Habib Siddiqui

  Paris, France –   When French students returned to class a few weeks ago, the   government   issued a ban on abayas and qamis in public middle and high schools, a move that saw   already fraught tensions   between the state and Muslim minority deepen. The government sees the full-length robes worn by some Muslims as a religious symbol. KEEP READING list of 4 items list 1 of 4 Amid abaya ban, French school sends girl home for wearing kimono: Lawyer list 2 of 4 Back to school: Muslim girls battle France’s abaya ban list 3 of 4 ‘Islamophobic policy’: French high school goes on strike over abaya ban list 4 of 4 France’s top court rejects appeal against ban on wearing abaya in schools end of list On Monday, the State Council, France’s top administrative court, which oversees disputes concerning civil liberties, upheld the abaya ban. Gabriel Attal, France’s education minister, said the measure was an extension of France’s principle of secularism, known as laici...

This video is  5 weeks old. Hindu extremists in India smashed several Muslim shrines across the northern city of Rishikesh. The mob shouted Hindu nationalist slogans like 'Jai Sri Ram!' or "praise Lord Ram' which has been the calling card during similar acts of Islamophobic violence.

  Hate is the chief ingredient of everyday discourse on the streets and the country’s socio-political system to allow the Hindutva forces to continue to control the harvest. In a historic moment, the new Parliament held its first session, debating the success of India’s moon mission, when a senior lawmaker from the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) sparked outrage and hurled Islamophobic profanities, communal slurs and swear words. On Thursday, 21 September, The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ’s MP from South Delhi, Ramesh Bidhuri, crossed all limits of bigotry and hate inside Parliament during a debate, setting a new low with his vile verbal Islamophobic attack against opposition Muslim MP Danish Ali, calling him a pimp, extremist, terrorist,  Mulla, Katwa  and even threatened to see him outside. “Mulla”  is a pejorative word used against Muslims in India. “ Katwa”  is a slur targeting circumcision in Muslims. Ali responded: “If this has happened to me in Parliament, i...

  A video showing a young girl walking around seeking help after being raped has sparked anger in India. Many people expressed outrage after CCTV footage showed a man appearing to wave the girl away when she approaches him. But police told local media that the girl, who walked around Ujjain city in Madhya Pradesh state for more than two hours, was helped by some people. A senior police official said a medical examination showed the girl was raped. Two men, both tuk-tuk drivers, were arrested on Thursday after police reviewed CCTV footage. Four others have been detained. According to the police complaint, the girl is 15 years old. Ujjain police superintendent Sachin Sharma told  ANI news agency  on Thursday that the girl was "incoherent and could not initially give any details about her whereabouts". A short CCTV video which surfaced online this week sparked condemnation from politicians and on social media. It shows the girl, who appears to be bleeding, walking on a road ...

  Female Israeli soldiers are to be banned from serving as high security prison guards after allegations of sex with a Palestinian inmate. Israeli media say a soldier admitted to physical intimacy with a Palestinian man said to have carried out a deadly attack on Israeli civilians. The woman is thought to have been on military service which is compulsory for the majority of Israelis. Women must serve for at least two years and men for 32 months. The name of the soldier and the inmate serving a life sentence have not been released. The court hearing the case ordered that other details including the location of the prison should not be revealed. Israeli media also reported that during questioning, the soldier - who has been arrested - claimed four other women had also had intimate relations with the same man. The Palestinian inmate was transferred from his cell to a segregated wing ahead of questioning, the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) said. On Friday, IPS chief Katy Perry and Nation...

  By George Wright BBC News The charge of a former gang leader with the murder of Tupac Shakur 1996 is a "pivotal moment", the late rapper sister's says. The New York-born hip-hop legend was shot four times aged 25 in a drive-by attack in Las Vegas. On Friday, Nevada's grand jury indicted Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 60, on one count of murder with a deadly weapon. Sekyiwa Shakur said that "today is a victory" but "reserved judgement" until legal proceedings were complete. "It's important to me that the world, the country, the justice system, and our people acknowledge the gravity of the passing of this man, my brother, my mother's son, my father's son," she posted on Instagram. "There have been multiple hands involved and there remains so much surrounding the life and death of my brother Tupac and our Shakur family overall. We are seeking real justice, on all fronts," she continued. Skip instagram post by wildse...