Islamophobic' incidents rise by 10 times in Trump era

Islamophobic incidents involving US customs and border protection officials have risen by about 1,000 per cent since president Donald Trump took office in January, a Muslim activist group said.

According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations on Tuesday, preliminary data collected from its branches across the US found that instances in which officials were accused of profiling Muslims accounted 23 per cent in 2017.

Of the 193 customs and border protection (CBP) cases in 2017, at least 181 were reported after the 27 January Muslim travel ban. In the first three months of 2016, the group reported 17 cases, The Independent said.

"These are incidents which are reported to us and which we examine," Corey Saylor, director of CAIR's group that monitors Islamophobia, told The Independent.

"We look at these very carefully. Around 50 per cent, we reject."

Saylor said allegations of Islamophobia being levelled at border officials was nothing new.

He believed that Trump's election and the executive order was behind the spike in incidents. "I have no doubt in my mind that these things are connected."

In the aftermath of the travel ban, which have been halted by the courts, there were widespread reports of chaos at US airports, and people being turned away as they sought to board flights to the US at foreign airports.

Trump vowed during his election campaign that he would make it more difficult for people from certain countries to reach the US as party of tighter security, despite immigrants from countries such as Syria and Somalia already having to endure screening that can take several years.

Saylor said he appreciated the difficult job being faced by border officials, but asked that they did it without breaching the US constitution.

He cited testimony of a Customs and Border Protection official from a 2013 lawsuit, who said: "Look to the Muslim woman as an indicating factor. By the way she wears her hijab. If the hijab is a solid colour it indicates religiosity. If it's a patterned scarf, with colours, it's more likely that she is less religious.

Khaleda not listening to Zia’s words: Zafrullah Chy

Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder and trustee Zafrullah Chowdhury on Wednesday said Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia is 'not listening to the words' of its founder Ziaur Rahman.

Widely known as a pro-BNP intellectual, Zafrullah made this point at a programme organised to launch a book and website titled ‘Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttam’ at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity in the capital.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was present at the function when Zafrullah was addressing it.

“Ziaur Rahman set up the first women development commission in the country and set up a separate ministry for women. He [Zia] spoke of incorporating more women into the party fold.

“But, Khaleda Zia has kept only one woman member in the the party’s National Standing Committee, suggesting that she is not listening to Ziaur Rahman,” said Zafrullah Chowdhury.

Khaleda Zia, a former prime minister, herself is the only female member of the BNP's standing committee.

Voting continues in Indonesia amid religious tension

Jakarta went to the polls in a tight run-off Wednesday with the Christian governor fighting for his job as he stands trial for blasphemy, in a divisive election that has stoked religious tensions in Muslim-majority Indonesia.

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama is facing a Muslim challenger, heavyweight ex-minister Anies Baswedan, in a neck-and-neck race to lead the teeming capital of 10 million people.

The vote is seen as a test of whether the moderate Islam traditionally practised in the world’s most populous Muslim country is under threat from the influence of hardliners, who have led mass demonstrations against Purnama.

Purnama, the city’s first non-Muslim governor for half a century and its first ethnic Chinese leader, won in the first round in February but not by a big enough margin to avoid a run-off.

The race was already significant as politicians see the job as a stepping stone to the presidency at 2019 polls, but the stakes were raised dramatically by a controversy sparked by claims that Purnama insulted the Koran.

The allegations drew hundreds of thousands of conservative Muslims onto the streets of Jakarta in major protests last year, and led to Purnama-known by his nickname Ahok-being put on trial for blasphemy in a case critics see as politically motivated.

After casting his vote, President Joko Widodo-whose party backs Purnama-urged Jakarta residents to accept the result and for the city to come together after the bitterly fought poll.

“We must not let different political choices break our unity,” he said. “Remember we are all brothers and sisters.”

Over 7.2 million people were registered to vote in the polls, which closed at 1:00 pm (0600 GMT).

Early vote tallies from private pollsters were expected to give an accurate indication of the winner within hours although official results won’t be released until early May.

After an anti-Purnama protest last year turned violent, authorities were taking no chances and over 60,000 security forces had been deployed.

Hardline groups had pledged to station monitors at polling booths. Police blocked the plan, warning it could cause “intimidation”, but groups of hardliners appeared to be outside some polling centres in defiance of the ban.

However there was no sign of unrest and police said the election had run smoothly.

Tolerance test
Despite Purnama’s first-round victory, former education minister Baswedan, 47, was initially seen as the favourite in the run-off because the votes from a third, Muslim candidate who was knocked out were expected to go to him.

But with tension over the governor’s alleged blasphemy subsiding in recent weeks, Purnama has regained momentum and recent polls show the candidates in a dead heat.

Baswedan, an academic who was sacked from the government by Widodo, has been accused of abandoning his moderate Islamic values during the campaign by cosying up to hardliners in a bid to win the support of Muslim voters angered by Purnama’s alleged blasphemy.

Purnama’s troubles began in September when he lightheartedly said in a speech that his rivals were tricking people into voting against him using a Koranic verse, which some interpret as meaning Muslims should only choose Muslim leaders.

His long-running blasphemy trial began in December, and the verdict is expected within a few weeks.

If he does win the vote and is convicted of blasphemy, he would not automatically be barred from holding office and could avoid jail for a long time by appealing.

Many voters still back Purnama due to his record leading Jakarta since 2014. He has won praise for cleaning up the city’s once-filthy rivers and creating more green spaces, although his acerbic style has upset some.

“I voted for Ahok because I’m poor and I have felt the difference-we’re being taken care of,” said Tayem, a 62-year-old housewife who like many Indonesians goes by only one name, after casting her ballot.

But some have been swayed by the blasphemy controversy.

“As a Muslim, I will choose according to my faith,” Elva Sativia, a 33-year-old housewife, told AFP.

Ershad goes Cooch Behar to visit ancestral home

Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad went to his ancestral home in India’s Cooch Behar on Sunday on a five-day visit.
“Our chairman left Bangladesh through Burimari Land Port for Dinhata in Cooch Behar district in India around 2pm,” Jatiya Party Rangpur City unit president Mostafizur Rahman Mostafa told UNB.
He said Ershad went there at the invitation of one of his cousins to join a family programme.
Jatiya Party secretary general Ruhul Amin Hawlader and seven other party leaders are accompanying him.
He is scheduled to return home on April 27 through the land port, Mostafa added.
UNB Lalmonirhat correspondent adds: The Jatiya Party chief hoped that the solution to the Teesta water sharing problem with India will be resolved during the tenure of the current government.
He came up with the remarks while talking to his party leaders and activists before starting his India tour.
Ershad also hoped that India will take proper steps to sign the Teesta deal in the interest of Bangladeshi farmers.
About the next general election, he said their party is preparing to field candidates in 300 parliamentary constituencies.
The former military ruler also said he is visiting different districts and talking to grassroots leaders and activists to ensure good results for the party in the next polls.

Indian top court quashes criminal complaint against Dhoni

The Supreme Court on Thursday quashed a criminal complaint against former India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni by an Andhra Pradesh resident following his depiction as Lord Vishnu by a business magazine.

Quashing the criminal complaint, the bench headed by justice Dipak Misra said that the ingredients of the offence alleged in the criminal complaint amounting to hurting the religious feelings of the complainant are not made out.

Another bench of the apex court had on 5 September last year quashed an identical complaint filed by another complainant before a court in Bengaluru.

In the magazine cover that was released in 2013, Dhoni --dressed up as Lord Vishnu -- was seen holding several objects in his hands, including a shoe.

The trial court in Karnataka had directed the registration of a case against Dhoni under section 295 which pertains to injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class along with section 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Dhoni was also directed to appear before the court.

Dhoni had then moved the Karnataka High Court which had refused to stall the proceedings against him and others mentioned in the complaint.

The cricketer had then filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Karnataka High Court order.

A court in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh had also issued a non-bailable warrant against him for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

That had prompted Dhoni to approach the Supreme Court seeking quashing of the criminal proceedings against him.

Source: Prothom Alo

Shakib to replace Mashrafe as T20 captain

All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been picked for Bangladesh’s Twenty20 captaincy as Mashrafe Bin Mortaza has bidden goodbye to the T20 internationals early this month.

The decision was taken at the 16th executive committee meeting of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) held at the BCB headquarters in the capital on Saturday.

To the surprise of his numerous fans, Bangladesh’s T20 captain Mashrafe Mortaza announced his retirement from Twenty20 international cricket on 5 April just before the first match of the T20I series against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Shakib, who played a total of 59 T20Is, has been acting as the deputy of Mashrafe in T20 since 2014.

This world’s best all-rounder had also led Bangladesh in all of three formats - ODI, Test and T20I - from 2009 to 2011.

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