Today in Islamophobia

Today in Islamophobia: In the United States, leaders of Charlotte’s Islamic community gathered  to support those in Mooresville’s Islamic Center of Lake Norman who’ve had to endure hateful, Islamophobic remarks as they work to build a new mosque, meanwhile in Germany, new research out by the CLAIM Alliance shows that in the first half of 2026, authorities recorded a reported 11 per day average of Islamophobic crimes across the country, representing a 33 percent increase from 2024, and lastly, an uptick in Israeli settler violence and hate has been increasing across the occupied West Bank with graffiti now becoming a more common means of intimidation in villages. Our recommended read of the day is by CSOH on new research analyzing the hate and anti-Muslim rhetoric targeting Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary winner Dr. Abdul El-Sayed throughout his campaign. This and more below:

United States

Anti-Muslim Hate Targeting Abdul El-Sayed Surged 20-Fold After Primary Win | Recommended Read

Anti-Muslim bigotry in the US has continued to rise through 2026, following the pattern set the year before, and the environment it has produced is harsher now than at any point in the recent past. Much of that climate has been built deliberately rather than arising from events on its own. In April 2026, the Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) documented how 89 elected officials assembled a coordinated anti-Muslim campaign over thirteen months, publishing 1,111 social media posts, introducing eight bills, and forming a Sharia-Free America Caucus that grew to 65 members. These campaigns draw on conspiracy theories about Muslim religious practices, mosques, and the supposed imposition of “Sharia law,” all reinforcing a broader narrative of an impending Muslim takeover. This narrative echoes the Great Replacement theory and intensifies around major events, including conflicts in the Middle East and the growing visibility of Muslims running for public office. Online, that bigotry and the conspiratorial narratives carrying it have escalated in successive waves. Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary on August 4 produced the most concentrated wave of the summer. In the seven days that followed, posts targeting El-Sayed with anti-Muslim bigotry rose to 20 times their pre-primary rate, while overall anti-Muslim posts on X reached their highest single-day total since June 1. This data brief examines the scale of both surges and the rhetoric driving them. read the complete article

John Esposito, Acclaimed GU Islamic Studies Scholar, Dies at 86

John Esposito, an Islamic studies scholar who taught at Georgetown University for over three decades, died July 15 outside Philadelphia. He was 86. Esposito spent his career dismantling Western stereotypes about Islam and advancing a more pluralistic understanding of the religion. He joined Georgetown in 1993 as the founding director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU) and later established the program’s Bridge Initiative, which researches Islamophobia. Friends, students and colleagues remember Esposito as a prodigious scholar, outspoken advocate and generous mentor. read the complete article

Islamic community denounces anti-Muslim remarks in Mooresville: ‘I feel unsafe’

Leaders of Charlotte’s Islamic community gathered Tuesday to support those in Mooresville who’ve endured hateful, Islamophobic remarks as they build a new mosque. “Some of the residents there came forward and really kind of made an embarrassing scene to our growing community,” Jibril Hough, spokesperson and a trustee for the Islamic Center of Charlotte said outside the Government Center in uptown Charlotte. He was referring to a group of residents who spoke against the mosque at the Aug. 3 Mooresville town board meeting. The mosque is under construction by the Mooresville-based Islamic Center of Lake Norman. According to a town recording of the meeting on YouTube, speakers called Islam an “evil ideology” and said “no to Sharia Law and this Muslim center.” Speakers asked if “women and girls [are] at risk” and labeled Islam “a political regime with the ultimate goal of takeover [of] regions and nations.” “Our Islamic centers and our mosques, for the better part of the past three decades, have been on the front end contributing to people in financial need,” he said. “We have never turned down anybody who came to us for help with rent, an electric bill or baby formula.” Hough also said some of his ancestry can be traced to those who fought in the American Revolution. “So Islam didn’t start here 40 or 50 years ago,” he said. “There were Muslims here before Columbus.” read the complete article

Massachusetts Bill Plans Muslim Commission to Boost Inclusion

Massachusetts lawmakers may revive a bill that would give Muslim residents a formal voice in state government and seek to address discrimination against the community. The proposal would create an 11-member commission to advise state leaders on issues affecting Muslim Americans, including education, health care, employment and civil rights. It would also study Islamophobia and recommend ways Massachusetts could respond to anti-Muslim hate. Democratic state Sen. Jamie Eldridge introduced the bill, known as S.2134, but it did not reach the Senate floor before the formal legislative session ended July 31. Eldridge and state Rep. Vanna Howard, another sponsor, said they are considering changes before filing it again next session. read the complete article

As Abdul El-Sayed breaks a barrier, anti-Muslim vitriol surges on multiple fronts

Abdul El-Sayed made history this month in Michigan by becoming the first Muslim nominated by the Democratic Party to run for the U.S. Senate. But elation among many of his fellow Muslim Americans was tempered by awareness of persisting and widespread anti-Muslim sentiment across much of the nation. Some Republicans, including President Donald Trump, swiftly began referring to the nominee by his full name, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, while depicting him as a danger to America. “Every single Muslim holding public office in America is a Trojan horse, and a threat to both national security and our republic,’' said U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., in a post on X. El-Sayed says such attacks betray a weakness in those who launch them. “We all pray for the same things. ... We want what’s good for our kids and our families,” he told MS NOW after his primary victory. “They’re going to use Islamophobia, because their ideas are tired.” read the complete article

Beckwith targets Islamic calls to prayer, saying they aren’t ‘part of American culture’

Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith said Monday that Islamic calls to prayer should not be broadcast publicly in Indiana, arguing that unlike church bells, the practice is not part of American culture or history. “Church bells are a part of American culture and history. Islamic calls to prayer are not,” Beckwith said during the latest installment of his “Ask Micah Anything” video series, which he posted on YouTube. Beckwith did not identify a specific Indiana mosque or local dispute that prompted his comments. He also did not discuss a specific proposal to prohibit mosques from broadcasting the call to prayer. Publicly broadcast religious sounds generally are subject to local noise regulations governing factors such as volume and time, although those rules cannot discriminate based on the religious content of the sound, courts have found. Maliha Zafar, executive director of the Indiana Muslim Advocacy Network, said that to her knowledge, no Indiana mosques broadcast the adhan outside over loudspeakers. read the complete article

‘A Trojan Horse’: GOP Escalates Anti-Muslim Campaign Against Abdul El-Sayed

Now, a similar effort is underway to make Abdul El-Sayed the new face of the Democratic Party. This time, it’s not just the far-right ecosystem that has a problem with the newly nominated Senate hopeful. Jewish voters and staunch supporters of Israel are no fan of El-Sayed’s criticisms of Israel or his decision to campaign with Hasan Piker, an activist who has been accused of anti-Semitism. It’s created a surprising coalition of El-Sayed skeptics that Republicans are more than eager to inflate. After trying and failing to make hay out of Talarico’s lifestyle and personal life, their approach with El-Sayed is much simpler: he’s Muslim. “Every single Muslim holding public office in America is a trojan horse, and a threat to both national security and our republic,” tweeted Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina. Piped up MAGA influencer Laura Loomer: “As I have been saying for years, Muslims need to be treated like enemy combatants.” “Two VERY DIFFERENT Americas,” President Donald Trump posted with an image of two married couples—Trump and his wife on the left, El-Sayed and his hijab-wearing wife on the right. The tableau reveals an ugly reality about U.S. politics right now. The attacks against Talarico, a white man, weren’t meant to register on the scare factor. The ones against El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, unequivocally are. read the complete article

United Kingdom

Concern over rise in religious hate crime in Thames Valley

Newly released data from Thames Valley Police shows recorded religious hate crime offences rose by more than a third (36 per cent) in the last year, with 409 incidents logged between July 2025 and June 2026, up from 300 the year before. The Rt Revd Gavin Collins, acting Bishop of Oxford, said: “Hatred in any form, whether antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, or xenophobia, has no place in our society. "This increase in reported hate crime is deeply concerning, and I encourage anyone who experiences or witnesses it to report it to the Police." Bishop Gavin said faith and civic leaders across the county were working closely together to respond. He said: “Through the Oxfordshire Faith and Communities Forum, which I co-chair with Imam Monawar Hussein, faith and civic leaders work together to build trust and stand together against hatred and those who seek to divide us. read the complete article

John Cleese denies 'Islamophobic' claims after backlash over his comments about Muslims

John Cleese has insisted he is not “Islamophobic” after coming under fire over comments he has made about Islam and Muslims. The comedian, 86, has criticised aspects of Islam and multiculturalism on social media, claiming the Qur'an is “all about killing infidels” as well as questioning Islamic teachings and the influence of Islamic beliefs in Britain. He has also claimed Muslim beliefs are “attacking British values” and said London is “not an English city anymore”. Cleese went on: “Unfortunately, some Muslims cannot tolerate any form of criticism, even from someone who has made many jokes about Christianity. Nobody ever called me Christophobic after Life of Brian!” read the complete article

International

‘Burn in hell’: Israeli settlers spread hate through graffiti, attacks

Scrawled in black graffiti, the word “Revenge” stains the terracotta facade of a school in Jalud, a village in the occupied West Bank. Other slogans carry a more direct threat: “Burn in hell,” reads one. “Get out of the village,” says another. It is a familiar sight across this community, located 27km (17 miles) south of Nablus and home to some 1,000 Palestinians. Under the cover of darkness or in broad daylight, Israeli settlers have been targeting Palestinian public institutions and homes with increased intensity, spraying slogans with racist and threatening messages, as well as invoking biblical passages to justify committing their crimes. Residents and officials say the defacing of the buildings typically accompanies violent settler attacks. Jalud has been subjected to five major assaults since last January, the latest being on August 4 when settlers burned vehicles and sprayed racist slogans on a residential building. read the complete article

The West uses the rhetoric of "Judeo-Christian values" to fuel unconditional support for Israeli policies.

"The concept of Judeo-Christian values does not protect Jews or Judaism; it protects a specific state policy and uses Jewish identity as a cover for it." The discourse of "Judeo-Christian values," long presented in Western politics as an expression of a shared religious and cultural heritage, has in recent years transformed into a political boundary defining who belongs to society, excluding Muslims, and legitimizing unconditional support for Israel. Mobashra Tazamal, Deputy Director of The Bridge Initiative Project at Georgetown University, which conducts research on Islamophobia, spoke to an AA correspondent about the role of this terminology in constructing Muslims as the "other of civilization" and an "internal threat," and its impact on discussions surrounding the genocide in Gaza. read the complete article

Germany

Why Islamophobia in Germany is a structural problem at the heart of society

While Islamophobic crimes in Germany are decreasing, it's important not to become complacent. In the first half of 2026, authorities recorded 231 offences, a significant decrease from 489 in the same period last year. However, the federal government notes that these are preliminary figures and may increase with subsequent reports. The CLAIM alliance, a coalition of more than 50 civil society organisations, recently documented 4,096 anti-Muslim incidents nationwide in 2025 – both criminal and non-criminal. This amounts to over 11 incidents on average each day, representing a 33 percent increase from 2024. The number of unreported cases is likely to be far higher: According to a study by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, only four percent of those affected in Germany report experiencing discrimination. Seventy-five percent of Muslims surveyed reported experiencing racist discrimination in government agencies. Therefore, CLAIM emphasises: "Anti-Muslim racism is not a fringe phenomenon, but a structural problem". read the complete article

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