Elham Asaad Buaras
Anti-Muslim incidents targeting mosques and Islamic places of worship in the US increased by 183% between May and July compared with the same period last year, according to figures from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
The figures come after a deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego in May, in which three members of the Muslim community were killed. Two teenage suspects also died after the attack. Authorities investigated the shooting as a possible hate crime, while CAIR said the attack may have been motivated by anti-Muslim hate.
CAIR said it documented 17 incidents targeting Islamic institutions during May, June and July, compared with six during the same three-month period in 2025. The figures, released on July 28, represent 51% of the 33 incidents targeting Islamic institutions that CAIR recorded throughout 2025.
The incidents included a terror attack on a mosque, threats of violence, alleged arson, intimidation and opposition to Islamic places of worship on religious grounds. CAIR said the figures may not reflect the full scale of the problem because some incidents may go unreported.
Among the incidents highlighted by CAIR was a bomb threat at the Islamic Association of Raleigh in North Carolina, which prompted the evacuation of the mosque. Police searched the building but found no bomb.
CAIR also reported an alleged attempted arson attack at the Northeast Philadelphia Islamic Centre in Pennsylvania. A suspect was arrested, and CAIR said investigators later found anti-Muslim messages displayed on the suspect’s vehicle.
In Michigan, CAIR said the American Islamic Community Center in Madison Heights received death threats. Prosecutors later charged a man with allegedly making a false terrorism threat and using a computer to commit a crime.
Other incidents included an alleged threat of violence against the Sunnyside Muslim Centre in New York ahead of Friday prayers and threats outside the Islamic Centre of Wilmington in North Carolina. CAIR said a man was filmed making statements about destroying the building.
The organisation also recorded cases of harassment and intimidation, including threatening phone calls to mosques and an incident in Minnesota in which a man allegedly posed as a federal agent while carrying a knife outside a mosque.
The rise follows other attacks on Muslim places of worship earlier in 2026. In February, shots were fired into the Pike County Islamic Center in Matamoras, Pennsylvania, with four bullets striking the building. No injuries were reported, and CAIR called for a hate-crime investigation.
CAIR also highlighted disputes over mosque construction projects, saying some involved anti-Muslim hostility rather than routine planning disagreements.
The organisation urged mosque leaders to strengthen security measures and review their safety procedures in response to the increase in reported incidents.
“Islamophobia remains an acceptable form of hate in the US. American places of worship are too often seen as targets for cheap political smears and violence,” said Corey Saylor, CAIR’s Research and Advocacy Director.
“It is a duty on community leaders to ensure our sanctuaries remain places for prayer, reflection, and community.”
