Al-Azhar Voices Concerns over Rise in Islamophobia during World Cup
In a report on the subject, it warned of the increase in discriminatory and racist rhetoric related to major sporting events, stressing that the misuse of cyberspace to spread hatred and incitement against others threatens the values of coexistence and pluralism in societies and turns sport from a tool for closeness into a platform for fomenting differences.
The observatory stated that combating this phenomenon requires coordinated efforts between governments, social media platforms and social institutions to create a responsible discourse to prevent the misuse of sporting events to spread hatred and discrimination based on race or religion.
The report also notes the findings of the Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia, under the supervision of the country’s Ministry of Social Security and Immigration, on the increase in hate speech and Islamophobia on social media platforms in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup.
The report states that in June, more than 40,000 cases of hate speech were identified online, with sporting events being the second most common cause of this type of content, with 16%, after issues related to insecurity, which topped the list with 69%.
The report shows that people of North African descent were the most targeted group, with 88% of all content monitored, followed by anti-Muslim messages with 11% and then offensive content against people of African descent with 7%.
The report also showed an increase in the intensity of racist rhetoric, with 48% of messages containing dehumanizing language and direct insults, while 32% of posts portrayed target groups as a threat to society and 10% explicitly called for the expulsion of foreigners.
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Regarding the response of social media platforms, the report showed that 61% of reported content was removed. TikTok recorded the highest response rate with 98%, followed by X with 93%, Facebook with 62% and Instagram with 32%. YouTube had the lowest response rate with only 8%.
The observatory stressed that combating hate speech in cyberspace requires developing monitoring and reporting mechanisms, strengthening international cooperation and raising awareness of the importance of respecting cultural and religious diversity, which in turn preserves the spirit of sportsmanship and the values of coexistence among people.
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