Israel-Hamas war triggers spike in Islamophobia, anti-Arab sentiments in Latin America

The war between Israel and Hamas, below and bottom left, has sparked solidarity protests in Brazil, main, and other Latin American countries, but has also provoked a rash of attacks and acts of abuse against the region’s Muslims, middle. (AFP)
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Updated 17 October 2023
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Israel-Hamas war triggers spike in Islamophobia, anti-Arab sentiments in Latin America

  • Observers accuse media of tarring Palestinians with terrorism brush, enabling Israel to act as it wishes in Gaza
  • Tensions have resulted in Muslims, especially women wearing a hijab, being insulted and attacked on the streets

SAO PAULO: Since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out, reports of acts of Islamophobia and attacks on pro-Palestine activists have been growing in some Latin American countries.

Intellectuals who identify with the Palestinian cause say they have been silenced by the actions of pro-Israel groups, and Muslims — especially women wearing a hijab — have been insulted and attacked on the streets.  

In Brazil, clashes on social media between supporters of Israel and pro-Palestine advocates have been further intensified by the political polarization that the Latin American country has experienced over the past few years between the left and right wing.

Public opinion in Brazil has been influenced by pro-Israel media coverage, said Salem Nasser, professor of international relations at Fundacao Getulio Vargas, a higher-education institution and think tank in the city of Sao Paulo.




“Besides the bombs in Gaza, there’s a media war going on. The aim is to justify the attacks against the Palestinian people,” Hammadeh said.

“We’ve been continually incentivized to blame Hamas and the Palestinians for all that’s happening now, and to authorize Israeli violence in Gaza,” he told Arab News, adding that the wrongful association of Palestinians with terrorism by the media enables Israel to act as it wishes.

Anti-Muslim activists in Brazil “have been saying that Palestinians are terrorists and that every Muslim is a terrorist,” Nasser said.

Last week, a campaign was launched on X urging people to denounce university professors who express “pro-Hamas” views during class.

Felipe Freitas de Souza, a doctoral student and member of the Anthropology in Islamic and Arab Contexts Group — a research organization that produced Brazil’s first study on Islamophobia last year — said the campaign is actually “an attempt to blacklist professors who have expressed pro-Palestinian opinions.”

He added: “As far as I know, most of the Palestinian community in Brazil don’t support Hamas, except for a handful of people, so it doesn’t make any sense.”

Brazil’s government announced that it is monitoring hate speech on the internet, including Islamophobia and antisemitism.




Sheikh Jihad Hammadeh, a prominent Muslim leader in Brazil, told Arab News that his 18-year-old daughter was called a terrorist on two occasions on Oct. 12. (AFP)

“Muslims are seen in a country like Brazil as foreigners, people who don’t belong here,” said de Souza. “An event like the current conflict in the Middle East functions as a trigger, and is able to impact the lives of Muslims here — especially women, who are easily identifiable on the streets.”

Sheikh Jihad Hammadeh, a prominent Muslim leader in Brazil, told Arab News that his 18-year-old daughter was called a terrorist on two occasions on Oct. 12.

“We were at the airport in Sao Paulo and someone passed by her and called her a ‘Hamas terrorist.’ She was wearing her hijab. We had no time to react. When we arrived in Florianopolis the same thing happened again, but we couldn’t identify the aggressor,” he said, adding that this was the first time his daughter had faced any prejudice for being Muslim.

“The enormous volume of propaganda against Palestine is generating that hatred. The press isn’t covering the conflict in a balanced way. Political leaders have been stimulating hatred against us,” Hammadeh said.

Right-wing political leaders connected to Zionist Evangelical churches in Brazil have been continually defending Israel’s attacks on Gaza and spreading fake news against the Palestinians on social media.

“Besides the bombs in Gaza, there’s a media war going on. The aim is to justify the attacks against the Palestinian people,” Hammadeh said.




“The Israeli reaction is to say to the whole world, ‘Either you’re with me or against me.’ And the answer has to be immediate,” Salem Nasser, professor of international relations at Fundacao Getulio Vargas said. (AFP)

In Argentina there is a very similar scenario, said Melody Amal Khalil Kabalan, who heads Islam para la Paz (Islam for Peace), an organization that combats Islamophobia.

“When a conflict erupts in the Middle East or in Muslim nations, Muslim women always end up suffering here,” she said. “That happened in 2021 when the Taliban took over Kabul, and is happening again now.”

Her organization has been receiving reports of Muslim women being abused on the streets in recent days.

“The most common commentary has been, ‘Go back to your country.’ But most of those women were born here,” Khalil said.

Demonstrations were organized in Buenos Aires by pro-Israel and pro-Palestine groups last week. The pro-Israel protest garnered vast media attention.




Anti-Muslim activists in Brazil “have been saying that Palestinians are terrorists and that every Muslim is a terrorist,” Salem Nasser, professor of international relations at Fundacao Getulio Vargas said. (AFP)

The pro-Palestine demonstration” was very moving and included a collective hug around the Palestinian Embassy, but the media totally ignored it,” Khalil said.

She added that news shows and debates about the situation in the Middle East usually do not include members of the Palestinian or Muslim communities, so the dominant views are those aligned with Israel.

“We hear everywhere that Muslims don’t want peace. That isn’t true. This atmosphere increases hatred against Muslims,” she said.

In Colombia, President Gustavo Petro’s numerous pro-Palestinian comments on social media have angered Israel, which announced on Sunday that it will suspend the export of defense equipment to the country.

Despite that, Muslims in Colombia have been reporting cases of verbal and physical abuse on the streets.

Lina Acuna, a 33-year-old Muslim lawyer who lives in the city of Medellin, told Arab News that she was insulted on two occasions over the past few days.

In a grocery shop, a group of nuns “pulled my niqab and asked me, ‘Who is sponsoring you?’ I told them that nobody ‘sponsors’ me, that I’ve been a proud Muslim for several years and that I stand for the Palestinian people, including Palestinian Christians who are also being massacred,” she said.




Right-wing political leaders connected to Zionist Evangelical churches in Brazil have been continually defending Israel’s attacks on Gaza. (AFP)

In another incident, Acuna was at a shop while she recorded a TikTok video. A woman stared at her and shouted that she is a terrorist and should go back to her country.

“There’s a significant Muslim community here in Medellin. Many of our sisters have told me that they faced similar acts of violence lately. Many people try to pull off our scarves,” she said.

“Unfortunately, we have no protection in Colombia against such hatred. Anybody can attack us.”

Nasser said the current circumstances are caused by Israel’s reaction to Hamas’s attack. “The impact of the attack was strong, given that it demonstrated Israel’s fragility,” he added.

“The Israeli reaction is to say to the whole world, ‘Either you’re with me or against me.’ And the answer has to be immediate.”

In a world in which people can be easily “canceled” due to their stances on any topic, nobody wants to be associated with terrorists, Nasser said.


India in mourning after over 240 killed in deadliest aviation disaster in decades

Updated 13 June 2025
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India in mourning after over 240 killed in deadliest aviation disaster in decades

  • Sole flight survivor Ramesh Viswashkumar a British national of Indian origin, is being treated at a hospital, airline confirms
  • London-bound Dreamliner with 242 people on board also killed dozens more when it crashed into a medical college hostel

NEW DELHI, India: Indian authorities were combing the site of one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters on Friday, after an Air India plane crashed in the western city of Ahmedabad less than a minute after takeoff, killing all but one of its passengers. 

The London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which had 242 people on board, also killed dozens more people when it crashed into a medical college hostel located just outside Ahmedabad airport and burst into flames on Thursday afternoon. 

The sole survivor, a British national of Indian origin, is being treated in a hospital, the airline confirmed. 

“We are all devastated by the air tragedy in Ahmedabad. The loss of so many lives in such a sudden and heartbreaking manner is beyond words. Condolences to all the bereaved families,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on social media after visiting the crash site in the capital of his home state of Gujarat. 

The passengers comprised 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese and one Canadian. 

The surviving passenger, who was in seat 11A next to an emergency exit in front of the plane’s wing, reportedly managed to jump out. He told Indian media that he had heard a loud noise shortly after flight AI171 took off. 

Various footage showed the plane taking off over a residential area and then sinking and disappearing from the screen, before a huge fireball could be seen rising into the sky from beyond the houses. 

Those killed on board include a family who was visiting India for Eid, a newlywed who is moving to the UK and Vijay Rupani, former chief minister of Gujarat. 

Health authorities are conducting DNA tests to identify bodies, which were mostly charred beyond recognition, as relatives take part and wait for officials to release the remains. 

Suresh Khatika, who was waiting at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital where the DNA testing was taking place, said his niece Payal Khatika was among the passengers. 

“Payal was going for further studies and she has taken a loan for it. She was really preparing herself for the day when she would go to the UK for studies,” Khatika told Arab News. 

“It is really tragic that her dream crashed like this. We are in deep pain, and don’t know how to react.” 

Many Indians have also taken to social media to mourn the victims, as their stories circulated widely. Among them is Dr. Pratik Joshi, who was reportedly bringing his wife, Dr. Komi Vyas, and three young children to move to the UK. A picture of the family, believed to be taken on the plane and shared with relatives before takeoff, has garnered millions of views online as messages of condolence poured in. 

In addition to the passengers and crew, dozens more people perished as they were caught in the path of the plane crash. 

Thakur Ravi, a cook at B.J. Medical College, said his mother and two-year-old daughter, who had been on the side of the building where the plane had crashed, were missing. 

“Other helpers and cooks managed to escape but my mother and daughter have been missing since yesterday,” Ravi told Arab News. 

“We are frantically hoping against hope to have my family back. It was a horrible incident. It seemed as if the sky had fallen on us.” 

Indian Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said a formal investigation headed by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has been launched. 

Boeing said it was in touch with Air India and stood “ready to support them” over the incident. The UK and US air accident investigation agencies also announced they were sending teams to support their Indian counterparts.

India, the world’s third-largest aviation market, has endured several fatal air crashes on its soil, including in 1996, when two planes collided mid-air over New Delhi, killing around 350 people. In 2010, an Air-India Express jet crashed and burst into flames at Mangalore airport in south-west India, killing 158 of the 166 passengers and crew onboard. 


Judge blocks Trump’s election executive order, siding with Democrats who called it overreach

Updated 13 June 2025
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Judge blocks Trump’s election executive order, siding with Democrats who called it overreach

ATLANTA: A federal judge on Friday blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to overhaul elections in the US, siding with a group of Democratic state attorneys general who challenged the effort as unconstitutional.
The Republican president’s March 25 executive order sought to compel officials to require documentary proof of citizenship for everyone registering to vote for federal elections, accept only mailed ballots received by Election Day and condition federal election grant funding on states adhering to the new ballot deadline.
The group of attorneys general said the directive “usurps the States’ constitutional power and seeks to amend election law by fiat.” The White House has defended the order as “standing up for free, fair and honest elections” and called proof of citizenship a “commonsense” requirement.


Hong Kong rights group shuts down after years of advocating for workers

Updated 13 June 2025
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Hong Kong rights group shuts down after years of advocating for workers

  • Founded in 1994, organization maintained a database tracking workers’ strikes, protests, workplace accidents and other labor rights incidents in China

HONG KONG: A Hong Kong group that advocated for workers rights for decades announced its shutdown abruptly on Thursday, citing financial difficulties and debt issues.
China Labor Bulletin planned to stop updating its website content and appeared to have deleted Facebook and Instagram social media accounts used by the nonprofit rights organization.
“The company can no longer maintain operations and has decided to dissolve and initiate the relevant procedures,” it said in a statement on an archived web page Friday.
Founded in 1994, organization maintained a database tracking workers’ strikes, protests, workplace accidents and other labor rights incidents in China.
As dozens of civil society groups disbanded or left Hong Kong in the wake of the 2020 Beijing-imposed national security law, China Labor Bulletin continued providing valuable resources for journalists and academics in the southern Chinese city.
Critics say the drastic political changes in Hong Kong indicated the decline of Western-style civil liberties that China promised to keep intact when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. However, Beijing and Hong Kong governments insisted the law was crucial to bring stability to the city following massive anti-government protests in 2019.
China Labor Bulletin’s founder Han Dongfang, a former railway worker who participated in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. He told the Central News Agency of Taiwan that the shutdown was his decision and he would stay in Hong Kong.
Han’s decision appeared sudden to many Hong Kong civil society observers. Three weeks ago, he wrote on social media platform LinkedIn about his work anniversary and his team’s progress.
“Let’s keep our faith up at this abnormal time and continue our important work,” he said.


India in mourning after deadliest aviation disaster in decades

Updated 13 June 2025
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India in mourning after deadliest aviation disaster in decades

  • Sole flight survivor, a British citizen of Indian origin, is being treated in hospital
  • Family members provide DNA samples to help identify crash victims

NEW DELHI: Indian authorities were combing the site of one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters on Friday, after an Air India plane crashed in the western city of Ahmedabad less than a minute after takeoff, killing all but one of its passengers.

The London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which had 242 people on board, killed dozens more people when it crashed into a medical college hostel just outside Ahmedabad airport and burst into flames on Thursday afternoon.

The sole survivor, a British citizen of Indian origin, is being treated in hospital, the airline confirmed.

“We are all devastated by the air tragedy in Ahmedabad. The loss of so many lives in such a sudden and heartbreaking manner is beyond words. Condolences to all the bereaved families,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on social media after visiting the crash site in the capital of his home state of Gujarat.

The passengers comprised 169 Indian citizens, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese and a Canadian.

The surviving passenger, who was in seat 11A next to an emergency exit in front of the plane’s wing, reportedly managed to jump out. He told Indian media that he had heard a loud noise shortly after flight AI171 took off.

Various footage showed the plane taking off over a residential area and then sinking and disappearing from the screen, before a huge fireball could be seen rising into the sky from beyond the houses.

Those killed on board include a family visiting India for Eid, a newlywed who was moving to the UK and Vijay Rupani, former chief minister of Gujarat.

Health authorities are conducting DNA tests to identify bodies, most of which were charred beyond recognition.

Suresh Khatika, who was waiting at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital where the DNA testing was taking place, said his niece Payal Khatika was among the passengers.

“Payal was going for further studies and she has taken a loan for it. She was really preparing herself for the day when she would go to the UK for studies,” Khatika told Arab News.

“It is really tragic that her dream crashed like this. We are in deep pain, and don’t know how to react.”

Many Indians have taken to social media to mourn the victims, as their stories circulated widely. Among them is Dr. Pratik Joshi, who was reportedly bringing his wife, Dr. Komi Vyas, and three young children to move to the UK. A picture of the family, believed to be taken on the plane and shared with relatives before takeoff, has garnered millions of views online as messages of condolence poured in.

In addition to the passengers and crew, dozens more people caught in the path of the plane crash perished.

Thakur Ravi, a cook at B.J. Medical College, said his mother and 2-year-old daughter, who were on the side of the building where the plane crashed, were missing. 

“Other helpers and cooks managed to escape but my mother and daughter have been missing since yesterday,” Ravi told Arab News.

“We are frantically hoping against hope to have my family back. It was a horrible incident. It seemed as if the sky had fallen on us.”

India’s Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said a formal investigation led by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has been launched.

Boeing said it was in touch with Air India and stood “ready to support them” over the incident. The UK and US air accident investigation agencies also announced they were sending teams to support their Indian counterparts.

India, the world’s third-largest aviation market, has suffered several fatal air crashes on its soil, including in 1996, when two planes collided in mid-air over New Delhi, killing about 350 people. In 2010, an Air-India Express jet crashed and burst into flames at Mangalore airport in south-west India, killing 158 of the 166 passengers and crew onboard.


Japan’s foreign minister praises Djibouti’s work on maritime security

Updated 13 June 2025
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Japan’s foreign minister praises Djibouti’s work on maritime security

TOKYO: Japanese foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya met with Dileita Mohamed Dileita, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Djibouti, on Friday and praised the “deepening of cooperation between the two countries in the field of maritime security.”

Iwaya stated that Djibouti, located at the southern end of the Red Sea and an important sea lane linking Europe and Asia, is a strategically important partner in the quest for a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP).”

Referring to the good relations between the two countries and his own special attachment toward Japan, President Dileita expressed his appreciation and gratitude for Japan’s development cooperation in various fields and for the Self-Defense Force facility in Djibouti, noting the strategic importance of his country.

The two sides exchanged views on issues that included the regional situation in Africa and in East Asia and agreed to further strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation in regional and international arena, with a view to TICAD 9 in August and Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan.

• This article originally appeared on Arab News Japan