ALWAGHT- According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian incidents in the United States increased by 70% in the first half of 2024.
Human rights advocates have observed a global rise in Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian bias, and antisemitism since the onset of the Israeli war in Gaza in October, which has led to tens of thousands of deaths and a severe humanitarian crisis.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported 4,951 complaints of anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian incidents in the first six months of 2024, marking a significant increase compared to the same period in 2023. Most of these complaints involved issues related to immigration and asylum, employment discrimination, education discrimination, and hate crimes.
In 2023, CAIR recorded a total of 8,061 complaints, with around 3,600 incidents occurring in the last three months following the outbreak of the war.
Over the past nine months, the US has experienced several alarming incidents, including the fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian-American child in Illinois in October, the stabbing of a Palestinian-American man in Texas in February, the shooting of three students of Palestinian descent in Vermont in November, and the attempted drowning of a 3-year-old Palestinian-American girl in May.
Numerous protests have been held across the US, Israel's key ally, opposing the war in Gaza since October. CAIR's report also noted the crackdown by police and university authorities on pro-Palestinian protests and encampments on campuses.
