Day: April 2, 2024

Complaints totaled 8,061 in 2023, a 56% rise from the year before and the highest since the Council on American-Islamic Relations began records nearly 30 years ago. About 3,600 of those incidents occurred from October to December, CAIR said.

Human rights advocates have similarly reported a global rise in Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian bias and antisemitism since the latest eruption of conflict in the Middle East.

U.S. incidents have included the fatal October stabbing of 6-year-old Palestinian American Wadea Al-Fayoume in Illinois, the November shooting of three students of Palestinian descent in Vermont and the February stabbing of a Palestinian man in Texas.

CAIR’s report said 2023 saw a “resurgence of anti-Muslim hate” after the first ever recorded annual drop in complaints in 2022. In the first nine months of 2023, such incidents averaged around 500 a month before jumping to nearly 1,200 a month in the last quarter.

“The primary force behind this wave of heightened Islamophobia was the escalation of violence in Israel and Palestine in October 2023,” the report said.

The most numerous complaints in 2023 were in the categories of immigration and asylum, employment discrimination, hate crimes and education discrimination, CAIR said.

Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s subsequent military assault on Hamas-governed Gaza has killed over 32,000 people, according to the local health ministry, displaced nearly all its 2.3 million population, put Gaza on the brink of starvation and led to genocide allegations that Israel denies.

CAIR said it compiled the numbers by reviewing public statements and videos as well as reports from public calls, emails and an online complaint system. It contacted people whose incidents were reported in the media.

Azerbaijani commentators on the elections in Turkey

On March 31, neighboring Turkey held elections for local government bodies. After a 47-year hiatus in elections, the main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (RPP), emerged victorious. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Recep Tayyip Erdogan suffered a devastating defeat for the first time in its 23-year rule.

In his first statement on the elections, the president of Turkey said that democracy had won and congratulated the winners.

“We are investigating the reasons for our defeat in the elections, where we made mistakes, we will openly acknowledge them, and take necessary measures,” Erdogan said.

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Since Turkey has significant influence on Azerbaijan and the region, Azerbaijani society, politicians, and political analysts closely monitored the recent elections.

Natig Jafarli, a leader of the Republican Alternative Party, believes that if Azerbaijan sees Turkey as an example in terms of building its military, aligning with it on security and foreign policy concepts, then it should also adapt its governance system.

“We should transition to a system of local self-government, like in Turkey, establish the office of mayor and hold direct elections. Simultaneously, we should transform the existing 14 economic regions into administrative-territorial units and establish the institution of governorship (personal representative of the president),” he said.

The politician added that in these elections Turkey demonstrated its path towards becoming a democratic country, and following this, Turkey’s alignment with the West will accelerate, and economic issues will gradually be addressed.

“These elections also revealed the name of the strongest candidate for the next presidential elections in Turkey in 2028 – Imamoglu.

Ekrem Imamoglu will replicate Erdogan’s political career, who also became the number one politician after becoming the mayor of Istanbul and managed the country for the past 22 years.

Azerbaijan should also understand this and consider the Imamoglu factor in interstate relations.

Furthermore, I hope that Turkey’s approach to democracy will not lead Azerbaijan to distance itself from Turkey.“

Head of the “Atlas” Research Center, Elkhan Shahinoglu:

“Erdogan will not participate in these elections. After the significant victories of Mansur Yavash in Ankara and Ekrem Imamoglu in the municipal elections in Istanbul, the main opposition party has at least two strong candidates for the presidential elections. One of them will become the presidential candidate.

If the ruling Justice and Development Party does not have such a charismatic leader as Erdogan in the next presidential elections, their chances of winning will decrease.”

Natig Jafarli and Elkhan Shahinoglu see the acknowledgment of defeat by the Turkish president and his statement that “democracy won in these elections” as a commitment of the current president to democracy. In their opinion, it is unfair to label Erdogan as a dictator.

“Those who call Turkey a dictatorship and Erdogan a dictator should be ashamed. There cannot be a dictatorship in a country that holds fair elections, acknowledges its defeat, and cares about the voters and their voices,” believes Natig Jafarli.

According to political analyst Shahin Jafarli, the election of Yavas and Imamoglu as mayors of Ankara and Istanbul, as well as the majority of the main opposition party in the city council, will strengthen the positions of the main opposition party in governing the country:

“Last time, the majority was in the pro-government Union ‘Cumhur’, and president Erdogan stated that Yavash and Imamoglu would be ‘lame ducks,’ meaning they would not be able to function effectively. (Of course, this did not happen).

To achieve a majority in the Municipal Assembly, it is necessary to win the majority of district municipalities in a large city. In Ankara, there are 25 districts, and the main opposition party controlled only 3 district municipalities. Yesterday they won another 13 district municipalities.

In Istanbul, there are 39 districts, and the main opposition party controlled 14 of them, mostly inhabited by a more progressive population. In the last elections, another 12 municipalities were also won, which are mainly known as conservative districts.

The main opposition party won in Beyoglu, where president Erdogan was born and raised, and in Uskudar, where his mansion is located.

Victory in the municipal councils is also important in the sense that Imamoglu and Yavash can easily resign and run for president in the likely early elections. In this case, the municipal councils of Istanbul and Ankara will be able to elect another representative of the main opposition party as mayor.”

GLENDALE—The Armenian American Museum and Cultural Center of California hosted a Beam Signing Celebration with museum supporters at the construction site of the highly anticipated cultural and educational center. Attendees had the special opportunity to sign and write messages of support on the pinnacle beam which will soon be installed and become a permanent fixture of the museum building superstructure.

Executive Director Shant Sahakian officially kicked off the Beam Signing Celebration by welcoming museum supporters to the construction site of the highly anticipated cultural and educational center.

Shant Sahakian, Executive Director of the Armenian American Museum, addressing attendees at the beam signing celebration

“The Armenian American Museum is a dream that is becoming a reality thanks to you,” stated Board of Trustees Co-Chair Archbishop Hovnan Derderian on behalf of the museum leadership. “Decades from now, our children and grandchildren will stand here and be grateful to the many people who invested in our community’s future.”

“The Armenian American Museum is going to be a beautiful addition that will preserve our culture, heritage, and history,” stated Councilmember Ara Najarian on behalf of the City of Glendale. “I am proud to know that my name will be etched into the building along with so many dedicated supporters who united to make the center a reality.”

Glendale City Councilmember Ara Najarian addressing attendees at the ceremony

Executive Chairman Berdj Karapetian concluded the event by inviting the youth and children in attendance at the event to stand with the pinnacle beam, serving as a testament to the future generations who will benefit from the museum’s cultural and educational programming.

The highly anticipated cultural and educational center is currently under construction in the museum campus at Glendale Central Park. The first phase of construction featuring the museum parking garage and building foundation has been completed. The second phase of construction featuring the two-level museum building superstructure is currently underway.

A scene from the Armenian American Museum’s beam signing celebration

The mission of the museum is to promote understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Armenian American experience. The museum will offer a wide range of public programming through the Permanent Exhibition, Temporary Exhibitions, Auditorium, Learning Center, Demonstration Kitchen, Archives Center, and more.

To learn more about the museum project, visit the website.