The US government’s use of “antisemitism” claims to suppress Gaza solidarity is fueling rising Islamophobia and limiting academic freedom across the country.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), one of the largest Muslim civil rights groups in the US, reported a 7.4% increase in incidents of discrimination and attacks against Muslims following Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
In a report released Tuesday on incidents last year, CAIR noted that 2024 saw the highest number of complaints on anti-Muslim and anti-Arab incidents, totaling 8,658. “The US-backed Gaza genocide has triggered a wave of Islamophobia in the US for the second consecutive year,” the report said.
Employment discrimination made up 15.4% of the complaints, followed by immigration and asylum issues at 14.8%. Complaints involving discrimination against Muslim and Palestinian students accounted for 9.8%, while hate crimes against Muslims and Arabs represented 7.5%.
The report identified Israel’s attacks on Gaza as the primary factor behind the increase in incidents. It also highlighted that Islamophobia, anti-Arab sentiment, and antisemitism had all surged in the US. It cited cases where academics resigned under pressure and students were investigated for participating in pro-Palestine protests, arguing that these actions threatened freedom of expression.
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The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a US permanent legal resident and recent Columbia University graduate who helped lead an anti-war pro-Palestinian encampment on campus in April 2024, was highlighted as another case of Islamophobic and anti-Arab actions.
The report also referenced the October 2023 stabbing death of a 6-year-old Palestinian-American child, with the perpetrator convicted of a hate crime.
Weaponizing ‘Antisemitism’
Meanwhile, the US government continued its attacks on academic platforms that provide space for criticism of Israel. Critics argue that this represents the weaponization of antisemitism in an ideological campaign against higher education. The government has warned 60 universities and colleges that they could face cuts to federal funding over allegations of failing to protect Jewish students from purported antisemitic harassment.
This action comes amid rising tensions on campuses nationwide, with institutions like Columbia, Harvard, Yale, and Berkeley among those under scrutiny over accusations of antisemitism.
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In letters sent to universities, the US federal government warned of “potential enforcement actions” if institutions did not take sufficient measures to guarantee Jewish students’ safety and ensure their uninterrupted access to education. A statement from the Office for Civil Rights said: “US colleges and universities benefit from enormous public investments funded by US taxpayers. That support is a privilege and is contingent on scrupulous adherence to federal anti-discrimination laws.”
The funding threat comes shortly after the administration of President Donald Trump announced it would cut approximately $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University, citing its “continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”
Columbia has been a focal point of pro-Palestinian protests, with demonstrators criticizing Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Over the weekend, federal agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student at Columbia. Khalil, a prominent organizer of campus protests, was accused of “activities aligned with Hamas,” a claim repeated by Trump administration officials, including the president himself.
Critics have strongly condemned the funding threats and arrests, arguing that they are part of a broader right-wing attack on higher education. Peter Beinart, a journalist and academic, said: “Anyone with eyes can see that the Trump administration is using claims of antisemitism to cripple universities—along with independent media—because they are centers of resistance to its effort at authoritarian rule.”
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He further argued that this weaponization of antisemitism undermines liberal democracy and, paradoxically, puts Jewish communities at greater risk.
Sheldon Pollock, professor emeritus at Columbia University, highlighted the hypocrisy of the administration’s actions. “Columbia’s administration has bent over backwards to satisfy the Trump administration, with the creation of a massive new Office of Institutional Equity and new training protocols, among other things,” he stated.
“Nothing has worked because this onslaught has nothing to do with actual antisemitism. Entirely legitimate criticism of Israel’s actions is being used as a pretext to destroy the American university and its core principles of academic freedom and freedom of speech.”
(PC, Anadolu, MEMO)
