Alwaght- There has been a 57 percent increase in anti-Muslim incidents across the United States in 2016 over the previous year, a Muslim advocacy group has said.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), America's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, this week released a report showing a 57 percent increase in anti-Muslim incidents in 2016 over the previous year. This spike in anti-Muslim incidents was accompanied by a 44 percent increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes during the same period.
Islamophobia basically refers to fear, prejudice, hatred or dislike directed against Islam or Muslims, or towards Islamic politics or culture.
CAIR’s new report, titled “The Empowerment of Hate,” also notes that from 2014 to 2016, anti-Muslim bias incidents jumped 65 percent.
“It is time for the Trump administration to seriously address the growing anti-minority sentiment in our nation, prompted at least in part by his toxic campaign rhetoric, the appointment of Islamophobes to policy-making posts and the introduction of Islamophobic policies such as the ‘Muslim ban,’” said Corey Saylor, director of CAIR’s Department to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia, co-author of the report.
The most frequent types of incidents documented by CAIR in 2016 involved harassment, the FBI, employment issues, hate crimes, and denials of religious accommodations:
1. Harassment, a non-violent or non-threatening bias incident accounted for 18 percent of the total number of incidents.
2. Incidents during which the complainant was questioned by FBI employees or otherwise appeared to be inappropriately targeted by that agency comprised 15 percent of cases, making this the second largest category.
3. Employment issues - including denial of work, being passed over for promotion, or harassment by a supervisor or other senior staff - was the third largest category, accounting for 13 percent of the total.
4. Hate crimes placed fourth, accounting for 12 percent of the cases CAIR documented.
The most prevalent trigger of an anti-Muslim bias incidents in 2016 was the victim’s ethnicity or national origin, accounting for 35 percent of the total. Sixteen percent of incidents occurred as a result of women wearing a headscarf. Other Muslim-related activities - events such as rallies, community picnics, or a day at the state capitol visiting legislators organized primarily for Muslims - constituted an additional 11 percent.
The report dataset is drawn primarily from the intakes CAIR conducts each year. With each case, civil rights and legal staff seek to ensure the highest possible level of accuracy.
Trump Synonymous with Islamophobia
Trump openly campaigned for a total ban on all Muslims entering the US and has since issued executive orders aimed at limiting the movement of nationals of certain majority-Muslim countries to the US.
Researchers at America's Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) attributed the dramatic spike to Trump's campaign, saying his success “energized” the radical right.
In a February report, SPLC noted that the number of anti-Muslim organizations known to be operating in the US rose from just 34 in 2015 to 101 in 2016 In a report titled, Annual Census of Hate Groups and Extremist Organizations, SPLC pointed out that “a rash of crimes targeting Muslims,” including an arson that destroyed a mosque in Victoria, Texas, just hours after the Trump administration announced an executive order suspending travel from seven majority-Muslim countries. The SPLC added they believe Trump’s "incendiary rhetoric", including his campaign pledge to ban Muslims from entering the US, coupled with terrorist attacks fuelled the rise in anti-Muslim hate.
It appears that Islamophobia has not only become official under Trump's administration but, it is spreading like a virus throughout Europe as well. Muslims in Europe and North America should brace for tougher times ahead.
