Islamophobia – a view from the US 25 years after 9/11

JVL Introduction

As in the UK (and indeed many other countries in Europe), so in the USA.  The “War on Terror” that followed the attacks on the USA 25 years ago has seen increasing Islamophobia, even as younger Muslims are making their way into the mainstream; the most obvious example being Mayor Zohran Mamdani who, according to former Mayor (and Trump supporter) Rudy Giuliani should stay away from the commemoration of that worst ever terrorist attack – at least on US soil.

“…the Islamophobia that began in 2001 has only further burrowed into the fabric of American society. Pew research found that, a quarter of a century after 9/11, “public attitudes toward Islam have become more ‘negative’ and more ‘partisan’” than they were in the wake of the attack.”

However, that marginalisation of Muslims has led Mamdani and others to a politics rooted in the real material concerns of ordinary people whereas the right wing, seeking to divert attention from the powerful onto migrants, have nothing to offer. Perhaps there is some cause for hope.

This article was originally published by The Guardian on Mon 14 Sep 2026. Read the original here.