September - Starkville, MI: The Islamic Center of Mississippi in Starkville was pelted with eggs, tomatoes and rocks. (AP, 9/16/01) September - Matawan, NJ: A Hindu temple was fire bombed. (The Cornell Daily Sun, 9/17/01) September 11 - New York, NY: A Sikh taxi driver reported that people threw bottles at his car. (Newsday, 9/16/01)

Civil Liberties and Arabs and Muslims in the US Shortly After 9/11: PSRA/Newsweek: In response to the terrorist attacks (on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, September 11, 2001), do you think the United States should put Arabs and Arab- Americans in this country under special surveillance, or that it would be a mistake to target a nationality group, as was done with Japanese-Americans after Pearl Harbor? 9/01 11/01 Should increase surveillance Would be a mistake Don't know 5 8 N 1,005 1,002

On November 25, 2001, after a resident of Torrington, Connecticut, told police that he had heard two “Arabs” talking about anthrax, police officers followed two Pakistani men suspected of having had the conversation at a gas station. The officers arrested the two men and also Ayazuddin Sheerazi, an Indian businessman who was minding the station temporarily for his uncle, the owner, and another man from Pakistan who happened to be there at the time. According to Sheerazi’s attorney, the police never offered any reason for arresting Sheerazi or suspecting him of wrongdoing. He told Human Rights Watch, “Torrington is a small place, so they arrested the Arabs in the community.” Even though Sheerazi was legally in the country, the INS kept him eighteen days in detention before he was released on bond. (The caller who made the complaint to the police later failed a voluntary polygraph test).

Civil Liberties and Arabs and Muslims in the US Shortly After 9/11: Based on the events of September 11th (2001, the date of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon), do you think the U.S. (United States) immigration laws should be tightened to restrict the number of immigrants from Arab or Muslim countries into the United States? 9/01 6/02 Yes No Don't know/Refused 1 2 N 1,003 3,262

At a November 19 meeting with local Georgia officials, Congressman Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) made the anti-Muslim comments that, in order to combat terrorism, a Georgia sheriff should be turned loose to “arrest every Muslim that comes across the state line.”

Pre-9/11Post-9/11 August 2000 November 2001 June 2003 Very to Mostly Favorable Mostly to very Unfavorable Never heard of 'em211 PSRA: Is your overall opinion of... Muslim Americans, very favorable, mostly favorable, unfavorable, or very unfavorable? How Do People Feel about Arabs and Muslims?

October 22 - Orlando International Airport, FL: Four Hispanic businessmen were escorted off a Delta flight after passengers alerted airline staff that the men appeared to be Middle Eastern. The men were checked against the FBI watch list and cleared. They were able to board a later flight. (The Orlando Sentinel, 10/23/01) November 5 - Boston Logan International Airport, MA: An Arab-American passenger scheduled to fly from Boston to Los Angeles International Airport was singled out during the boarding process and forbidden by an American Airlines manager to enter the aircraft. The manager explained to him, “One of the passengers is not comfortable flying with you.”

How Do People Feel about Arabs and Muslims? Compared with other American citizens, do you think Arab-Americans are more sympathetic to terrorists or not? CBS/NYT CBS/NYT CBS/NYT 9/01 12/01 9/02 More sympathetic Not more sympathetic Don't know/No answer N 1,216 1,

Thomas Iverson pled guilty to telephoning a bomb threat on September 29, 2001, against a Jordanian American liquor store in Beloit, Wisconsin. Iverson was sentenced to 27 months incarceration on April 12, September - Detroit, MI: A 14-year-old daughter of Palestinian immigrants received death threats from her fellow high school students. (Toronto Star, 9/15/01)

ABC: Do you think mainstream Islam encourages violence against non-Muslims, or is it a peaceful religion? 1/02 10/02 9/03 3/06 Encourages violence Peaceful religion No opinion N 1,023 1,018 1,004 1,003 What Do People Think about Islamic Religion?

On September 17, 2001, President Bush visited the Islamic Center of Washington, DC, where he met with Muslim leaders and defended Islam. The following are excerpts from his statement: Islam is peace. “These acts of violence against innocents violate the fundamental tenets of the Islamic faith. And it’s important for my fellow Americans to understand that. The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That’s not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists don’t represent peace. They represent evil and war… “Women who cover their heads in this country must feel comfortable going outside their homes. Moms who wear cover must not be intimidated in America. That’s not the America I know. That’s not the America I value.”