Hitler Would Be Proud: Muslims Under Attack

When Hitler had his sights set on the Jewish people, he understood that propaganda would be his best friend. What better tool is there to keep a population at bay while you eliminate large numbers of people? The Jewish people were dehumanised, devalued, and placed under total suspicion. Today, we hear the phrase 'Never Again' from those who wish for a holocaust type event to never occur again, but it seems that the fine print of that slogan is 'Never again... to Jews'. Muslims today –– specifically in Britain –– are being viewed under a filter of such intense scrutiny and suspicion never seen before.

An X post was published in response to Muslims in Birmingham cleaning the streets of Birmingham –– at a financial cost to themselves –– amid an on-going bin strike:

Many Muslims will see what our brothers and sisters in Birmingham are doing and will be instantly reminded of the hadith which reported that a man was granted paradise for removing harm from the road (Sahih Muslim 1914).

However, this X post, and the sentiment it carries, is clear. Muslims are void of good, humanity, and decency. As such, our actions, regardless of how they seem on the surface, also must be void of good, humanity, and decency. It then follows that had the same action been carried out by any other group, it would be praised, but Muslims instead are met with pure contempt and suspicion. If this sentiment sticks –– and unfortunately I believe it will as time passes –– then truly, Hitler would be proud. He would be proud because this is his playbook. These tactics are as old as time, and they never fail to be used by the far-right. If they can de-humanise us successfully, then who cares what happens to us? They are already vandalising our graveyards and targeting the graves of even Muslim children. This level of animosity is troubling and it is for time to tell what further lows the far-right is willing to go to display their deep loathing of Islam and Muslims.

As with many things, Allah has warned us already of this so we should not be surprised. He –– the All Wise –– says in the Quran

And never will the Jews and the Christians approve of you until you follow their religion. Say, "Indeed, the guidance of Allāh is the [only] guidance." If you were to follow their desires after what has come to you of knowledge, you would have against Allāh no protector or helper.

This is not only a statement regarding theological difference — it is a warning about the conditions of acceptance. We must learn that we will never not be under pressure to dilute our identity, both socially and spiritually. If we want to be accepted by them, we must abandon our deen, our values, our guidance from Allah, and perhaps then, just maybe, we could be welcomed. Do you not see how so-called 'ex-Muslims' are paraded and celebrated by the far-right? I won't name them lest I give any further attention to those pathetic individuals, but their apostasy becomes a status of clout and they are immediately promoted to a position of authority on Muslims and Islam by the far-right. Conversely, do you not see how those who once were staunch opponents of Islam but now show more warmth towards us are instantly ostracised by the far right? Jayda Fransen once was in the leadership of Britain First but now is completely outcasted by her former far-right colleagues merely because she takes the side of Palestine and encourages Christians to focus on their own issues and not ours.

As time passes, the more intense this scrutiny and suspicion will become. No matter how much we have tried to promote true Islam to the masses –– the Islam which enjoins harmony, forbids unjust killing, guarantees the safety of women, and puts justice at the centre of 'politics' –– there is a stubborn and dangerous minority who are engaged in wilful ignorance to this. A type of ignorance not from laziness or apathy, but a type of ignorance that they deliberately choose to have. Politicians are not blind to this, they are aware but choose to allow it to happen. When Jews are under fire, they immediately come to their rescue reiterating a hundred times over how much the Jewish identity must be preserved and valued and that antisemitism will be rooted out whenever and wherever it may be found, and will take the Jewish people themselves as the arbiters of deciding where it is found. When it comes to Muslims, they suddenly develop amnesia, laryngitis, and a deep respect for nuance. Sometimes it is hard to believe that our politicians are merely enabling the  far-right, it almost becomes more plausible that they are the most versed of all in Hitleresque Nazi tactics.

The truth is, we must stop expecting fairness from those who have built their power on suppressing others. We must stop being shocked when the same propaganda used to justify genocide is now used against us. The solution has never been pleading for acceptance and cheapening ourselves — it has always been standing firm in our identity, unflinching in our faith, and united in our resistance. We must invest in our own platforms, elevate our own voices, and protect our communities — spiritually, socially, and physically. The Prophet ﷺ warned us that there would come a time when holding onto the truth would be like holding hot coal, and this warning rings more and more true by the day.

Hold tight, and hold together. They may have the microphones, monopolies, and millions, but we have the Truth. And that Truth, if truly lived and unshaken, has and will continue to see us through the good and bad.