Muslim discrimination is rising at a âdisturbingâ rate
Welcome to another week of faith, sex and politics at Matter of Faith. I’m Anna Beahm and I’ll be your guide through these three messy, complicated and deeply personal topics.
This week we’re talking about rising reports of educational discrimination among Palestinian, Muslim and Arab students and the big money behind the #NeverTrump movement. Let’s dive in.
About two hundred people rallied and marched in heavy rain, in support of Palestine, at Portland, Oregon’s Pioneer Square, on Jan. 26, 2024 (Photo by John Rudoff/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)AP Images
The data is part of what the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called a “disturbing” increase in complaints filed with the organization since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas War that’s ravaging Palestine and the Gaza Strip. The organization has seen a 178% increase in complaints filed during a similar time period in 2022.
“Justifying violence against Palestinians in Gaza and honest rhetoric has an impact on how students are treated,” said Farah Afify, Research and Advocacy Coordinator for CAIR.
The data on education discrimination includes discrimination at both K-12 and higher education institutions. This data does not include instances of bullying in educational settings, Afify explained, because it’s important to make a distinction between bullying and discrimination that comes from the top-down.
Why education discrimination matters
Steve Burgert of the village of Jackson holds a sign up to protest the campaign rally for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at the Ziegler Family Exposition Center Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016, in Polk, Wis. (John Ehlke/West Bend Daily News via AP)AP Images
Former Pres. Donald Trump took another Republican primary victory in New Hampshire Tuesday, taking 54% of the vote. Haley trailed behind him by nine points, taking 43% of the vote, according to election results available Wednesday morning.
The campaign to keep Trump from taking office again has come at a large price. This presidential election cycle has already shattered records on campaign spending, with experts saying they expect it to be the most expensive presidential election on record, according to data from AdImpacts, which tracks campaign spending on advertisements.
The data shows 2024 election spending is projected to exceed $10 billion, nearly five times the amount spent in the 2016 cycle, where $2.6 billion was spent on political ads. The projected $10.2 billion in spending represents a 15% increase from the previous record of $9 billion spent during the 2020 election cycle, AdImpacts said in its 2024 Political Spending Projections Report.
Learn more about the $ behind the #NeverTrump movement
For further reading
Here’s what I’ve been reading this week, plus a few recommendations from my colleagues at Reckon.
Just a note:
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Keep wandering 😉