Almost half of Muslim students at California colleges and universities report being targets of anti-Islamic harassment in the last year, a sharp uptick from four years ago, the Council on American Islamic Relations said in a new report, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The study, which surveyed hundreds of Muslim students at 87 California public and private campuses, found that 49% of students, 352 out of 720 respondents, said they had experienced anti-Muslim discrimination by students, staff or administrators.
CAIR and the Center for the Prevention of Hate and Bullying, which jointly published the study, pointed to widespread pro-Palestinian protests, which have led to hundreds of arrests and multiple lawsuits against universities, including UCLA and USC, to explain the increase.
“Instead of feeling safe and supported on their own campuses … many universities, administrators and law enforcement have failed to offer the necessary support, leaving students feeling threatened, targeted and isolated,” said Bayanne Kanawati, program manager for the center, which surveyed students at campuses including UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Berkeley and Cal State Fullerton, the Los Angeles Times reported.