Discrimination and attacks against Muslims and Arabs in the United States surged to a record high in 2024, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). The organization reported 8,658 complaints last year, a 7.4% increase from the previous year and the highest since CAIR began tracking cases in 1996.
The most common complaints were related to employment discrimination (15.4%), followed by immigration and asylum issues (14.8%), education-related discrimination (9.8%), and hate crimes (7.5%). Rights groups have pointed to a rise in Islamophobia, anti-Arab sentiment, and anti-Semitism, particularly after the escalation of violence in Gaza following the Hamas attack in October 2023.
Notable hate crime incidents include the fatal stabbing of a six-year-old Palestinian American boy, the attempted drowning of a three-year-old Palestinian girl, the stabbing of a Palestinian man in Texas, and the beating of a Muslim man in New York. There was also a shooting incident in Florida where a suspect mistakenly targeted two Israeli visitors.
CAIR also highlighted the crackdown on pro-Palestine protests at universities across the U.S. Demonstrations against American support for Israel led to student arrests, suspensions, and resignations of university officials. Police violently dispersed protesters at Columbia University, while at UCLA, a pro-Palestinian demonstration was attacked by a mob.
Former President Donald Trump called for stricter action against these protests, with authorities arresting Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student and negotiator at Columbia University, despite his permanent residency status. Trump warned of further arrests, labeling the protests as “anti-American.”
CAIR denounced Khalil’s detention as a serious threat to civil liberties. Advocates stress the need for stronger protections against rising discrimination and violence targeting Muslim and Arab communities in the U.S.
