: US Muslims Fear Iraq War Backlash May Have Already Begun

With each passing day, the drums of war on Iraq beat more ominously. The economy continues to grind to a halt, with 5-year Dow lows and hundreds of thousands of jobs shed. Osama bin Laden is still thumbing his nose at America, while North Korea is lobbing missiles into the sea just to get Washington’s attention. The military’s got a 21,000 pound “Mother of All Bombs” and there are plenty of people just itching for them use it. You can understand why a lot of Americans feel frustrated. It just makes you want to punch something – or someone. For some Muslims who happen to be within striking distance, it’s already starting to happen. While anti-Muslim violence spiked in the days after 9/11, it quickly diminished amid vigilance by all Americans. Even (gasp!) John Ashcroft’s Department of Justice got into the act, vigorously prosecuting hate crime cases against Muslims. However, a scattering of anti-Muslim acts has started to appear, and many are wondering if the outbreak of war will burst the dam. In Irvington, NJ, a Muslim father of six was assaulted on February 21 by two men who accused him of being a terrorist. A day later, an 18-year old Arab American youth in Yorba Linda, CA was beaten by a crowd of 20 teens yelling racial slurs. Last week, a woman in hijab was assaulted while doing her laundry, and Muslim students at nearby San Jose State University steered clear of classes last Monday in the wake of graffiti that warned that Muslims would be shot that day. “I’m a little bit more scared than I realized… I’m a bit more visible than everyone else because I wear a scarf,” said Sameena Usman, a San Jose State student who is still nervous in the wake of the threat. “I’m definitely an easy target.”

Shahed Amanullah is editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com.