AI generated.
Washington: A study by the South Asian feminist organisation Equality Labs found that more than 4.7 million Islamophobic social media posts targeted the Muslim community in the United States in 2025. In the study report, published on Tuesday, the organisation said these posts generated around 34.8 million engagements across 12 social media platforms, including likes, shares, comments, saves, taps, and clicks, a report by Scroll said.
Texas emerged as the biggest hub of anti-Muslim disinformation in the United States, accounting for around 279,000 posts over the year, according to the study. Florida followed with roughly 150,000 posts, while California recorded about 117,000.
An analysis of a representative sample of 1,500 posts showed that some of the most common narratives included the “Muslim invasion” theory, claims about the enforcement of Sharia law, demands for investigations into Muslim organisations and leaders, and calls for the deportation of Muslims. These themes ranked among the 10 most frequently encountered.
The “Muslim invasion” theory, a narrative promoted by far-right groups in the US, alleges that rising Muslim populations and immigration are part of a deliberate plot to seize control of the country and erode Christian values and American identity.
The study also noted a growing presence of Islamophobic messaging among members of US President Donald Trump’s Republican Party. Such content often intersected with broader anti-immigrant rhetoric, including proposals to suspend visas, revoke citizenship, and deport people born outside the United States.
The study noted a growing targeting of civic participation within the community, with Muslim candidates, voters, and elected officials from both Republican and Democratic parties facing harassment.
It also observed that “right-wing influencers” were intentionally instigating confrontations in public places to create content that later drives online abuse.
To address these challenges, Equality Labs called for treating all faith-based electoral disinformation as a civil rights and voter access concern, strengthening disclosure rules around political funding, targeting and AI-generated content in advertisements and influencer-style material, and dismantling the financial backers and networks behind Islamophobic campaigns.