US Sees 70% Rise in Anti-Muslim Incidents in First Half of 2024

The United States has witnessed a sharp increase in anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian incidents, with a rise of approximately 70% in the first half of 2024. This surge, reported by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on Tuesday, is attributed to heightened Islamophobia amidst the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.

Human rights advocates have noted a global increase in Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian bias, and antisemitism since the eruption of the Israel-Gaza war in October. The conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and a severe humanitarian crisis.

CAIR’s data indicates that from January to June 2024, there were 4,951 reported complaints of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian incidents. This marks a significant increase compared to the same period in 2023. The majority of these complaints pertained to immigration and asylum issues, employment discrimination, education discrimination, and hate crimes.

In 2023, CAIR documented a total of 8,061 such complaints, with around 3,600 incidents occurring in the last three months of the year following the outbreak of the war.

The rise in incidents has included several alarming cases, such as the fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian-American child in Illinois, the stabbing of a Palestinian-American man in Texas, the shooting of three students of Palestinian descent in Vermont, and the attempted drowning of a 3-year-old Palestinian-American girl.

The US, a key ally of Israel, has seen numerous protests against the war in Gaza since October. CAIR’s report highlighted the crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests and encampments on university campuses by police and university authorities.

The recent escalation in the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict began on October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 people and the taking of approximately 250 hostages. In response, Israel’s military actions in Gaza have reportedly killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians and displaced almost the entire population of 2.3 million, leading to widespread hunger and allegations of genocide, which Israel denies.

CAIR compiles its statistics by reviewing public statements, videos, and reports from public calls, emails, and its online complaint system, as well as by contacting individuals whose incidents are reported by the media.