verte76
Blue Crack Addict
This scares the hell out of me.
Updated 3:32 PM ET March 18, 2003
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hate crimes against Arab-Americans have increased in the run-up to a possible war with Iraq, said a group that has begun distributing to Muslim communities across the country safety lists that include tips on how to deal with bomb threats.
"People are scared out there," Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said on Tuesday. "There have already been a number of attacks on Muslims and Islamic centers."
Among other incidents, projectiles were shot at a mosque in Chicago, shattering a window while people were praying, and a Muslim father and his sons were attacked in New Jersey by people who shouted, "go home terrorist," Hooper said.
"We've really seen an increase in these kind of things since the pro-war rhetoric has really heated up," he said. "Add to that the existing anti-Muslim rhetoric and the combination is really volatile."
The FBI last week warned U.S. law enforcement officials that hate crimes against Arab-Americans could increase if the U.S. went to war with Iraq or if there was another attack on the United States.
The bureau noted the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked airline attacks on the United States sparked an increase in hate crimes against Arab-Americans and Muslims as well as Americans of Indian, Sikh and other ethnicities.
At the top of the list distributed by the group to mosques and Islamic centers is the advice: report suspicious activity in your community.
The kit includes a list of rights for employees, students and airline passengers as well as information on how to deal with hate crimes or discrimination.
It suggests that mosques invite their neighbors to visit.
A "bomb threat check list," which the group advises users keep near the phone, has questions to ask when receiving a threat, such as "Why did you place the bomb?" and tips on how to compile a description of the caller's voice.
Updated 3:32 PM ET March 18, 2003
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hate crimes against Arab-Americans have increased in the run-up to a possible war with Iraq, said a group that has begun distributing to Muslim communities across the country safety lists that include tips on how to deal with bomb threats.
"People are scared out there," Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said on Tuesday. "There have already been a number of attacks on Muslims and Islamic centers."
Among other incidents, projectiles were shot at a mosque in Chicago, shattering a window while people were praying, and a Muslim father and his sons were attacked in New Jersey by people who shouted, "go home terrorist," Hooper said.
"We've really seen an increase in these kind of things since the pro-war rhetoric has really heated up," he said. "Add to that the existing anti-Muslim rhetoric and the combination is really volatile."
The FBI last week warned U.S. law enforcement officials that hate crimes against Arab-Americans could increase if the U.S. went to war with Iraq or if there was another attack on the United States.
The bureau noted the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked airline attacks on the United States sparked an increase in hate crimes against Arab-Americans and Muslims as well as Americans of Indian, Sikh and other ethnicities.
At the top of the list distributed by the group to mosques and Islamic centers is the advice: report suspicious activity in your community.
The kit includes a list of rights for employees, students and airline passengers as well as information on how to deal with hate crimes or discrimination.
It suggests that mosques invite their neighbors to visit.
A "bomb threat check list," which the group advises users keep near the phone, has questions to ask when receiving a threat, such as "Why did you place the bomb?" and tips on how to compile a description of the caller's voice.
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