United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has urged governments to take concrete steps to address hate speech, protect religious freedom and combat discrimination, including by ensuring full compliance with international human rights law.
In a statement marking International Day to Combat Islamophobia, he said the world’s two billion Muslims hail from all corners of the globe, reflecting the vast diversity of humanity itself.
Yet they often face institutional discrimination, socio-economic exclusion, biased immigration policies, and unwarranted surveillance and profiling. These worrying trends are fuelled by anti-Muslim rhetoric and outright hate, which can lead to harassment and violence against individuals and places of worship, he said.
“Online platforms must work to wipe out hate speech and harassment against people based on their religion or belief.
“And all people need to speak out against bigotry, xenophobia and discrimination wherever they find it.
“That’s why I appointed in May 2025 the High Representative for the Alliance of Civilisations as the UN Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia to enhance our collective response."
He urged the international community to re-commit to the equality, human rights and dignity of every person, no matter their faith.
“Let’s eradicate the scourge of Islamophobia from every country and community.”
The statement comes just days after a report by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) revealed a record high in Islamophobia in the US in 2025, with 8,683 anti-Muslim and anti-Arab complaints, driven in part by President Donald Trump’s crackdown against pro-Palestinian protests and immigration.
The Muslim advocacy group said the data has been the highest since it began publishing data in 1996, compared to 8,658 in 2024.
Most complaints were about employment discrimination (12.7 per cent), immigration and asylum (6.5pc), hate incidents (6.4pc), and travel discrimination like government watchlists and screenings (5.6pc), CAIR’s report noted.
Over the years, advocates have attributed Islamophobia to the September 11, 2001 attacks; and more recently to anti-immigration sentiment, white supremacy and the fallout of Israel’s war in Gaza.
Trump denies being discriminatory and says his administration aims to curb illegal immigration and improve domestic security. Advocates say the immigration crackdown is unsafe and violates due process.
CAIR noted Trump’s targeting of Somali Americans in Minnesota, a majority Muslim community, who he accused of fraud and called “garbage.”
CAIR said the government used isolated cases for collective targeting and dismissed Trump’s ability to tackle fraud, citing pardons to those with past fraud convictions.
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