Anti-Muslim Bigotry in Post 9/11 America: What Does It Look Like and How Can We Stop It?

By Frank Knaack Associate Director of Public Policy and Advocacy In the post-9/11 era, Muslims in America, regardless of their citizenship status, have become the new targets of intolerance.  From efforts by Texas Legislators to ban state courts from considering Sharia in their decisions, to the FBI’s use of training materials “that falsely and inappropriately portray Arab and Muslim communities as monolithic, alien, backward, violent and supporters of terrorism,” to the recent reports “that the NYPD spied on mosques and Muslim college students far outside New York City, without evidence or allegations of criminal activity,” Muslims in America face discrimination, harassment, and other human rights violations simply because of their faith.  While people have the right to express their opinions, our government must respect and ensure the right of all people to practice their faith.  Unfortunately, when it comes to these new targets of intolerance, our government often fails to uphold its obligations.  This is unacceptable, and un-American. Want to do something to stop these abuses?  Join the ACLU of Texas and numerous other civil rights organizations at a community conference titled Civil Rights in the 21st Century: Uniting Communities for Justice.  At this conference, we will join together to expose Islamophobia and to learn how we can ensure that all Texans are able to exercise their faith, or no faith at all, freely and without government intrusion. Want to learn more about the conference and find out how to register?  Please visit www.civilrightscoalition.net.