Muslim and Jewish civil rights groups reported on Wednesday a spike in the number of Islamophobic and antisemitic incidents in the United States since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7.
The Council on Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported 774 complaints and bias incidents across the US since the onset of the war, including the fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old Muslim boy and his mother, who survived the incident. CAIR believes this is the largest number of complaints they have received in a similar period since former President Donald Trump announced his intentions to institute a Muslim travel ban in the US in 2015.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) also reported on Wednesday that it has recorded 312 incidents of antisemitism in the US since the war started. On October 15, in New York City’s Grand Central Terminal, a man reportedly punched a 29-year-old woman in the face. The woman informed New York Police Department (NYPD) officers that when she inquired why she had been attacked, the man allegedly responded with, “You are Jewish,” before fleeing the scene.
Nearly three weeks ago, Hamas, a political and military organization that administered the Gaza, launched an attack on Israel along the Gaza border. A day after the attack, Israel declared war on the group. Since then, tensions have continued to rise, with Israel launching a brief deployment of ground forces into Gaza on Thursday.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that the war has resulted in the loss of over 7,300 lives so far. Israeli authorities have reported their death toll has surpassed 1,400 individuals. The UN has also reported that as many as 1.4 million people have been displaced because of the war.