Source: The Tampa Tribune

On May 1, 2002, The Tampa Tribune reported on "a report released... by a Washington-based Muslim advocacy group showing a threefold jump nationwide last year in bias-motivated harassment of and violence against Muslims... In 11 cases, the victims were killed, said Mohamed Nimer, research director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which produced the report... Muslim civil rights in the United States have 'deteriorated sharply in the past year,' the report said... It criticized the government for a number of post-Sept.11 actions 'singling out' Muslims... The report cited the USA Patriot Act of 2001, passenger profiling, Muslims arrested and held for alleged immigration violations after Sept. 11, the closing of Muslim charities, the use of secret evidence, raids on Muslim homes and businesses, and the interrogation of 8,000 legal visa-holders... Like all Americans, Muslims support policies that result 'in genuine increases in security,' said Nihad Awad, the council's executive director... 'Unfortunately, many of the government actions prompted by 9/11, particularly those based on ethnic and religious profiling or stereotypes, merely create a false sense of security and preclude effective initiatives,' Awad said. The report listed 1,516 incidents in which more than 2,250 people were targeted 'because of actual or perceived religion and ethnicity.'"