Posted on 07/15/2003 11:29:57 AM PDT by Pro-Bush
Anti-Muslim violence rises in U.S.
By Sue Pleming
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Anti-Muslim violence, discrimination and harassment are rising in the United States, mainly due to antagonism following the September 11 attacks, a new report says.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based Islamic civil rights group, said its office received 602 reports of discrimination against Muslims in 2002, an increase of 15 percent over the previous year.
In addition, there was more "Islamaphobic rhetoric," particularly after September 11, 2001, when hijackers linked to Osama bin Laden rammed passenger jets into the World Trade Centre and Pentagon, killing some 3,000 people. Fifteen of the 19 suspected hijackers were from Saudi Arabia.
After the September 11 attacks, the Justice Department questioned and detained hundreds of Arab immigrants around the United States, particularly for immigration violations.
"Along with an increase in the number of bias-related incidents and experiences, we have also witnessed the negative results produced by government policies that target ordinary Americans based on religion, ethnicity or national origin," said CAIR Research Director Mohamed Nimer.
'SENSE OF SIEGE'
"It is this guilt by association that has created a sense of siege in the American-Muslim community," he added.
The Justice Department strongly dismissed suggestions race and religion played a role in its investigations.
"The Justice Department has taken measures to combat terrorism, and in no way whatsoever has a person's race or religion been a factor in the different measures the government has taken," spokesman Jorge Martinez said.
He said the department was committed to preventing, investigating and prosecuting so-called "backlash crimes" against people from the Middle East, Muslims and others.
"The Justice Department does not tolerate any type of discrimination," he added.
In the first days after the September 11 attacks, the Bush administration made a point of reaching out to Muslims in a bid to prevent a backlash against them.
"However, since that initial period of support a number of government policies have singled out Muslim individuals and organisations," the report said.
The September 11 investigation dragnet in 2002 included registration requirements singling out students and visitors from Muslim-majority countries, the report said.
It also highlighted FBI hate crime statistics from its 2002 annual report showing attacks on people, institutions and businesses identified with Islam increased from 28 in 2000 to 481 in 2001.
And it detailed "police profile incidents" in which Muslims were questioned during mundane activities such as shopping or walking on public roads.
Some Islamic centres and Muslim groups reported attacks. In Florida, a man rammed his truck into the Islamic Centre of Tallahassee on March 25, 2002. In Andover, Massachusetts, a new school bus for the Islamic Academy of Peace was torched.
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