Group cites rising violence, harassment directed at Muslims

By Lornet Turnbull
Seattle Times staff reporter

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The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said it received reports of 1,019 anti-Muslim incidents during 2003 — a nearly 70 percent increase from the previous year and the highest number of civil-rights complaints from those of the Islamic faith in the nine years the group has been tracking them.

According to the report, titled "Unpatriotic Acts," hate crimes against Muslims jumped 121 percent that same year, although CAIR acknowledged that it had opened more offices nationwide, which could have contributed to an increase in reporting.

In response to the recent surge in anti-Muslim incidents, CAIR said it launched a "Hate Hurts America" campaign designed to counter Islam-bashing on some radio talk shows.

The Puget Sound region is home to an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 Muslims.

"We've seen a continuation of discrimination, particularly in the workplace and bullying in schools," said Pramila Jayapal, executive director of Hate Free Zone, a leading advocate for victims of discrimination.

"We tend to see spikes around specific events, such as when tapes of Saddam Hussein were released, when the war broke out. We wonder if we might be seeing spikes related to the recent spate of violence going on (in Iraq) now."

Elliot Bronstein, spokesman for the Seattle Office of Civil Rights, said he has not noticed "any particular upswing in the number of incidents, especially in the last year."

He said the city was involved in a number of outreach efforts immediately after the 9-11 attacks and worked with a number of Muslim community leaders in a show of solidarity.

"In some instances, however, employment remains a problem, particularly among those who wear traditional Muslim clothing," he said. "Prayer in the workplace continues to be a strong concern for people."

Jayapal said her organization is working with a group of Somali women who were fired from their jobs after asking to be switched to positions that didn't involve handling pork, in accord with their religious values.
 
The organization has handled complaints from Muslim cabdrivers who want the right to refuse service to people carrying open containers of alcohol because that offends their religious beliefs.

Officials at the Seattle CAIR office said they receive complaints about anti-Muslim harassment and discrimination but that the office, opened 1-1/2 years ago, is still too new to have any substantial historical data.

Mubarak Elamin, secretary for the organization, said there's plenty of anecdotal evidence that uneasiness still exists.

One Muslim student at a Seattle-area public school was disciplined, Elamin said, after he drew a picture of someone who appeared to be wearing a turban.

"It was taken as a sign of Islamic (radicalism)," Elamin said. "The school was unsure how to deal with the incident, and we will be working with them on some kind of diversity program."

He said the group has regular meetings with immigration authorities and the FBI to bring these issues to their attention.

"Often we find they are willing to listen."

Lornet Turnbull: 206-464-2420 or lturnbull@seattletimes.com