The Securitization of Islamophobia in the United States
By Sarina Tareen
Islamophobia is a broader social and political phenomenon that shapes how Muslims are perceived and treated in public life. Rather than being regarded as ordinary citizens, Muslims are often viewed through the lenses of security, politics, and suspicion. This tendency intensified significantly after the events of 9/11. Following the attacks on the Twin Towers, government policies and media narratives increasingly associated Muslims with terrorism and security threats. As a result, many Muslim communities experienced heightened surveillance, scrutiny, and discrimination in their daily lives, especially in the United States of America. Vincent Geisser explains this development by distinguishing between “old Islamophobia,” rooted in longstanding anti-Islamic prejudices, and “new Islamophobia,” which is shaped by contemporary concerns such as migration and terrorism. Despite their different origins, both forms foster suspicion toward Muslims and contribute to their marginalization and misrepresentation.
These patterns are seen in social experiences and official reports in the U.S. According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) 2026 report, “The right to be different,” there were 8,683 complaints of discrimination against Muslims in 2025, making it the highest number recorded in decades. The report also reported attacks against mosques and Islamic centers. The largest number of cases was reported in Texas, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, and Oklahoma. This shows that the issue is not limited to one region but is spread across the country.
Such concerns are also associated with government policies. An example of this is the “Muslim Ban” by the Trump administration, which restricted the immigration of individuals from some Muslim countries. It was called a security measure, but many thought that it was a continuation of the exclusion of Muslims. In fact, U.S. courts denied citizenship to Muslim immigrants between 1790 and 1944. This was based on the belief that Muslims did not fully fit into American identity. Over time, this contributed to the formation of the notion of “Muslims as outsiders”.
Political debates more recently have set Islam in the context of securitization. In 2025, Congress proposed amendments to the law that would restrict Muslims at home and also limit Muslim immigration. At the same time, U.S. Representatives Chip Roy and Keith Self from Texas made strong claims against Islamic law. They presented it as a threat. A group of representatives in the U.S. Congress formed the “Sharia-Free America Caucus” in Dec 2025. To safeguard the American legal and immigration system from the ideology of Islamic extremists. This demonstrates the presentation of ideas in political spaces today. In 2025, Governor Ron DeSantis in Florida declared the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. But some of the orders were later blocked by a court. Furthermore, there has been an increase in anti-Islamic sentiment from government officials. CAIR reported in 2025 that anti-Muslim narratives have been more prominent in recent years. One limitation noted in the report is that data for several years is missing, particularly between 2009 and 2017. While there was still surveillance and suspicion of Muslims after the 9/11 period. Incomplete reporting makes it difficult to fully comprehend the discrimination experienced during this period. However, Islamophobia is not new, but has evolved through processes of history and public discourse.