anti-islamophobia

A young, white, French-speaking, Quebec-born man opened fire inside a Quebec City mosque on January 29, killing six Muslim worshipers 鈥 Azzeddine Soufiane, Abdelkrim (Karim) Hassane, Khaled Belkacemi, Aboubaker Thabti, Mamadou Tanou Barry and Ibrahima Barry 鈥 and injuring 25.

The six victims were first-generation immigrants who had lived in Quebec for years, some for decades. The shooter, Alexandre Bissonnette, had expressed anti-immigrant positions online and was a fan of US President Donald Trump and France鈥檚 far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen.

Armed thugs, some with signs supporting Republican presidential candidate, Ted Cruz, intimidate worshipers at a mosque in Irving, Texas. November 21. In her 2007 book The Shock Doctrine, Canadian author Naomi Klein discusses how capitalist governments and corporations exploit disasters to further their interests against the rest of us.
There are sprawling industries and self-proclaimed career 鈥渢errorism experts鈥 in the US that profit greatly by deliberately exaggerating the threat of terrorism and keeping Americans in a state of abject fear of 鈥渞adical Islam鈥. All sorts of polemicists build their public platforms by demonising Muslims and scoffing at concerns over 鈥淚slamophobia鈥. The most toxic ones insist that such a thing does not even exist, even as the mere presence of mosques is opposed across the country and are physically attacked.
Protest and counter-protest descended on Penrith on December 8 as Penrith鈥檚 council voted to uphold their decision to allow the construction of an Islamic community centre in Kemps Creek. Various far right groups turned up to show their opposition to the construction of the two-storey centre, including the Australia First Party, with chairman Jim Saleam present, as well as the Australian Defence League, Party for Freedom and Squadron 88. Counter-protestors in support of the centre鈥檚 construction included various left groups, the Greens and Antifa, the anti-fascist group.