Hateful rhetoric results in hateful actions; and the perpetrated fear of Muslims has very real effects. It has resulted in resistance to building places of worship to direct attacks on mosques. According to Thomas Perez, (Civil Rights U.S. Senate attorney) there have been over 800 reported crimes of violence, vandalism, and arson against people believed to be Muslim, Arab or South Asian after 9/11.
Community resistance AND direct attacks to places of worship
In recent years, mosque opposition is on the rise across the country. In many cases, the opposition has centered on neighbors' concerns about traffic, noise, parking and property values - the same objections that often greet churches and other houses of worship as well as commercial construction projects. In some communities, however, opponents of mosques also have cited fears about Islam, Sharia Law and terrorism. From the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
Park 51 MosqueThe project was designed to promote moderate Islam and provide a bridge to other faiths. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the Sufi cleric leading the effort, told the Times “We want to push back against the extremists.” A month later, Park 51 became the focus of an extremely bitter quarrel about the place of Islam in our society.
Islamophobic activists such as Pamela Geller, allied with a number of right-wing politicians, attacked the construction of the Park 51 Islamic community center, maligning the project as a “Ground Zero Mosque” being built blocks away from the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City. |
"They want to disrupt our way of life. They want to kill us. They beat their women. They're not like us." -- opponents of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro
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Islamic CEnter of murfreesboroWhen the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro received permission to construct a new mosque to replace their overcrowded space in an office park, they had to deal with public protests, vandalism, arson of a construction vehicle and a bomb threat. Opponents of the project held a protest rally and then sued the county to stop construction.
Their attorneys claimed in court that Islam was not a real religion deserving First Amendment protections. They also claimed that local Muslims were part of a plot to overthrow the U.S. constitution and replace it with Islamic law. They were unable to prove those claims, which were thrown out by the judge, but construction was nearly halted anyway when that judge ruled in there was not sufficient public notice for the meeting where mosque construction was approved. The CNN Special Unwelcome: The Muslim Next Door deals with the rise of anti-Muslim bigotry in America, specifically the case of the Murfreesboro Mosque and Community Center. |
Mosque burned in joplin, missouriIn August 2012, the Islamic Society of Joplin in Missouri, a small mosque serving about 50 families was burned completely to the ground. This wasn't the first time this mosque had been attacked. Previously, they had their mailbox destroyed, and had their sign burned and shot with guns. People would sometimes drive by and yell at worshippers.
On July 4, 2012 a surveillance camera caught a man throwing some sort of incendiary device onto the building. The resulting fire damaged part of the roof. However, the fire in August burned the mosque to the ground completely, resulting in a huge loss for the small Muslim community that lost not just a place of worship, but a community center and, in essence, a home. The fire also happened during the month of Ramadan, the most holy month for Muslims, and left the community in shock and disbelief. |
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Sikh temple shootingHate and prejudice see no barriers. Women and children were busy inside the Sikh Temple in suburban Milwaukee, preparing for their traditional Sunday meal. Religious leaders gathered in the building's holy room, ahead of the hundreds set to arrive soon.
This peace was shattered, when what authorities believe was a lone gunman opened fire inside and outside the temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. By the time a police officer -- after his colleague had been "ambushed" and shot multiple times -- returned fire, the gunman and six others were dead. Police on Monday identified the gunman as Wade Michael Page, 40, an Army veteran. He had a tattoo marking the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States visible on one of his arms. The gunman shot mainly at "turbaned men". |