Source: The Washington Post

On September 13, 2001, The Washington Post reported on incidents of backlash across the U.S. The article included an incident at a religious center in Sterling, Virginia: "Members of the Islamic community center in Sterling showed up extra early yesterday to get on a bus they had chartered to take them to a Red Cross center, where they planned to donate blood for victims of the attacks. They found their hallway spray-painted in thick black letters, several feet tall, spelling out: 'Die Pigs' and 'Muslims Burn Forever.'...'People...

Source: MSNBC

http://www.msnbc.com/news/628515_asp.htm

On September 13, 2001, MSNBC continued their coverage of backlash against Muslims, Arab-Americans, and Sikhs. The web site offers an overview of some of the incidents, as well as local coverage of reports of an attack on Sikh Gurdwara in Sacramento and an attempted firebombing of the Islamic Society of Denton, Texas.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice

http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2001/September/468cr.htm

On September 13, 2001, the Department of Justice released a statement from the Assistant Attorney General Ralph F. Boyd Jr. regarding "the treatment of Arab, Muslim Americans or Americans of South Asian Descent." This statement read, in part: "As the Attorney General reminded us today, we must not descend to the level of those who perpetrated Tuesday's violence by targeting individuals for...

Source: Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism

http://www.rac.org//news/091301.html

On September 13, 2001, Reform Jewish leaders expressed outrage at reports of attacks against Muslim Americans and Arab Americans. In a joint statement from the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie and Rabbi David Saperstein wrote: "At times such as these—and we pray that there will no more such times—it is especially important that...

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

On September 13, 2001, The San Francisco Chronicle reported on Interfaith events in the Bay Area in which people of "a wide range of traditions called for a large outdoor interfaith memorial service where residents could mourn for the victims as well as meditate on the impact of racism." The article quoted Charles Gibbs of the United Religions Initiative: "'We need to draw distinctions between people who are dedicated to violence regardless of religion and people who are dedicated to peace regardless of their religion.'"...

Source: Salon.com News

http://salon.com/news/feature/2001/09/13/backlash/index.html

On September 13, 2001, Salon.com News featured the article "Anti-Arab passions sweep the U.S." This article stated, "Within hours of the destruction of the World Trade Center, the Net was flooded with hysterical anti-Arab sentiment. It did not take much longer for the attacks on the streets to begin. On Wednesday alone, the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee confirmed 30...

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

On September 13, 2001, The Christian Science Monitor reported on the acts of goodness that have followed the terrorist attacks. "From the terror comes humanity. Thousands of New Yorkers line up to give blood. A Presbyterian church hands out cups of cold water to parched walkers stranded in the city. Medical students volunteer their services at hospitals. The largest Jewish temple in New York asks a Christian minister and a Muslim holy man to participate in Rosh Hashana, part of the Jewish High Holidays, to show that...

Source: The American Muslim Council

http://www.amconline.org/cgi-bin/release/viewnews.cgi?newsid1000401100,42056,

On September 13, 2001, The American Muslim Council issued a press release declaring Friday as a "day of Mourning." A joint statement of major Muslim organizations wrote, "We condemn in the harshest terms the cowardly and senseless acts of terror perpetrated against innocent American citizens, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, in...

Source: Reuters

September 13, 2001, Reuters. Ari Fleischer, White House spokesman, announced that President Bush had declared Friday, September 14 as a day of prayer and remembrance. "Fleischer said Bush planned to attend a prayer service in Washington Friday and to urge U.S. citizens to take time out of their day to attend services at churches, synagogues and mosques 'to pray for our nation, to pray for the families of those who were victimized by this act of terrorism.'"

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

On September 13, 2001, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that "As the extent of Tuesday's terrorist attacks on New York and Washington became clearer, Muslims and people of Middle Eastern descent in the Bay Area as well as the nation found themselves targets of threats and vandalism." The article mentioned numerous incidents across the country. In the Bay Area, "Vandals threw a large plastic bag labeled as pig's blood yesterday on the front door of Minority Assistance Services in San Francisco's Mission District, which...

Source: The Gazettte (Montreal)

On September 13, 2001, The Montreal Gazette reported that "Muslim scholars in the United States and around the world condemn Tuesday's suicidal attacks against the United States and insist there is nothing in Islamic teachings that justifies such barbarity against innocent people. 'I don't think you will find any Muslim scholar who will condone this kind of thing,' said Dr. Jamal Barzanji, vice- president of the International Institute for Islamic Thought in Herndon, Va. 'This is totally against Islam and Muslim teachings.'"...

Source: Portland Press Herald

On September 13, 2001, The Portland Press Herald reported that "Muslims in Portland received an outpouring of community support Wednesday - a day when many feared they would be targeted for harassment, violence or worse. Community leaders made a public plea Wednesday to guard against potential acts of prejudice, hatred and violence toward Maine's Muslim population in the wake of Tuesday's terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. Nearly 500 people gathered on the steps of City Hall Wednesday for an interfaith show...

Source: MSNBC

http://www.msnbc.com/news/628302.asp?0dm=C19QO

On September 13, 2001, MSNBC featured an opinion piece by Ira Rifkin. He noted, "Remember, New York is a polyglot. Many Arab-Americans and Muslim-Americans undoubtedly were among the tens of thousands who worked at the World Trade Center, and may have died there Tuesday. The damage done to Islam in America, and probably across the Western world, is incalculable. It appears that terrorists who hijacked the Koran to cloak...

Source: American Jewish Committee

http://www.ajc.org/press/default.htm?show.asp?ID=255

On September 13, 2001, The American Jewish Committee issued the following statement: "The catastrophic terror inflicted on American soil must not become an occasion for stereotyping or scapegoating. Jewish history makes us painfully aware that, too often, times of crisis provide opportunities for expressions of bigotry. An entire people or religion should never be implicated because of the...

Source: Newsday

On September 13, 2001, Newsday reported on a hate crime against a Muslim woman; "one of several on Long Island that authorities and victims attributed to a backlash of hatred generated by Tuesday's terrorist attacks." In the attack, a man tried to hit a Pakistani woman with his car. The suspect was reported to have "screamed that he was 'doing this for his country' and was 'going to kill her.'" The article noted that this was one of several reported "incidents of violence directed toward Middle Easterners, or those perceived to be Muslim."...