An advocacy group has said in its report that discrimination and attacks against Muslims and Palestinians in the United States will increase to a record in 2023. Islamophobia and the Israel-Gaza war have been cited as one of the reasons.
The advocacy group Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) released a report on Tuesday, saying that in 2023, there were a total of 8,061 complaints of attacks and discrimination against Muslims. which is 56% more than last year.
CAIR says this is the highest number since it began tracking incidents against Muslims in the United States nearly 30 years ago. According to the report, 3,600 incidents of attacks and discrimination were reported between October and December alone.
Human rights advocates have also reported similar discriminatory treatment and attacks against Muslims worldwide, as well as an increase in Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian sentiment since recent conflicts in the Middle East.
The incidents cited by CAIR in its report include the October stabbing death of six-year-old Palestinian- American Wadia Al-Fayum in Illinois, the November shooting of three Palestinian-American students in Vermont, and the February shooting in Texas.
This includes the stabbing of a Palestinian American.The CAIR report states that in 2023, anti-Muslim hatred started again. However, for the first time in 2022, an annual decline in anti-Muslim complaints was recorded.
The biggest differences are in the areas of immigration, employment and education. According to the report, during the first nine months of 2023, there were an average of about 500 such incidents per month, but in the last quarter of the year, the number increased to about 1,200 per month.
Islamophobia and the escalation of violence in Israel and Palestine in October 2023 are the main reasons for the surge in hate incidents, the report said. CAIR says that in 2023, the most complaints were filed in the categories of immigration and asylum, discrimination in employment, hate crimes and discrimination in education.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said it compiled the data based on a review of public statements and videos, as well as material received from public appeals, emails and an online complaint system. Apart from this, the people with whom the incidents of discriminatory treatment were reported in the media were also contacted.
Israeli authorities issued permits for the construction of new homes on Wednesday. This is the first such release since the Gaza conflict began on October 7. According to reports, after this initiative, the number of permits issued within a year has exceeded 20,000.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 416 Palestinians have been killed and 4,658 injured, including 718 children, in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Israel since October 7.
So far this year, 101 Palestinians have been killed, while in 2023, the number of deaths during the same period was 71. Most of such people were killed by Israeli army firing. After October 7, 15 Israelis were also killed in the same areas, including four belonging to Israel’s security forces. 90 Israelis have also been injured in incidents related to the Gaza war.
