CAIR’s Civil Rights Report Shows Islamophobia at All-Time High, with Viewpoint Discrimination a Key Factor
The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) today responded to CAIR’s newly released 2025 Civil Rights Report, “Unconstitutional Crackdowns,” which highlights a troubling increase in Islamophobic incidents nationwide. Alarmingly, the report shows that Minnesota leads the country in reported incidents targeting mosques, with 15 documented cases in 2024—three times higher than the next highest state, California.
According to the report, Islamophobia is at an all-time high, with CAIR offices across the country receiving 8,658 complaints in 2024, marking a 7.4% increase from 2023.
“Minnesota leads the nation in attacks against mosques now for the past three years, with 44 incidents—including arsons that have caused over $3 million in damages. This troubling trend must be reversed,” said CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein. “CAIR-Minnesota is working with state leaders to support nonprofit security grants and other efforts to ensure prevention. Additionally, Minnesota has seen an increase in other areas of Islamophobia, including the targeting of Muslim professionals.”
Among the documented incidents in Minnesota were multiple acts of vandalism, intimidation, and threats against mosques, particularly in St. Anthony and the Twin Cities metro area. These incidents ranged from attempted break-ins and harassment to violent physical attacks on worshippers.
The report also highlights three major national trends:
- A Shift in Targeting: In 2024, Muslims, Palestinians, Arabs, Jews, African Americans, and Asian Americans were increasingly targeted for speaking out against genocide and apartheid, marking a shift from traditional religious discrimination to viewpoint-based crackdowns.
- Rising Employment Discrimination: Workplace discrimination emerged as the most reported category, making up 15.4% of all complaints. Many cases involved retaliation against employees for expressing support for Palestinian human rights.
- Increase in Law Enforcement Encounters: Reports of discriminatory law enforcement actions surged by 71.5%, reflecting a growing pattern of university administrators and law enforcement agencies targeting student activists and Muslim-led protests.
While the report paints a grim picture, it also highlights key victories for civil rights in 2024, including a 9-0 Supreme Court ruling against the federal No Fly List, legal victories for 25,000 individuals impacted by the Muslim Ban, and FTC actions to prevent the sale of Muslim user data.
