"Unprecedented surge" in anti-Arab, anti-Muslim bias incidents reported in U.S. since Israel-Hamas war, advocacy group says

In the month since Hamas' attack on Israel sparked war in the Gaza Strip and worldwide protests, there has been an "unprecedented surge" in incidents of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias reported across the United States, according to a new report.

Data released Wednesday by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which describes itself as the country's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, showed a tremendous upswing in complaints submitted between Oct. 7 — the day of the Hamas attack — and Nov. 4, exactly four weeks later. During that period of time, a total of 1,283 requests for help and reports of bias were submitted directly to CAIR, the organization said in a news release. 

That number represents a 216% increase in such reports compared with the average number of monthly complaints the organization received last year. In 2022, CAIR received 406 requests for help and reports of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias, on average, each month. The organization said that complaints submitted to them since Oct. 7 have involved Americans of various ages and backgrounds, including public school students, college students, protesters, doctors and other workers. Some of the complaints have also involved bias targeting mosques in the U.S.