Council on American-Islamic Relations confirms sharp increase in Islamophobic incidents in US
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said it has observed a sharp increase in Islamophobic incidents in the United States since the start of al-Aqsa Flood war on Gaza Strip weeks ago.
The council added that it received 774 complaints of Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian and Arab incidents in the United States between October 7 and 24, 2023.
It continued that this is the highest rate since 2015, explaining that this number is equivalent to three times the average number of complaints for the year 2022 compared to the same period.
CAIR pointed to the assault on an 18-year-old Palestinian in Brooklyn, in addition to death threats received by a mosque, and the stabbing murder of 6-year-old Muslim child Wadee Al-Fiyomi in Illinois.
US authorities confirmed that the killer targeted the child because he was an American of Palestinian origin.
In a statement to Al Jazeera following the murder of Wadee Al-Fiyomi, CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad said that what American Muslims are facing today is more dangerous than what they faced after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Awad attributed sharp increase in the Islamophobic incidents to the adoption by President Joe Biden and the American media of Israeli claims about the ongoing events.
The US Department of Justice said it is monitoring the increasing threats against Jews and Muslims amid the ongoing conflict.
