In U.S., fear and distrust of Muslims runs deep

Reuters on Yahoo ^ | 12/2/06 | Bernd Debusmann

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON (Reuters)- When radio host Jerry Klein suggested that all Muslims in the United States should be identified with a crescent-shape tattoo or a distinctive arm band, the phone lines jammed instantly.

The first caller to the station in Washington said that Klein must be "off his rocker." The second congratulated him and added: "Not only do you tattoo them in the middle of their forehead but you ship them out of this country ... they are here to kill us."

Another said that tattoos, armbands and other identifying markers such as crescent marks on driver's licenses, passports and birth certificates did not go far enough. "What good is identifying them?" he asked. "You have to set up encampments like during World War Two with the Japanese and Germans."

At the end of the one-hour show, rich with arguments on why visual identification of "the threat in our midst" would alleviate the public's fears, Klein revealed that he had staged a hoax. It drew out reactions that are not uncommon in post-9/11 America.

"I can't believe any of you are sick enough to have agreed for one second with anything I said," he told his audience on the AM station 630 WMAL (http://www.wmal.com/), which covers Washington, Northern Virginia and Maryland

"For me to suggest to tattoo marks on people's bodies, have them wear armbands, put a crescent moon on their driver's license on their passport or birth certificate is disgusting. It's beyond disgusting.

"Because basically what you just did was show me how the German people allowed what happened to the Jews to happen ... We need to separate them, we need to tattoo their arms, we need to make them wear the yellow Star of David, we need to put them in concentration camps, we basically just need to kill them all because they are dangerous."

The show aired on November 26, the Sunday after the Thanksgiving holiday, and Klein said in an interview afterwards he had been surprised by the response.

"The switchboard went from empty to totally jammed within minutes," said Klein. "There were plenty of callers angry with me, but there were plenty who agreed."

POLLS SHOW WIDESPREAD ANTI-MUSLIM SENTIMENT

Those in agreement are not a fringe minority: A Gallup poll this summer of more than 1,000 Americans showed that 39 percent were in favor of requiring Muslims in the United States, including American citizens, to carry special identification.

Roughly a quarter of those polled said they would not want to live next door to a Muslim and a third thought that Muslims in the United States sympathized with al Qaeda, the extremist group behind the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.

A poll carried out by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an advocacy group, found that for one in three Americans, the word Islam triggers negative connotations such as "war," "hatred" and "terrorist." The war in Iraq has contributed to such perceptions.

Klein's show followed a week of heated discussions on talk radio, including his own, and online forums over an incident on November 22 involving six Muslim clerics. They were handcuffed and taken off a US Airways flight after passengers reported "suspicious behavior" that included praying in the departure gate area.

The clerics, on their way to a meeting of the North American Imams Federation, were detained in a holding cell, questioned by police and FBI agents, and released. Muslim community leaders saw the incident as yet more evidence of anti-Muslim prejudice.

IGNORANCE SEEN AS KEY PROBLEM

Several American Muslims interviewed on the subject of prejudice over the past few weeks said ignorance was at the core of the problem.

"The level of knowledge is very, very low," said Mohamed Esa, a U.S. Muslim of Arab descent who teaches a course on Islam at McDaniel College in Maryland. "There are 1.3 billion Muslims in the world and some people think they are all terrorists."

Hossam Ahmed, a retired Air Force Reserve colonel who occasionally leads prayer meetings for the small Muslim congregation at the Pentagon, agreed. "Ignorance is the number one problem. Education is of the essence."

There are no hard figures on how many Muslims have been subject to harassment or prejudice and community leaders say that ugly incidents can prompt spontaneous expressions of support. Such as the e-mail a Minneapolis woman sent to CAIR after the imams were taken off their flight.

"I would like to ... help," the e-mail said. "While I cannot offer plane tickets, I would be happy to drive at least 2 or 3 of them. My car is small, but at least some of our hearts in this land of the free are large."

And optimists saw signs of change in the November 4 election of the first Muslim to the U.S. House of Representatives, which has 435 members.

Democrat Keith Ellison, a 43-year-old African-American lawyer, did not stress his religion during his campaign for a Minnesota seat, but said his victory would "signal to people who are not Muslims that Muslims have a lot to offer to the United States and the improvement of our country."

[NormsRevenge]

Muslim men pray in Lafayette Park near the White House August 12, 2006. Roughly a quarter of more than 1,000 Americans in a Gallup poll said they would not want to live next door to a Muslim and a third thought that Muslims in the United States sympathized with al Qaeda, the extremist group behind the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

[Edgar3]

Mistrust for sure, but fear? Naw...

[television is just wrong]

Before they get ready to commit suicide and kill Americans...

[onyx]

"There are 1.3 billion Muslims in the world and some people think they are all terrorists."

What if only 10 percent are terrorists who want to kill us?

[GSlob]

There is 'ignorance', but then there is "knowledge". And it takes knowledge to distinguish between the two. The realization that one is dealing here with a fundamentally alien and hostile civilization is not a mark of ignorance - quite the opposite.

[cripplecreek]

Yep, even 1% makes a sizable army.

[I still care]

The problem is that they separate themselves out. When I hear of women suing because they want to be fully covered up on their driver's licenses, I do get very negative.

Or they want pools to have days where men are not allowed. Or in several countries they have their own sharia law separate from the law of the land.

[CitizenUSA]

A couple questions: Who is to blame for the distrust of Muslims? Why do many people think it's sarcastic to call Islam the "religion of peace?"

[Uncledave]

Jews weren't terrorizing people in Germany when they were ordered to wear armbands. The analogy is false.

[jdm]

When radio host Jerry Klein suggested that all Muslims in the United States should be identified with a crescent-shape tattoo or a distinctive arm band, the phone lines jammed instantly.

Well, don't most Muslim men demand their wives be identified with a burka?

[RobbyS]

Exactly what can Islam provide for our country, since it seems to provide little for the people of the Middle East?

[Billthedrill]

The war in Iraq has contributed to such perceptions.

No kidding. Al-Reuters seems to have forgotten a couple of buildings in New York and 3000 murdered people. Oh, yeah, that.

[hnj_00]

"Jews weren't terrorizing people in Germany when they were ordered to wear armbands. The analogy is false."

and how many Jews have strapped suicide bombs onto themselves or their children or have flown jets into large american buildings???

muzzies are part of a death cult....they believe in terrorism...the US cannot allow the lib/dem left from letting the muzzies take over in the name of PC!!!

[abclily]

My 'ignorance' about Islam comes from headlines of murder being committed by Muslims all over the world. Murder was committed by Muslims on our own soil on 9/11. Murder was committed by Muslims in a school in Russia. Murder is committed in Iraq every day by Muslims killing anyone they can - including other Muslims. And I'm supposed to be ignorant, since I don't believe in all these crimes against humanity?

[Verloona Ti]

It is the height of stupidity to pretend there is ANY parity between today's moslems and German Jews int he 1930s. It was only Hitler's paranoia (fueled by the "scientific" teachings on race of the past few decades-the man never had an original thought in his mind) that saw Jews as enslavers and corrupters trying to rule the world. It is NOT paranoia to see moslems in that role : Their koran tells them they have a duty to enslave or convert all nonmoslems, AND that their victory is predestined.We KNOW they want to establish a worldwide caliphate. How many times do the moslems themselves have to state this goal before western kneejerk promoslems start to take them seriously? Anyone who doubts their utter hatred and contempt for nonmoslems has only to google up the words of their own imams, who'll happily explain that nonmoslems in moslem countries are like cattle anyone can claim , that nonmoslem women who are raped by moslem mean are like "uncovered meat", who are solely to blame and besides, all nonmoslem women are whores anyway ...There was the British imam who openly stated re : 7/11 that nonmoslem lives are of no value...There's the head of CAIR, who openly states his desire to see the USA a moslem country under sharia....And what about all the cases of Sudden Violent Jihad Syndrome, which have been posted to FR?

There is NO comparison between Jews and Judaism, or between the words of their holy writings, and moslems, the koran, and their hadiths, no matter what an ass like this want to pretend.

[VOA]

Muslims have a lot to offer to the United States and the improvement of
our country

Well, I guess after the last election, we know too many US citizens
are too stupid to just laugh out loud at that sort of Bravo Sierra.

[LOC1]

It is a fact that many people through out the world distrust muslims. The reasons are obvious, and are compounded by the stated tenet of Islam that is is OK to lie and deceive nonbelievers if it furthers their cause.

In the face of this justified distrust, muslims who want to be accepted and respected have a particular responsibility to be open and honest about their plans. They have a responsibility to initiate and participate in open dialog, and honestly negotiate with the surrounding communities which distrust them.

That has not happened, at least not here in Katy, Texas. Instead, the muslims seem to be trying an "in your face approach," which has resulted in very stiff opposition.

Related post: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1747491/posts/

[monkeybrau]

If only the headline was true, this would be good news.

[PeteB570]

I take muslims at their word.

They say islam is the only true religion, they want to take over the world and make everyone muslim, or kill them or force then into a lower form of citizenship.

They say they can lie to any non-muslim.

Again, I take them at their word.