WASHINGTON — Ignorance on the part of some employers and educators, a pattern of exclusion by the Bush administration and demonized depictions in the entertainment media are contributing to increasing discrimination against Muslims, leaders of an Islamic advocacy group said Wednesday.
In releasing its sixth annual report, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said the number of complaints of anti-Muslim discrimination it has received rose 15% in the last year. The group said a majority of incidents involve restrictions on religious observances or practices that occur in the workplace or schools.
"We are trying to help educators and employers understand Islamic religious practices," said Nihad Awad, the council's executive director. "Misunderstanding and ignorance are our biggest challenges in this country."
Among the most common complaints received by the council are instances in which Muslim women are not allowed to wear their traditional hijab scarves on their heads in the workplace or men are asked to shave their beards.
Also, council officials said Muslims often encounter difficulties in carrying out their ritual of five daily prayers toward Mecca, of which at least two usually fall during work or school hours.
Mohamed Nimer, a researcher who writes the council's report each year, said that more than one-third of the reported incidents of discrimination over the last year involved a denial of religious accommodation to Muslims, while 20% consisted of termination or denial of employment.
Council spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said part of the rise in incidents of discrimination can be explained by an increased tendency of Muslims to report such occurrences. Hooper said that the growing number of Muslims in the U.S.--the council tabs the figure at 7 million while other estimates range from 3 million to 8 million--also may figure into the group's data.
Still, Nimer said that discrimination against Muslims in this country is rising to unacceptable levels. He said that while education will continue to be an important component of efforts to end anti-Muslim discrimination, "after six years of this education approach, we have reached a limit to how much it can alter the situation."
"Muslims want to have this situation reversed once and for all," Nimer said.
