To follow up on a recent post regarding the Global War on Terror and hate-crimes against Muslims (as Islamic terror organizations make up the overwhelming majority of groups targeted in the GWoT), here are some charts from the INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY website:
As we already knew, anti-Islamic hate crimes have plummeted since their initial spike in 2001, and Islamophobia pales in comparison to Judæophobia. While all hate-crimes are reprehensible, and no excuses or apologetic language should be used when discussing these offenses, neither should exaggerations be made. If a society is going to make progress, and learn to live in plurality, then these issues must be presented objectively and accurately.
(H/T Michelle Malkin)
8 Comments
That’s a pretty selective graph. All that it shows is that anti-Muslim hate crimes were extraordinarily high in the immediate aftermath of September 11. It does not compare the number of such crimes during the War on Terror with the number before.
That’s true, as we know the numbers were lower before the 11th. But when we take an objective look at the anti-Islamic hate crimes after the start of the GWoT, the theory of a pandemic of Islamophobia does not appear to be as well founded as C.A.I.R. would have us believe.
Link
I agree with Sergei – Considering that the number of hate crimes held steady with a range of 20-30 per year prior to 9/11 then spiked to approx. 500 during 2001 (most of which probably took place within the few weeks after 9/11) then you have to acknowledge that their is a rise in hate-crimes against Muslims considering that post 9/11 the number holds from 128-156 incidents. There most definately is a rise btw 2005 and 2006.
It kind of kills me that the graph exists in this manner as I would think that according to scientific method one would throw out the sharp spike that happened in 2001.
samaha,
But 2001 is when the Global War on Terror began, if it is supposed to have contributed to Islamophobia, the graph should actually go back before (and include) 2001.
konservo – The report was written by the head of the Chicago chapter and I believe that it is location specific. Also – civil rights complaints and discriminatioin do not necessarily become reported hate crimes so we can’t view them as the same and by the same token I don’t believe that the author should have clumped them together.
But – anyway – this paragraph from the report may clarify a bit (although still a bit confusing)
““Presumption of Guilt,” finds a 25% increase in civil rights complaints nationwide. Since the first report in 1996, the number of reported incidents and experiences of anti-Muslim bias, discrimination, harassment, physical attacks, and hate crimes has risen every year. The last year alone saw a 25% increase in the number of such reports, with Illinois showing the highest per-capita complaints.”
You can’t really even include 2001 as most of the crimes that happened were within a very short period of time in which the crimes were reactionary to 9/11. Do you remember how crazy it was in terms of sikhs and hispanics having been shot as people thought they were Muslim?
I do agree, however, that it may be hard to distinguish whether the increase is due to 9/11 or the GWOT. One thing is for sure and that is that Islamophobia is still on the rise (at least according to the link you provided).
samaha,
Don’t get me wrong, I strongly believe that hate-crimes are unacceptable in any way, shape or form, and I’m not arguing that the hate-crimes that did take place are fabrications or anything like that. But, from my ideological standpoint ‘interest groups’ whether they be for women, blacks, Jews, Muslims, men, whites, Christians, etc. are not the answer to societies problems, because pretty soon those interest groups (if they are effective) will need to find a way to perpetuate the hate or else they will be out of their jobs.
So while there is in fact a problem with hate-crimes in America, I wouldn’t call American’s in general ‘Islamophobic.’ The extremists who have perpetrated anti-Islamic hate crimes should be punished, but the vast majority of American’s obviously do not condone their behavior, and the GWoT has not seemed to increase hate-crimes for Muslims any more than it has for Jews. In 2006, sadly, all hate-crimes increased.
konservo,
I understand your concern but I think that CAIR won’t necessarilly have to find a way to perpetuate the hate because western Muslims have a lack of organizations representing them. CAIR will be able to move on to do other things and continue recieving support from Muslims.
I, personally, am viewing the study that you linked to as showing “Islamophobic” tendencies – it is that or that we have started to accept the demise of consititutional rights (but that there is related to fear).