For Muslim Americans, the post-September 11 ramifications of Islamophobia continue as the 21st anniversary of the attacks is solemnly marked on Sunday.
According to FBI statistics, hate crimes against Muslims in the United States skyrocketed immediately after September 11, 2001, and are still on an upward trend.
“Muslims continue to be the target of hate, bullying, and discrimination as a result of the stereotypes that were perpetuated by Islamophobes and the media in the years following the 9/11 attacks,” said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
“Twenty-one years after the attacks, Muslims continue to face the threat of targeted violence.”
After September 11, Ayloush said, there was “a perfect storm of the American people and its government needing a common ‘enemy’”.
“The unfortunate reality is there are people and organisations that benefit from perpetuating Islamophobia, bigotry, and war,” he said.
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