分类： society

Across professional sectors in France, a pressing question lingers: do education, professional status and institutional integration shield veiled Muslim women from rising Islamophobia? For Paris Court of Appeal lawyer Slim Ben Achour, a leading expert in equality and anti-discrimination law, the answer is a firm no. Ben Achour, who has represented dozens of Muslim women targeted for workplace discrimination over their headscarves, argues that higher education and greater public visibility actually make educated, professional veiled women more vulnerable to racist targeting.

EDINBURGH — Scottish counter-terrorism policing units have launched a formal investigation into a string of coordinated violent attacks that left five Muslim men injured across the city Friday, in assaults that top UK officials have confirmed were driven by overt anti-Muslim bigotry.

Five men between the ages of 22 and 36, all targeted because of their Muslim identity, were hurt in the linked incidents, authorities confirmed. Three of the victims were taken to local hospitals for treatment of injuries that are not considered life-threatening.

Shortly after the attacks, police took a 36-year-old white Scottish man into custody. He faces multiple charges including making threats, committing robbery, and vandalism related to the violent incidents. Witnesses and arresting officers allege that during his detainment, the suspect shouted explicit anti-Muslim slurs, claiming he was “protecting” the country from what he falsely framed as a threat to children from Muslim communities. Unconfirmed social media footage circulating after the arrest also appears to show the suspect carrying a weapon during the attacks.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly condemned the violence in a post on the social platform X, calling the attacks “absolutely appalling.” Starmer emphasized that the suspected hate motive was clear, stating, “I will not tolerate this — he will face the full force of the law.” Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney echoed the condemnation, saying he was “deeply concerned” by the incidents, adding that “there is no place for violence, racism or intolerance in our country.”

Muslim advocacy groups across the UK have gone further, calling for authorities to explicitly classify the attacks as far-right Islamistophobic terrorism, arguing that the suspect’s publicly stated motive leaves no room for ambiguity. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said the attacks were not an isolated incident, tracing them to a broader culture of divisive political rhetoric that demonizes entire Muslim communities. The organization noted the attacks came just weeks after targeted anti-minity violence in Belfast, warning that escalating bigotry is directly enabled by dehumanizing political discourse.

A spokesperson for UK-based non-profit Muslim Engagement and Development stressed that authorities must acknowledge the clear hate motive behind the attacks. “To investigate these attacks while ignoring a motive shouted aloud at the point of arrest would tell every Muslim in Scotland that the law does not see the hatred aimed at them,” the group said.

The Edinburgh attacks align with a documented recent surge in anti-Muslim hate crime across the UK, newly released data shows. Metropolitan Police statistics published in early June reveal that Islamophobic hate offenses jumped 33 percent between April and May this year, rising from 135 reported cases to 179 — the highest monthly count recorded since August 2024. The sharp upward trend followed a period of decline in late 2025 and early 2026, but began spiking in March shortly after the UK government implemented a revised official definition of anti-Muslim hostility, a change that advocacy groups say has emboldened bigots.

Millions of aspiring medical students across India sat for a high-stakes do-over entrance exam on Sunday, with authorities rolling out sweeping, unprecedented security measures to prevent a repeat of the paper leak scandal that forced the cancellation of the original test in May.

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), better known as NEET-UG, is the mandatory gateway for admission to all government and private medical colleges across India. For the millions of test-takers that compete annually, only a tiny fraction earn one of the extremely coveted spots at top institutions. The notoriously tough exam requires months, and often years, of intensive preparation, making the May cancellation a devastating blow for the 2.28 million candidates who had already sat the initial test.

Allegations that the original exam paper had been illegally leaked and sold to test-takers sparked mass public protests across the country, with widespread calls for Indian Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to step down. Pradhan rejected the demands and addressed candidates ahead of Sunday’s retest, urging them: “Sit fearlessly, without worry, and you will definitely do well.”

This time around, authorities left no room for security gaps, deploying a multi-layered defense against cheating across 5,440 test centers nationwide, which contain more than 95,000 individual exam rooms. To eliminate the risk of tampering during transit, the Indian Air Force was tasked with flying new question papers to remote and high-risk regions. Uniformed police and paramilitary personnel were posted at every center, with drone patrols and specialized canine squads scanning perimeters for unauthorized activity.

Upon arrival, every candidate underwent biometric identity verification, full body frisking, and searches by security personnel that included inspections of hair, jewelry, and clothing. In a controversial policy, strict dress codes were enforced: enclosed shoes were banned, and many women candidates were required to remove nose pins, earrings, and traditional sacred wrist threads to avoid any risk of hiding electronic cheating devices. A total of nearly 39,000 screening staff were hired nationwide, with 40 to 50 security personnel stationed at each individual center.

Inside exam rooms, every space was covered by closed-circuit television, adding up to more than 1.3 million security cameras across the country. 51,311 signal jammers were activated at all centers to block mobile phone signals and prevent electronic interference that could aid cheating. As an additional precaution, the popular messaging platform Telegram was temporarily blocked nationwide through Monday, over concerns that the app had been used to coordinate illegal paper sharing in the May leak. Officials also warned candidates to ignore false paper leak rumors circulating on social media, which they said were designed to cause unnecessary stress and mislead test-takers.

Despite the unprecedented security deployment, many candidates remained anxious about the repeat exam, recalling that this is not India’s first high-profile exam cheating scandal. One student, Diksha, told reporters: “There is fear because the exam paper has leaked once already. This is not a one-off thing, it happens every year. This time the authorities got to know about it and are holding the exam again, which is in a way a good thing because the students who worked hard should get fair results. But to study and prepare again in one month… to stay consistent is difficult.”

NEET-UG is a 3-hour-and-15-minute multiple-choice exam covering physics, chemistry, and biology, with intense competition that pushes many candidates to pay for expensive private tutoring to boost their chances. The high stakes have created a profitable black market for organized crime networks that run exam fraud schemes, selling leaked question papers to well-funded candidates for large sums.

The investigation into the May paper leak has been handed over to India’s top federal law enforcement agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). This incident also comes amid a string of recent testing controversies in the country: in 2024, NEET-UG was already roiled by allegations of paper leaks, fraud, and irregularities in grace mark awarding that sparked nationwide protests after thousands of candidates received unusually high scores. Earlier this year, thousands of 12th-grade students – the equivalent of UK A-level candidates – raised complaints of widespread marking errors after the rollout of a new digital grading system.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted in part across the United States, has brought two of global football’s most dynamic teams to an unexpected corner of the country: the quiet, affluent suburban town of Basking Ridge, New Jersey. For lifelong residents like 22-year-old Rutgers graduate Caroline Corley, the arrival of Brazil and Morocco changed everything – including her longstanding disinterest in the beautiful game.

Corley never watched a full football match before the tournament kicked off in mid-June, but her curiosity sparked when she learned the two squads had selected her small hometown as their first-round base camp. Located just under an hour outside New York City, the community – population roughly 10,000 – was an intentional pick for its strategic location: it offers easy travel to regional tournament stadiums, and sits within reach of large Brazilian and Moroccan diaspora communities across the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut tri-state area. The sixth-ranked Moroccan national team, known as the Atlas Lions and the top-ranked side in Africa, has taken up residence at the Somerset Hotel and trains daily at the local Pingree School. Five-time World Cup champions Brazil are staying at The Ridge Hotel and using the Columbia Park Training Facility in nearby Morristown for practices.

For many young local residents, the presence of the two global powerhouses has been a thrilling once-in-a-lifetime experience. Corley, along with Basking Ridge natives Anya and Fiona Cebulski, say watching the Moroccan team parade through town with a police escort, and spotting fans lingering near training grounds or local restaurants hoping for a glimpse of star players, has injected unexpected energy into their normally quiet daily routines. “Growing up in what you think of as just a small town, having something this huge come to your home is really shocking,” Corley told Middle East Eye. After attending the USA-Paraguay friendly and the Brazil-Morocco group stage match, she’s now a full football convert.

But beneath the quiet excitement of local fans, a sharp divide has emerged over how the town has welcomed its high-profile guests. During a visit ahead of Morocco’s group stage match against Scotland, Middle East Eye found little visible fanfare across Basking Ridge: only one cafe displayed tiny national flags in outdoor potted plants, a single aging banner hung over a main street to mark the earlier Brazil-Morocco fixture, and just one welcome sign stood outside the Moroccan team’s hotel. The overall atmosphere was far more subdued than many residents expected, especially after seeing how other host communities like the Algerian team’s base in Missouri rolled out a warm public welcome.

Young local activists and residents say the muted welcome is no accident – it reflects deep-seated divisions within Basking Ridge, rooted in local politics, demographics and a long history of exclusion that locals refer to as the “Basking Ridge bubble.” Largely white, affluent and known for its tree-lined historic streets, corporate headquarters for giants like Verizon and Barnes & Noble, and sprawling country estates, Basking Ridge sits within Bernards Township, a long-conservative area that only flipped to Democratic control in 2025 for the first time in 90 years. Even after the leadership change, the 2024 presidential election saw former President Donald Trump carry 47 percent of the local vote, leaving the town deeply politically split. Older, more conservative residents tend to lean away from open engagement with diverse communities, young residents say, creating a culture that avoids discussion of contentious social and political issues.

Anya Cebulski notes that this culture of silence extends to some of the most divisive issues splitting modern America, from debates over racial justice to the ongoing war in Gaza. Local history backs up this claim: in 2023, the town’s Board of Education made national headlines when it rejected two proposed sociology textbooks for Ridge High School over claims they were too ideologically extreme on topics of race and police brutality. The fight to build Basking Ridge’s first and only mosque was met with years of virulent opposition, marked by anti-Muslim rhetoric that invoked 9/11 and terrorism; the town ultimately paid a $3.25 million legal settlement to the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge after the group filed a discrimination lawsuit.

“When you grow up here, you see that conversations about race or difference are just shoved under the rug,” Anya explained. “People here haven’t had to think about what it feels like to be an outsider, so they don’t know how to reach out and welcome outsiders.”

Bernards Township Mayor Ana Duarte McCarthy pushes back against this characterization, arguing the town has embraced the opportunity to host the two teams with open arms. She told Middle East Eye the local government organized a range of public events during the tournament’s opening week, including a community watch party for the Brazil-Morocco match and a youth soccer tournament that drew 2,500 players and their family members to the area. “Our local community has many soccer enthusiasts,” McCarthy said. “It has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play host to Morocco. Personally my husband and I saw Morocco vs Saudi Arabia in 1994, so it’s extraordinary to be in our community, at this time, 30-plus years later, as mayor, and being part of the efforts made to welcome the team to Basking Ridge.” Hundreds of local fans have also attended open training sessions for the Moroccan team at Pingree School, she added.

Beyond debates over inclusion, the economic promise of hosting two World Cup teams has yet to materialize for many local businesses, with outcomes split across the town. A cafe employee on main street reported a clear uptick in footfall from visiting fans, while another small business owner nearby said he had seen no significant increase in customers. Near the Somerset Hotel, a restaurant hostess said young fans have frequently stopped by asking if the Moroccan team plans to dine at the restaurant, creating a quiet buzz that hasn’t translated to major revenue gains. Even so, many young residents say the mere presence of the teams is a historic moment for their small town. Two local high school students told Middle East Eye it felt “cool” to host a global event, even if football is not their sport of choice.

As Morocco stands on the cusp of qualifying for the knockout stage – with a chance to top the group if they outperform Brazil in their final group match – young local residents say the moment represented a missed opportunity to break Basking Ridge out of its longstanding bubble. Corley argues that hosting the two teams could have been a rare chance to build cross-community dialogue at a time of deep national division, especially for fans who faced prohibitive travel costs and visa hurdles to attend the tournament in person. Anya agrees that the team’s arrival could have served as a catalyst for greater openness, but worries that the town’s history of closed-mindedness will keep that potential from being realized.

“I hope it does turn into that, but I feel like there might just be too much closed-mindedness for it to take full form,” Anya said.