Anti-Muslim Bias in US Soaring: Report
The experience of the American Muslim community after the tragedy of the 9/11 terrorist attacks is seen by many as the next chapter in American civil rights history," said Iftikhar
CAIRO — Anti-Muslim discrimination in the United States jumped 25 percent last year with Islamophobia being much evident in federal and government agencies, according to a report by a leading US Muslim advocacy group.
"Like the history of other minority groups in America, the experience of the American Muslim community after the tragedy of the 9/11 terrorist attacks is seen by many as the next chapter in American civil rights history," Arsalan Iftikhar, the legal director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said in a statement e-mailed to IslamOnline.net Friday, June 15.
Iftikhar, the author of the "Presumption of Guilt" report, said researchers processed 2,467 cases of anti-Muslim violence, bias and harassment in 2006.
The 40-page report shows that hate crime complaints including physical attacks against individuals and mosques rose 9.2 percent last year.
California reported the highest rate of anti-Muslim discrimination among the US states.
"The findings in this report should serve as a reminder that discrimination is still a major issue in our nation," said Iftikhar.
The report, however, cited a slight decrease in certain categories such as the workplace in which anti-Muslim discrimination declined from 25.41 percent in 2005 to 15.57 percent in 2006.
There are between six to seven million Muslims in the United States, making up less than three percent of the country's 300 million population.
Five years after the terrorist 9/11 attacks, many American Muslims complain that they continue to face discrimination and stereotyping because of their Islamic attires or identities.
The Pew Research Center said in a nationwide survey last month that life for US Muslims changed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
In the poll, a majority of US Muslims (53%) said life has become more difficult to be a Muslim in the US since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Citizenship
CAIR, which began tracking discrimination in 1995, said citizenship delay was the most striking example of government discrimination against Muslims.
"This increase [in discrimination against Muslims] was due primarily to the number of cases related to major immigration issues such as citizenship and naturalization delays," said the report.
"This is the first time since 2004 that government agencies represented the highest percentage of complaints."
The report said that discrimination complaints against federal agencies more than doubled to 890 in 2006, accounting for over 36 percent of total civil rights complaints.
It cited the case of a Muslim citizen who waited five years after passing the citizenship test in 2002 before finally being granted citizenship in recent weeks.
A recent report by New York University Law School's Center for Human Rights and Global Justice said the US is institutionalizing discrimination against immigrants perceived to be Muslims, illegally delaying their citizenship applications, which is breaking families and disenfranchising entire communities.
The US Senate Office Of Research has admitted that Muslims have taken the brunt of federal powers applied after 9/11.
CAIR urged US politicians and religious leaders to repudiate anti-Muslim bias and expedite the processing of citizenship to help fight rising Islamophobia in the country.
It also called for adoption of domestic and foreign policies reflecting American traditions of human rights respect and justice.
The experience of the American Muslim community after the tragedy of the 9/11 terrorist attacks is seen by many as the next chapter in American civil rights history," said Iftikhar
CAIRO — Anti-Muslim discrimination in the United States jumped 25 percent last year with Islamophobia being much evident in federal and government agencies, according to a report by a leading US Muslim advocacy group.
"Like the history of other minority groups in America, the experience of the American Muslim community after the tragedy of the 9/11 terrorist attacks is seen by many as the next chapter in American civil rights history," Arsalan Iftikhar, the legal director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said in a statement e-mailed to IslamOnline.net Friday, June 15.
Iftikhar, the author of the "Presumption of Guilt" report, said researchers processed 2,467 cases of anti-Muslim violence, bias and harassment in 2006.
The 40-page report shows that hate crime complaints including physical attacks against individuals and mosques rose 9.2 percent last year.
California reported the highest rate of anti-Muslim discrimination among the US states.
"The findings in this report should serve as a reminder that discrimination is still a major issue in our nation," said Iftikhar.
The report, however, cited a slight decrease in certain categories such as the workplace in which anti-Muslim discrimination declined from 25.41 percent in 2005 to 15.57 percent in 2006.
There are between six to seven million Muslims in the United States, making up less than three percent of the country's 300 million population.
Five years after the terrorist 9/11 attacks, many American Muslims complain that they continue to face discrimination and stereotyping because of their Islamic attires or identities.
The Pew Research Center said in a nationwide survey last month that life for US Muslims changed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
In the poll, a majority of US Muslims (53%) said life has become more difficult to be a Muslim in the US since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Citizenship
CAIR, which began tracking discrimination in 1995, said citizenship delay was the most striking example of government discrimination against Muslims.
"This increase [in discrimination against Muslims] was due primarily to the number of cases related to major immigration issues such as citizenship and naturalization delays," said the report.
"This is the first time since 2004 that government agencies represented the highest percentage of complaints."
The report said that discrimination complaints against federal agencies more than doubled to 890 in 2006, accounting for over 36 percent of total civil rights complaints.
It cited the case of a Muslim citizen who waited five years after passing the citizenship test in 2002 before finally being granted citizenship in recent weeks.
A recent report by New York University Law School's Center for Human Rights and Global Justice said the US is institutionalizing discrimination against immigrants perceived to be Muslims, illegally delaying their citizenship applications, which is breaking families and disenfranchising entire communities.
The US Senate Office Of Research has admitted that Muslims have taken the brunt of federal powers applied after 9/11.
CAIR urged US politicians and religious leaders to repudiate anti-Muslim bias and expedite the processing of citizenship to help fight rising Islamophobia in the country.
It also called for adoption of domestic and foreign policies reflecting American traditions of human rights respect and justice.