The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has reported an unprecedented rise in hate incidents against Muslims and Arabs in the United States, attributing the surge to heightened Islamophobia fueled by Israel's war in Gaza and campus protests. Cited by Reuters, the organization stated on Tuesday that it had recorded 8,658 complaints in 2024, the highest number since it began publishing these figures in 1996. Compared to the previous year, incidents increased by 7.4%. Employment discrimination accounted for the largest share (15.4%), followed by immigration and asylum cases (14.8%), education-related complaints (9.8%), and hate crimes (7.5%). Alongside rising anti-Arab prejudice, CAIR also noted an increase in anti-Semitism, within the broader context of Israel's military actions in Gaza. «For the second year in a row, the U.S.-backed Gaza genocide drove a wave of Islamophobia in the United States», CAIR stated. The organization also pointed to the crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests and university demonstrations demanding an end to U.S. support for Israel as factors that escalated tensions in 2024. CAIR specifically highlighted police intervention at Columbia University, where Palestinian student Mahmoud Khalil was arrested, as well as violence against demonstrators at the University of California. It also noted the resignation of university administrators and the suspension or arrest of numerous students amid mounting campus unrest.
