September 08, 2011 08:09 PM UTC

Thoughtful Interview on CO Public Radio addresses impact of 9-11 on Muslim Americans

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• by: Jason Salzman

Colorado Public Radio’s “Colorado Matters” aired a great interview yesterday about the impact of 9-11 on Muslim Americans, as part of its thoughtful “Colorado Remembers 9/11” series.

Sahar Babak, who was a student at Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins, recalls how teachers, who were worried about angry students, suggested that she leave school on the day of the crime, even though she was upset and crying about the tragedy, like other kids. She took their advice and went home that day.

In the interview, CSU sociologist Lori Peek describes her conversations with 140 Muslim Americans about their lives after the 9-11. She’s just published a book about her research, titled Behind the Backlash, Muslim Americans after 9-11.

Peek explained that one Muslim man had his car scratched, and he didn’t know if it was a hate crime or not. But his parents were so concerned, they wanted him to shave off his beard. Peek says this type of uncertainty is a hidden “burden” that a community under scrutiny deals with.

“Clearly the most violent acts of hate have tapered off,” Peek told Ryan Warner. “Using FBI hate crime data, there was a clear and dramatic spike in the first three months after 9-11. There was a 1600 percent increase in hate crime. And in the years since 9-11, those numbers have dropped off, even though they are three to five times higher than the pre-9-11 levels.”

But, citing data that spoke to me as someone who endures the anti-Muslim bigotry on talk radio, she points out that national surveys show that Americans’ perception of Muslims has gotten worse since 9-11.

Listen to the interview here.