Anti-Muslim violence on rise in U.S. - report

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http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N15266728.htm

WASHINGTON, July 15 (Reuters) - Anti-Muslim violence, discrimination and harassment is rising in the United States, mainly due to unrelenting fall-out and antagonism following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, said a report on Tuesday.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based Islamic civil rights group, said its office alone received 602 reports of discrimination against Muslims in 2002, a rise of 15 percent over the previous year.

In addition, there had been a hike in "Islamaphobic rhetoric", particularly after Sept. 11 when hijackers linked to Saudi-born dissident Osama bin Laden rammed passenger jets into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, killing some 3,000 people. Fifteen of the 19 suspected hijackers were from Saudi Arabia.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, the Justice Department questioned and detained hundreds of Arab immigrants around the United States, particularly for immigration violations.

"Along with an increase in the number of bias-related incidents and experiences, we have also witnessed the negative results produced by government policies that target ordinary Americans based on religion, ethnicity or national origin," said CAIR Research Director Mohamed Nimer.

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[Yaoi_Huntress_Earth]

1. Damn

My ex-boyfriend is one. God, I hope he'll be ok.
Love,
Yaoi Huntress Earth