A new report by the Hope and Courage Collective has found that social media platforms are playing a significant role in spreading and amplifying anti-Muslim hatred in Ireland.
The report, “The Islamophobia Playbook: A Project of Hate,” examines incidents targeting Muslims in 2026 and includes an in-depth analysis of the role of social media in the alleged arson attack on the Al Madinah Prayer Hall, also known as Talbot Street Mosque, in Dublin.
Researchers found that a Facebook video showing the aftermath of the attack was viewed more than 1.9 million times, about 352 times the account’s typical audience.
An analysis of more than 10,600 comments and emojis found that one in five contained anti-Muslim hate, support for the alleged attack, calls for more mosques to be burned, incitement to violence against Muslims, or other forms of incitement.
Mark Malone, research lead at the Hope and Courage Collective, said the findings were “deeply concerning.” He said the public, particularly the Muslim community, needs greater transparency about how Facebook’s recommendation systems can turn attacks on places of worship into viral content that normalizes violence and encourages further attacks.
The study also found that discussion of the mosque attack spread rapidly on X, generating more than 112,000 posts or mentions from 70,000 unique accounts. Within six days, the discussion reached an estimated 243 million accounts.
Nearly 90% of the online discussion originated outside Ireland, highlighting the increasingly international nature of anti-Muslim hate and online extremist narratives.
“The widespread international dissemination of this material should be of concern to anyone responsible for safeguarding our online environment,” Malone said. “Ireland has now become a source of content for international right-wing extremist social media influencers.”
The Hope and Courage Collective has called on Coimisiún na Meán, Ireland’s media regulator, to work with Meta to publish an incident-specific risk assessment detailing how Meta responded to the alleged arson attack at Al Madinah Prayer Hall.
The report also recommends implementing a recommendation from the Oireachtas Joint Committee to disable social media recommendation systems by default.
It further calls for stronger enforcement of Ireland’s Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1989, particularly during incidents involving anti-Muslim hate speech and incitement to violence.
You can read the full report and detailed coverage here:
