A surge of hate incidents linked to the Israel-Gaza conflict has struck U.S. communities, with two high-profile cases involving elected officials sparking nationwide alarm. In New York, the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating anti-Muslim death threats against mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, including voicemails vowing to “blow up his car” and calling him a “terrorist.” Mamdani, a Muslim state assemblyman, reported four expletive-filled threats left at his Queens office, with one message declaring “the only good Muslim is a dead Muslim”.
Simultaneously, Ohio Republican Congressman Max Miller alleged a driver waving a Palestinian flag ran him off the road near Cleveland while shouting antisemitic threats. Miller stated the assailant threatened to “cut [his] throat and [his] daughter’s” and called him a “dirty Jew” during the June 20 incident. The suspect, Feras S. Hamdan, was arrested within 24 hours and charged with aggravated menacing.
Mamdani’s campaign linked the threats to “millions spent on dehumanizing, Islamophobic rhetoric,” though he does not own a car. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo, his mayoral rival, condemned the threats but has criticized Mamdani’s stance on pro-Palestinian phrases. Miller, a Jewish lawmaker and Israel supporter, described the road-rage attack as “deranged hatred,” prompting bipartisan condemnation. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic leaders jointly denounced political violence, calling for enhanced security funding.
These incidents reflect a stark rise in bias-related attacks since the Gaza war began. Anti-Muslim complaints surged 178% in late 2023, with CAIR documenting 8,658 cases in 2024—a record high. Recent weeks saw:
A Muslim woman brutally beaten on a New York subway after her assailant asked if she was Muslim, fracturing her facial bones.
The fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian boy in Illinois and an attempted drowning of a Palestinian toddler in Texas.
U.S. Capitol Police arrested Hamdan using a “zero-tolerance” protocol, deploying agents to Ohio within hours of Miller’s report. In Queens, DA Melinda Katz charged subway attacker Naved Durrni with felony hate crimes, emphasizing “serious consequences for bigotry”. Despite arrests, CAIR’s Afaf Nasher warned Islamophobic messaging “directly enables threats,” urging systemic action beyond prosecutions.