Kosovo Coverage

April 11, 1999

Source: Los Angeles Times

On April 11, 1999, the Los Angeles Times reported that the conflict in Kosovo is galvanizing the Muslim community in Southern California. The 750,000 Muslims in Southern California are conducting rallies to provide relief to the Muslim refugees. They are also supportive of the NATO effort, which many believe is shifting the long-held thought that the U.S. government is hostile to Islam. Salam al-Marayati, director of the Los Angeles-based Muslim Public Affairs Council, also pointed to changing American perceptions on race and ethnicity: "The Kosovo crisis should resonate among European Americans who now see that Muslims are people who look like them, with blond hair and blue eyes."

See also: Islam, Civic, Statistics