Report Finds Surge in Islamophobic Content Online During Iran War

The war involving the United States, Israel and Iran has coincided with a sharp rise in Islamophobic content on social media, according to a new report from the US Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH).

Researchers say the conflict has “accelerated” the spread of hostile online rhetoric targeting American Muslims, particularly on the social media platform X.

According to the study, more than 25,300 Islamophobic remarks were posted on X between February 28 — the first day of the war — and last Thursday.

The report, released Monday, notes that anti-Muslim rhetoric was already present online before the conflict began. But researchers say the scale and reach of such content increased noticeably once the war started.

The dataset examined original posts, replies and quoted messages containing Islamophobic language from January 1 through Thursday. When reposts are included, the total exposure to such content expanded dramatically, reaching more than 279,000 mentions.

Researchers say the spike became particularly visible starting on February 28, the day hostilities began.

According to the report, some posts used explicitly dehumanizing language, referring to Muslims as “pests”, “rats”, “vermin”, “parasites” and an “infestation”.

“Such language has historically preceded and enabled the most extreme forms of violence against targeted communities,” the report said.

Moderation efforts appear to have been uneven. Of 30 posts flagged by the researchers, 11 had been removed by Monday while 19 were still available on the platform.

The report also pointed to concerns raised within the US military. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), a watchdog group that monitors religious issues in the armed forces, said it had received more than 200 complaints from service members since February 28.

According to reports cited by the CSOH, some US military commanders allegedly told troops that the war with Iran was “all part of God’s divine plan”.

The complaints reportedly came from personnel stationed across multiple military installations.

The study also suggests that some public rhetoric by officials may have contributed to the tone of the online conversation.

In a speech delivered on March 2, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made remarks that critics described as Islamophobic while discussing Washington’s position on Iran.

“Crazy regimes like Iran, hell-bent on prophetic Islamist delusions, cannot have nuclear weapons. It’s common sense. Many have said it, but it takes guts to actually enforce it, and our president has guts,” Hegseth said.

Beyond offensive language, researchers say some posts crossed into more explicit calls for violence.

The report documented messages that “cross the line from hatred into explicit incitement to violence” and that directly call for “extermination of Muslims”.

“Some posts frame the elimination of Muslims as an act of self-defense or civilizational survival,” the CSOH said.

The report warns that such rhetoric can have real-world consequences, particularly at a time when Muslim communities in the United States are already reporting rising levels of harassment and discrimination.

“In the current climate, this content functions as a call to action directed at a community that is already experiencing rising rates of bias, harassment, discrimination, and hate-fueled violence,” the centre added.