Rozina Ali, a journalist and the author of the book Seasons of Fury: Four Families and the Rise of Islamophobia in America, said the attack reflects broader political trends. She stated that "Islamophobia actually becomes more rampant during election season — not necessarily after a terrorist attack, but actually during election season in the U.S."

Ali noted that rhetoric regarding Islam has shifted in recent years. She said that what has been happening recently is that the rhetoric … has been shifting toward, ‘Islam is not a religion, it’s a political ideology.’ This is not a new talking point, but it is becoming institutionalized. There are efforts to make it into law, which is a frightening place to be.

Public opinion data from early and spring 2026 illustrates the current climate. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in early 2026 found that 51% of U.S. adults said Islam encourages violence more than other religions do. In a separate 2026 Pew Research Center poll, 76% of Republicans and independents who lean toward the GOP said Islam encourages violence, compared to 29% of Democrats and Democratic leaners.

Ali argued that these attitudes have become embedded in the political system. She said that what’s happened over the last three decades is that Islamophobia has become a feature of American politics. … When you can’t actually discuss the policies, when we’re not willing to engage in facts, it’s really easy to throw racist rhetoric at people.

She expressed concern about the potential for legal restrictions on religious practice. The fight that we’re seeing now is whether we are willing to accept all forms of religion in this country. And as much as she wants to say this is just more of what we’ve seen in the past, she thinks what does frighten her is how quickly we are moving to a place where some governor or some local official might try to outlaw Islam altogether. And mind you, this is even a policy shift from 10 years ago when Trump called for a Muslim ban, Ali said.

Civil rights lawyers and activists have raised concerns about the use of federal laws against dissidents. This was something lot of civil rights lawyers and activists were warning about even back then, because they recognized that this law and this war on terror can be used to attack dissidents and eventually will be used to attack a lot more people than the Muslim community. And that is what we’re seeing now, Ali said.

She pointed to the expansion of executive authority as a key factor. Because we’ve given so much power to the executive branch, because we’ve given so much power to the government over the last 25 years, the government gets to decide who they consider enemies, who they consider terrorists, and what they consider support for terrorism, she said.

Ali cited specific cases to illustrate these concerns. The NSA admitted to spying on Abdeen Jabara, an Arab American attorney. Imam Yassin Aref served 15 years in federal prison after being convicted under the material support for terrorism law. Anti-ICE protesters at Prairieland Detention Center were convicted and sentenced to decades in prison this year under the material support for terrorism law.

She said the Trump administration can say, ‘I now consider leftists terrorists,’ and unfortunately, there are laws in the books that allow him to do that.

Why It Matters

The Muslim population in the U.S. has grown significantly, from 2.4 million in 2007 to about 5.5 million of all ages currently. The number of U.S. mosques rose from roughly 1,200 in 2000 to nearly 2,800 in 2020, according to data from the Faith Communities Today project. Despite this growth, 34% of U.S. Muslims said someone expressed support for them in the past year because they are Muslim, as of May 2026.

Timeline

In late 2001, 52% of Muslims surveyed said their community had experienced anti-Muslim discrimination since the September 11 attacks. That same period saw 68% of Muslims surveyed say media portrayals of Muslims and Islam were unfair, while 75% said Americans had been respectful and tolerant of Muslims. FBI hate crimes against Muslims totaled 481 in 2001, up from 28 in 2000.

The U.S. Muslim population stood at 2.4 million in 2007. By 2016, FBI hate crimes against Muslims totaled 307. In 2021, FBI hate crimes against Muslims totaled 95.

What's New

On May 18, 2026, three people were shot and killed at the Islamic Center of San Diego, located in the Clairemont neighborhood on Eckstrom Ave. The incident occurred around 11:43 a.m. The San Diego Police Department and the FBI responded to the shooting. SDPD stated that there is no ongoing threat to the public and that the incident is being investigated as a hate crime.

A Pew Research Center survey conducted in spring 2026 found that 43% of U.S. adults said Muslims are less patriotic than other Americans. That same survey found that 42% of U.S. adults said Muslim Americans are having a negative impact on the country. Demographic estimates indicate there are about 5.5 million Muslims of all ages in the United States, up from 2.4 million in 2007.