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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the US, a new study by the Center for the Study of Organizaed Hate finds that the United States and Israel’s war on Iran has “accelerated” the spread of harmful content targeting American Muslims on social media platforms, meanwhile House speaker, Mike Johnson, refuses the condemn recent anti-Muslim comments made by Republican members of Conress, and lastly in the UK, faith leaders, charities, and academics have criticized the government’s definition of “anti-Muslim hostility” as “falling short” of adequately recognizing the spectrum of racism and discrimination affecting Muslims across the country. Our recommended read of the day is by Joseph Stepansky for Al Jazeera on a new report by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has recorded the highest number of anti-Muslim complaints since it started documenting in 1996. This and more below:
United States
US civil rights group documents ‘broad attack on Muslim life’ in 2025 | Recommended Read
As the United States and Israel continue to wage war with Iran, civil rights experts have noted a troubling trend: an ongoing rise in Islamophobia, even in the highest echelons of the US government. Representative Andy Ogles, for example, has said, “Muslims don’t belong in American society”, adding that “pluralism is a lie”. His Republican colleague, Representative Randy Fine, has also amplified anti-Muslim rhetoric online. “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one,” he said one recent post. In another, Fine wrote: “Deport them ALL.” In January, Representative Keith Self, also a Republican, shared on social media: “Islam is on the march and seeks world domination.” Those kinds of statements, coupled with punitive actions under United States President Donald Trump, have created the environment for an increase in Islamophobia and discrimination in the US, according to advocates. “This is an extreme language that is often used to advance extreme policies,” said Corey Sawyer, the research and advocacy director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a civil rights group. In Tuesday’s report, CAIR indicated its offices across the country received 8,683 complaints of anti-Muslim discrimination nationwide in 2025, a slight increase from the previous year. It was the highest volume of complaints for CAIR since it began publishing its civil rights report in 1996. read the complete article
War on Iran fuelling Islamophobic social media surge in US: Report
The United States and Israel’s war on Iran has “accelerated” the spread of harmful content targeting American Muslims on social media platforms, a study by the US Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) finds. The centre found that on X alone from February 28, the first day of the war, to Thursday, users posted more than 25,300 Islamophobic remarks. The report, which was released on Monday, also found that Islamaphobia was present on social media before the war. The dataset examined original posts, quotes and replies containing Islamophobic content from January 1 through Thursday, noting that the reach of such posts expanded “significantly once reposts are included” to more than 279,000 mentions of Islamophobic content. The analysis showed that such posts surged from February 28. Users turned to using “dehumanizing language”, referring to Muslims as “pests”, “rats”, “vermin”, “parasites” and an “infestation”, the CSOH said. “Such language has historically preceded and enabled the most extreme forms of violence against targeted communities,” the report said. read the complete article
Mike Johnson refuses to condemn anti-Muslim comments by Republican lawmakers
Mike Johnson, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, on Tuesday declined to condemn Republican lawmakers who recently made Islamophobic comments, saying only that he had spoken to them about their “tone”. Democrats and groups advocating religious tolerance have decried the statements from congressmen Andy Ogles of Tennessee and Randy Fine of Florida, with the House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, calling on Johnson to discipline the latter. But the Republican speaker showed little interest in doing so when he was asked about the issue at a press conference during the House GOP’s retreat in Doral, Florida. “I’ve spoken to those members and all members, as I always do, about our tone and our message and what we say,” Johnson said. “There’s a lot of energy in the country, and a lot of popular sentiment that the demand to impose sharia law in America is a serious problem. That’s what animates this,” the speaker continued. “The language that people use, it’s different language than I would use. But I think that’s a serious issue.” read the complete article
GU Republican Chapter Deletes Post About Muslim Americans After Community Backlash
Georgetown University College Republicans (GUCR) removed a March 8 post on X claiming Muslims are incompatible with a Christian vision of the United States, following backlash from members of the university community two days later. The tweet said “Let’s Be Honest: Muslims have no place in American society,” and was written in response to a popular conservative account’s post referencing an incident in New York City where two suspects inspired by the Islamic State extremist group were accused of throwing makeshift bombs at a protest outside the mayor’s residence. After widespread condemnation across various social media platforms, several students left the GUCR messaging channel while others called for the organization to be reported through Georgetown’s bias reporting system. One day after GUCR’s post, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) wrote on X that “Muslims don’t belong in American society,” prompting national backlash from Democrats and some Republicans. read the complete article
United Kingdom
‘Anti-Muslim hostility’ definition falls short, say senior Muslim figures
Faith leaders, charities and academics have criticised the government’s definition of “anti-Muslim hostility” as “falling short” of adequately recognising the spectrum of racism and discrimination affecting Muslims across the UK. The government announced a non-statutory, working definition of anti-Muslim hostility on Monday night as part of its Protecting What Matters strategy. It comes a little over a year after the government tasked a working group led by the former Conservative attorney general for England and Wales, Dominic Grieve, to come up with a definition of what it then called “anti-Muslim hatred/Islamophobia”. Muslim groups had previously told Hyphen they wanted any official definition to use the term Islamophobia and to encompass both the racialisation of Muslims and the systemic prejudices they face. Majid Iqbal, chief executive of the Islamophobia Response Unit (IRU), a charity that provides legal support to victims of Islamophobia, welcomed some elements of the definition but raised concerns about its practical effectiveness. Iqbal noted the definition’s repeated use of the word “intentional”, which he said created a “very high threshold” that most discrimination cases would not be able to meet. “Our casework shows that Muslims face bias, institutional barriers and microaggressions that aren’t intentional, but are no less harmful,” he said. read the complete article
Images released as Birmingham woman has hijab pulled off in terrifying carjacking attempt near station
Phone footage of men wanted in connection with a violent carjacking attempt in Birmingham, where a woman had her hijab pulled off, has been released by police. The woman was grabbed from behind and had her hijab pulled off as she was dragged to the floor by the group of men as she loaded her car. The attackers tried to get into her car, but the woman’s dad intervened, and the group fled on foot. read the complete article