Islamophobic incidents spike since eruption of Israel-Hamas conflict: Advocacy group

The number of Islamophobic incidents in the United States has dramatically spiked since the outset of the war between Israel and the militant group Hamas, according to an advocacy group.

The Council on Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced Wednesday that it has received 774 complaints and reported incidents of bias from across the U.S. since Hamas launched its deadly surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

The advocacy group estimated this is the largest number of complaints received in a similar period since former President Trump, a presidential candidate at the time, announced his intentions for a Muslim ban in the United States in 2015.

“Anyone with a conscience should be deeply concerned by this sudden rise in complaints amid an atmosphere of rampant anti-Muslim bigotry and anti-Palestinian racism,” said Corey Saylor, research and advocacy director at CAIR.

“Public officials should do everything in their power to keep the wave of hate sweeping the nation right now from spiraling out of control,” Saylor added. “That includes bringing the horrific violence overseas to an end before it endangers more innocent people there and here at home.”

CAIR outlined a series of incidents targeting Muslims in the U.S. since the onset of the war in Gaza, including the fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old Muslim boy that officials say was driven by the Israel-Hamas conflict. The Justice Department (DOJ) has since opened up a hate crimes investigation into the killing.

There has also been an increase in antisemitic incidents following the eruption of the war across the U.S. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) revealed Wednesday that it documented 312 antisemitic incidents in the U.S. since the violence broke out in the region.

Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., launched its attack nearly three weeks ago, prompting Israel to declare war on the group. Since then, Israel has escalated its bombardment of Gaza, saying it is targeting Hamas’s strongholds in the territory.

More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed in the conflict, mostly in the initial infiltration on Oct. 7. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Wednesday that 6,546 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip.