Calls to confront alleged Islamophobia as Muslims face backlash over migrant aid and Cassim appointment.
As anti-immigrant tensions continue to ripple across South Africa, a new wave of online hostility has emerged, this time allegedly targeting Muslims.
Palestine Solidarity Campaign said it is deeply concerned by what it describes as a rise in Islamophobia on social media following efforts by members of the Muslim community to assist migrants who were allegedly displaced by xenophobic attacks, as well as the appointment of Yusuf Cassim as Deputy Minister of Higher Education.
PSC coordinator Professor Usuf Chikte said the organisation believes the recent online attacks reflect a broader pattern of anti-Muslim rhetoric that has intensified in the wake of debates around migration, Palestine and South Africa's foreign policy.
"This is nothing new. Zionist networks have long used Islamophobia as a weapon, framing anyone who exposes Israel's genocide and apartheid as a security threat and dressing up that attack in the language of terrorism and disloyalty," Chikte said.
