple police officers over a video showing policemen beating and kicking Rohingya villagers. The footage, shot by one of the officers, has sparked outrage and undermined the government&#39;s blanket denials that soldiers and police have carried out rights abuses.

The size of the &quot;Bengali&quot; population, mosques and religious buildings in the unrest-hit area &quot;are proof that there were no cases of genocide and religious persecution&quot;, it said in a statement carried in state media. Myanmar refuses to recognise the Rohingya as one of the country&#39;s ethnic minorities, instead describing them as Bengalis -- or illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh -- even though many have lived in Myanmar for generations.

The commission also found &quot;insufficient evidence&quot; of rape but added it was still looking into claims security forces committed arson, illegal arrests and torture of the Rohingya. It blamed the unrest on foreign-backed extremists, whom it said had attacked security forces in October to harm &quot;the sovereignty of the state... with the intention of igniting riots and conflicts&quot;.

Legal action has been taken against 485 people arrested during the army&#39;s subsequent clearance operation, it added, without giving further details. Chris Lewa, from the Arakan project, said the commission had failed to properly investigate the widespread allegations of rape and rights abuses.

&quot;The methodology is not credible, it&#39;s totally unprofessional,&quot; she said.&nbsp;&quot;There is no corroboration from the villagers they are meant to have talked to. Their job was to verify the allegations and the report has not verified them.&quot;&nbsp;

The commission has faced opposition from across the spectrum since it was announced last month -- the second body created by Suu Kyi to try to heal the simmering religious divide in Rakhine state.

Rights activists dismissed the 13-member commission as toothless, pointing out it is headed by the vice-president, a former army general. Rakhine nationalists and many of the state&#39;s MPs have denounced it as a tool for government propaganda.

Malaysia&#39;s prime minister has accused Suu Kyi of allowing genocide on her watch, while more than a dozen Nobel Laureates wrote to the UN Security Council urging action to stop the &quot;human tragedy amounting to ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity&quot; in northern Rakhine.

State media ran a statement from the Home Affairs Ministry on Wednesday, saying eight officers have now been arrested over the incident depicted in the video. &quot;Police committed abuses as they tried to arrest some villagers who fled the village and some who were hiding in their homes,&quot; the statement said.

Myanmar has long discriminated against the stateless Rohingya. More than one million of them live in Rakhine, including 120,000 in displacement camps. Their movements are severely restricted as well as their access to basic services, like health and education.

(AFP)

A recent video showing policemen beating and kicking Rohingya villagers undermines the government's blanket denials

A commission probing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state on Wednesday denied security forces have carried out a genocidal campaign against the Rohingya, days after a video emerged showing police beating civilians from the Muslim minority. Tens of thousands of Rohingya -- a group loathed by many among Myanmar's Buddhist majority -- have fled a military operation in the northwestern state, launched after deadly attacks on police posts in October. Dozens have died in the crackdown, while escapees now in neighbouring Bangladesh have claimed they suffered rape, arson, murder and torture at the hands of police or soldiers. Myanmar's government, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has said the allegations are invented and has resisted mounting international pressure to protect the minority. A state-appointed commission set up to investigate the violence released its interim report on Wednesday, dismissing claims troops and police have embarked on a campaign to force the Rohingya out of the country. Its interim findings come days after the government detained multiple police officers over a video showing policemen beating and kicking Rohingya villagers. The footage, shot by one of the officers, has sparked outrage and undermined the government's blanket denials that soldiers and police have carried out rights abuses. The size of the "Bengali" population, mosques and religious buildings in the unrest-hit area "are proof that there were no cases of genocide and religious persecution", it said in a statement carried in state media. Myanmar refuses to recognise the Rohingya as one of the country's ethnic minorities, instead describing them as Bengalis -- or illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh -- even though many have lived in Myanmar for generations. The commission also found "insufficient evidence" of rape but added it was still looking into claims security forces committed arson, illegal arrests and torture of the Rohingya. It blamed the unrest on foreign-backed extremists, whom it said had attacked security forces in October to harm "the sovereignty of the state... with the intention of igniting riots and conflicts". Legal action has been taken against 485 people arrested during the army's subsequent clearance operation, it added, without giving further details. Chris Lewa, from the Arakan project, said the commission had failed to properly investigate the widespread allegations of rape and rights abuses. "The methodology is not credible, it's totally unprofessional," she said. "There is no corroboration from the villagers they are meant to have talked to. Their job was to verify the allegations and the report has not verified them." The commission has faced opposition from across the spectrum since it was announced last month -- the second body created by Suu Kyi to try to heal the simmering religious divide in Rakhine state. Rights activists dismissed the 13-member commission as toothless, pointing out it is headed by the vice-president, a former army general. Rakhine nationalists and many of the state's MPs have denounced it as a tool for government propaganda. Malaysia's prime minister has accused Suu Kyi of allowing genocide on her watch, while more than a dozen Nobel Laureates wrote to the UN Security Council urging action to stop the "human tragedy amounting to ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity" in northern Rakhine. State media ran a statement from the Home Affairs Ministry on Wednesday, saying eight officers have now been arrested over the incident depicted in the video. "Police committed abuses as they tried to arrest some villagers who fled the village and some who were hiding in their homes," the statement said. Myanmar has long discriminated against the stateless Rohingya. More than one million of them live in Rakhine, including 120,000 in displacement camps. Their movements are severely restricted as well as their access to basic services, like health and education. (AFP)

Myanmar commission denies genocidal campaign against Rohingya Muslims

A weekend attack in which a man set fire to a veiled British woman&#39;s clothing in Manhattan was not likely an Islamophobic attack, police said Wednesday. 
 
The incident took place late Saturday in front of a luxury boutique on 5th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The woman, a 35-year-old tourist, said she was walking when she suddenly felt her shirt sleeve on fire. 
 
Police at first said they were investigating a possible hate crime, but backtracked on Wednesday, saying she was not likely targeted because of her clothing. 
 
Two similar attacks were carried out against women in the same area on Saturday night, police said. The woman was neither a Muslim nor was wearing any religious clothing. 
 
Police said the investigation is continuing and no suspects have been arrested. 
 
In August, an imam and his assistant were shot to death on the street near their mosque in the borough of Queens. An investigation into that incident has not yet established that it was an Islamophobic attack. 
 
After the shooting, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that additional police officers would be deployed to secure mosques and the Muslim community. 
 
(AFP)

Police said that the woman, who was set on fire on Saturday, was not targeted because of her clothing

A weekend attack in which a man set fire to a veiled British woman's clothing in Manhattan was not likely an Islamophobic attack, police said Wednesday. The incident took place late Saturday in front of a luxury boutique on 5th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The woman, a 35-year-old tourist, said she was walking when she suddenly felt her shirt sleeve on fire. Police at first said they were investigating a possible hate crime, but backtracked on Wednesday, saying she was not likely targeted because of her clothing. Two similar attacks were carried out against women in the same area on Saturday night, police said. The woman was neither a Muslim nor was wearing any religious clothing. Police said the investigation is continuing and no suspects have been arrested. In August, an imam and his assistant were shot to death on the street near their mosque in the borough of Queens. An investigation into that incident has not yet established that it was an Islamophobic attack. After the shooting, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that additional police officers would be deployed to secure mosques and the Muslim community. (AFP)

Veiled British woman's attack not likely anti-Muslim: New York police

Germany&#39;s interior minister came out in favour of partially banning the full-face burqa Islamic veil on Friday, as a debate on integration rages after two jihadist attacks, and ahead of key state polls. 
 
The call by Thomas de Maiziere comes as Chancellor Angela Merkel&#39;s government attempts to address public fears surrounding last year&#39;s record influx of migrants and refugees.&nbsp;It also echoed a controversial move by several French towns in recent weeks to outlaw &quot;burkinis&quot;, the full-body Islamic swimsuit, at a highly sensitive time for relations with the Muslim community following a series of Islamist attacks. 
 
&quot;We agree that we reject the burqa, we agree that we want to introduce a legal requirement to show one&#39;s face in places where it is necessary for our society&#39;s coexistence: at the wheel, at public offices, at the registry office, in schools and universities, in the civil service, in court,&quot; De Maiziere said after a meeting with regional counterparts from his conservative bloc. 
 
He told public television that the full-face veil &quot;does not belong in our cosmopolitan country&quot;. 
 
&quot;We want to show our faces to each other and that is why we agree that we reject this. The question is, how we put this into law,&quot; he said.&nbsp;De Maiziere, who was to hold a press conference later on Friday on the proposal, did not say when he would put forward a draft bill. 
 
But he indicated that outlawing the burqa only under certain circumstances, as opposed to the blanket ban favoured by the hard right of Merkel&#39;s Christian Union bloc, would be &quot;likely to win approval&quot; in parliament.&nbsp;Merkel&#39;s right-left &quot;grand coalition&quot; holds an overwhelming majority in the Bundestag lower house. 
 
Islamic State threat &#39;already there&#39; 
 
In an interview with a regional newspaper this week, Merkel underlined her objections to the burqa.&nbsp;&quot;From my point of view, a woman who is entirely veiled has hardly any chance at integrating,&quot; she said. 
 
De Maiziere&#39;s position outlined on Friday represents a compromise with hardliners ahead of two pivotal regional elections next month in which the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party looks set to make strong gains. 
 
Just last week he had rejected a call from conservative state interior ministers for a sweeping burqa ban, saying: &quot;We can&#39;t ban everything that we reject, and I reject the wearing of the burqa.&quot; 
 
He made the comments on August 11 as he unveiled tough new anti-terror measures after two attacks in Germany last month claimed by the Islamic State group.&nbsp;The measures included a controversial proposal to strip jihadist fighters of their German nationality, as well as to speed up deportations of convicted criminal migrants and boost police resources. 
 
The AfD in particular has attempted to link the arrival of nearly 1.1 million migrants and refugees in Germany last year with an increased threat of terrorism, an argument Merkel sharply rejected this week on the campaign trail in her home district. 
 
&quot;The phenomenon of Islamist terrorism by Islamic State is not something that came to us with the refugees, it was already there,&quot; she said, referring to the threat posed by homegrown militants. 
 
(AFP)

Thomas de Maiziere told public television that the full-face veil 'does not belong in our cosmopolitan country'

Germany's interior minister came out in favour of partially banning the full-face burqa Islamic veil on Friday, as a debate on integration rages after two jihadist attacks, and ahead of key state polls. The call by Thomas de Maiziere comes as Chancellor Angela Merkel's government attempts to address public fears surrounding last year's record influx of migrants and refugees. It also echoed a controversial move by several French towns in recent weeks to outlaw "burkinis", the full-body Islamic swimsuit, at a highly sensitive time for relations with the Muslim community following a series of Islamist attacks. "We agree that we reject the burqa, we agree that we want to introduce a legal requirement to show one's face in places where it is necessary for our society's coexistence: at the wheel, at public offices, at the registry office, in schools and universities, in the civil service, in court," De Maiziere said after a meeting with regional counterparts from his conservative bloc. He told public television that the full-face veil "does not belong in our cosmopolitan country". "We want to show our faces to each other and that is why we agree that we reject this. The question is, how we put this into law," he said. De Maiziere, who was to hold a press conference later on Friday on the proposal, did not say when he would put forward a draft bill. But he indicated that outlawing the burqa only under certain circumstances, as opposed to the blanket ban favoured by the hard right of Merkel's Christian Union bloc, would be "likely to win approval" in parliament. Merkel's right-left "grand coalition" holds an overwhelming majority in the Bundestag lower house. Islamic State threat 'already there' In an interview with a regional newspaper this week, Merkel underlined her objections to the burqa. "From my point of view, a woman who is entirely veiled has hardly any chance at integrating," she said. De Maiziere's position outlined on Friday represents a compromise with hardliners ahead of two pivotal regional elections next month in which the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party looks set to make strong gains. Just last week he had rejected a call from conservative state interior ministers for a sweeping burqa ban, saying: "We can't ban everything that we reject, and I reject the wearing of the burqa." He made the comments on August 11 as he unveiled tough new anti-terror measures after two attacks in Germany last month claimed by the Islamic State group. The measures included a controversial proposal to strip jihadist fighters of their German nationality, as well as to speed up deportations of convicted criminal migrants and boost police resources. The AfD in particular has attempted to link the arrival of nearly 1.1 million migrants and refugees in Germany last year with an increased threat of terrorism, an argument Merkel sharply rejected this week on the campaign trail in her home district. "The phenomenon of Islamist terrorism by Islamic State is not something that came to us with the refugees, it was already there," she said, referring to the threat posed by homegrown militants. (AFP)

Germany's interior minister votes for partial burqa ban

The French resort of Cannes won court backing for its &quot;burkini ban&quot; today as a judge refused to overturn its decision to forbid Muslim women from wearing the full-body swimsuit. 
 
Local authorities in the Riviera city, home to the famous Cannes film festival, moved to ban burkinis from beaches at the end of July. The nearby resort of Villeneuve-Loubet followed suit today. 
 
Three women backed by the Collective Against Islamophobia in France (CCIF) challenged the Cannes decision in court on Friday, saying it was illegal and calling for it to be suspended. 
 
But a court in Nice rejected the request, saying the move was legal under French law forbidding people from &quot;invoking their religious beliefs to skirt common rules regulating relations between public authorities and private individuals&quot;. 
 
The judge noted that the Cannes ban had been declared &quot;in the context of the state of emergency and recent Islamist attacks, notably in Nice a month ago&quot;. 
 
&quot;The wearing of distinctive clothing, other than that usually worn for swimming, can indeed only be interpreted in this context as a straightforward symbol of religiosity,&quot; the ruling said. 
 
CCIF lawyer Sefen Guez Guez said he would appeal the decision before France&#39;s highest administrative court, adding: &quot;This decision opens the door to a ban on all religious symbols in the public space.&quot; 
 
Anti-racism groups have expressed outrage at the burkini bans, which come at a highly sensitive time following a series of jihadist attacks in France. 
 
Islamic dress has long been a hot-button issue in secular France, where the full-face veil is banned in public places. But there is no ban on wearing religious symbols or clothing. 
 
 
&#39;Ban for sanitary decisions&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Cannes mayor David Lisnard said he had signed off on the burkini ban out of &quot;respect for good customs and secularism&quot;, a founding principle of the French republic. 
 
In nearby Villeneuve-Loubet, mayor Lionnel Luca had a different justification for banning the garment, saying he made the decision for sanitary reasons. 
 
&quot;I was informed that there was a couple on one of our beaches where the wife was swimming fully dressed,&quot; said. 
 
&quot;I considered that unacceptable for hygienic reasons and that in general it was unwelcome.&quot; 
 
He disputing charges that the burkini ban was discriminatory, saying it was intended &quot;to avoid any disturbance to public order in the region which was hit by attacks&quot;. 
 
Burkinis have also been in the headlines in France this week after a waterpark in the city of Marseille cancelled plans to host a private event for women wearing burkinis, following a public uproar. 
 
France has been hit by three major terror attacks in 18 months, and the Islamic State group claimed two assaults on French territory in July. 
 
On July 14, Nice was the target of an attack claimed by IS which killed 85 people, when an Algerian ploughed a truck into crowds celebrating Bastille Day. 
 
And on July 26, a priest was killed in his church in northwestern France by two attackers who had proclaimed their allegiance to IS. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

A Nice court rejected request by 3 women saying the move was legal under French law forbidding people from 'invoking religious beliefs'

The French resort of Cannes won court backing for its "burkini ban" today as a judge refused to overturn its decision to forbid Muslim women from wearing the full-body swimsuit. Local authorities in the Riviera city, home to the famous Cannes film festival, moved to ban burkinis from beaches at the end of July. The nearby resort of Villeneuve-Loubet followed suit today. Three women backed by the Collective Against Islamophobia in France (CCIF) challenged the Cannes decision in court on Friday, saying it was illegal and calling for it to be suspended. But a court in Nice rejected the request, saying the move was legal under French law forbidding people from "invoking their religious beliefs to skirt common rules regulating relations between public authorities and private individuals". The judge noted that the Cannes ban had been declared "in the context of the state of emergency and recent Islamist attacks, notably in Nice a month ago". "The wearing of distinctive clothing, other than that usually worn for swimming, can indeed only be interpreted in this context as a straightforward symbol of religiosity," the ruling said. CCIF lawyer Sefen Guez Guez said he would appeal the decision before France's highest administrative court, adding: "This decision opens the door to a ban on all religious symbols in the public space." Anti-racism groups have expressed outrage at the burkini bans, which come at a highly sensitive time following a series of jihadist attacks in France. Islamic dress has long been a hot-button issue in secular France, where the full-face veil is banned in public places. But there is no ban on wearing religious symbols or clothing. 'Ban for sanitary decisions' Cannes mayor David Lisnard said he had signed off on the burkini ban out of "respect for good customs and secularism", a founding principle of the French republic. In nearby Villeneuve-Loubet, mayor Lionnel Luca had a different justification for banning the garment, saying he made the decision for sanitary reasons. "I was informed that there was a couple on one of our beaches where the wife was swimming fully dressed," said. "I considered that unacceptable for hygienic reasons and that in general it was unwelcome." He disputing charges that the burkini ban was discriminatory, saying it was intended "to avoid any disturbance to public order in the region which was hit by attacks". Burkinis have also been in the headlines in France this week after a waterpark in the city of Marseille cancelled plans to host a private event for women wearing burkinis, following a public uproar. France has been hit by three major terror attacks in 18 months, and the Islamic State group claimed two assaults on French territory in July. On July 14, Nice was the target of an attack claimed by IS which killed 85 people, when an Algerian ploughed a truck into crowds celebrating Bastille Day. And on July 26, a priest was killed in his church in northwestern France by two attackers who had proclaimed their allegiance to IS. (AFP)

French court upholds Cannes 'burkini ban'?

<div>Islamophobia has risen markedly in Germany, a study published today showed, underscoring the tensions simmering in German society after more than one million migrants, mostly Muslims, arrived last year. 
 
Every second respondent in the study of 2,420 people said they sometimes felt like a foreigner in their own country due to the many Muslims here, the number of which has gone&nbsp;up to&nbsp;43 per cent in 2014 from&nbsp;30.2 per cent in 2009. 
 
The number of people who believe Muslims should be forbidden from coming to Germany has also risen, the study showed, and now stands at just above 40 per cent, up from about a fifth in 2009. 
 
The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Leipzig in co-operation with the Heinrich Boell Foundation, the Rosa-Luxemburg Foundation and the Otto-Brenner foundation. 
 
The influx of migrants has fuelled support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party that wants to ban minarets and the burqa and has described Islam as incompatible with the German constitution. 
 
The number of attacks on refugee shelters has also risen.&nbsp; 
 
Supporters of the AfD were most likely to favour stopping Muslims from coming to Germany while Green voters were most likely to disagree with the statement that Muslims made them feel like foreigners, the survey found. 
 
On Monday German President Joachim Gauck warned against demonising Muslims and against polarisation along religious and ethnic lines in German society when he joined a Ramadan dinner in Berlin.&nbsp; 
 
Germany is home to nearly four million Muslims, about five per cent of the total population. Many of the longer established Muslim community in Germany came from Turkey to find work, but those who have arrived over the past year have mostly been fleeing conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. 
 
The study also examined extreme right-wing views towards other groups in Germany. 
&quot;While general prejudice against migrants fell slightly, the focus of resentment towards asylums seekers, Muslims as well as Sinti and Roma, increased,&quot; the study&#39;s authors said. 
 
The number of those surveyed that believed Sinti and Roma peoples tended towards criminality rose to nearly 60 per cent, while slightly more than 80 per cent of respondents wanted the state not to be too generous when examining asylum applications. 
 
Almost 40 per cent of those surveyed in east Germany agreed with the statement that foreigners only came to Germany to take advantage of its social welfare benefits, compared to about 30 per cent of those in the west of the country.</div>

Over a million Muslim migrants arrived in Germany in 2015, making Germans feel like foreigners in their own land

Islamophobia has risen markedly in Germany, a study published today showed, underscoring the tensions simmering in German society after more than one million migrants, mostly Muslims, arrived last year. Every second respondent in the study of 2,420 people said they sometimes felt like a foreigner in their own country due to the many Muslims here, the number of which has gone up to 43 per cent in 2014 from 30.2 per cent in 2009. The number of people who believe Muslims should be forbidden from coming to Germany has also risen, the study showed, and now stands at just above 40 per cent, up from about a fifth in 2009. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Leipzig in co-operation with the Heinrich Boell Foundation, the Rosa-Luxemburg Foundation and the Otto-Brenner foundation. The influx of migrants has fuelled support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party that wants to ban minarets and the burqa and has described Islam as incompatible with the German constitution. The number of attacks on refugee shelters has also risen. Supporters of the AfD were most likely to favour stopping Muslims from coming to Germany while Green voters were most likely to disagree with the statement that Muslims made them feel like foreigners, the survey found. On Monday German President Joachim Gauck warned against demonising Muslims and against polarisation along religious and ethnic lines in German society when he joined a Ramadan dinner in Berlin. Germany is home to nearly four million Muslims, about five per cent of the total population. Many of the longer established Muslim community in Germany came from Turkey to find work, but those who have arrived over the past year have mostly been fleeing conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. The study also examined extreme right-wing views towards other groups in Germany. "While general prejudice against migrants fell slightly, the focus of resentment towards asylums seekers, Muslims as well as Sinti and Roma, increased," the study's authors said. The number of those surveyed that believed Sinti and Roma peoples tended towards criminality rose to nearly 60 per cent, while slightly more than 80 per cent of respondents wanted the state not to be too generous when examining asylum applications. Almost 40 per cent of those surveyed in east Germany agreed with the statement that foreigners only came to Germany to take advantage of its social welfare benefits, compared to about 30 per cent of those in the west of the country.

Islamophobia on rise in Germany: Study

<div>The photo from Omar Mateen&rsquo;s high school yearbook is hardly remarkable - a toothy, dimpled smile with a peach-fuzz mustache below a mop of black hair. 
 
His transformation from high school football player to perpetrator of America&#39;s worst mass shooting raises questions about whether red flags were missed over the depth of his apparent sympathies with Muslim extremists. 
 
As families of the victims grieved, and the nation recoiled at the scale of yet another mass shooting, a picture began to emerge of the 29-year-old killer as a quiet, devout person who in recent years displayed a hateful and violent streak. 
 
Early on Sunday, he stormed a packed gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, with a handgun and a AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, fatally shooting 50 before police killed him. Fifty-three others were wounded, many critically. 
 
His ex-wife, Sitora Yusufiy, described him as &quot;bipolar&quot;&nbsp;and emotionally disturbed, with a violent temper. She said she had been beaten and otherwise physically abused by Mateen during outbursts in which he &quot;expresed&nbsp;hatred towards everything&quot;. She was &quot;rescued&quot; by family members just four months into a stormy marriage that began in 2009 and ended in divorce, she said. 
 
&quot;He would often get into fights with his parents, but as I was the only one in his life, most of the violence was directed towards me,&rdquo; she told reporters in Boulder, Colorado outside a home where she was staying. 
 
She said he aspired to be a police officer and had worked as a correctional officer at a detention centre for juvenile delinquents in Fort Pierce, Florida, and had once sought admission to a police academy. 
 
In Fort Pierce on Florida&rsquo;s southeast coast, 120 miles (195 km) from the shooting, the imam at the mosque that Mateen attended for nearly 10 years described him as a regular worshipper who was quiet and rarely interacted with the congregation. 
 
&quot;He hardly had any friends,&quot; Syed Shafeeq Rahman, who heads the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce, said. &quot;He would come with his little son at night to pray and after he would leave.&quot; 
 
Rahman said Mateen never approached him regarding any concerns about homosexuals. He usually prayed at the mosque a few times a week, mostly in evenings and as recently as Friday, but he did&nbsp;not&nbsp;display signs of radicalism, according to fellow worshippers. 
 
Mateen was born in New York of Afghan descent, but spent most of his life in Florida, attending Martin County High School in Stuart, a small city about a 20-minute drive from the Fort Pierce condominium where had most recently lived. 
 
A classmate described him as a typical teen who played football. 
 
Samuel King, who was one year ahead of Mateen, said the two often spoke after Mateen graduated in 2004. King waited tables at Ruby Tuesday&rsquo;s restaurant at Treasure Coast Square, a mall where Mateen worked at GNC, the nutrition store, he said. 
 
King, who is openly gay, said the Mateen he knew until 2009 did not appear to be anti-homosexual. 
 
&ldquo;What is shocking to me is that the majority of the staff at Ruby Tuesday&rsquo;s when I worked there were gay. He clearly was not anti-(gay) at least not back then. He did not show any hatred to any of us.&quot; 
 
While at GNC, Mateen lifted weights and &quot;got really buff,&quot; King said, describing Mateen as gregarious and talkative in the immediate years after high school. &ldquo;Something must have changed&quot; since he last saw him, he added. 
 
Mateen&#39;s father, Mir Seddique, told NBC News the massacre was not related to religion. He said his son turned angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami a couple of months ago. 
 
FBI interviews 
 
The FBI twice interviewed Mateen for having suspected ties to Islamist militants. The first investigation took place in 2013 when Mateen made inflammatory comments to co-workers that indicated sympathy for militants, FBI special agent in charge Ron Hopper told a news conference in Orlando. 
 
At the time, Mateen worked as a security guard at G4S, a British-owned multinational company that is among the world&#39;s largest private security firms. 
 
He joined G4S in September 2007, carried a gun as part of his duties and was employed with the company at the time of the shooting as an armed security officer, the company said. 
 
G4S provides security to federal buildings in Florida. 
 
Mateen was investigated and interviewed twice but the FBI was &ldquo;unable to verify the substance of his comments,&rdquo; Hopper said. 
 
Daniel Kime, a security guard employed along with Mateen at G4S in the Fort Pierce area, said he met Mateen briefly three or four times. &quot;Every time I saw him he never smiled. If you said good morning, he&rsquo;d just walk right by you, like he had a chip on his shoulder,&quot; Kime said. 
 
Daniel Gilroy, who said he was a co-worker of Mateen&#39;s at G4S, said that Mateen&#39;s anger was &quot;constant.&quot; 
 
&quot;Any time a female or a black person would come by he would use horrible words,&quot; he said. 
 
In 2014, Hopper said, Mateen was investigated and interviewed again, this time for suspected connections to Moner Mohammad Abu-Salha, an American citizen who became a suicide bomber in Syria in 2014. 
 
Hopper said Mateen&rsquo;s contact with Abu-Salha was minimal and it was deemed that &ldquo;he did not constitute a substantive threat at that time.&rdquo; 
 
&#39;Not a stable person&#39; 
 
Hopper said Mateen was not under investigation or surveillance at the time of Sunday&rsquo;s attack. 
 
He said Mateen called during the massacre to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, which in recent years declared a caliphate over large swathes of Iraq and Syria. But the depth of that commitment is unclear. 
 
Mateen also mentioned the Boston Marathon bombers during the call, which he made 20 minutes into the shootings, authorities said. 
 
Mateen&#39;s former wife said she met Mateen online about eight years ago and decided to move to Florida to marry him, according to the Washington Post. 
 
&quot;He was not a stable person,&quot; she said. &quot;He beat me. He would just come home and start beating me up because the laundry wasn&#39;t finished or something like that.&quot; 
 
Mateen had a Florida firearms license that expired in 2013 and a state permit to work as a security guard, according to public records. He was registered as a Democrat. 
 
City, state and federal officials were searching Mateen&#39;s apartment in the Woodlands condominium building in Fort Pierce and had told other residents to evacuate.</div>

Wife of the gunman, who shot down at least 50 at a gay club in Orlando, said he was 'bipolar' and often beat her

The photo from Omar Mateen’s high school yearbook is hardly remarkable - a toothy, dimpled smile with a peach-fuzz mustache below a mop of black hair. His transformation from high school football player to perpetrator of America's worst mass shooting raises questions about whether red flags were missed over the depth of his apparent sympathies with Muslim extremists. As families of the victims grieved, and the nation recoiled at the scale of yet another mass shooting, a picture began to emerge of the 29-year-old killer as a quiet, devout person who in recent years displayed a hateful and violent streak. Early on Sunday, he stormed a packed gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, with a handgun and a AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, fatally shooting 50 before police killed him. Fifty-three others were wounded, many critically. His ex-wife, Sitora Yusufiy, described him as "bipolar" and emotionally disturbed, with a violent temper. She said she had been beaten and otherwise physically abused by Mateen during outbursts in which he "expresed hatred towards everything". She was "rescued" by family members just four months into a stormy marriage that began in 2009 and ended in divorce, she said. "He would often get into fights with his parents, but as I was the only one in his life, most of the violence was directed towards me,” she told reporters in Boulder, Colorado outside a home where she was staying. She said he aspired to be a police officer and had worked as a correctional officer at a detention centre for juvenile delinquents in Fort Pierce, Florida, and had once sought admission to a police academy. In Fort Pierce on Florida’s southeast coast, 120 miles (195 km) from the shooting, the imam at the mosque that Mateen attended for nearly 10 years described him as a regular worshipper who was quiet and rarely interacted with the congregation. "He hardly had any friends," Syed Shafeeq Rahman, who heads the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce, said. "He would come with his little son at night to pray and after he would leave." Rahman said Mateen never approached him regarding any concerns about homosexuals. He usually prayed at the mosque a few times a week, mostly in evenings and as recently as Friday, but he did not display signs of radicalism, according to fellow worshippers. Mateen was born in New York of Afghan descent, but spent most of his life in Florida, attending Martin County High School in Stuart, a small city about a 20-minute drive from the Fort Pierce condominium where had most recently lived. A classmate described him as a typical teen who played football. Samuel King, who was one year ahead of Mateen, said the two often spoke after Mateen graduated in 2004. King waited tables at Ruby Tuesday’s restaurant at Treasure Coast Square, a mall where Mateen worked at GNC, the nutrition store, he said. King, who is openly gay, said the Mateen he knew until 2009 did not appear to be anti-homosexual. “What is shocking to me is that the majority of the staff at Ruby Tuesday’s when I worked there were gay. He clearly was not anti-(gay) at least not back then. He did not show any hatred to any of us." While at GNC, Mateen lifted weights and "got really buff," King said, describing Mateen as gregarious and talkative in the immediate years after high school. “Something must have changed" since he last saw him, he added. Mateen's father, Mir Seddique, told NBC News the massacre was not related to religion. He said his son turned angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami a couple of months ago. FBI interviews The FBI twice interviewed Mateen for having suspected ties to Islamist militants. The first investigation took place in 2013 when Mateen made inflammatory comments to co-workers that indicated sympathy for militants, FBI special agent in charge Ron Hopper told a news conference in Orlando. At the time, Mateen worked as a security guard at G4S, a British-owned multinational company that is among the world's largest private security firms. He joined G4S in September 2007, carried a gun as part of his duties and was employed with the company at the time of the shooting as an armed security officer, the company said. G4S provides security to federal buildings in Florida. Mateen was investigated and interviewed twice but the FBI was “unable to verify the substance of his comments,” Hopper said. Daniel Kime, a security guard employed along with Mateen at G4S in the Fort Pierce area, said he met Mateen briefly three or four times. "Every time I saw him he never smiled. If you said good morning, he’d just walk right by you, like he had a chip on his shoulder," Kime said. Daniel Gilroy, who said he was a co-worker of Mateen's at G4S, said that Mateen's anger was "constant." "Any time a female or a black person would come by he would use horrible words," he said. In 2014, Hopper said, Mateen was investigated and interviewed again, this time for suspected connections to Moner Mohammad Abu-Salha, an American citizen who became a suicide bomber in Syria in 2014. Hopper said Mateen’s contact with Abu-Salha was minimal and it was deemed that “he did not constitute a substantive threat at that time.” 'Not a stable person' Hopper said Mateen was not under investigation or surveillance at the time of Sunday’s attack. He said Mateen called during the massacre to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, which in recent years declared a caliphate over large swathes of Iraq and Syria. But the depth of that commitment is unclear. Mateen also mentioned the Boston Marathon bombers during the call, which he made 20 minutes into the shootings, authorities said. Mateen's former wife said she met Mateen online about eight years ago and decided to move to Florida to marry him, according to the Washington Post. "He was not a stable person," she said. "He beat me. He would just come home and start beating me up because the laundry wasn't finished or something like that." Mateen had a Florida firearms license that expired in 2013 and a state permit to work as a security guard, according to public records. He was registered as a Democrat. City, state and federal officials were searching Mateen's apartment in the Woodlands condominium building in Fort Pierce and had told other residents to evacuate.

Orlando shooting: Gunman described as 'quiet', but grew hateful, anti-gay

The photo from Omar Mateen&rsquo;s high school yearbook is hardly remarkable - a toothy, dimpled smile with a peach-fuzz mustache below a mop of black hair. 
 
His transformation from high school football player to perpetrator of America&#39;s worst mass shooting raises questions about whether red flags were missed over the depth of his apparent sympathies with Muslim extremists. 
 
As families of the victims grieved, and the nation recoiled at the scale of yet another mass shooting, a picture began to emerge of the 29-year-old killer as a quiet, devout person who in recent years displayed a hateful and violent streak. 
 
Early on Sunday, he stormed a packed gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, with a handgun and AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, fatally shooting 50 people before police killed him. Fifty-three others were wounded, many critically. 
 
His ex-wife, Sitora Yusufiy, described him as &quot;bipolar,&quot; and emotionally disturbed with a violent temper. She said she had been beaten and otherwise physically abused by Mateen during outbursts in which he would &quot;express hatred towards everything&quot;. She was &quot;rescued&quot; by family members just four months into a stormy marriage that began in 2009 and ended in divorce, she said. 
 
&quot;He would often get into fights with his parents, but as I was the only one in his life most of the violence was directed towards me,&rdquo; she told reporters in Boulder, Colorado outside a home where she was staying. 
 
She said he aspired to be a police officer and had worked as a correctional officer at a detention center for juvenile delinquents in Fort Pierce, Florida, and had once sought admission to a police academy. 
 
In Fort Pierce on Florida&rsquo;s southeast coast, 120 miles (195 km) from the shooting, the imam at the mosque that Mateen attended for nearly 10 years described him as a regular worshipper who was quiet and rarely interacted with the congregation. 
 
&quot;He hardly had any friends,&quot; Syed Shafeeq Rahman, who heads the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce, said. &quot;He would come with his little son at night to pray and after he would leave.&quot; 
 
Rahman said Mateen never approached him regarding any concerns about homosexuals. He usually prayed at the mosque a few times a week, mostly in evenings and as recently as Friday, but he didn&#39;t display signs of radicalism, according to fellow worshippers. 
 
Mateen was born in New York of Afghan descent but spent most of his life in Florida, attending Martin County High School in Stuart, a small city about a 20-minute drive from the Fort Pierce condominium where had most recently lived. 
 
A classmate described him as a typical teen who played football. 
 
Samuel King, who was one year ahead of Mateen, said the two often spoke after Mateen graduated in 2004. King waited tables at Ruby Tuesday&rsquo;s restaurant at Treasure Coast Square, a mall where Mateen worked at GNC, the nutrition store, he said. 
 
King, who is openly gay, said the Mateen he knew until 2009 did not appear to be anti-homosexual. 
 
&ldquo;What is shocking to me is that the majority of the staff at Ruby Tuesday&rsquo;s when I worked there were gay. He clearly was not anti-(gay) at least not back then. He did not show any hatred to any of us.&quot; 
 
While at GNC, Mateen lifted weights and &quot;got really buff,&quot; King said, describing Mateen as gregarious and talkative in the immediate years after high school. &ldquo;Something must have changed&quot; since he last saw him, he added. 
 
Mateen&#39;s father, Mir Seddique, told NBC News the massacre was not related to religion. He said his son turned angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami a couple of months ago. 
 
FBI INTERVIEWS 
 
The FBI twice interviewed Mateen for having suspected ties to Islamist militants. The first investigation took place in 2013 when Mateen made inflammatory comments to co-workers that indicated sympathy for militants, FBI special agent in charge Ron Hopper told a news conference in Orlando. 
 
At the time, Mateen worked as a security guard at G4S, a British-owned multinational company that is among the world&#39;s largest private security firms. 
 
He joined G4S in September 2007, carried a gun as part of his duties and was employed with the company at the time of the shooting as an armed security officer, the company said. 
 
G4S provides security to federal buildings in Florida. 
 
Mateen was investigated and interviewed twice but the FBI was &ldquo;unable to verify the substance of his comments,&rdquo; Hopper said. 
 
Daniel Kime, a security guard employed along with Mateen at G4S in the Fort Pierce area, said he met Mateen briefly three or four times. &quot;Every time I saw him he never smiled. If you said good morning, he&rsquo;d just walk right by you, like he had a chip on his shoulder,&quot; Kime said. 
 
Daniel Gilroy, who said he was a co-worker of Mateen&#39;s at G4S, said that Mateen&#39;s anger was &quot;constant.&quot; 
 
&quot;Any time a female or a black person would come by he would use horrible words,&quot; he said. 
 
In 2014, Hopper said, Mateen was investigated and interviewed again, this time for suspected connections to Moner Mohammad Abu-Salha, an American citizen who became a suicide bomber in Syria in 2014. 
 
Hopper said Mateen&rsquo;s contact with Abu-Salha was minimal and it was deemed that &ldquo;he did not constitute a substantive threat at that time.&rdquo; 
 
&#39;NOT A STABLE PERSON&#39; 
 
Hopper said Mateen was not under investigation or surveillance at the time of Sunday&rsquo;s attack. 
 
He said Mateen called during the massacre to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, which in recent years declared a caliphate over large swathes of Iraq and Syria. But the depth of that commitment is unclear. 
 
Mateen also mentioned the Boston Marathon bombers during the call, which he made 20 minutes into the shootings, authorities said. 
 
Mateen&#39;s former wife said she met Mateen online about eight years ago and decided to move to Florida to marry him, according to the Washington Post. 
 
&quot;He was not a stable person,&quot; she said. &quot;He beat me. He would just come home and start beating me up because the laundry wasn&#39;t finished or something like that.&quot; 
 
Mateen had a Florida firearms license that expired in 2013 and a state permit to work as a security guard, according to public records. He was registered as a Democrat. 
 
City, state and federal officials were searching Mateen&#39;s apartment in the Woodlands condominium building in Fort Pierce and had told other residents to evacuate.

Wife of the gunman, who killed at least 50 people in a shooting rampage at a gay club in Orlando, said he was 'bipolar' and often beat her

The photo from Omar Mateen’s high school yearbook is hardly remarkable - a toothy, dimpled smile with a peach-fuzz mustache below a mop of black hair. His transformation from high school football player to perpetrator of America's worst mass shooting raises questions about whether red flags were missed over the depth of his apparent sympathies with Muslim extremists. As families of the victims grieved, and the nation recoiled at the scale of yet another mass shooting, a picture began to emerge of the 29-year-old killer as a quiet, devout person who in recent years displayed a hateful and violent streak. Early on Sunday, he stormed a packed gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, with a handgun and AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, fatally shooting 50 people before police killed him. Fifty-three others were wounded, many critically. His ex-wife, Sitora Yusufiy, described him as "bipolar," and emotionally disturbed with a violent temper. She said she had been beaten and otherwise physically abused by Mateen during outbursts in which he would "express hatred towards everything". She was "rescued" by family members just four months into a stormy marriage that began in 2009 and ended in divorce, she said. "He would often get into fights with his parents, but as I was the only one in his life most of the violence was directed towards me,” she told reporters in Boulder, Colorado outside a home where she was staying. She said he aspired to be a police officer and had worked as a correctional officer at a detention center for juvenile delinquents in Fort Pierce, Florida, and had once sought admission to a police academy. In Fort Pierce on Florida’s southeast coast, 120 miles (195 km) from the shooting, the imam at the mosque that Mateen attended for nearly 10 years described him as a regular worshipper who was quiet and rarely interacted with the congregation. "He hardly had any friends," Syed Shafeeq Rahman, who heads the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce, said. "He would come with his little son at night to pray and after he would leave." Rahman said Mateen never approached him regarding any concerns about homosexuals. He usually prayed at the mosque a few times a week, mostly in evenings and as recently as Friday, but he didn't display signs of radicalism, according to fellow worshippers. Mateen was born in New York of Afghan descent but spent most of his life in Florida, attending Martin County High School in Stuart, a small city about a 20-minute drive from the Fort Pierce condominium where had most recently lived. A classmate described him as a typical teen who played football. Samuel King, who was one year ahead of Mateen, said the two often spoke after Mateen graduated in 2004. King waited tables at Ruby Tuesday’s restaurant at Treasure Coast Square, a mall where Mateen worked at GNC, the nutrition store, he said. King, who is openly gay, said the Mateen he knew until 2009 did not appear to be anti-homosexual. “What is shocking to me is that the majority of the staff at Ruby Tuesday’s when I worked there were gay. He clearly was not anti-(gay) at least not back then. He did not show any hatred to any of us." While at GNC, Mateen lifted weights and "got really buff," King said, describing Mateen as gregarious and talkative in the immediate years after high school. “Something must have changed" since he last saw him, he added. Mateen's father, Mir Seddique, told NBC News the massacre was not related to religion. He said his son turned angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami a couple of months ago. FBI INTERVIEWS The FBI twice interviewed Mateen for having suspected ties to Islamist militants. The first investigation took place in 2013 when Mateen made inflammatory comments to co-workers that indicated sympathy for militants, FBI special agent in charge Ron Hopper told a news conference in Orlando. At the time, Mateen worked as a security guard at G4S, a British-owned multinational company that is among the world's largest private security firms. He joined G4S in September 2007, carried a gun as part of his duties and was employed with the company at the time of the shooting as an armed security officer, the company said. G4S provides security to federal buildings in Florida. Mateen was investigated and interviewed twice but the FBI was “unable to verify the substance of his comments,” Hopper said. Daniel Kime, a security guard employed along with Mateen at G4S in the Fort Pierce area, said he met Mateen briefly three or four times. "Every time I saw him he never smiled. If you said good morning, he’d just walk right by you, like he had a chip on his shoulder," Kime said. Daniel Gilroy, who said he was a co-worker of Mateen's at G4S, said that Mateen's anger was "constant." "Any time a female or a black person would come by he would use horrible words," he said. In 2014, Hopper said, Mateen was investigated and interviewed again, this time for suspected connections to Moner Mohammad Abu-Salha, an American citizen who became a suicide bomber in Syria in 2014. Hopper said Mateen’s contact with Abu-Salha was minimal and it was deemed that “he did not constitute a substantive threat at that time.” 'NOT A STABLE PERSON' Hopper said Mateen was not under investigation or surveillance at the time of Sunday’s attack. He said Mateen called during the massacre to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, which in recent years declared a caliphate over large swathes of Iraq and Syria. But the depth of that commitment is unclear. Mateen also mentioned the Boston Marathon bombers during the call, which he made 20 minutes into the shootings, authorities said. Mateen's former wife said she met Mateen online about eight years ago and decided to move to Florida to marry him, according to the Washington Post. "He was not a stable person," she said. "He beat me. He would just come home and start beating me up because the laundry wasn't finished or something like that." Mateen had a Florida firearms license that expired in 2013 and a state permit to work as a security guard, according to public records. He was registered as a Democrat. City, state and federal officials were searching Mateen's apartment in the Woodlands condominium building in Fort Pierce and had told other residents to evacuate.

Orlando shooting: gunman described as 'quiet', but grew hateful, anti-gay

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