Anti-Muslim Incidents Rise, Study Finds

Reports of hate crimes and harassment against Muslims in California tripled last year from the year before, the highest number ever recorded outside the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, according to a report to be released today by a national American Muslim organization.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations reported 221 incidents in 2003 of anti-Muslim bias in California, ranging from the severe beating of a Yorba Linda youth to vandalism of a San Luis Obispo mosque. Nationally, the council reported 1,019 anti-Muslim incidents, representing a 69% increase.

The report attributed the increased incidents to several factors, including a “lingering atmosphere of fear” stemming from the Sept. 11 attacks, fallout from the Iraq war, anti-Islam rhetoric from some conservative religious leaders, increased reporting of incidents by communities to the council, and U.S. anti-terrorism policies, which Muslims allege adversely affect them.

“Things are getting worse and worse,” said Mohamed Nimer, the council’s national research director. “This has become part of our normal life -- coping with increased attacks and vulgarities toward our faith and our life.”

Researchers at other organizations have also documented the adverse impact on Muslims since Sept. 11. They include the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission and the state Senate’s Office of Research, which last month issued a draft report concluding that Arab, South Asian and Muslim immigrant communities had borne a “substantial share” of scrutiny by federal agencies.

Last year, the U.S. Justice Department’s internal investigators found “significant problems” in the way its employees had treated immigrants detained after Sept. 11, including engaging in verbal and physical abuse of suspects and causing excessive delays in their release.

A Justice Department spokeswoman contested allegations of mistreatment, however. “The department’s actions taken to deter and dismantle future terrorist attacks are fully consistent with the constitutional laws of the U.S.,” said spokeswoman Casey Stavropoulls. She added that the department was combating anti-Muslim discrimination and had conducted more than 560 investigations of bias since Sept. 11 -- one-fourth of which had resulted in federal, state or local prosecutions.

The new report by the Islamic council also scrutinizes government actions toward the Muslim community. Although anti-Muslim incidents reportedly took place at schools, job sites, restaurants and on the streets, the largest number of complaints both statewide and nationally involved government anti-terrorism policies. In California, those cases accounted for 41% of all complaints.

The most controversial government program involved the required special registration of noncitizen male visitors from two dozen mostly Muslim nations and North Korea. All told, more than 82,000 men were registered, including 13,000 who were ordered into deportation proceedings, almost all of them for visa violations, according to reports by the council and others. Muslims argue that the program amounts to selective persecution of their community.

The report also said that Muslims have been disproportionately affected by the U.S. Patriot Act, which was passed after the Sept. 11 attacks to broaden the government’s investigatory and surveillance powers. Among other things, the act requires financial institutions to verify the identities of new customers and report any suspicious activity.

The council report cited cases of Muslims whose bank accounts were closed without any explanation. One Delaware woman, a U.S.-born citizen, reported that her credit card application was rejected after she heard the cashier mention the Patriot Act in her conversation with the bank processing her request. The woman’s name was not listed on the Treasury Department’s list of suspicious persons.

The cases reflect “the attitude within government that holds Muslims in general suspect,” the council’s Nimer said.

At the same time, however, Muslims in California report several positive steps to improve ties with law-enforcement and other public agencies. Most notably, the FBI’s Los Angeles office has recently formed its first Muslim, Arab and Sikh advisory committee and plans to hold its first meeting later this month.

FBI spokesman Matt McLaughlin said his office started the 25-member committee, which is expected to meet monthly, to develop better communication with the three communities and help promote better understanding about FBI policies and procedures. He said the Patriot Act in particular has been misunderstood and unfairly blamed for abuses.

“People have a right to know what we’re doing and why,” McLaughlin said. “There’s nothing sinister about what’s being done.”

Among other things, the Islamic council’s California office recommended that the state Legislature conduct a public inquiry into the impact of post-9/11 policies on the Muslim community and that government agencies provide sensitivity training about Muslims to their employees.

“We want to find solutions to these problems,” said Ra’id Faraj, spokesman for the Islamic Council’s Anaheim-based Southern California office. “From our end, we’ll do whatever it takes.”