Islamophobia is worse in this country than antisemitism but both are VERY wrong.
Most Americans get especially outraged at antisemitism because Israel is our ally but Islamophobia is not only tolerated but is sometimes promoted at sources like Fox News or by politicians like Lindsey Graham.
You will note the many dozens of posts condemning antisemitism here while this is the first one to point out Islamophobia.............even though Islamophobia is MUCH worse.
Especially after 9-11-01, Islamophobia in the United States ramped up and was widespread in many areas.
I witnessed it first hand from one of my chess students, 6th grader Mohamed in 2003. His Dad was a professor at the University of Evansville. He and I had some wonderful conversations and I learned a great deal about Islam.
Sadly, the reason he had moved here from California is because they were being persecuted for being Arabs after 9-11.
He thought a fresh start in a new place might help. Unfortunately, I watched in shock as his son was attacked by the principle on several occasions.
The principle would come to chess practice and start yelling at Mohamed as if he did something wrong. He was just the sweetest, most cooperative young man. Very quiet and never bothered anybody.
It's no wonder, considering the pervasive lack of respect that people in our country have for Muslims.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/157082/islamophobia-understanding-anti-muslim-sentiment-west.aspx
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Anti-Muslim hate groups are a relatively new phenomenon in the United States, with many appearing after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. These groups broadly defame Islam and traffic in conspiracy theories of Muslims being a subversive threat to the nation. This gives rise to a climate of fear, hate and intimidation directed toward Muslims or those perceived to be Muslim.
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/ideology/anti-muslim
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Islam
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/ideology/anti-muslim
WASHINGTON, April 2 (Reuters) - Reported discrimination and attacks against Muslims and Palestinians reached a record high in the U.S. in 2023, driven by rising Islamophobia and bias as the Israel-Gaza war raged late in the year, data from an advocacy group showed on Tuesday.
Complaints totaled 8,061 in 2023, a 56% rise from the year before and the highest since the Council on American-Islamic Relations began records nearly 30 years ago. About 3,600 of those incidents occurred from October to December, CAIR said.
Islamophobia incidents rising in US as pro-Palestinian students accused of antisemitism
Pro-Palestine demonstrations at Columbia University have expanded to US campuses, leading pro-Israel groups to denounce the protests as antisemitic.
Efforts by universities to quell the protests have sparked debates on free speech, with accusations of antisemitism raising concerns about rising Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian incidents in the US.
The Muslim rights advocacy group’s New Jersey Communications Director, Dina Sayedahmed, condemned the use of antisemitism allegations to silence Palestinian and Muslim students critical of Israel, calling it a violation of free speech.
“It's mainly due to public officials’ unbalanced, disingenuous and dishonest statements on Palestine and on Muslims,” said Sayedahmed, noting that CAIR witnessed a more than 200% increase in anti-Muslim incidents from 2023 to 2024.
"The state is unable to actually investigate true antisemitic events because they're being flooded with false accusations of anti-Semitism,” she said.