President Barack Obama’s June 4 address to the Muslim world served as a fresh reminder of the tensions between civil rights and national security that have played out in the U.S. and abroad since 9/11. The president’s speech was welcomed by the Muslim community, which remains deeply concerned about attacks against Muslims.

In the wake of Sept. 11, mosques were vandalized, Arab-Americans were physically assaulted and hate crimes rose. But beyond the immediate backlash, the U.S. government’s declared “war on terror” created a set of evolving security policies that critics say led to civil rights violations.

Nearly eight years later, many civil rights and related issues remain. In addition to visa and immigration delays, they include concerns about workplace discrimination, verbal and physical harassment, and surveillance by law enforcement. Many trace these civil rights issues to the USA Patriot Act, enacted in 2001 and revised and reauthorized in 2006. They point to the act’s provisions expanding the ability of law enforcement agencies to search telephone, email, medical, financial and other records. In response to these measures, the Muslim community has established advocacy groups or bolstered existing organizations.

This issue of ReligionLink gives journalists tools to address the difficult balance between protecting Americans and protecting the civil rights of U.S. residents.

Why it matters

The equal treatment of Muslims under the law raises questions about the extent to which the United States can extend basic human rights and civil liberties to its citizens and permanent residents at a time of heightened tension over security. The issue also raises questions about how the country is assimilating its newest citizens. Will workplaces accommodate veiled Muslim women? Will judges allow Muslims to take an oath on the Quran ­- rather than the Bible? Are public schools willing to excuse Muslim students for taking absences during the two annual Muslim holidays?

What’s new

• The Islamic Society of North America is holding its annual convention in Washington from July 3-6, 2009, on the theme, “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” ISNA has a large immigrant presence and advocates on behalf of civil rights for Muslims.
• Read the text of Obama’s speech at Cairo University.
• U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder also released a statement to coincide with the speech, stating that the Justice Department is “committed to using criminal and civil rights laws to protect Muslim Americans.” This statement said: “The President’s pledge for a new beginning between the United States and the Muslim community takes root here in the Justice Department where we are committed to using criminal and civil rights laws to protect Muslim Americans. A top priority of this Justice Department is a return to robust civil rights enforcement and outreach in defending religious freedoms and other fundamental rights of all of our fellow citizens in the workplace, in the housing market, in our schools and in the voting booth.
• Several new reports and books on the lives of American Muslims after Sept. 11 have just been published or are about to come out. They include Backlash 9/11: Middle Eastern and Muslim Americans Respond, by Anny Bakalian and Mehdi Bozorgmehr, two researchers at the City University of New York, and Homeland Insecurity: The Arab American and Muslim American Experience After 9/11, by Louise Cainkar, an assistant professor at Marquette University.
• In July, three researchers at the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security are expected to issue a report on lessons learned from American Muslim communities’ interaction with law enforcement post-Sept. 11.
• The Council on American-Islamic Relations, known as CAIR, continues to be the best-known and most aggressive organization for addressing grievances by Muslims, but it has become a target of government scrutiny because of allegations linking it to the Palestinian Hamas movement. The FBI curtailed contact with CAIR last fall, as The Detroit News reported in this April 27, 2009, story.
• The most serious civil rights allegations to arise this year involve reports that the FBI is sending informants into mosques, a practice defended by FBI Director Robert Mueller in this Associated Press story. In April 2009, the Los Angeles Times reported that the FBI monitored gyms throughout Orange County to gather intelligence on local mosques.

Public opinion

Polls show Americans have a negative view of Muslim countries and Muslims in general. According to a 2007 Pew Forum poll, only 43 percent of Americans have a favorable view of Muslims. An April Pew survey on torture found that 49 percent of Americans believe government-sponsored torture can “sometimes” or “often” be justified.

Timeline

May 2009: Four men are arrested in what authorities said was a plot to bomb two synagogues in the Bronx and shoot down military planes at an Air National Guard base in Newburgh, N.Y. The men, all Muslims from Newburgh, apparently befriended an undercover FBI informant who attended the Masjid al-Ikhlas mosque in Newburgh. (See the next-day New York Times story.)

April 2009: Law enforcement sources confirm that FBI agents monitored popular gyms throughout Orange County to gather intelligence on members of local mosques.

January 2009: Dennis C. Blair is confirmed as Obama’s top intelligence official and calls for counterterrorism programs to operate “in a manner consistent with our nation’s values, consistent with our Constitution, and consistent with rule of law.” (Read The New York Times‘ account of his confirmation hearing.)

Jan. 1, 2009: An AirTran flight bound for Orlando, Fla., from Reagan National Airport removes nine Muslim American passengers before takeoff. The airline later apologizes. (Read The Washington Post’s story.)

December 2008: U.S. Rep. Rush Holt asks the National Security Agency to investigate evidence the agency illegally wiretapped a Muslim scholar, Ali al-Timimi, in northern Virginia and concealed the eavesdropping during the scholar’s 2005 trial on terrorism-related charges. (Read an Associated Press story, posted by ABCNews.com.)

November 2008: A federal jury convicts five leaders of the suburban Dallas-based Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development on 108 criminal counts of money laundering, tax fraud and supporting terrorism. The group was accused of funneling millions of dollars to Hamas, which the U.S. government declared a terrorist group in 1995. (Read a Dallas Morning News report about their sentencing.)

Fall 2008: The FBI decides to limit its ties to CAIR. Some Muslim groups later react by suspending ties to the agency.

October 2007: A mistrial is declared in the first Holy Land trial after jurors are unable to reach verdicts on all the charges.

May 2007: The Council on American-Islamic Relations and hundreds of other organizations and individuals are named unindicted co-conspirators in the case against the Holy Land Foundation. (Read an AP account on The Dallas Morning News‘ Web site.)

Resources

The National Association of Muslim Lawyers has a resource page on civil rights, with links to government agencies and advocacy groups.

The American Civil Liberties Union’s resources include including a “Watch List Counter” that tracks names on the U.S. government’s terrorist list. The organization also has a Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief that tracks legal violations in this area.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations issues a yearly report on the status of Muslim civil rights. The 2009 report (covering incidents in 2008) should be available July 1; the report on incidents in 2007 is posted online.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee published a Hate Crimes Report: 2003-2007.

ReligionLink has several editions that provide background and resources on Islam. They include:

• Covering Islam 101
• Islam: a guide to U.S. experts and organizations
• Covering Islam and politics

Islamic advocacy groups

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee is a civil rights organization committed to defending the rights of people of Arab descent. It has several publications on civil rights. Kareem Shora is executive director. Contact 202-244-2990, kshora@adc.org.

The American Muslim Alliance promotes participation of Muslim Americans in the political process. The alliance is based in Newark, Calif. Agha Saeed is its national chairman. Contact 510-252-9858, civilrightsforall@sbcglobal.net.

The American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections promotes civic equality for Muslims and their participation in the American political process. It is an umbrella association of 11 Muslim-American groups. Contact Agha Saeed, 510-299-9313 or 510-252-9894, aghaksaeed@yahoo.com.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is the largest advocacy group for Muslims in the U.S. It advocates on issues related to civil liberties and justice. Contact communications director Ibrahim Hooper in Washington, D.C., at 202-488-8787, ihooper@cair.com.

The Islamic Society of North America promotes unity and leadership among Muslims. The organization, based in Plainfield, Ind., has a large immigrant presence. Contact president Ingrid Mattson, 317-839-8157, president@isna.net.

Muslim Advocates uses legal advocacy, policy engagement and education to promote rights for Muslims and others. Contact executive director Farhana Khera, 202-448-9978, farhana@muslimadvocates.org.

The Muslim Public Affairs Council works for Muslim participation in civic life. It advocates for Muslims’ civil rights and gives Muslims a voice in the media and public affairs. It works to cultivate leadership in young Muslims and encourage a sense of ownership over their religious and national identity as Americans. The group has a $1.1 million annual budget and says it accepts no funds from overseas. It has offices in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles and several state chapters. The council is considered moderate and politically savvy and is led by first- and second-generation Americans. Contact Edina Lekovic, communications director, 213-383-3443, communications@mpac.org.

United Muslims of America is a nonpartisan public affairs organization that works to promote the participation of Muslims in American public life, including economics, education and politics. The nonprofit organization is based in Sunnyvale, Calif. Shafi Refai is president of its board of directors. Contact srefai@hotmail.com or contact@umanet.org.

National sources

• Nabeel Abraham teaches anthropology and directs the honors program at Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn, Mich. He co-edited Arab Detroit: From Margin to Mainstream. Contact 313-845-6460, nabraham@hfcc.edu.
• Anny Bakalian and Mehdi Bozorgmehr, two researchers at the City University of New York, have written a book titled Backlash 9/11: Middle Eastern and Muslim Americans Respond, which looks at how ethnic organizations mobilized to demonstrate their commitment to the United States while defending their rights and distancing themselves from the terrorists. Contact Bakalian at 212-817-7570, Abakalian@gc.cuny.edu; contact Bozorgmehr at 212-817-7572, mbozorgmehr@gc.cuny.edu.
• Louise Cainkar, an assistant professor in the department of social and cultural sciences at Marquette University in Milwaukee, has written widely about the effects of Sept. 11 on American Muslims. Her book Homeland Insecurity: The Arab American and Muslim American Experience After 9/11 is to be published in August 2009. Contact 414-288-5714, louise.cainkar@marquette.edu.
• Erwin Chemerinsky is dean of the University of California, Irvine School of Law, and has defended Guantanamo detainees. Contact 949-824-7722, echemerinsky@law.uci.edu.
• David Cole, a law professor at Georgetown University, is an expert on First Amendment and civil rights issues and co-author of Less Safe, Less Free: Why America Is Losing the War on Terror. Contact 202-662-9078, cole@law.georgetown.edu.
• Charles Kurzman is a sociology professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and serves on the board of the Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations. Contact 919-962-1007, kurzman@unc.edu.
• Sunaina Maira, an associate professor of Asian-American studies at the University of California, Davis, writes about youth and immigrant culture. Her upcoming book is called Missing: Youth, Citizenship and Empire After 9/11. Contact 530-752-6727, smaira@ucdavis.edu.
• David Schanzer directs the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security, a partnership of Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and RTI International that promotes national security by advancing understanding of terrorism and the means to combat it. Contact 919-613-9279, schanzer@duke.edu.
• Jonathan R. White is director of the Homeland Defense Initiative at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Mich. Contact 616-331-7243 (office), 616-460-5916 (cell), whitej@gvsu.edu.

Regional sources

IN THE NORTHEAST

• Berna Turam is an assistant professor of sociology and the Middle East at Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass., where she teaches courses in Islamic politics, Islam and democracy, civil society and the state, secularism, nationalism and the Middle East. She is the author of Between Islam and the State: The Politics of Engagement (2006). Contact 413-549-5677, bturam@hampshire.edu.
• Michael Wishnie, a law professor at Yale Law School, teaches a class titled “Balancing Civil Liberties and National Security After Sept. 11.” His human rights law clinic was recently honored by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. Contact 203-436-4780, Michael.wishnie@yale.edu.

IN THE EAST

• Edward Alden, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, is the former Washington bureau chief of the Financial Times. His latest book, The Closing of the American Border: Terrorism, Immigration and Security Since 9/11, examines U.S. visa and border policies in the wake of 9/11. Contact 202-509-8474, ealden@cfr.org.
• Muzaffar Chishti, a lawyer, directs the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute of New York University School of Law. His work focuses on U.S. immigration policy, the intersection of labor and immigration law, civil liberties and immigrant integration. Contact via the communications office at 202-266-1910, or muzaffar.chishti@nyu.edu.
• Aziz Huq directs the Liberty & National Security Project of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law. He is a contributing writer for The Nation and The Huffington Post. Contact 212-998-6318.
• Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia directs the Center for Immigrants’ Rights at Pennsylvania State University’s Dickinson School of Law. Contact 814-865-3823, ssw11@psu.edu.

IN THE SOUTHEAST

• Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im, a law professor at Emory University, is a specialist on human rights. Contact 404-727-1198, abduh46@law.emory.edu.
• Ebrahim Moosa, an associate professor of Islamic studies at Duke University, has written about Muslim law and ethics. Contact 919-660-3520, moosa@duke.edu.
• Azadeh Shahshahani directs the National Security/Immigrants’ Rights Project at the ACLU of Georgia. Contact 770-303-8111.

IN THE SOUTH

• Ihsan Bagby, an associate professor of Islamic studies at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, has written comprehensive studies of mosques in America and studies Muslims’ place in the public square. Contact 859-257-9638, iabagb2@uky.edu.
• Mohja Kahf is a poet and an associate professor of literature at the University of Arkansas. She writes about gender issues and Arab-American women. Contact 479-575-4301, mkahf@uark.edu.

IN THE MIDWEST

• Imad Hamad is senior national adviser for public affairs and regional director for the Michigan office of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. Contact 313-581-1201, adcmichigan@adc.com.
• Liaquat Ali Khan, a law professor at Washburn University in Topeka, Kan., has written about Islam and terrorism. Contact 785-670-1671, ali.khan@washburn.edu.
• Aminah Beverly McCloud, a professor of religious studies at DePaul University in Chicago, has written about black Muslims. Contact 773-325-1290, amccloud@depaul.edu.
• Asifa Quraishi, an assistant professor of law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is an expert on U.S. and Islamic law. Contact 608-263-7604, aquraishi@wisc.edu.
• Loukia K. Sarroub, an associate professor of education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, writes about literacy among American and Iraqi children. Contact 402-472-5166, lsarroub@unl.edu.
• Andrew Shryock is an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and is jointly affiliated with the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies. He has written about Arab Detroit post-9/11. Contact 734-764-7274, ashryock@umich.edu.
• Michael W. Suleiman, a political science professor at Kansas State University, has written widely about Arab-Americans. Contact 785-532‑0444, suleiman@ksu.edu.

IN THE SOUTHWEST

• Dalia AbdelHady is an assistant professor of sociology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She studies Arab immigrant experiences. Contact 214-768-4891, dhady@smu.edu.
• Nicole Khoury is a Lebanese-American second-year doctoral student at Arizona State University who writes about Arab-American women and feminism. Contact nicole.khoury@asu.edu.

IN THE WEST/NORTHWEST

• Ahilan Arulanantham directs immigrant rights and national security cases for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. Contact 213-977-9500.
• Khaled Abou El Fadl is a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has written about Islam and democracy. Contact 310-825-7392, abouelfa@law.ucla.edu.
• Therese Saliba teaches international feminism at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash. Contact 360-867-6854.