Across the nation, hate crimes against Muslim Americans have risen sharply and California tops a list of 20 states, according to a study released by California State University, San Bernardino. Nationwide, attacks rose by 78 percent in 2015 compared to the previous year and in California that increase surged to 122 percent.
"The rhetoric with regard to immigration seems to have touched a nerve here and in some other states in the West more so than the rest of the country as a whole," said Brian Levin, director at the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at CSU San Bernardino and author of the report.
The study gathers data from federal and local law enforcement agencies and found 196 reported incidents of hate crime last year, a number not seen since the September 11 terrorist attacks.
The reason behind the rise is complex, said Levin, but some clues could come from public polling, which shows a lack of social acceptance for Muslims from some Americans amid harsh political rhetoric in the election season.
"Muslims are derided negatively more than virtually any other socially categorized group," said Levin, referring to the results of surveys. "This prejudice, which is very widely dispersed, is also very deep."
The report also charted a rise in hate crimes against transgender people, with 27 attacks in 2015 in California.