Anti-Muslim discrimination in US rose 56% from 2022

US Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported receiving 8,061 complaints of anti-Muslim bias incidents in 2023, the highest number in its 28-year history of tracking such incidents.

This significant increase of 56% from 2022, which saw 5,156 complaints, marks the largest wave of anti-Muslim hate in over a decade in the US.

The spike in bias complaints was largely attributed to the Israel-Palestine war that began in October 2023, with 44% of the total complaints for the year reported in the last three months.

Farah Afify, the report's co-author and CAIR’s research and advocacy coordinator, highlighted the concerning rise in anti-Muslim sentiment, saying: "What we are witnessing since October 2023 is nothing short of the largest wave of anti-Muslim hate seen in this country in more than a decade."

The data reveals that the top category of complaints in 2023 was related to immigration and asylum cases, with 1,637 reports, followed by 1,201 instances of employment discrimination and 688 reports of discrimination in education settings.

Corey Saylor, CAIR’s research and advocacy director, said that the data paints a comprehensive picture of the experiences of Muslims in the US, noting discrimination by financial institutions, Islamophobic comments by court-appointed attorneys, and biased encounters with law enforcement.

The detailed breakdown of complaints also includes bullying, hate crimes, placement on terror watchlists, and other forms of discrimination.

The report underscores the impact of the surge in Islamophobia on workplaces and educational institutions.

In the final months of 2023, there were 662 complaints of employment discrimination, 472 hate crimes and incidents, and 448 instances of education discrimination.

CAIR's report suggests that employers, universities, and schools were major actors in suppressing free speech of those supporting Palestinian human rights, especially Muslims, Arabs, and Palestinians.

The authors of the report called on political leaders to take a stronger stance against Islamophobia and support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza to mitigate attacks on American Muslim communities.

They also recommended enhancements to anti-doxing laws to protect those expressing support for Palestinians from online intimidation.

CAIR's report noted that the recent wave of Islamophobic bias surpassed the spike following the Trump administration's travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries in 2017, demonstrating the persistent and resurging nature of Islamophobia in the US.