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Nearly half of Muslim students surveyed at California universities said they had been the target of anti-Muslim harassment or discrimination in the last academic year as pro-Palestinian protests erupted on campus, according to the American Islamic Council. This percentage has increased rapidly since four years ago. This was revealed in a new report by officials.
The study surveyed hundreds of Muslim students at approximately 87 public and private campuses in California and found that 49% of students, or 352 out of 720 respondents, It was found that respondents had experienced anti-Islamic acts by, staff, or employees. School administrator.
CAIR and the Center for Anti-Hate and Bullying, a CAIR-affiliated organization that co-published the study, cited the rise in widespread pro-Palestinian protests that have led to hundreds of arrests and It is said that this has led to multiple lawsuits against the university. UCLA and USC are fighting over accusations of unreasonable police use of force and free speech and equal access violations.
Pro-Palestinian campus protests tend to involve a diverse student body, including many Muslims and Jews, and demonstrators use anti-Semitic language and symbolism as they call for universities to divest from Israel. was often accused of using On many occasions, including violent clashes at UCLA, counterprotesters gathered in encampments.
Bayanne Kanawati, the center’s program manager, said, “Instead of feeling safe and supported on their campuses…many universities, administrators, and law enforcement agencies fail to provide the support that students need. They feel threatened, targeted and isolated.” surveyed students at campuses such as the University of California, Irvine, the University of California, Riverside, the University of California, Berkeley, and California State University, Fullerton.
“University administrators must create a safe and inclusive environment for everyone, especially those from marginalized communities.Students are encouraged to express their identities and political views without fear of discrimination. People should be able to express themselves freely,” Kanawati said.
The survey was conducted online from March to July, covering the height of campus protests in April, May, and June.
CAIR’s report, released this week, comes amid scrutiny of UCLA’s response to the protests. Multiple campus groups have released investigations into discrimination on campus, and the University of California System this month released an external report criticizing UCLA’s response to the camps. This fall, UCLA instituted new protest regulations, increased security patrols, and in the spring launched an on-campus dialogue program to unite warring groups.
CAIR’s research mirrors the findings of the UCLA Task Force on Anti-Palestinian, Anti-Muslim, and Anti-Arab Racism, which released reports in April and June and It accused these groups of being “less safe than ever” and that “racism is on the rise.” Harassment, violence, and targeting.”
A separate report issued last month by the UCLA Task Force on Combating Anti-Semitism and Anti-Israel Bias also surveyed more than 428 Jewish or Israeli students, faculty, staff, and administrators. It found that 84% think anti-Semitism has “worsened or significantly worsened” since the war. October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks Israel.
CAIR also reported that students were generally reluctant to share their experiences with administrators or seek help from university leaders. About half (47%) of all students surveyed said they felt neutral or unsafe on campus.
“Islamophobia is not just a political issue; it has deeply personal implications for students who are educated under constant fear and surveillance,” said Osman Khan, director of the Center for the Prevention of Hate and Bullying. said in a prepared statement.
The report found that Muslim students tend to have negative perceptions of their place on campus, but the data is limited.
Most of the schools surveyed were in the San Francisco Bay Area or Southern California, where most of the state’s Muslim students live. Only a few universities in central and northern California were included, including the University of California, Merced and the University of California, Humboldt. Some campuses, including Pomona College, where there were large pro-Palestinian protests involving Muslim students, were not investigated.
The number of survey respondents at each campus was also small. At UCLA, which enrolls more than 46,000 graduate and undergraduate students, the survey recorded responses from 26 Muslims. At the University of Southern California, that number was 21. The most represented university in the study, the University of California, Irvine, had 43 participants.
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