Arab, Muslim communities in U.S. report racist threats, harassment after attacks

(September 12, 2001 6:33 a.m. EDT) - Muslim- and Arab-American leaders condemned Tuesday's terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and urged the American public not to take out its anger on their communities.

But with federal authorities focusing on exiled Saudi terrorist Osama bin Laden as their prime suspect, vitriolic anti-Arab and anti-Muslim messages were spreading on the Internet, in threatening phone calls to groups in Washington, Los Angeles and San Jose and in insults shouted in Chicago's streets. In one Colorado town, a group of men allegedly threatened to burn down a mosque.

In an America Online chatroom, many used racial slurs against Arabs. The messages were written by people using online monikers, not their real names.

For decades, the Middle East has been a flashpoint for terrorist attacks and American interests have often been targeted. Examples include the bombings of the USS Cole last year and a Marine barracks in Lebanon in the 1980s.

But moderate Arab governments have often condemned the attacks.

The Web discussions, however, were just what Arab- and Muslim-American leaders said they feared as they pleaded for calm. Between 6 million and 7 million Americans consider themselves Muslim.

"Regardless of who is ultimately found to be responsible for these terrorist murders, no ethnic or religious community should be treated as suspect and collectively blamed," the Arab American Institute said in a statement.
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Arab-American leaders said their community is as devastated by the attacks as the rest of the nation.

"We have friends and family who work in that building, the World Trade Center. We have family and friends that worked at the Pentagon," said James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute. "While we would like to mourn like everybody else in America, we end up looking over our shoulder because someone is pointing a finger."
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