Islamophobia in US Surges by 70% Amid Gaza Conflict: CAIR Report

In the first half of 2024, incidents of discrimination and violence against Muslims and Palestinians in the United States surged by around 70%, according to a report from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) released on July 30. This alarming rise is linked to increased Islamophobia amidst the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Human rights organizations have observed a worldwide escalation in Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian sentiment, and anti-Semitism since the conflict between Israel and Gaza erupted in October. The war has led to a significant loss of life and a severe humanitarian crisis.

CAIR reported receiving 4,951 complaints related to anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian incidents in the first six months of 2024, a stark increase compared to the same period in 2023. These incidents mostly involved immigration and asylum issues, employment and education discrimination, and hate crimes.

In 2023, CAIR documented 8,061 such incidents throughout the year, with approximately 3,600 occurring in the last three months after the conflict began.

Among the distressing incidents in the past nine months are the fatal stabbing of a six-year-old Palestinian-American child in Illinois in October, the stabbing of a Palestinian-American man in Texas in February, the shooting of three Palestinian descent students in Vermont in November, and the attempted drowning of a three-year-old Palestinian-American girl in May.

Since October, there have been numerous protests across the US, Israel’s principal ally, opposing the war in Gaza. The CAIR report highlights the suppression of pro-Palestinian protests and demonstrations on university campuses by police and university authorities.

The recent surge in violence in the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict was ignited by the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

The Gaza Health Ministry reports that since then, Israel’s military operations have resulted in nearly 40,000 Palestinian deaths, widespread displacement of the 2.3 million population, a hunger crisis, and accusations of genocide, which Israel denies.

CAIR gathers its data through public statements, videos, public calls, emails, an online complaint system, and media reports, ensuring comprehensive documentation of these incidents.