News

Brazilian Muslims face growing Islamophobia over Gaza War

Published

8 months ago

January 31, 2024

Arsi2021

Brazilian Muslims face growing Islamophobia over Gaza War

(CTN News) – Batull Sleiman, a physician at a hospital in São Paulo, Brazil, reported that patients frequently arrived in a bad mood at the emergency room.

After all, each day brought fresh medical emergencies and pleas for urgent care. Sleiman had seen everything. But she didn’t expect the kind of rage she received many weeks ago.

A patient entered her examining room, irritated by the time he had waited for a doctor’s attention. Sleiman noted that his problem was “not urgent”. Nonetheless, he accused her of disrespect based on how she handled him.

“You’re being rude with me because you’re not from Brazil,” Sleiman recalls him saying. “If you were in your country…”

Survey findings on Muslim Brazilians experiencing harassment.

Sleiman stated that she turned away rather than hear the rest. The daughter of Lebanese immigrants believes the man’s reaction was motivated by one factor: her hijab.

“I was surprised and outraged,” Sleiman told Al Jazeera. However, she added, the mood in Brazil has become more hostile since the conflict in Gaza began. “I’ve been noticing that people have been staring more at me on the street since October.”

However, Sleiman is not alone in feeling singled out. As the battle in Gaza continues, Brazil is one of many countries concerned about religious prejudice, notably against its Muslim community.

According to a recent poll conducted by the Anthropology Group on Islamic and Arab Contexts at the University of São Paulo, Muslim Brazilians have reported pervasive harassment since the war began.

An estimated 70% of respondents indicated they knew someone who had faced religious discrimination since October 7, when the Palestinian group Hamas began an offensive on southern Israel, killing 1,140 people.

Israel has subsequently launched a military offensive against Gaza, a Palestinian territory, killing over 21,000 Palestinians. This approach has sparked human rights concerns, with UN experts warning of a “grave risk of genocide”.

According to Professor Francirosy Barbosa of the University of São Paulo, the events of October 7 resulted in religious intolerance in Brazil due to the conflation of Palestinian and Muslim identities, even though Palestinians are an ethnic community rather than a religious one.

She directed the November poll of 310 Muslim Brazilians. Respondents, she noted, reported receiving insults reflecting tensions in the Gaza conflict.

“Many Muslim women told us they are now called things like ‘Hamas daughter’ or ‘Hamas terrorist’,” she stated in an interview with Al Jazeera.

The online survey revealed that many of the respondents had firsthand experience with religious prejudice.

“About 60 percent of the respondents affirmed that they suffered some kind of offence, either on social media or in their daily lives at work, at home or in public spaces,” Barbosa said in a press release.

The study found that women reported slightly greater incidences of religious prejudice.

This month, a video on social media showed a resident of Mogi das Cruzes, a neighbourhood of São Paulo, approaching a Muslim woman and pulling her hijab, bringing the issue of Islamophobia to national attention. The footage was also aired on major networks such as CNN Brazil.

Karen Gimenez Oubidi, also known as Khadija, was married to a Moroccan guy and converted to Islam eight years ago. She told Al Jazeera that the argument involved one of her neighbours, and she was unhappy because their children had argued.

“She came down with her brother and was extremely aggressive.” She called me a ‘cloth-wrapped bitch’. I quickly saw it wasn’t only about the kids fighting,” Gimenez Oubidi stated.

The neighbours sought to separate the two women. One man in the video, however, grabbed Gimenez Oubidi from behind and wrapped an arm around her throat to restrain her. Gimenez Oubidi described him to Al Jazeera as her neighbour’s brother.

Encouraging Muslim Brazilians to speak up and raise awareness for government action.

He asked me several times, ‘What are you doing now, terrorist?’ He didn’t say it loudly; it was only for me to hear. “He knew what he was doing,” Gimenez Oubidi explained. She stated that her son’s fight with the neighbour’s youngster was also about her hijab.

Fernanda, the lady who attacked Oubidi, denied this narrative, saying she did not want her real identity exposed for fear of public outrage.

Fernanda claimed Oubidi’s son hit her son on the playground, and while she physically assaulted Fernanda, she made no mention of her faith. “I never mocked her for her religion. That did not happen. “I’d never do something like that,” she replied.

According to a July government assessment, religious intolerance “occurs most intensely against those of African origin, but it also affects Indigenous, Roma, immigrant, and converted individuals, including Muslims and Jews, as well as atheist, agnostic, and non-religious people”.

Brazil is largely Christian, with an estimated 123 million Catholics—more than any other country.

But it has a long-standing, albeit modest, Muslim community. Academics believe Islam entered the area through the transatlantic slave trade, as captured African Muslims practised their religion in their new surroundings.

In 1835, one group of enslaved Muslim Brazilians launched a rebellion against the government known as the Malê insurrection, which was named after the Yoruba word for Muslim.

Brazil’s Muslim community grew in response to waves of immigration in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, particularly following the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Arab immigrants from Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine came to call Brazil home.

The precise number of Muslims in Brazil now remains unknown. The 2010 census counted 35,167 Muslims, although subsequent estimates put the number at 1.5 million.

Some proponents, however, argue that other demographic and political developments are laying the groundwork for rising conflicts between Muslim and non-Muslim populations.

Evangelical Christians constitute the fastest-growing religious component in Brazil today, accounting for around one-third of the population. Their numbers have transformed them into a formidable political force.

Evangelical voters were credited with helping to elect far-right President Jair Bolsonaro in 2016, with polls suggesting 70% support for him.

During his failed 2022 re-election campaign, Bolsonaro frequently used Christian imagery in his pleas to voters, describing the race as a “fight of good against evil.”

Mahmoud Ibrahim, who leads a mosque in Porto Alegre, says that the us-versus-them mindset has resulted in hostility towards his group.

During recent protests against the war in Gaza, he said that passersby branded him a “terrorist” and a “child rapist”.

“Evangelicals and Bolsonarists constantly abuse us. “They even chased a person who was going to our demonstration the other day,” he explained.

Ibrahim added that he has heard of at least one woman bleeding after attackers tried to take her hijab off, causing the scarf’s pins to burrow into her skin.

Girrad Sammour leads the National Association of Muslim Jurists (ANAJI), a body that provides legal assistance in cases of Islamophobia. He stated that the amount of reports to ANAJI has always been high, but it has increased dramatically since the war began on October 7.

“There was a 1,000 percent increase in the denunciations that we received,” he told Al Jazeera, attributing some to provocative remarks from far-right evangelical pastors.

However, Barbosa, the survey leader, believes there are ways to reduce the animosity and suspicion aimed against Muslim Brazilians. She cited a lack of media representation as an example.

“Few Palestinian leaders and experts in the Middle East with a pro-Palestine view have been invited by TV shows, for instance, to comment on the conflict in Gaza,” Barbosa said in a statement.

However, she encouraged Muslim Brazilians to share their stories to increase awareness.

“What is not denounced doesn’t exist for the government,” she said. “Only if the authorities know what is happening will they be able to take adequate measures, like investing in education against religious intolerance.”

Related Topics:Brazil gaza Palestine protests

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News

London has Canceled the Hot Air Balloon Festival for the Fifth Consecutive Year.

Published

2 months ago

July 21, 2024

Salman

(CTN News) – The hot air balloon festival that was supposed to take place in London has been postponed for the sixth year in a row due to worries regarding the absence of acceptable weather conditions. It was scheduled to take place in London.

In spite of the fact that the Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta was supposed to take place in the nation’s capital on Sunday, it was canceled for the fifth year in a row, as well as for the second time this year after it was postponed from July 7 owing to wind conditions.

This is the second time that it has been cancelled this year.

Second year in a row hot air balloons aren’t on the schedule.

The organizers are hopeful that the hot air balloon event, which was due to begin at five in the morning in Battersea Park, may now take place on the 28th of July instead.

This is because the most recent successful event, which took place in 2019, has given them reason to believe that the event would be successful. Previously, the event was scheduled to start at five in the morning, according to the preparations.

As part of the historic activities that will take place during the Lord Mayor’s Show, fifty hot air balloons will take flight across the downtown area of London. The purpose of these flights is to promote awareness and funds for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal.

There will also be a regatta that will be participating in the activities, which will also be included in them. Beginning in the year 2015, the group has been able to effectively raise more than two hundred and fifty thousand pounds.

It has been decided to hot air balloon postpone the activities that were supposed to take place in the years 2020 and 2021 as a result of the global coronavirus epidemic.

On the other hand, the editions that were scheduled to take place in the years 2022 and 2023 have been canceled as a result of the severe weather that has been occurring.

In light of the fact that wind conditions forced them to cancel the flight that was scheduled to take place on Sunday morning, the organizers have now made the announcement that they are hoping to reschedule it for the following Sunday, which is the next of the several possible days that are allocated each year.

This occurs in light of the fact that the flight was supposed to take place on Sunday morning.

Wind conditions forced them to cancel their hot air balloon flight.

In their separate social media accounts, they explained, “Unfortunately, the predicted change in wind direction for the hot air balloon flight today has not materialized, and we have made the difficult decision to cancel the flight for the safety of every member on board,” they stated.

It is our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this may cause you. It is our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this may cause you.”

We would want to use this opportunity to express our gratitude to everyone who has reached out to us and shown their support, particularly the members of the general public who have communicated with us and attended the trip.

We are moving forward with this, and the next standby date that we are pushing forward with is the next Sunday, which is the 28th of July.

The fact that hot air balloon are going to be floating over a number of well-known locations in London this year has been brought to the attention of the organizers of the event. Some of the most well-known landmarks in London are Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London, and Tower Bridge.

It is anticipated that Lord Mayor Michael Mainelli would serve as the leader of the ceremony. He will also be the one to lead the ceremony.

SOURCE: IN

News

A Skydiving Plane in New York Crashed, Killing One Person.

Published

2 months ago

July 21, 2024

Salman

(CTN News) – On Saturday, a plane that was being used for skydiving was involved in an accident that resulted in the death of one individual. The event took place in Niagara County, New York.

The occurrence took place at some point throughout the course of the day. Saturday marked the beginning of the investigation into the tragedy that had taken place earlier than anyone had anticipated.

The authorities in New York began their investigation. It turned out that the catastrophe had occurred earlier than anyone had anticipated on their part.

According to a statement that was released by the Federal Aviation Administration, a single-engine Cessna 208B, which was a plane that was used for skydiving, crashed close to Lake Road in the vicinity of Youngstown, New York, at approximately one o’clock in the afternoon. The plane was used for jumping.

The plane served as a platform for skydiving.

In order to perform vertical jumps, the plane was deployed. According to a press statement that was given by the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday and reported by News.

the airplane that was used by the Skydive the Falls skydiving center had released all of the divers and was on its way back to land when it crashed.

The statement was issued by the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office. News was the one that distributed the news release. The announcement was made public by CNN, which served as the source.

According to Tammy L. Jones, a representative for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the pilot, who was the only person on board, was reportedly practicing parachute operations before to the accident. Jones stated that the pilot was the only person on board.

The official from the FAA was the one who offered this information here. For more specific information, the Federal Aviation Administration was the source.

However, according to Skydiving Niagara County Sheriff Michael Filicetti, who mentioned this information during a press conference on Saturday, it is still unknown how many divers were on board prior to the disaster.

This information was stated by Filicetti. It was indicated during the press conference that this information was available. Filicetti shared these particulars in his statement, which may be seen here.

It was also indicated in the notice that a brush fire had begun around the crash site later on. This information was included in the warning. Additionally, this was mentioned in the notification that was sent out.

Putting out what Filicetti describes as “a significant fire at that point,” the first squad to arrive on the site was the one responsible for putting out the fire.

The Skydiving fire was to be extinguished by them.

The statement that the sheriff released referred to the plane crash as “an unfortunate incident.” He also noted that local and federal law and Skydiving enforcement officers are collaborating in order to undertake an investigation into the sequence of events that led up to the disaster.

In addition to this, the sheriff mentioned that the investigation will be carried out in conjunction with the federal authorities.

If I am being really honest with you, I am of the opinion that this circumstance is precisely the same as any other emergency-related problem… As soon as you arrived, you decided that you wanted to make an attempt to save people’s lives.

As a result of the specific circumstances that we were dealing with, we were unable to pursue that particular course of action,” Filicetti explained further.

Following an interview with News, Peter Knudson, a spokeswoman for the National Transportation Safety Board, provided the following statement: “It is anticipated that an investigator from the agency will arrive at the crash site on Saturday.”

Knudson, who also confirmed that the investigation will continue, stated that the investigator will continue to Skydiving document the debris of the airplane, which will then be sent to a secure facility for additional examination. Knudson also confirmed that the investigation would continue.

Additionally, Knudson was quoted as saying that the probe will proceed.

According to News, the investigation will Skydiving concentrate on three primary aspects: the pilot, the aircraft, and the environment in which the aircraft is operated throughout the investigation. In this investigation, these are the key aspects that will be looked into.

SOURCE: AP

News

Malaysia’s Coast Guard has found the Oil tanker Involved in the Crash off Singapore’s Coast.

Published

2 months ago

July 21, 2024

Salman

(CTN News) – A large oil tanker that had been involved in a Coast Guard disastrous collision with another vessel two days ago off the coast of Singapore was discovered and intercepted by the coast guard of Malaysia, according to a statement that was made on Sunday.

The disaster occurred off the coast of Singapore with another vessel. There had been an accident that took place two days previously.

The disaster had occurred the day before, with the occurrence taking place off the coast of Singapore. The calamity had taken place just the day before. Two days previously, the accident had also taken place in the vicinity of Singapore’s coast.

Also affected was the neighborhood. Indeed, this was the fact. At the time of the accident, Singapore and Malaysia were both taken aback by the magnitude of the catastrophe that had taken place off the beaches of their respective countries.

According to a Coast Guard report on Saturday.

At least two members of the crew have been injured after a collision involving the tanker Ceres I, which was flying the flag of Sao Tome and Principe, caused a fire and resulted in the vessel leaving the scene of the accident.

A report on the findings of the study has been released. According to the report, the tanker had moved away from the location where the event occurred.

We received the information from the United States Coast Guard, which was the entity that provided it to us. The report states that the tanker was reported to have left the location where the event took place. This information is according to the report.

Additionally, it was believed that the ship had disabled its tracking system, as stated by the Coast Guard. Specifically, this was mentioned in the report. Within the report that was made public, this particular point was brought to the forefront.

It was reported that the Ceres I was found in the waters of Malaysia when it was being hauled by two tugboats, as indicated in a statement that was made by the Coast Guard on Sunday, proclaiming the discovery. The statement was released in order to announce the finding.

The statement provided an explanation as to how the discovery turned out. Following the discovery that was reported, the remark was made as a response to the situation.

It has been reported that the Coast Guard has taken two tugboats and the Ceres I into custody in order to undertake more investigations.

Based on Coast Guard information provided in the article.

This type of detention is being carried out in order to guarantee that the Coast Guard will be able to conduct an appropriate investigation into the sequence of events that led up to the tragedy.

The United States Coast Guard issued a statement on Sunday stating that aerial scans that were carried out by the Coast Guard discovered minute residues of an oil spill near the site of the collision between the Ceres I and the Hafnia Nile, which happened to be flying the flag of Singapore at the time of the collision.

The statement was issued in response to the fact that the Coast Guard had discovered the oil spill. The collision that occurred between the two vessels was the initial cause of the oil spill.

The announcement was made available to the general public by the Coast Guard not long after that. The statement was issued by the Coast Guard, which was the specific organization that issued the statement.

It was noted in the release that “the environment department has been informed and will conduct further monitoring,” which is the same thing that was expressed in the warning. This was done in order to convey a better level of clarity.

SOURCE: USN