Report: Anti-Muslim Groups Triple in US amid Trump Hate Rhetoric
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The number of anti-Muslim groups in the United States tripled between 2015 and 2016 - a surge likely fueled by hate rhetoric used by President Donald Trump during his presidential bid, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
The center, a non-profit legal advocacy organization which specializes in civil rights, also found in a report that the overall number of hate groups rose for the second consecutive year, USA Today reported.
The number of anti-Muslim organizations grew from 34 in 2015 to 101 last year, according to the center. The number of hate groups rose from 892 to 917 - the second largest number of hate groups recorded since the center began collecting such data in 1990. The largest number was 1,018 in 2011. The Montgomery,-Ala. based center announced the news as part of its annual census of hate groups and extremist organizations, as documented in its Intelligence Report.
The center attributed the rise to what it characterized as hate rhetoric used by Trump during his campaign for the White House, and his choice of Steve Bannon, executive chair of the far-right Breitbart News, as assistant and chief strategist. The center also blamed a growing fear about terrorism and terror attacks.
"2016 was an unprecedented year for hate," center senior fellow and Intelligence Report editor Mark Potok said. "The country saw a resurgence of white nationalism that imperils the racial progress we've made, along with the rise of a president whose policies reflect the values of white nationalists. In Steve Bannon, these extremists think they finally have an ally who has the president's ear."
During the campaign, Trump characterized Mexican immigrants as rapists and retweeted social media posts from white supremacists, including one inaccurate post claiming black Americans were responsible for 80% of the murders of white Americans, the SPLC reported.
Potok wrote in the report that the campaign helped normalize hate groups, which are evolving from operating mostly in cyberspace to coming out into the open. The increase in anti-Muslim groups was not a surprise, he wrote.
"Anti-Muslim hate has been expanding rapidly for more than two years now," he wrote.
The White House press office did not respond to an e-mail requesting comment. But on Wednesday, when asked during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about whether his administration is playing with xenophobia and racism, Trump responded, "I will say that we are going to have peace in this country. We are going to stop crime in this country. We are going to do everything within our power to stop long simmering racism and every other thing that's going on. There's a lot of bad things that have been taking place over a long period of time."
The overall breakdown collected by the Southern Poverty Law Center includes 130 Ku Klux Klan groups, with Alabama and Tennessee and their 11 groups each creating a tie for the state in first place. It also includes 193 black separatist groups, with Florida logging the most -- 22 -- of all states.
The survey also counted 99 neo-Nazi groups, with Texas and California and their 7 groups each creating a tie for first place. White Nationalist groups numbered 100, and Indiana and California tied for first place with 7 groups each. The study also logged 78 racist skinhead groups, 21 Christian identity groups, 43 neo-Confederate groups, 101 anti-Muslim groups and 100 general hate groups. The top five states for hate groups are California, Florida, Texas, New York and Pennsylvania.
The Anti-Defamation League has noted an uptick in anti-Muslim rhetoric, said Oren Segal, director of the ADL's Center on Extremism.
"The internet, social media, has enabled extremists to become more active, allowing them to become more involved in virtual campaigns," Segal said. "With that in mind, I can say we've seen an uptick in anti-Muslim rhetoric online the way we've seen with all sorts of hate."
The league is in the process of compiling its most recent data, but did report in December 2015 that it noted escalating hostility against Muslims after the November 13, 2015, terror attacks in Paris. The league noted there were 75 anti-Muslim incidents reported in the United States since the incident in Paris and the suburb of Saint-Denis that left 130 people dead and 368 injured.
The FBI in 2015 reported in its Hate Crime Statistics that between 2013 and 2016, hate crimes were down but anti-Muslim incidents almost doubled. In 2013, there were 5928 bias motivation incidents and 135 committed against Muslims, the agency reported. In 2015, There were 5,850 bias motivation incidents and 257 anti-Muslim incidents, according to the FBI.
The New York City Commission on Human Rights reported Wednesday a 60% rise in discrimination inquiries in 2016 - from 5,296 in 2015 to 8,330 last year. The city cited the reason as more New Yorkers recognizing the commission as a resource.
“In our current climate of fear and xenophobia, New York City is committed to protecting our most vulnerable communities from discrimination in every form,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “No matter where you come from, how you worship, or who you love, New York City will protect your rights. As a city we are stronger because of our diversity, and that is something we will always fight to protect.”
The center also reported that in the first 10 days after Trump's election, it documented 867 bias-related incidents, and more than 300 of those targeted Muslims and immigrants. The center also said that it surveyed 10,000 educators and that 80% of them reported heightened anxiety and fear among students - primarily immigrant, Muslim and black students.
White nationalist David Duke, a Trump supporter, did not respond Wednesday to requests for comment sent via his website and via Twitter.
The Department of Justice declined to comment on the report.
