Report: California still sees widespread Islamophobia in schools

A survey released Thursday of Muslim students in California shows high levels of Islamophobic bullying, harassment and discrimination occurred not only during remote learning but also after their return to school.

The California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations surveyed 708 students in grades 5 through 12 between January 2021 and August 2021. The survey was conducted by CAIR’s four California offices serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the Sacramento Valley and Central California regions, San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Areas. About 891 individuals responded to the survey, of which 708 were eligible for the study.

Though the switch to remote learning resulted in a decrease in bullying, more than half of respondents reported feeling unsafe, unwelcome or uncomfortable upon their return to school because of their Muslim identity.

The survey also found that about a third of respondents experienced or witnessed cyberbullying and seeing classmates make offensive comments on social media about Islam or Muslims. About one in four students reported that a teacher, administrator or other adult at their school made offensive comments about Islam or Muslims.

About 30% of Female respondents reported that their Hijab was tugged, pulled or offensively  touched.