1 October – 7 October – Islam in Media Roundup

Why the media needs to be more responsible for how it links Islam and Islamist terrorism

Why the media needs to be more responsible for how it links Islam and Islamist terrorism

The Conversation

The media has an ethical obligation to stop presenting an inaccurate picture of Islam, and must differentiate between Islam and Islamism, according to two scholars at Griffith University.
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Diyanet flexes its muscles to back Erdogan’s soft power in Syria

Diyanet flexes its muscles to back Erdogan’s soft power in Syria

Al Monitor

Turkey’s Religious Affairs directorate, labelled “Erdogan’s biggest echo chamber” by critics, has released a report both emphasizing the country’s efforts to help rebuild Syria and listing Turkey as the world’s number one provider of humanitarian aid.
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What is Tashkent’s Tolerance for Conservative Islam?

What is Tashkent’s Tolerance for Conservative Islam?

The Diplomat

Uzbekistan is very proud of its Muslim heritage, but as the current administration steps up its support of free speech, it seeks protect the secular state against conservative Islamist ideas.
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Al Baraka launches Islamic digital bank in Germany

Al Baraka launches Islamic digital bank in Germany

Reuters

Bahrain’s Al Baraka Banking Group has announced it will offer interest free banking products and services digitally. Beginning in Germany, the company hopes to expand services across Europe.
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Saudi woman barred from marrying 'musical' suitor

Saudi woman barred from marrying 'musical' suitor

Al Monitor

A woman from one of Saudi Arabia’s most conservative regions has been denied in her efforts to marry a man who plays a musical instrument, after two courts agreed with her family that he was “religiously unfit”.
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Afghan council seeks Pakistani cleric’s help to end war

Afghan council seeks Pakistani cleric’s help to end war

AP

The influential head of the Haqqania Seminary where many Taliban figures studied has been asked to mediate in talks between Kabul and the militant group.
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China mounts publicity campaign to counter criticism on Xinjiang

China mounts publicity campaign to counter criticism on Xinjiang

Reuters

China is fighting back against international criticism stemming from its treatment of the Muslim community in Xinjiang.
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Bosnian Firms Eye Booming Appetite for Halal Food

Bosnian Firms Eye Booming Appetite for Halal Food

Balkan Insight

The ever growing demand for halal food is not lost on Bosnia, which seeks to become a major exporter within the Balkans, and around the world.
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French police raid Muslim association in 'counter-terror' probe

French police raid Muslim association in 'counter-terror' probe

Al Jazeera

Around 200 police officers targeted Centre Zahra Muslim Association in the Grande-Synthe near the port city of Dunkirk, questioning eleven of its members and arresting three as part of a counter-terrorism operation.
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China: 'Arabic-sounding' river renamed to curb Islamic influence

China: 'Arabic-sounding' river renamed to curb Islamic influence

Al Jazeera

Attempting to reduce “Islamic influence” in China, authorities renamed one of their “Arabic sounding” rivers from Aiyi to Diannong, claiming the name “Aiyi” sounds like Aisha, one of the Prophet Muhammad’s wives.
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Girl’s racist poem sparks row in southwestern Germany

Girl’s racist poem sparks row in southwestern Germany

BBC

Fourteen-year-old Ida Marie Muller, daughter of the far right Alternative for Germany leader Nicole Hochst, sparked a backlash after delivering a racist poem in front of 100 spectators. Her poem received loud applause but she was disqualified from the competition.
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Tory London mayoral pick under fire for remarks about Muslims and Hindus

Tory London mayoral pick under fire for remarks about Muslims and Hindus

The Guardian

Shaun Bailey, the Conservative candidate to succeed Sadiq Khan as Mayor of London, is a longtime critic of multiculturalism. He suggested that the influence of Muslim and Hindu festivals is increasingly problematic, claiming that British children know more about Diwali than Christmas.
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India to begin deportations of Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar

India to begin deportations of Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar

AP

The Indian government plans to deport members of the Rohingya Muslim community back to Myanmar as part of a larger campaign against illegal immigration.
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US-bound Ahmadi leader models a different kind of Islamic caliphate

US-bound Ahmadi leader models a different kind of Islamic caliphate

Religion News Service

Mirza Masroor Ahmad, caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, will visit the US beginning October 15th. He has focused the Ahmadiyya community on self-reformation and anti-extremism, warning that society is moving rapidly toward a dangerous fate due to increasing injustice and immorality.
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Muslim Council of Britain to train women to run mosques

Muslim Council of Britain to train women to run mosques

The Guardian

In an effort to increase diversity and involvement, the UK’s leading Muslim organization has launched a six-month program to train women for leadership roles in the community.
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China Is Treating Muslims Like Drug Addicts

China Is Treating Muslims Like Drug Addicts

Foreign Policy

The UN has joined other international human rights groups in calling on China to end the internment of Muslims. The camps are modelled on facilities for drug offenders and amid tight surveillance, Islam is being treated like an addiction to be “cured”.
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Controversy over Wheaton professor’s hijab captures evangelical rift in new film

Controversy over Wheaton professor’s hijab captures evangelical rift in new film

Religion News Service

The documentary Same God, which premiered last month, tells the story of Wheaton College Professor Larycia Hawkins, who lost her job at the Christian institution after wearing a hijab to show her students that Muslims and Christians worship the same God.
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India criticised for deporting seven Rohingya men to Myanmar

India criticised for deporting seven Rohingya men to Myanmar

Al Jazeera

India has deported the first group of Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar, raising fears of further repatriations.
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New premier, same old story: Québec’s longtime anti-niqab efforts

New premier, same old story: Québec’s longtime anti-niqab efforts

The Conversation

Shortly after his victory, hailed as as the most important election in fifty years, premier-elect François Legault announced his intention to ban public display of (Islamic) religious symbols.
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Madrassas a place of prayer and peace for Rohingya kids

Madrassas a place of prayer and peace for Rohingya kids

AFP

In the absence of formal schools, madrassas in Rohingya refugee camps provide the only education available to thousands of school age children and preserve the Rohingya language and culture.
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Maydan editors selected some of the most thought-provoking news items on issues around Islam, religion and public-life for you. Let us know what you have been reading. Drop us a line at mediaroundups@themaydan.com!