US Muslims 'face more harassment'
Muslims in the United States were subjected to a record number of alleged harassment attacks in 2003, a new report by a Muslim rights group says.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) said it received
1,019 claims of physical and verbal abuse, up from 602 the previous
year. It said Muslims were harassed at work, in schools and in their
communities.
Fears of terror attacks after 11 September 2001 and the Iraq
conflict contributed to the increase, it said. The Cair also blamed
what it called Muslim-bashing in the US media and the misapplication of
the country's anti-terrorism bill, known as the Patriot Act.
Eddie Truman