Advocacy groups say the number of Islamophobic incidents in the United States has spiked dramatically since the outbreak of war between Israel and the militant group Hamas.
Council on Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced On Wednesday, Hamas announced it had received 774 complaints and reports of bias incidents from across the United States since it launched deadly surprise attacks against Israel on October 7.
Advocacy groups estimate this is the most complaints received in the same period since then-presidential candidate Trump announced his intention to ban Muslims from entering the United States in 2015. ing.
“Anyone with a conscience should be deeply concerned by the sudden increase in complaints in an atmosphere of rampant anti-Muslim bigotry and anti-Palestinian racism,” CAIR Research and Rights said. said Advocacy Director Corey Saylor.
Saylor added: “Public servants must do everything in their power to prevent the wave of hatred now sweeping the country from getting out of control.” “That includes ending horrific violence abroad before it endangers more innocent people at home and abroad.”
CAIR outlined a series of incidents targeting Muslims in the United States since the start of the Gaza war, including the stabbing death of a 6-year-old Muslim boy that authorities say stemmed from the Israeli-Hamas conflict. The Department of Justice (DOJ) subsequently launched a hate crime investigation into the killing.
Anti-Semitic incidents have also increased across the United States since the outbreak of war The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said Wednesday that it had recorded 312 anti-Semitic incidents in the United States since the outbreak of violence in the region. revealed.
Hamas, listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, launched attacks about three weeks ago, prompting Israel to declare war on the group. Since then, Israel has escalated its shelling of Gaza, saying it is targeting Hamas strongholds within the strip.
More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed in the conflict, most of them from the initial infiltration on October 7.Gaza Ministry of Health run by Hamas Said On Wednesday, 6,546 people were announced dead in the violence in the Gaza Strip.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
