Islamophobia in the US on the Rise, Mosque Attacks Surge 183 Percent
Islamophobia in the United States has once again come under the spotlight. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has reported a sharp increase in incidents targeting mosques and Muslim places of worship over the past three months.
CAIR recorded 17 incidents targeting Islamic places of worship between May and July this year. This represents a 183 per cent increase compared with the same period last year, which saw only six incidents.
The figure also accounts for roughly 51 per cent of the 33 incidents specifically targeting Islamic institutions throughout 2025, including mosques, Islamic community centres and other Muslim places of worship.
CAIR’s Director of Research and Advocacy, Corey Saylor, said Islamophobia remains a deeply rooted form of hatred in the United States.
“Islamophobia remains an acceptable form of bigotry in the US. American houses of worship are far too often viewed as targets for cheap political slander and violence,” Saylor said, as quoted by Anadolu Agency on Wednesday (29/7/2026).
He stressed that community leaders have a responsibility to ensure that houses of worship remain safe places for worshippers to pray, reflect and gather. According to him, vigilance is an essential part of achieving that security.
CAIR explained that the incidents it documented include terror attacks on mosques, threats of violence, arson, acts of intimidation, and opposition to the establishment or presence of Islamic places of worship on religious grounds.
The organisation also said its researchers routinely monitor the three-month period following a major event to identify potential spikes in hate activity.
In this context, CAIR highlighted the 18 May attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego. In that incident, Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha and Nadir Awad lost their lives while trying to protect children from an attack by a white supremacist extremist targeting the facility.
Additionally, last May, CAIR’s New Jersey office (CAIR-NJ) received reports from four mosques experiencing targeted harassment, including threatening phone calls, hate mail and physical intimidation. Local law enforcement also reported that six other mosques had experienced similar acts.
CAIR affirmed that all data included in its report comes from publicly available information, whether through media reporting or posts on social media.
In response to the growing threat against Muslim communities, CAIR has urged mosque administrators and community leaders to step up security measures.
The organisation has also invited them to register to receive the updated “Best Practices Guide for Mosque and Community Security”, which is scheduled to be released in late August in conjunction with the North American Islamic Trust.