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."...

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

On September 13, 2001, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on an interfaith service that gathered Milwaukee's diverse religious communities, "Drawn by a common quest for healing, justice and peace..." Speakers included "mainline Christians, Jews, Muslims, a Sikh, a Buddhist, a Baha'i, a Hindu and a Quaker." The article quoted religious leaders in their prayers of peace and unity, including Rev. Tonen O'Connor of the Milwaukee Zen Center. "'The Buddha perceived, not that we could be one, but that we are one. In our essence...

Source: Council on American-Islamic Relations

Source: The New York Times

On September 13, 2001 The New York Times reported that the backlash following the terrorist attacks are impacting "the lives of ordinary Arab- and Muslim-Americans -- and surprisingly, those who are neither Arab nor Muslim but look to untutored American eyes as if they might be." The article mentioned numerous incidents against Muslims, as well as "people who had nothing to do with the Islamic world but who might appear alien to untutored American eyes. Indian women chose not to wear their flowing, pajama-tunic outfits. Sikh men,...

Source: American Muslim Council

On September 12, 2001, a press release from the American Muslim Council reported on incidents of physical abuse of Muslims and vandalism against Islamic centers. "...the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) Center in Herndon Virginia, a suburb of Washington, DC and the Islamic Center in San Francisco, California were vandalized. In old town Alexandria, Virginia, an Islamic bookstore was destroyed...In addition, one cab driver in Manassas, Virginia was chased and assaulted with a bottle as he tried to pick up his daughter from...

Source: The Baltimore Sun

On September 12, 2001, The Baltimore Sun reported, "As the shock and horror of yesterday's terrorist attacks began to sink in, churches, synagogues and mosques opened their doors for formal services, shared petition and quiet meditation." The article also made note of an interfaith service with Jews, Muslims, and Christians in Columbia, Maryland. "Under the Star of David, Islam's crescent moon and other symbols of world religions, about 85 people prayed for the victims, their families - and for those responsible for the attacks. 'I...

Source: USA TODAY

On September 12, 2001, USA Today reported "People of every faith, and none, brought their pain, fear and helpless sadness to churches, synagogues and mosques. And clergy reached out with comfort -- and cautions." The article explained that, although the Muslim community had joined other religious groups in condemning the attack and helping the victims, "They also warned their own believers to keep a low profile. In the first few days after the attack...Muslims reported more than 200 incidents of harassment, threats and actual violence....

Source: Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force Press Release

http://www.sikhmediawatch.org/latest_news.htm

On September 12, 2001, a press release from the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART) stated, "the Sikh American community would like to join their fellow Americans in condemning the horrific acts that took place on the morning of September 11, 2001. We are saddened by the tremedous loss of life...and our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims."...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On September 12, 2001, The Los Angeles Times reported that, "From Washington to Los Angeles, Muslim leaders quickly mobilized to put out the word that they stood united with other Americans. At the same time, Muslim parochial schools were being closed, Islamic centers and mosques were being shuttered, and Muslim workers were staying off the job out of fear that they would be targeted amid an upturn in e-mail and telephone threats." Mosques and Islamic Schools throughout Southern California will increase security in response to a...

Source: Agence France Presse

On September 12, 2001, Agence France Presse reported that "The top authority for the world's Sunni Muslims, the imam of Al Azhar, condemned Wednesday the wave of deadly terrorist attacks in the United States as contrary to the Islamic religion." (Al Azhar is a religious and educational institution that is more than 1,000 years old; based in Egypt, it issues opinions on matters of concern to Sunni Muslims around the world.) Sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi's statement noted, "'Al Azhar is opposed to terrorism, whatever its source...

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

On September 12, 2001, The San Francisco Chronicle reported on harassment in the Bay Area in the article, "Tolerance put to test in Bay Area; Muslims, mosques, Arabs find themselves targets of threats." Religion reporter Don Lattin wrote, "Yesterday's horrific terrorist attacks in New York and the nation's capital were not just a test of national security, but a test of national tolerance. It was a test of interfaith understanding, a test of whether Americans understand that the average American Muslim does not endorse...

Source: The New York Times

On September 12, 2001, The New York Times reported on the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on America. "In the face of suspicion and discrimination, Muslims struggled to assert their identities as loyal American citizens and to say that their religion does not approve of violence against innocents. Jews, meanwhile, could not help linking the victimization of Americans to that of Jews in Israel." The article continued, "...Muslim and Arab leaders in the New York area emphasized that they were reacting to the emergency first and...

Source: New England Sikh Study Circle Press Release

On September 12, 2001, the New England Sikh Study Circle issued a press release regarding the attacks on the U.S. "The Sikh American Community of Boston would like to express our deep pain and shock about the horrific attack on the people and property of the United States." The press release continues, "Sikhs, with their turbans and beards, might be mistaken for associates of certain well-known terrorist leaders...In the past 36 hours since the attack on America began, there have been confirmed reports of Sikhs...

Source: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

On September 12, 2001, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that, "As broadcasters and politicians speculated yesterday that Islamic terrorist groups had orchestrated the deadliest attack on U.S. citizens since Pearl Harbor, many Muslims here prayed for the victims and their families -- and struggled with the fear that they might be targets of retaliation, however undeserved." The article reported that, in the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, "Muslims reported more than 200 incidents of harassment, threats or violence...

Source: MSNBC

http://www.msnbc.com/news/627487.asp

On September 11, 2001, an MSNBC/Newsweek Web story, "The Blame Game," covered the first reports of threats against Arab Americans and Muslim Americans in the wake of terrorist attacks.