The Council of American Islamic Relations (C.A.I.R.) released a report on Monday, describing the sharp increase in anti-Islamic hate crimes in the U.S.
According to the report, hate crimes against Muslims increased by 17% since 2017. The author of the report, Zainab Arain, concluded that this dramatic increase is due to Donald Trump’s presidency and islamophobic rhetoric. Moreover, Arain contends the report, provides concrete evidence that the unconstitutional Muslim Ban [created by Trump] resulted in more Islamophobic hate and violence.
In 2017, CAIR received 5650 reports of anti-Muslim incidents, an increase from 4,282 the previous year. The Washington Post reports that many attackers cited Trump during their tirades to justify their actions, like a man in Chicago throwing rocks at a Muslim family and threatening to kill them claimed, “That’s what Trump would do.”
An Op-ed piece in the Orlando Sentinel claims however, that Muslim Americans should not despair. The author, Shayan Modarres, who serves as legal counsel for National Iranian American Council, optimistically states: “We, as a country, have traveled down this road of self-destruction before and have seen the devastating consequences. True patriots stand for religious freedom for all in an inclusive, tolerant America.”
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