Ireland: Muslims warn of rising online hatred

Muslims living in Ireland denounce a sharp increase in anti-Muslim discourse on social networks, particularly on Facebook, Instagram and As a safety precaution, he even stopped posting photos of his family. Some believers also say they fear for their children and feel less and less safe in public spaces.

Several Muslims interviewed believe that social networks maintain a climate of division between communities. Mohammed, born and raised in Ireland, however, reminds us that tensions are often less strong in daily life. According to him, when residents meet and talk, they discover that they have much more in common than differences. The Hope and Courage collective says that this online hatred can sometimes turn into real violence. Between 2018 and 2025, the organization recorded several dozen arsons or threats linked to far-right mobilizations, often accompanied by speeches hostile to Muslims and migrants.

The association is now calling for stricter measures against platforms that circulate or recommend this type of content. In particular, it proposes limiting infinite scrolling, automatic reading and recommendation systems which favor publications provoking anger and indignation. Meta, for its part, claims to prohibit speech targeting people because of their religion or origin, and ensures that it removes content that violates its rules. The associations, however, consider that reports too often go unanswered and call for sanctions when the platforms do not react.

The situation described in Ireland shows that online Islamophobia is no longer limited to a few isolated messages. It is part of a broader climate of distrust towards migrants and minorities, fueled by highly followed accounts and by algorithms which give greater visibility to the most provocative content. The risk is that the repetition of these discourses ends up trivializing them and making behaviors that were not acceptable before. The answer cannot therefore rest solely on platform moderation. It also involves political, educational and media work to encourage meetings, recall the facts and prevent Muslims from being systematically presented as scapegoats.