ISLAMOPHOBIC VIOLENCE FACING MUSLIMS AND U.S. COLLEGE CAMPUSES DURING THE ONGOING WAR IN GAZA

Abstract

Antisemitism and islamophobia are both deplorable sentiments that fuel violence. Since the resurgence of the Israel-Palestine war in 2023, Islamophobic violence in the United States surged dramatically, witnessing a 178 percent increase following the events of October 7 with 3,578 anti-Muslim complaints recorded. This paper aims to spotlight Islamophobic violence in the United States by presenting profiles of hate crimes facing minority Muslims in the country, including a hijabi woman harassed by an Israeli faculty member at Arizona State University, a six-year-old Muslim boy who was fatally stabbed 26 times while his mother sustained multiple injuries, and a group of Muslims of Palestinian descent being verbally harassed and shot with guns. Non-Muslim students also emerged as victims of Islamophobic violence for supporting Palestinians across American college campuses.