Muslims in America

    After the dismantlement of the Ottoman Empire, several thousands of Muslims migrated to the United States (Curtis 119). High birth rates, wide-spread conversion, and rising immigration caused the small group to grow instantaneously (Wilgoren). As of now there's roughly 5 million Muslims living in the United States (American Muslim Council). However, life has always been transitional for these Muslims. The already deep-seeded ideology of the US's Christian majority always clashed with Muslim ideals and beliefs. So public opinion of Islam, has always been bad._However, life has always been transitional for these Muslims. The already deep-seeded ideology of the US's Christian majority always clashed with Muslim ideals and beliefs. So public opinion of Islam, has always been bad. People have always viewed them as backward. These opinions were only made worse by the September 11 attacks. Nearly three thousand Americans lost their lives on that day because of suicide bombers belonging to al-Queda, a radical Muslim group (Cynthia). Muslim involvement in these attacks, caused many US citizens to become skeptical. And soon enough, Muslims became the group to blame; people started blaming them for the war on terror. They even became the only group to be associated with terrorism as a whole. Drastic change of public opinion, increased the number of hate crimes against them. Infact right after 9/11 the number of hate crimes went from 354 to 1, 501, all in a matter of a year. There have been numerous reported incidents where Muslim women were harrassed for wearing hijabs. Although most of the hate crimes are nonviolent, there are a few extreme cases where peoples lives have been threatened, even taken. For instance, in California a Muslim woman was shot dead while walking her son to school (Rehab). So it is safe to say Muslims are one of the most discriminated groups in America. 

Bibliography

• Curtis, Edward E. Muslims in America: A Short Story. Madison Avenue, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, 2009.
• Wilgoren, Jodi. "Islam Attracts Converts By the Thousand, Drawn Before and After Attacks ." The New York Times. 22 October, 2001. Web. 17 March, 2011 <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E2DB1F3EF931A15753C1A9679C8B63&pagewanted=2>
• Rehab, Ahmed. "Hijab Case: Why Bigoted Battery Makes For A Hate Crime." The Huffington Post. 24 November, 2009. Web. 17 March, 2011 <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ahmed-rehab/hijab-case-why-bigoted-ba_b_368330.html>