Source: Salon.com

http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2001/10/22/women_of_cover/index.html

On October 22, 2001, Salon.com featured the story "Stand beside her" which reported on volunteer efforts to help Muslim and Arab-American women feel safe. In St. Louis, "Local volunteers have come forward to act as escorts for those who have been threatened, or feel threatened, by knee-jerk reactions to their clothing or appearance. Similar ad hoc programs have sprung up, with varying degrees of formality, in several other American cities with large Arab-American and Muslim populations, providing company and a measure of protection in public for those afraid to leave their homes."