Hate crimes against American Muslims are at their highest levels since the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, according to new data from researchers at California State University in San Bernardino. The researchers found that hate crimes were up 78 percent in 2015 compared to the previous year. They estimated there were about 260 hate crimes in 2015. The findings were based on official police reports in 20 states. Scholars say the attacks have been driven by the string of recent terrorist attacks here in the US and abroad, as well as by political rhetoric from candidates, including Donald Trump.