Muslims in the US:

Lives made uncomfortable in a ‘Free’ society

by Daya Gamage

Leave aside the hate crimes against Muslims living in the US; Leave aside the attacks on Muslim places of worship even after ten years since the 2001 World Trade Center attack in the US; For a moment, leave aside the discrimination against the Muslims and making their lives somewhat miserable here in the US; The US. government official moves and (US) Congress enacted legislation resulted in increased surveillance of Muslims within the borders of the US and has led to the curtailing of certain liberties for the Muslims every American enjoys under the Constitution.

In the wake of the World Trade Center attacks, the U.S. government cracked down on immigration policy and national security measures. In October 2001, the U.S. Patriot Act was made law allowing the attorney general to detain non-citizens suspected of terrorism without a warrant, and authorized new surveillance guidelines for US law enforcement agencies.

Additionally, in July 2003, the Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal Act (CLEAR) was passed to give local law enforcement the power to enforce federal immigration laws. The combined implementation of the Patriot Act and the CLEAR Act resulted in increased surveillance of Muslims. Muslims (citizens and non-citizens) have been denied counsel and formal charges while being detained for extended periods of time. According to the Office of Inspector General (OIG), the average time from arrest to clearance was 80 days. Surveillance of Muslims is ongoing in mosques, on the Internet, and through library records, bank accounts, and places of employment.

Nearly a year after the events of 9/11, the Attorney General announced the introduction of the National Security Exit-Entry Registration System (NSEERS). The “special registration” program applied to men aged 16 to 45 who were predominantly from Arab/Muslim countries residing in the US on temporary visas. The men were required to report to Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) offices for multi-phase registration that included fingerprinting, photographing, and questioning. It has been found that this program failed in two very distinct ways. Firstly, the department failed to put out clear information regarding the requirements of the program, which led to many unnecessary deportations. Secondly, the program reportedly used harsh detention methods on participants. It is clear that this program resulted in mistreatment and rights violations. While this program is no longer active, the U.S. Patriot Act and the CLEAR Act have both been reauthorised and are used by law enforcement.

The national media very rightly noted that the results of these policies devastate the relationship between the Muslim community and the US Government. Civil liberties groups had already declared that the US Patriot Act and the CLEAR Act negatively impact the civil liberties of Muslim minority groups, particularly Arab minorities and Muslim immigrants. Muslim organisations maintain that these governmental programs and policies create feelings of anxiety, ostracism, and isolation that detach Muslims from the American mainstream. In addition, the government’s use of racial profiling encouraged media and organisational stereotyping. Racial profiling was once widespread in the New York area.

Now, to widespread attacks, arson, killings and other harassment against the Muslims living in the US not forgetting the most recently (June 2014) dropped surveillance program carried out by the New York City police department that severely harassed the Muslims in the area.

Anti-mosque incidents have escalated in recent years. In 2012 summer, a mosque in Joplin, Missouri was burned to the ground. In 2011, a man was arrested with explosives outside the Islamic Center in Dearborn, Michigan. An arson fire seriously damaged a mosque in Wichita, Kansas, in May 2011. And incidents of mosque vandalism have become more common.

Hate groups have been on the rise, too; one of the most horrific hate crimes was the murder of Shaima Alawadi, a young mother who had received anonymous notes calling her a terrorist.

Anti-Muslim rhetoric in some of the mainstream media has contributed to the creation of this atmosphere is not an exaggeration but a fact.

The CNN website in September 2012 noted that the Center for American Progress issued a report in 2011 which documented a small but extremely well-funded network of anti-Islam fear-mongers who have worked diligently to spread misinformation about Islam. Directly or indirectly, these fear-mongers fomented the “ground zero mosque” hysteria, promoted the film “The Third Jihad,” which the New York Police Department showed as a training video - and was strongly criticised for doing so - and have been responsible for Islamophobic advertisements on public buses all over the country.

And, some Members of the US Congress were responsible toward the creation of the anti-Muslim rhetoric in the nation:

The leading Republican Congressman Peter King’s “Muslim radicalisation” hearings in the House of Representatives, another spokesperson for anti-Muslim rhetoric Republican Congresswoman from Minnesota Michele Bachmann’s baseless accusations of public officials being linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, and the NYPD’s long-term spying on Muslim communities (which was abandoned in June 2014)) are just several examples of the increasing demonisation of every Muslim and, increasingly, the entire religion of Islam.

The controversy over the planned Park 51 community center in New York City a couple of years ago is only one example of opposition to mosques and Islamic centers in the US. Existing and proposed mosque sites across the country have been targeted for vandalism and other criminal acts, and there have been efforts to block or deny necessary zoning permits for the construction and expansion of other facilities.

While mosque opponents frequently claim their objections are based on practical considerations such as traffic, parking, and noise levels, those asserted concerns are often pretexts masking anti-Muslim sentiment. Government officials in some areas of the country have yielded to this religious bigotry, treating mosques and Islamic centers differently than other proposed houses of worship and/or denying zoning permits without the compelling interest that is required by the Religious Land Use and Institutionalised Persons Act of 2000 (a federal civil rights law that affords heightened legal protection to the use of property for religious purposes). Even where local governments strongly support religious freedom, private citizens nevertheless often seek to intimidate Muslims into forgoing the exercise of this freedom.

There is a little over six million Muslims live among an American population of about 310 million.

According to a study by CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations), three ethnicities make up most of the nation’s Muslim population: South Asians (33%), Arab (20%), and African-Americans (30%). Other ethnicities include: African, Bosnian/European, and Iranian immigrants.

The Asian Tribune has compiled a list of anti-Muslim/Mosque incidents that have occurred throughout the US and this is not a complete list we are presenting here.

In a ‘free’ society like the US it is surprising to the outside world such incidents occur. When the US government periodically issue official statements of concern when such incidents happen in other countries, most of those countries that have been targeted are unaware that hate crimes’ do occur in the US.

Anti-Muslim mosque incidents in the US

(1) Bella Vista, Arkansa September 2010
The Bella Vista City Council met to consider banning the construction of mosques and the practice of Sharia Law within city limits.

Arizona State

(2) Glendale, Arizona August 2010
Two men threw an “acid bomb” - a soda bottle filled with acid at a mosque - targeting mosque officials standing nearby. .

(3) Phoenix, Arizona August 2010
Vandals threw paint on the floor, shot out windows, and wrote anti-Muslim slurs on the walls of a local mosque.

(4) Tucson, Arizona April 2007
Vandals ransacked a local mosque, writing “Bush was here” on one of the computer screens.

California State

(5) Antioch, California August 2007
A local mosque was torched, rendering the building unusable.

(6) Costa Mesa, California January 2010
Burned and desecrated copies of the Quran were left at a mosque on separate occasions.

(7) Cypress, California June 2009
Vandals painted threats on the front wall of a local mosque, warning, “We will kill you all” and “U.S. military is going to kill you all.”

(8) Hayward, California August 2012
Four teenagers threw lemons at a mosque and struck at least one person inside.

(9) La Mirada, California July 2011
Someone threw a rock through a mosque's newly installed glass doors.

(10) Lomita, CA, March 2010
The City Council denied a request for a zoning change that would have allowed a local mosque to its expand its facilities due to alleged traffic concerns even though a traffic study concluded that the proposed expansion would not increase traffic and the city’s community development director, as well as the city planning commission, both recommended approval of the project. A lawsuit was filed against the City of Lomita challenging its decision to deny the mosque a permit.

(11) Madera, California August 2010
Vandals threw a brick at a local mosque and left signs outside that read, “Wake up America, the enemy is here,” and “No temple for the god of terrorism.”

(12) Mission Viejo, California January 2010
A religious display was vandalized with spray paint and an anti-Muslim message was left on the Islamic portion of an interfaith display.

(13) Mirada, CA, July 2009
The Mirada Area Association, a private organization of local property owners, filed suit to stop construction of a mosque approved already approved by the local Board of Supervisors. Among the concerns cited throughout the debate over the mosque were its “social and cultural implications.”

(14) Ontario, CA, August 2012
Three pig legs were thrown on the driveway of a house of worship during Ramadan.

(15) Sacramento, California, August 2010
A plastic pig inscribed with “No Mosque in NYC,” “Remember 9-11,” and “Mo-Ham-ed” was left in a mosque's mailbox.

(16) Stockton, California April 2011
A mosque was burned down in a fire that also damaged nearby buildings. Investigators determined that the fire was deliberately set.

Connecticut: East Coast

(17) Bridgeport, August 2010
Picketers targeted a mosque during Ramadan and shouted “murderers” and “Jesus hates Muslims” at worshippers, including children.

(18) Norwalk, April 2012
A group of residents hired a lawyer to oppose the construction of a local mosque. After a contentious public hearing, the Norwalk Zoning Commission rejected the mosque application. The Islamic Center has appealed the decision.

Florida

(19) Gainesville, July 2010
Protestors outside of a local mosque carried signs declaring that “Islam is the devil.” Sources:

(20) Jacksonville, May 2010
Vandals firebombed the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida. Sources:

(21) Miami, June 2010
Vandals smashed windows and slashed tires at an Islamic center two years after it was targeted by gunfire.

Georgia

(22) Marietta, July 2011
Signs of forcible entry were found at a mosque, indicating that the fire which damaged the building was set intentionally.

Illinois

(23)Lombard, August 2012
A bottle filled with acid and other unspecified materials was thrown at an Islamic school during the nighttime Ramazan prayers.

(24) Morton Grove, August 2012
A pellet rifle was fired at a mosque during Ramazan, damaging the outer wall of the building.

Kansas

(25) Wichita, October 2011
A fire that caused more than $100,000 in damages to a mosque was declared arson.

Michigan

(26) Dearborn, January 2011
A man was arrested with a vehicle full of explosives he intended to use to blow up a mosque.

(27) Detroit, May 2010
Vandals damaged a local mosque twice in one week.

(28) East Lansing, September 2010
A burned Quran was left outside of a mosque.

Missouri

(29) Cape Girardeau, May 2009
Several windows were destroyed at a mosque in an act of vandalism that was later determined to be motivated by discrimination.

(30) Joplin, August 2012
A mosque’s wooden sign was ruined in an arsonist’s fire. Four years later, the roof of the same mosque was set on fire. A month after that, the entire mosque was burned to the ground.

North Carolina

(31) Durham, November 2009
A local mosque was vandalized three times in one year and worshippers were told to “go to hell.”

Ohio

(32) Toledo, OH, September 2012
A gasoline fire on the main floor of the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo was ruled to be arson.

Oregon

(33) Corvallis, November 2010
An arsonist set fire to an Islamic center. Federal grand jury indicted the arsonist on federal hate crime and arson charges.

Tennessee

(34) Columbia, February 2008
Neo-Nazis burned down a mosque.

(35) Knoxville, September 2010 A burned Quran was left outside of a mosque.

Texas

(36) Houston, May 2011
Arsonists broke through a mosque’s window, poured gasoline on the carpet, and started a fire.

- Asian Tribune