Violence against Palestinians is fueling a global surge in anti-Muslim hate

During the recent United States Senate hearing on hate crimes in America, Republican senators repeatedly asked Maya Berry, the executive director of the Arab American Institute, if she supported Hamas and Hezbollah and accused her of anti-Semitism.

Their anti-Muslim and anti-Arab prejudice was as clearly on display as it was difficult to watch. From the top levels of many Western governments to the media and everyday life, Islamophobia – together with anti-Arab prejudice – has returned to levels we have not witnessed since the years immediately following the 9/11 attacks.

The uptick in verbal and physical attacks is closely tied to the violence that's being perpetrated against Muslims in the never-ending wars of aggression against Muslim lands and nations around the world.

As a result of the colonial violence in Gaza and its echoes across the globe, Islamophobia is rampant today and has been on the rise during the past year.

The events of the last year are bookended by the murders of two young Muslim Americans, demonstrating how the Israeli violence in Palestine and other countries is connected.

In October 2023, just a week after the Hamas attack and days after Israel started its retaliation campaign, a six-year-old American Palestinian child, Wadee al Fayoumi, was brutally murdered in Illinois.

Almost a year later, a 26-year-old American-Turkish woman, Aysenur Eygi, was killed by the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank while protesting there.

In between these two senseless tragedies, the Gaza genocide unfolded in full view of the world. Daily massacres in Gaza, and now in Lebanon, have become so common that many are desensitised to these brutalities.

This constant violence against Muslims in countries like Lebanon and Palestine feeds Islamophobia, sanctioning anti-Muslim violence in the West and globally. Many Western governments and politicians exacerbate the situation by using inflammatory rhetoric, as in the recent Senate hearings.

Schools under attack

On March 15, 2024, the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights stated, "Across the world, we have witnessed attacks on mosques, cultural centres, schools and even private property belonging to Muslims."

Schools and universities, often thought of as inclusive and diverse zones, have increasingly become safe havens for anti-Muslim rhetoric and violence. A recent report from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) about New York City schools found that almost 60 percent of all Muslim students experienced bullying in school by another student because they were Muslim.

More worryingly, 29 percent of students reported that their teachers and administrators made offensive comments against Islam and Muslims. For this reason, almost half of the Muslim students never asked for help or believed that reporting these incidents would make any difference.

In the wake of the nationwide campus demonstrations in the US against the genocide in Gaza, many universities have employed anti-terrorism tactics and violence. As a result, some have banned campus protests.

In contrast, others have used heavy military equipment and approaches to disperse the students. Free speech and academic freedom are being attacked under the pretence of anti-Semitism. The deep-seated Islamophobia in educational institutions may leave a lasting impact on generations of Muslims growing up in the US.

Enabling hate

In Europe, Germany is a prime example when it comes to Islamophobic rhetoric and actions from a government. Germany, like some other European governments, is using the Gaza war to address its immigration problem.

In a typical Islamophobic move, the German authorities have called Muslims a fifth column, bent on utilising German laws and hospitality to institute a stealth change in the country. Muslims are portrayed today in a similar way to how Jews have been pictured in the past.

Farid Hafez, an Islamophobia researcher at Georgetown University, recently concluded, "What cannot be done to the Jew anymore (in Germany), can easily be done to the Muslim."

Israel's violence against Palestinians is also emboldening non-Western countries and their leaders. This phenomenon is perhaps most evident in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's anti-Muslim beliefs and incitements are well documented, but the genocide in Gaza has further enabled Indian nationalists who are cheering on Israel.

The Israeli ambassador to India boasted last October that he received so much support for Israel's actions in Gaza that many Indians told him they would volunteer to fight for Israel. A prominent Indian writer and activist, Arundhati Roy, has even called on her country to stop selling arms to Israel or risk being forever linked to genocide.

Anti-Muslim violence and Islamophobia in India have transnational echoes in Palestine. In turn, they provide further justification for attacks on Muslims in India.

Election woes

In the United States, Muslims are caught between a rock and a hard place in this election cycle. On one side are the Democrats, whose administration has not stopped Israel, but instead has actively supported it in its genocidal violence.

The Democrats say all the right things, but their actions are often anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, and anti-Muslim.

On the other side are the Republicans, who do not hide their Islamophobia or anti-Arab animus. Former President Donald Trump has stated that, if elected, he would attempt to restore a version of the "Muslim ban." His official election platform calls for deporting "pro-Hamas radicals."

This statement is so open-ended that it could include almost every Muslim as well as many American non-Muslims who have sided with the movement for justice in Palestine. The rise of the uncommitted movement, the Democrats who oppose Biden's policy on Palestine and Israel, exemplifies the confusion within that segment of the population.

Last week, they announced that they would not endorse Kamala Harris for the presidency, but also instructed their followers to vote against Trump and not support a third party. Some Muslims, in reaction to these developments, are indicating they would vote for Dr Jill Stein and her Green Party.

Notably, her running mate is Dr Butch Ware, a Muslim academic and activist. If enough Muslims vote for the Green Party, that could deliver victory to Trump, thus resulting in even more Islamophobia.

It is not all bleak, though. In the wake of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, many young Americans have joined the movement seeking justice for Palestine, opposing the occupation, and affirming the rights of the Palestinians.

Unexpectedly, many have expressed a renewed curiosity about Islam, and some have even announced their conversion on social media. So, paradoxically, the rise in Islamophobia has led to a renewed interest in Islam, just like what happened after 9/11.

The rise of social media, especially TikTok, broke the mainstream media grip on reporting the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Islamophobic content it often produces.

Expectedly, Congress is looking into banning or reducing the impact of TikTok, ostensibly due to its Chinese ownership and handling of sensitive data.

However, some believe that the potential ban actually has to do with the platform's break of the mainstream media monopoly on the Palestinian-Israeli narrative.

In the meantime, daily massacres in Gaza and Lebanon are resulting in hundreds of deaths almost every single day.

Under the conditions of the continuing Israeli onslaught against its neighbors and daily violence against Muslims and Arabs, it is to be expected that Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiments will only continue to rise.