CIAO DATE: 01/2012
October 2011
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
The perception of Muslims living in the United States has deteriorated dramatically since the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. U.S.-Muslims, a group that had already faced discrimination prior to the attacks, became even more visible to the public. Non-Muslim Americans began questioning American Muslim loyalties to the United States as well as their commitment to being “good” citizens. Such doubt extended to the political arena as well, prompting intrusive inquiries into Muslim-affiliated civic and political organizations and their members. Even non-Muslims with Muslim affiliations or Muslim-sounding names or appearances have been subject to public scrutiny. For example, despite identifying as a Christian, President Barack Obama’s religious affiliation has been continually doubted by some due to his Kenyan Muslim heritage and his middle name, Hussein. Though a decade has passed since the events of September 11th, the role of American Muslims, and whether they can at all be trusted, remains a popular concern and a topic of household conversation. Despite the seemingly pervasive fear of Muslims in America, the question remains: How different are Muslims than non-Muslims in the U.S.? Do Muslims have values that are drastically different than other Americans?
Resource link: Muslims in America [PDF] - 2.7M