Islamophobia surging in America amid US-Israeli offensive on Iran

NEW YORK, United States (MNTV) – Anti-Muslim hate has surged sharply across the United States since the launch of joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, with a new report documenting an explosion of dehumanizing and inciting content on social media, compounded by inflammatory rhetoric from senior government officials.

For much of January and February, Islamophobic posts maintained a steady and persistent presence online, continuing the hostile climate that has built since the start of the Israeli genocide on Gaza in October 2023. 

The onset of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran on February 28 accelerated this trend sharply. Between that date and March 5, the Center for the Study of Organized Hate recorded 25,348 Islamophobic posts targeting Muslims on X alone. 

When reposts are included, total mention volume rises to 279,417 — an eleven-fold amplification — illustrating how relatively lower volumes of explicitly harmful content can reach vast audiences through platform algorithms and network effects.

Political rhetoric has compounded the crisis. Senior Trump administration officials and some members of Congress have framed the war in overtly religious terms, drawing on Christian nationalist narratives. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described Iran as driven by “prophetic Islamic delusions.” 

House Speaker Mike Johnson, referring to Iran, stated that “we’re the Great Satan in their analogy and their misguided religion.” The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) reported receiving complaints that military commanders told service members the war was “all part of God’s divine plan” and suggested it would “cause Armageddon.” 

Muslim civil rights groups have condemned such language as dangerous and inflammatory, warning that framing a military campaign in terms that implicate an entire faith contributes to an environment in which Muslims become targets of suspicion, hostility and violence.

A mass shooting in Austin, Texas on March 1 further intensified the online discourse. A gunman with a reported history of mental health issues opened fire at a bar, killing three and wounding fifteen. The shooter was reportedly wearing clothing referencing Iran and Islam, and the incident combined with the ongoing war to produce an explosion of anti-Muslim content across platforms.

A qualitative review of the dataset reveals several recurring and deeply troubling patterns. Among the most alarming is the widespread use of dehumanizing language, referring to Muslims as “rats,” “pests,” “vermin” and “parasites” — language that has historically preceded extreme violence against targeted communities.

Closely related is the framing of Muslim communities as an “infestation,” portraying them as a spreading contagion threatening American cities and institutions, mirroring propaganda historically used against numerous minority groups.

Beyond dehumanization, the report found posts crossing into explicit incitement to violence, including direct calls to exterminate Muslims, framed as acts of self-defense or civilizational survival. 

Other posts advocate placing Muslim Americans in internment camps, establishing a “Muslim Exclusion Act,” mass deportation of Muslims, or stripping citizenship from Muslim Americans through denaturalization. Many of these posts are framed as actionable demands directed at elected officials, blurring the line between extremist fantasy and policy advocacy.

The report also found posts calling for the destruction of mosques, framing them as “mini military bases” and “terrorist centers.”

Mosques in the U.S. have long been targets of arson, vandalism and shootings, and the circulation of content framing them as legitimate targets raises the risk of further violence. While the volume of Islamophobic content has shown some decline from its initial peak, the underlying conditions that fueled the surge remain firmly in place.