Reform urged to stem rise of hate crimes against Muslims

Anti-Muslim acts increased by an unprecedented 70 percent last year compared with 2002, the Washington Post reported May 3. 

But Arizona's increase was the worst, at 584 percent. 

Nationwide, 1,019 complaints of discrimination or violence were received, up from 602 a year earlier, reported the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a prominent civil rights group. 

These included 93 hate crimes, more than double the 2002 count. 

Most complaints concerned religious and ethnic profiling and denial of religious accommodation, along with the workplace discrimination. 

"There are a number of factors, including government policies targeting Muslims and pro-war rhetoric in the beginning of 2003, that we believe led to this disturbing increase in Muslim civil rights complaints," said Dr. Mohamed Nimer, the CAIR research director who wrote the "Unpatriotic Acts" report. 

Other contributing factors listed are a lingering atmosphere of post-9/11 fear, abuses associated with implementation of the Patriot Act and a disturbing increase in Muslim-bashing on radio talk shows. Also, in many cases, laws allegedly were applied more harshly because of ethnic or religious background. 

In view of this, CAIR on April 17 launched a campaign, "Hate Hurts America," based on the conviction that increased attacks on Islam by conservative talk show hosts is not only offensive to Muslims and other people of conscience, but also to America itself. 

The government blurred the clear distinction between immigrant and terrorism cases, reported the Office of Inspector General of the Justice Department. 

Between Sept. 11, 2001, and August 2002, expired visas led to arrests of 738 Muslims and Arabs - none of whom was given access to lawyers or family members. These people even were denied their basic constitutional right to know what charges had been filed against them. 

Furthermore, many of them were held in inhumane conditions: locked in cells 23 hours a day, taunted by officials and slammed against walls. Yet none of these "suspects" was found to be linked to any act of terrorism. 

Indeed, Muslim visitors and immigrants are singled out and required to report to government offices to be fingerprinted, photographed and assigned registration numbers. The 13,000 who complied still were subject to deportation for violation of minor immigration requirements. 

Law enforcement bias against Muslims is common, with widespread incidents of prosecution on minor violations, such as failure to mow lawns or leaving garbage cans outside a house. 

Banks and other financial institutions harass Muslims and Arabs in enforcing the Patriot Act by arbitrarily asking them to provide detailed documentation of their identities and financial and tax records. 

What will remedy such inexcusable discrimination against these Americans? 

Among the possible solutions is the End Racial Profiling Act, championed by U.S. Rep. John Conyers and Sen. Russell Feingold to dissuade officials to engage in racial profiling and provide legal options for the victims. 

The Department of Justice should implement reforms suggested by its own Office of Inspector General, and it should adhere to constitutional protections during government investigations. 

Congress must hold open hearings on post-9/11 rules and procedures (including the Patriot Act) enacted by the Bush administration to examine their effects on security and civil liberties. Then Congress should endorse amendments to safeguard both, with care, concern and understanding. 

In addition, the Federal Communications Commission should reinstate the "Fairness Doctrine," passed by both houses of Congress in 1987 but vetoed by the president, to ensure coverage of controversial public issues is balanced and fair. 

Siraj Mufti, Ph.D., is a researcher and freelance journalist.