Source: Reuters

September 13, 2001, Reuters. Ari Fleischer, White House spokesman, announced that President Bush had declared Friday, September 14 as a day of prayer and remembrance. "Fleischer said Bush planned to attend a prayer service in Washington Friday and to urge U.S. citizens to take time out of their day to attend services at churches, synagogues and mosques 'to pray for our nation, to pray for the families of those who were victimized by this act of terrorism.'"

Source: www.alicenter.org

http://www.alicenter.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?display_item=5

On September 13, 2001, Muhammad Ali issued a press release which read, in part: "I am a Muslim. I am an American. As an American Muslim, I want to express my deep sadness and anguish at the tremendous loss of life that occurred on Tuesday. Islam is a religion of peace. Islam does not promote terrorism or the killing of people...I pray that God blesses the people and families of those who...

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

On September 13, 2001, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on an interfaith service that gathered Milwaukee's diverse religious communities, "Drawn by a common quest for healing, justice and peace..." Speakers included "mainline Christians, Jews, Muslims, a Sikh, a Buddhist, a Baha'i, a Hindu and a Quaker." The article quoted religious leaders in their prayers of peace and unity, including Rev. Tonen O'Connor of the Milwaukee Zen Center. "'The Buddha perceived, not that we could be one, but that we are one. In our essence...

Source: American Jewish Committee

http://www.ajc.org/press/default.htm?show.asp?ID=255

On September 13, 2001, The American Jewish Committee issued the following statement: "The catastrophic terror inflicted on American soil must not become an occasion for stereotyping or scapegoating. Jewish history makes us painfully aware that, too often, times of crisis provide opportunities for expressions of bigotry. An entire people or religion should never be implicated because of the...

Source: The Washington Post

On September 13, 2001, The Washington Post reported on incidents of backlash across the U.S. The article included an incident at a religious center in Sterling, Virginia: "Members of the Islamic community center in Sterling showed up extra early yesterday to get on a bus they had chartered to take them to a Red Cross center, where they planned to donate blood for victims of the attacks. They found their hallway spray-painted in thick black letters, several feet tall, spelling out: 'Die Pigs' and 'Muslims Burn Forever.'...'People...

Source: The Kansas City Star

On September 13, 2001, The Kansas City Star reported that "Kansas Citians of many races and religions are reaching out to area Muslims, offering support in response to backlashes that began after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon." Following a series of threats reported by local media, the Islamic Society of Greater Kansas City has since received phone calls from people who wish to apologize for the intolerance of others and to offer their support. Many of these callers were from area churches. The article...

Source: Council on American-Islamic Relations

Source: MSNBC

http://www.msnbc.com/news/628515_asp.htm

On September 13, 2001, MSNBC continued their coverage of backlash against Muslims, Arab-Americans, and Sikhs. The web site offers an overview of some of the incidents, as well as local coverage of reports of an attack on Sikh Gurdwara in Sacramento and an attempted firebombing of the Islamic Society of Denton, Texas.

Source: The New York Times

On September 13, 2001 The New York Times reported that the backlash following the terrorist attacks are impacting "the lives of ordinary Arab- and Muslim-Americans -- and surprisingly, those who are neither Arab nor Muslim but look to untutored American eyes as if they might be." The article mentioned numerous incidents against Muslims, as well as "people who had nothing to do with the Islamic world but who might appear alien to untutored American eyes. Indian women chose not to wear their flowing, pajama-tunic outfits. Sikh men,...

Source: Salon.com News

http://salon.com/news/feature/2001/09/13/backlash/index.html

On September 13, 2001, Salon.com News featured the article "Anti-Arab passions sweep the U.S." This article stated, "Within hours of the destruction of the World Trade Center, the Net was flooded with hysterical anti-Arab sentiment. It did not take much longer for the attacks on the streets to begin. On Wednesday alone, the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee confirmed 30...

Source: U.S. Department of Justice

http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2001/September/468cr.htm

On September 13, 2001, the Department of Justice released a statement from the Assistant Attorney General Ralph F. Boyd Jr. regarding "the treatment of Arab, Muslim Americans or Americans of South Asian Descent." This statement read, in part: "As the Attorney General reminded us today, we must not descend to the level of those who perpetrated Tuesday's violence by targeting individuals for...

Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

On September 13, 2001, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that "As the extent of Tuesday's terrorist attacks on New York and Washington became clearer, Muslims and people of Middle Eastern descent in the Bay Area as well as the nation found themselves targets of threats and vandalism." The article mentioned numerous incidents across the country. In the Bay Area, "Vandals threw a large plastic bag labeled as pig's blood yesterday on the front door of Minority Assistance Services in San Francisco's Mission District, which...