Islamophobic content against Muslim Americans surges online amid US-Israeli war on Iran: Report

Islamophobic content targeting Muslim Americans surged sharply online following the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran on Feb. 28, according to a report released Monday by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate.

The data brief found that anti-Muslim rhetoric across social media platforms intensified rapidly after the outbreak of the conflict, adding to a hostile digital climate that researchers say has persisted since Israel's genocidal war on Gaza began in October 2023.

Analyzing posts on the US social media company X's platform between Jan. 1 and March 5, researchers documented a spike in Islamophobic discourse beginning the day the US-Israeli war started.

Between Feb. 28 and March 5 alone, the study recorded 25,348 Islamophobic posts targeting Muslims on the platform, including posts that include dehumanizing language, incitement to violence, or exclusionary rhetoric targeting Muslims, such as calls for deportation, internment or collective punishment.

When reposts were included, the reach expanded significantly, with the total number of mentions rising to 279,417 — representing an elevenfold amplification of the original posts.

Online discourse intensified further after a March 1 mass shooting in Austin, Texas, where a gunman reportedly wearing clothing referencing Iran killed three people and wounded 15 others, according to the study.

The study found that many posts used dehumanizing language describing Muslims as "rats," "vermin" and "parasites," while others called for deportations, internment camps or attacks on mosques.

Researchers said political rhetoric surrounding the conflict contributed to the surge, noting that some senior Trump administration officials and members of Congress framed the war in religious terms.

In a Pentagon briefing, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described Iran as a regime driven by "prophetic Islamic delusions."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio in his remarks to the press last week described Iran's leadership as "religious fanatic lunatics" who have an ambition to possess nuclear weapons.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said last month in an interview with conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson that Israel taking much of the Middle East's land would be "fine," referencing biblical promises, though he added Israel was not seeking to do so.

American service members across every branch of the military have been told by commanders that the US-Israeli war on Iran is intended to induce the Biblical end times, or Armageddon, according to complaints lodged with the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.