9 11 and the Backlash against Islam

Issues Faced by Muslims Since 9/11
Issues that Muslims have faced in the United States since 9/11 have been an increased antagonism in the mainstream media against Islam and a new rise of Islamaphobia from many corners of society. Increased levels of violence against Muslims and increased scrutiny from security agencies at the federal level—including by Homeland Security, the NSA, and the FBI—towards Muslims has also been an issue faced by this population. Other issues include the need to band together and work with the U.S. leaders to try to keep Islam from getting a bad name.
The immediate backlash following the news that 9/11 was perpetrated by Islamic radical terrorists was violence towards the Muslim community in America: “there were well over 1,000 reported hate incidents and hate crimes, including murders, arson, vandalism, physical and verbal assaults, and telephoned threats” (Abdelkarim, 2002). Two specific and very tragic occurrences of hatred resulted death: “a Muslim man of Pakistani origin was shot dead in Texas, while an Indian Sikh gas station attendant who may have been mistaken for a Muslim was gunned down in Mesa, Arizona” (Abdelkarim, 2002). Added to this were the numerous death threats, bomb threats, assaults and acts of vandalism directed at mosques, Muslim schools, Muslim women wearing the hajib, and other types of violence aimed at the Muslim community.
However, Muslim communities and leaders addressed anti-Muslim sentiment by showing themselves to be people of good will who were against terrorism. For example, the Council on American-Islamic Relations released a statement in which it condemned the violence of 9/11 and expressed its support of the U.S. government to bring the perpetrators to justice (Abdelkarim, 2002). Likewise, there is Mantri (2011) who asserts that by working with the U.S., moderate Muslims in America can help to reduce the threat of radical Islam and thus establish their own good credentials and in this manner promote religious tolerance—but the first step is to show the frightened American community that the peace-loving Muslims in the U.S. are truly peaceful and mean no harm. Americans suffering from Islamaphobia are poorly educated on the Islamic tradition and are easily manipulated by powerful media stations whose directors and stakeholders have their own ulterior motives when it comes to promoting war in the Middle East. For local Muslim community members, one specific measure they could take to promote religious tolerance would be for them to condemn radical Islamic terrorism and show that they oppose this type of violence as much as other Americans.
At the same time, they have to be firm in pointing out when they are being wrongly persecuted. Hate crime statutes have been put into effect to protect people from prejudice, and Muslim Americans are entitled to protection under these statutes. Hate crime statutes criminalize expressions of hatred and violence against people based on their religious, ethnic or other identifying qualities and characteristics. The goal of these statutes is to reduce the amount of prejudicial violence and bias that exists and promote the idea of one community where respect and tolerance for people of different backgrounds and ideas is possible.
Were violence against Muslims to continue in America, prosecuting these cases as a hate crime would help to dissuade others from engaging in this type of behavior. At the same time, it could continue to foster an “us vs. them” mentality. The most important step that Muslims can take is to embark on an educational campaign to teach Americans that Muslims share in the same values as others and reject overtures of violence.
References
Abdelkarim, R. (2002). American Muslims and 9/11: A Community Looks Back...and
to the Future. Retrieved from http://www.wrmea.org/2002-september-october/american-muslims-and-9/11-a-community-looks-back...and-to-the-future.html
Mantri, G. (2011). Homegrown Terrorism. Harvard International Review, 33(1), 88-104.