NEWS STORY: Anti-Muslim bias incidents rise, violence ebbs

c. 1998 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Reported incidents of anti-Muslim bias continue to rise in the United States, with workplace conflicts leading the way, a Muslim watchdog group reported Wednesday (July 15). The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said although religiously motivated violence against Muslims decreased in the year ending March 15, the overall […]

c. 1998 Religion News Service

WASHINGTON _ Reported incidents of anti-Muslim bias continue to rise in the United States, with workplace conflicts leading the way, a Muslim watchdog group reported Wednesday (July 15).

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said although religiously motivated violence against Muslims decreased in the year ending March 15, the overall number of bias incidents rose 18 percent, a three-fold increase over the previous year.


CAIR officials said because their annual survey of anti-Muslim bias is just three years old, they could not be sure whether the increases reflect better reporting practices or a jump in the frequency of such incidents.

Nonetheless, CAIR officials said Muslims appear to face increased bias as they become more visible and religiously assertive in the United States. The steadily growing U.S. Muslim community is generally estimated at between 3 million and 6 million.

Nihad Awad, CAIR executive director, said bias”is an epidemic that our community is facing.”The bias _ much of which he attributed to”ignorance”of Islam on the part of most Americans _”is a crippling factor for our community in terms of social and political action.” Mohamed Nimer, CAIR research director, said”the struggle against discrimination has become part of Muslim daily life in America.” In a 60-page report, Washington-based CAIR noted 280″incidents and experiences”of anti-Muslim violence, discrimination, stereotyping, bias and harassment in the latest reporting period.

Among the incidents were:

_ A swastika was spray-painted on an Islamic star and crescent moon display set up on the White House Ellipse to mark the holy month of Ramadan.

_ Two Muslim brothers in Brooklyn, N.Y., were fired from their jobs of nine years after they become more religiously observant. The supervisor of one brother reportedly told other employees the brothers were”being taught to become terrorists.” _ In Philadelphia, a woman wearing a”hijab,”or Muslim hair covering, was reportedly booed when she went on stage to claim an automobile won in a contest. The prize announcer also refused to acknowledge her as the winner.

About half the reported bias cases occurred in the workplace. Muslim women wearing the hijab while at work frequently encountered problems with employers upset with their appearance. Another common problem was employers upset by Muslims seeking longer Friday lunch breaks to attend communal prayers, as required by Islam.

Awad blamed”outdated”corporate policies for many of the workplace problems.

Anjum Smith, a Muslim woman from Richmond, Va., who appeared at a news conference at which the CAIR report was released, said US Airways sought to”hide me in a closet”when she wore a hijab while working as a ground crew employee.


US Airways later relented when told by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that Smith was within her legal rights. However, Smith has since been furloughed as part of an airline employee restructuring plan unrelated, she noted, to her problem with the company.

Saying she received”above average evaluations,”Smith said”no one can really know how it feels when when you’re doing your job and also trying to please God.” Awad said the”profiling”of air travelers by government officials seeking to head off possible terrorist attacks amounts to”an institutionalized form of discrimination”and adds to Muslim anti-bias.

Muslims and Arabs, he said, are being singled out for closer scrutiny at airports solely on the basis of their names or ethnic and racial characteristics.

CAIR officials said the decrease in violence toward Muslims may be attributable to the absence in the past year of any major terrorists incidents, such as the Oklahoma City federal building bombing, or presumed terrorist incidents, such as the still-unexplained downing of TWA Flight 800. In both cases, early speculation centered on the possible involvement of Muslim or Arab terrorists.

Eighty percent of the 280 incidents reported took place in 14 states and the District of Columbia that are home to the bulk of American Muslims. The states were: California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Texas and Georgia.

MJP END RIFKIN

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