(WASHINGTON, DC - 7/15/98) - An annual report released today by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) showed a decrease in acts of violence against American Muslims, but indicated a 18 percent increase in total incidents and a 60 percent rise in discrimination cases.
 
The 60-page report, called "Patterns of Discrimination," details more than 280 incidents and experiences of anti-Muslim violence, discrimination, stereotyping, bias, and harassment. These incidents included vandalism of an Islamic display on the White House Ellipse, termination of Muslim women employees who wished to wear a religiously-mandated head scarf and problems encountered by Muslims who must offer their prayers during work or school hours.

Eighty percent of the incidents took place in fifteen states where the American Muslim population is concentrated. These states are: California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Michigan, Ohio, District of Columbia, North Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, and Georgia.

Some details of the report's findings:

• Incidents of harassment and violence account for 36 cases, down from 85 in 1997. This decrease is attributed to the absence of  events such as the Oklahoma City bombing (1995) or the downing of TWA Flight 800 (1996) that have triggered anti-Muslim violence. (See CAIR's 1995 "Rush to Judgment" report detailing more than 200 incidents triggered by media reports linking Muslims to the Oklahoma City bombing. Also see CAIR's "The Usual Suspects," outlining media coverage of the downing of TWA Flight 800.)

• Reports of discrimination in the workplace, in schools, at airports, and in public areas totaled 248, a 60 percent increaseover the previous year. Many of these cases were attributed to ignorance of Islam, a general bias against religious sentiment and outdated corporate policies that do not reflect increased religious diversity in the workplace.

Another issue covered in the report is the use of secret evidence in deportation cases. Muslims alleged that secret evidence violates Constitutional protections and targets Arabs and Muslims.

"The trends documented in this report indicate that discrimination is now part of daily life for American Muslims. This troubling
phenomenon is no longer limited just to times of crisis," said Dr. Mohamed Nimer, the director of CAIR's Research Center and author of the report. Nimer added that the dissemination of accurate information about Islam, coupled with increased social and
political activism on the part of American Muslims, is the only solution to this problem.

The report concludes with an analysis of Muslim responses to  discrimination and an outline of CAIR's educational response. This response included publication of booklets such as "An Employer's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices" and "An Educator's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices.

Information contained in the report was obtained through investigations by CAIR staff. Some 300 reports were excluded due to insufficient evidence of discrimination.

"Patterns of Discrimination" is the third annual report published by the Islamic advocacy group's research center. CAIR began
documenting anti-Muslim incidents following the 1995 attack on the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

There are an estimated six million Muslims in America and some 1.2 billion worldwide. Demographers say Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in this country and around the world.

Following a school bus dispute over spilled paint in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the father of the boy whose shirt was ruined went to the other boy's home to demand immediate restitution from his mother. When she refused, he called the woman (who wore a head scarf) "raghead," banged on the door and left before the police arrived. Later his son beat the woman's son and called him "You f---ing raghead lover" and "Sand nigger." The bruised boy was rushed to the emergency room. The attackers are currently on trial for assault charges. (CAIR Incident Report Form, 11/27/97; Fayetteville Police Department Report No. 97-7129 and Report No. 97-7475)

In Washington, District of Columbia, a swastika was spray-painted on a star and crescent display at the White House Ellipse on December 28, 1997. The incident took place one day after the display was set up-for the first time ever-to mark the end of the month of Ramadan. (Washington Post, 12/29/97)

In Clifton, New Jersey, a professor at Passaic County Community College shouted "Goddamn Muslims!" as he looked over the shoulder of a student who was writing an essay about his Ramadan fast. (Passaic County Community College Complaint, n.d.)

In Falls Church, Virginia, after learning that Sulieman, an employee at Independent Project Analysis was fasting, a supervisor
told him,  "If you weren't fasting here, you'd be in Algeria blowing up people." (CAIR Incident Report Form, 2/10/98)
 
In Vienna, Virginia, a passing car's driver screamed at two Muslim women with hijab, "Go back to your country, you (are) stupid! Go back to your country with your camels! F--- you!" (CAIR Incident Report Form, 10/8/97)

Vandals scattered metal spikes in the parking lot of the Flint Islamic Center in Flint, Michigan, sometime between the evening of
January 29, and the afternoon of January 30, 1998, while local Muslims were celebrating a holiday. (CAIR Incident Report Form, n.d.)

On July 29, 1997, a district judge in New Jersey ruled in favor of allowing Muslim police officers to grow their beards for religious reasons. Based on the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the ruling barred the Newark Police Department from disciplining and firing two Muslim officers because of their refusal to shave their beards. (United States District Court, District of New Jersey, Civil Action No. 97-2672).

In Brooklyn, New York, Khalil and his brother were both fired after nine years of employment. Khalil claims that when they began observing daily prayers and attending mosque on Fridays, the managers and owners expressed prejudice.  Khalil's supervisor made comments to other employees saying, "They're being taught to become terrorists." (CAIR Incident Report Form, 6/9/97)

In Dallas, Texas, Kim, a manager of Pro-Staff, a temporary employment agency, told a Muslim worker that her former employer did not like her praying and wearing a scarf. When the Muslim worker went to pick up her check around prayer time, she performed her prayer outside the agency office. Kim came outside and said, "I told you not to pray!" (CAIR to Pro Staff, 10/21/97; Pro Staff to CAIR, 11/14/97)

A man was arrested for a hate crime attack on the Hussein family in Gaithersburg, Maryland. In the attack, which occurred on September 5, 1997, the family's two cars had their tires punctured and seats slashed. A Nazi swastika and the word "pig" were scratched on the hood of one car. On January 26, 1998, a Maryland court convicted the man of the crime (Washington Post, 9/5/97 and 1/27/98).

In Gaithersburg, Maryland, Shareen had just hung up the phone when a coworker at Classic Concierge of Chrysler  Corporation asked her, "Was that a personal call?"  When she answered that it had not been a personal call, he replied, "Not when you're speaking your terrorist language." When Shareen objected to his remark, he said, "Why don't you go back to your country?" Shareen's supervisor refused to take any corrective action, stating she was just an employee. (CAIR Incident Report Form, 11/15/97; CAIR to Chrysler, 12/3/97)

In Chicago, a major law firm immediately replaced a Muslim employee after she refused to take off her head scarf. An
investigation by the EEOC found the company in violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. (EEOC Determination letter, 8/20/97)

An agent of United Airlines in Chicago, Illinois, demanded that Mustafa and his wife Fatimah, who were making a domestic trip to Orlando, show their passports.  The agent refused to give his name when asked. Mustafa stated no one else was asked to show a passport. (Mustafa to CAIR, 9/2/97)

In Loudoun County, Virginia, a local council approved the permit of the Islamic Saudi Academy, despite press reports that some neighbors opposed such a decision. Bias expressed by unnamed citizens included fears that allowing the school in Loudoun would mean foreign terrorists are coming to the neighborhood. (Washington Post, 3/4/98)

A Muslim teacher at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School in East Brunswick, New Jersey, agreed with the school that he would take off an hour and a half early for prayers on Friday, while the school would deduct 5 percent of his annual salary. The teacher would still be responsible for the same teaching load (CAIR Incident Report Forms 7/30/97 and 3/12/98).

Jamont, who works at Eisenmenger Rondo Elementary School in St. Paul, Minnesota, was threatened with termination if he continued to take an extended lunch hour to attend Friday prayer. His employer insisted that he would have to apply for personal leave time to attend the prayer. Using the personal leave to attend the weekly observation would leave Jamont only six out of thirty-two personal leave hours (CAIR Incident Report Form, 3/13/98; Principal to Jamont, 2/10/98).