20 Years 9/11: CAIR Tries to Raise Awareness of Islamophobia
Washington, MINA – The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) is commemorating the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks by trying to raise awareness of the Islamophobia experienced by Muslims over the past two decades, and their contribution to society.
“Despite Islamophobia, American Muslims believe in the constitution, and they believe in America’s promises,” said Nihad Awad, CAIR Executive Director, while speaking at a livestreamed press conference on Friday morning ahead of the 20th anniversary of the attacks on New York and Washington.
He, then highlighted the various fields that Muslims have contributed to, including art, politics, and Education, The New Arab reported.
“Our community has been resilient, helped by so many allies in our community at large,” he said.
Given their strides over the past two decades, he believes that Muslims are in a much stronger position than they were in the past.
However, surveys of the life experiences of American Muslims that they conduct and share at press conferences, show that they still see a high degree of bias against their community.
Of those surveyed, 60 percent said they had experienced one or more incidents of bigotry or anti-Muslim discrimination since 9/11; 34 percent said that anti-Muslim rhetoric had an impact on their mental health; 63 percent do not believe media accuracy about Muslims has improved since 9/11.
On the CAIR website, there is a range of detailed questions on Muslim marginalization, the report also covers the area of resilience in society.
The conference concluded with the testimony of a local Muslim man whose family had been harassed by their neighbors over the past few months because of their religion.
Months of vandalism finally escalated this week into a verbal attack on his family’s daughter.
His remarks show that while many Muslims in America have made great strides, many also remain marginalized. (T/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
