Hate Crimes Against Muslims Surged 67 Percent In 2015

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Hate crimes against Muslims in America jumped by 67 percent in 2015, according to statistics released by the FBI.

The statistics, which were released over the weekend through the agency's Uniform Crime Report, showed that of the 5,850 documented hate crimes last year, 257 were committed against Muslims.

That number is up from 154 hate crimes against Muslims in 2014.

This surge was the greatest seen since the 9/11 attacks in 2001, when anti-Muslim hate crimes reached 481, the highest annual number recorded, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The anti-racism nonprofit says that the jump in anti-Muslim hate crimes coincided with a rise of ISIS media coverage, the terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, and the ban on Muslim immigration called for by then-presidential hopeful Donald Trump.

According to the FBI's numbers, hate crimes motivated by religious bias accounted for about 20 percent of hate crimes last year, with most being committed against Jews (664 incidents) and Muslims (257 incidents).