Anti-Muslim Rhetoric Causing Harm, Consternation

Whipping up anti-Muslim sentiment seems to be a favorite pastime of certain practitioners of the art of punditry, particularly but not exclusively on the far right lately—but it carries some very real consequences, and not just the kind that make headlines.  —KA

The Christian Science Monitor:

Many prominent Muslim-American leaders say they are alarmed by what they deem “anti-Muslim hysteria” that could lead to violence and hate crimes.

“I have been working on behalf of other Muslims for more than 30 years and I have never see it like this, not even after the 9/11 attacks,” says Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Washington.

Mr. Hooper blames the harshness of language toward Muslims not just on the heated protests over the Islamic center planned for a site 2-1/2 blocks from ground zero, but also on right-wing rabble rousing, continuing resentment over the election of Barack Obama, and the difficult economy.

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AP / Swoan Parker

Demonstrators in favor of the proposed Islamic center near Ground Zero make their feelings known last Sunday on Church Avenue in lower Manhattan.