The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has reported a significant surge in anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias

 

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has reported a significant surge in anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias, with a total of 1,283 incidents recorded since October 7, marking a 216% increase compared to the previous year. Over a typical 29-day period in 2022, CAIR received an average of 406 complaints from various segments of the American population, including students, medical professionals, employees, demonstrators, and mosques.

Corey Saylor, CAIR's Research and Advocacy Director, expressed concern about the escalating issues of Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism, describing them as "out of control." The period between October 7 and November 4 accounted for 248 of the total reported cases.

Saylor attributed the rise in bigotry to the Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian rhetoric used to justify violence against Palestinians in Gaza and suppress advocates for Palestinian human rights in the United States.

According to CAIR, the most common type of reported cases involved violations of First Amendment rights, including free speech and expression, comprising 23% of the incidents. The organization has also been monitoring publicly reported bias incidents directed at Muslim or Palestinian communities, including instances of murder, attempted murder, violent threats, the use of vehicles as weapons against protesters, and incidents involving firearms being discharged or brandished to intimidate supporters of Palestinian human rights.

One tragic incident highlighted was the fatal stabbing of a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy, linked to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict and the victims' Muslim identity.

Saylor emphasized that American Muslims are facing the most significant wave of Islamophobic bias since the announcement of Trump's Muslim Ban in December 2015. He called on political leaders, corporations, media outlets, civic organizations, and others to play a role in addressing and ending this surge in bigotry.