Republicans spread a false rumor that Barack Obama, whose middle name is Hussein and whose paternal grandfather was Muslim, is secretly a Muslim himself; Obama, a church-going Christian, denied it, and many said he did not go far enough in denouncing the racism behind the claim. At a rally, John McCain corrected a supporter, saying Obama is not an Arab but a family man.

"There is a subtext of extreme distrust that filters in the mainstream," Ramey says, "that Muslims are not patriotic. That Muslims are unworthy of trust. The comments generally tend to underscore an element of deep racism and xenophobia in the political establishment. Sometimes, it's spoken openly. Sometimes, it is spoken in code."

"The rhetoric of anti-Muslim sentiment has become more acceptable in public gatherings and in the right-wing media," Hossain says. "It has made Muslims very, very concerned that there is a rekindling of the post 9/11 paranoia," when many Muslims were detained for questioning simply for being Muslim and many more feared being attacked in the streets.

So Hossain, a Bangladeshi immigrant who laughs when he tells you he has just bought a farm in rural Virginia "where the real Americans live," organizes. The 48-year-old dictates news releases. He distributes get-out-the-vote literature. He gives speeches at mosques. He calls taxi drivers, promising monetary help for those who take time Tuesday to get people to the polls.

* * *

"Many of the Muslims who came to this country came from countries where voting was a dangerous and dirty thing to do," Hossain says. "We have to convince them that voting is not only safe and clean, but it is a civic responsibility."

In the center parking lot, he hands Obama volunteer David Kirshbaum, 53, a stack of yellow cards printed with a mild endorsement of the candidate by the Virginia Muslim Political Action Committee: "Muslim Americans were upset that Senator Obama, when called a Muslim by fear and hate mongering bigots, failed to make a principled stand . . . by not asking what's wrong in being a Muslim anyway while he asserted his own faith. However . . . now that has become a target of racial slurs and pejorative epithets, it is incumbent on us to make the same principled stand we had asked of him. We must challenge the politics of bigotry and divisiveness."

It took Colin Powell, a Republican, to break the tension.

"Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country?" Powell said last month on "Meet the Press." "The answer's 'no.' Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, 'He's a Muslim, and he might be associated with terrorists.' This is not the way we should be doing it in America." [Link]

Governor Corzine signed an executive order Friday in a ceremony at the Passaic County Technical Institute creating the New Jersey Arab-American Heritage Commission.

The 25-member commission will coordinate events observing the heritage, culture and history of Arab-Americans, as well as work with schools to ensure that curriculum reflects the state’s diverse population....

Before signing the order, Corzine and Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-Paterson, referred to remarks made by Colin Powell on "Meet the Press" Sunday, when he took on false rumors that presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama is Muslim and asked, "Is there something wrong with being Muslim in this country?" Powell concluded his comments with a reference to the death of a Muslim soldier from New Jersey, Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan of Manahawkin, who was killed in Iraq on Aug. 6, 2007.

Pascrell emphasized Paterson’s strong Arab community and the need to counter stereotypes and racial profiling.

"The day of litmus tests over who is a good American and who is not a good American is over," Pascrell said. [Link]

A computer simulation suggests that one-sided media reports are making us all unconsciously Islamophobic

A recent experiment, soon to be published in the journal of experimental social psychology, offers provocative evidence that Islamophobia operates in the dark recesses of our unconscious. In the experiment, participants played a computer simulation and were asked to shoot individuals carrying weapons and to spare those unarmed. Participants were more likely to shoot unarmed individuals who were wearing turbans or hijabs. More interestingly, they were unaware and incredulous that they were doing so. The author of the experiment, Christian Unkelbach, a visiting scholar at Australia's University of New South Wales, has called this "the turban effect" and blames one-sided media reports.

Unkelbach's experiment is timely. As was reported in the Independent, Shahid Malik MP, a minister in the Department for International Development, believes Muslims in the UK increasingly feel hostility from members of the British community and misrepresentation by the media. Indeed, if Unkelbach's conclusions are correct, it raises a number of questions about the responsibility of the media in perpetuating Islamophobia in western countries.

Unkelbach's experiment also presents the occasion for deeper reflection. While Shahid Malik points to blatant and conscious discrimination, the "turban effect" is more insidious, because it highlights the danger of unconscious prejudices. Unkelbach blames the media post 9/11, although perhaps we should look further back. Edward Said's famous argument in his book Orientalism is that western society has a long history of categorising Muslims and Asians as "the other" – as different, dangerous and violent. Thus, the wearing of a turban or a hijab marks the wearer with a sense of otherness, of being inscrutable and thus deemed threatening.

But before we sharpen our knives and turn on the media, it is quite possible that the "turban effect" does not reveal a deep-seated (and recently revived) prejudice, but rather our instinctual disposition towards inductive reasoning – that is, making predictions about the future on the basis of past experience. The fact remains that the attacks of 9/11, 7/7 and Madrid were committed by individuals in the name of Islam (albeit a perverted interpretation). Is it not then somewhat rational to take greater notice – even if unconsciously, as much of our instinctual reasoning takes place behind the scenes – of visual representations of Islam in the context of assessing threats, simply because the last notable large-scale incidences of violent attacks were committed by self-proclaimed Muslims?

The only problem, of course, is that none of these men were wearing turbans during their respective attacks, or in their portrayal in the media. Not only that, even though inductive reasoning forms the basis of our everyday reasoning, it is often fallacious, and in the current context it could prove particularly pernicious, if it leads to such simple and unthinking connections.

Ultimately, whatever Unkelbach's experiment may reveal about our prejudices or the structure of human rationality, it at least brings our unconscious prejudices and implicit assumptions to our attention. Only then might we begin to understand them and move beyond them. [Link]

As I watched the presidential debates recently, I heard a term thrown around that made me shiver- Islamofascism. While the threat of terrorism scares me, the discussion around terrorism has implications that are just as frightening, when these types of terms enter our common vernacular. A recent Gallup poll showed that 40% of Americans admit to feeling prejudice against Muslims. As social dialogue continually associates Islam primarily with terrorism and evil, we unintentionally facilitate an unjustified hatred for Islam and anything that may be even tangentially relate to it. This has a very real and scary impact on peoples' daily lives. One of the places it can have the greatest impact is somewhere we've all been before - the schoolyard.

As you may know, I'm currently one of the models in Kenneth Cole's new advertising campaign, which tackles this issue of stereotypes in the media head on. As a Sikh man, I wear a turban, which is an integral part of the Sikh identity. However, in the United States, the vast majority of media coverage related to turbans focuses on another group of people who wear different types of turbans - Taliban and Al Qaeda terrorists. Unfortunately, this has had a significantly detrimental impact on the daily lives of Sikhs around the world, who are now frequently mistaken for Islamic fundamentalists, although they are not even Muslim. While nobody should be persecuted because of their religion, including Muslims, Sikhs in particular have faced a disproportionate impact from post 9/11 bias crimes.


Particularly distressing is how this affects young children. At least 75% of Sikh children in Queens, New York reported some form of harassment due to their religious identity, according to the Sikh Coalition. Over 40% of these children have suffered physical violence because of their appearance, and even when reported to school administration, one-third receive no help whatsoever from school administrators. Nearly all of these children report receiving this abuse because they've been misidentified by their attackers as terrorists. One child, a six year old Sikh born in the United States, reports that kids in school have nicknamed him "enemy," because to them, he "looks like the enemy." Unfortunately, this type of treatment is not isolated, and is reported by young Sikh children across the country.

Our core curriculum in the United States glosses over the Sikh religion in even the most privileged school systems, even though it's the fifth largest religion in the world. Therefore, most children's exposure related to turbans and beards are limited to the portrayals reinforced in the media related to the Taliban and terrorism. Imagine the collective impact, then, when the first picture from the Kenneth Cole campaign went up in a storefront in Rockefeller Center and appeared in GQ this month. For one of the first times, these children had an opportunity to have their Sikh identity represented in a way they can be proud of when they walk down the halls of their schools. I'm truly grateful for the opportunity to have a positive impact in these childrens' lives, who through no fault of their own regularly brave hatred in the hallways.

Only in the past half-century have we as a society curbed the widespread image in media of African Americans as servants and slaves, and put an end to the Anti-Semitic caricatures of Jews as conniving and obsessed with money.

We've come a long way, but we've still got a long way to go.

Although these Sikh children often suffer silently, they don't need to. By starting at home and educating your family about the Sikh faith, every American can lend these children a hand in ending the rampant racism and abuse that plagues Sikh youth across the United States. [Link]

Axis of Evil Comedy Tour Detonates Some Explosive Stereotypes

Maz Jobrani, one-fourth of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, has a bit about how people of Middle Eastern descent can't seem to bust through the stereotypes of a post-9/11 world. "You never turn on the TV and see a United Airlines commercial with a Middle Eastern pilot," he says in the routine. "You'll never see one standing there saying, 'Come fly the friendly skies . . .

"'I dare you.' "

The gag is the essence of the Axis comedians' shtick, and just about the whole point of their tour, which tonight returns to the Warner Theatre. The idea, says Jobrani, who is of Iranian descent, is to demonstrate that Arab and Muslim Americans can turn cultural differences, suspicion and even existential dread into comedy and social commentary.

A tall order, sure, but Jobrani & Co. are part of a grand stand-up tradition. Members of "outsider" groups -- including Jews, Italians, blacks, Latinos, gays and Asian Americans -- have been disarming "mainstream" audiences by joking about themselves and their cultural idiosyncrasies for decades.

Even before a Comedy Central special and DVD vaulted them to national prominence (and a tour of the Middle East) last year, Jobrani and fellow comics Aron Kader, Ahmed Ahmed and Dean Obeidallah were mining some rich but uneasy territory. Their subjects range from riffs about terrorism and profiling (what it's like to navigate airport security with a name such as Ahmed Ahmed) to current events and people (rising oil prices, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Israeli-Palestinian relations, etc.). [Link]

THE number of Scots who hold discriminatory attitudes towards Muslims has increased over the last three years following the terrorist attacks in London, new figures showed yesterday.

As increased immigration from around the world changes the social make-up of Scotland, the latest survey of attitudes showed the majority of people are willing to embrace different cultures.

But despite government campaigns to tackle racism, a hardcore of people continue to believe prejudice is acceptable. And while attitudes to gay people and women have improved, one in five people think civil partnerships are wrong and one in seven think a woman's place is in the home.

In particular, attitudes towards Muslims and ethnic minorities have deteriorated in recent years. Half of those surveyed considered the increasing number of Muslims in the country as a cultural threat and one in five feared ethnic minorities would take their jobs.

Equality groups said such attitudes are unacceptable in the 21st century and called for the "silent majority" to speak out against prejudice....

rof Curtice said the group that appears to have suffered the worse in recent years is Muslims.

He suggested this was because of the ongoing "war on terror" and the attacks on London in 2005.

In 2006, 50 per cent of people said that Scotland would begin to lose its identity if more Muslims came to live here compared to 38 per cent in 2003. Over the same period there was a four-point increase in the proportion who say they would be unhappy about a relative forming a relationship with a Muslim.

Dr Salah Baltagui, of the Muslim Council of Scotland and Scottish Interfaith Council, said prejudice remains a reality.

He said the way to address the problem was to tackle stereotypes and introduce more people to Muslims.

"This is happening and what we have to do is try to help people find out more about Muslims and break down the stereotypes," he said. [Link]

There is a new debate in Monroe County related to Governor Spitzer's plan to give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. The debate has worked its way into the county legislature races. It has to do with a campaign mailing sent out by the Republican Party.

It is not so much what it says but what it shows that has members of the Islamic community upset. The flyer suggests that county legislature democrats want to license potential terrorists and the literature contains images intended to depict terrorists.

"Seeing these things are very wrong for me to see it in that way it means someone is profiling me that I'm a terrorist," said Dr. Muhammad Shafiq.

Dr. Shafiq is the Imam at the Islamic Center on Westfall Road in Rochester. He says the images are offensive to Muslims and believes the Republican Party is using fear tactics to persuade voters.

"Especially as a Muslim, it looks very very wrong the way they portrayed the pictures as linking Arabs and terrorism, equalizing them to terrorism, is racial profiling," said Dr. Shafiq.

County clerk Cheryl Dinolfo disagrees.

"I really do take issue with that way of thinking because, again, that piece is about not one particular nationality," said Dinolfo.

Dinolfo says licensing illegal immigrants could jeopardize the security of the entire nation. She uses 9/11 as an example.

"The fact remains that there were terrorists who came into this country and harmed our country using licenses to do so," said Dinolfo. [Link]

A published report has opened a window on the world as Donald Rumsfeld saw it during his tenure as Defense Secretary. At the Pentagon, Rumsfeld's memos were known as snowflakes. There was a blizzard of messages from his office. The Washington Post obtained some of the wartime defense secretary's 20,000 memos including one that drew sharp responses today from the White House and a leading Arab American group.

According to the Post, Rumsfeld contended that Muslims avoid "physical labor." He expressed the belief that oil wealth removed Muslims "from the reality of work, effort and investment that leads to wealth for the rest of the world." His memo said, "Too often Muslims are against physical labor, so they bring in Koreans and Pakistanis while their young people remain unemployed." Rumsfeld also warned, "An unemployed population is easy to recruit to radicalism."

White House press secretary Dana Perino said Rumsfeld's observations were "not in line with the president's views." She said she could understand why Arab Americans would be offended by the comments attributed to Rumsfeld.

The report brought a terse reaction from the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. Spokesman Kareem Shora told CBS News Radio, "It seems very clear from the quotes that Mr. Rumsfeld had a very stereotypical, negative pessimistic view of Muslims. He's labeling 2.2 billion people in the world as lazy and against physical labor. It's going to be very harmful to our efforts in the Middle East and to winning the hearts and minds of the Muslim world." The White House Press Secretary said the White House is already aware "that we have a lot of work to do to win hearts and minds across the Arab world and the Muslim world." [Link]

Muslim comedy subject of Ramadan panel

There isn’t anything funny about Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting and reflection, or about the threat of violent al-Qaida terrorists around the world, but that doesn’t mean the average person can’t appreciate a good Muslim joke.

Sometimes the best way to deal with a sensitive subject is to make fun of it, says Muslim comedian Azhar Usman.

Muslims, like everybody else, are capable of laughing and being funny, Usman said at American University in Washington at the virtual town hall meeting “Laughing While Muslim.” The October 3 meeting held during Ramadan used digital video conference technology to link Muslim panelists at American University (AU) and the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles to talk seriously about comedy.

During the month of Ramadan, which this year ended on October 11 or 12, depending on the sighting of the moon in the various Muslim countries, Muslims refrain from eating or drinking during daylight hours and break their fast at iftars after sunset.

In the United States today, Muslims use the month of Ramadan to reach out to their fellow citizens and to build bridges with the community at large.

Since 2004, Usman, born and raised in Chicago by Indian parents, has performed his “Allah Made Me Funny -- Official Muslim Comedy Tour” in more than 12 countries over five continents. Although Usman is a lawyer by training, he has taken his comedy show on the road to counter misconceptions about Muslims.

Comedy is a funny way of being serious, Usman said, quoting the late actor Peter Ustinov. “People always come up to me after my show and say, ‘thank you so much for making me think,’” said Usman, whose jokes about racial profiling lighten up the seriousness of what he calls the “unnecessary evil of life after 9/11.” [Link]

Six years ago this month, nearly 3,000 Americans were killed when Islamic terrorists committed what some would call the ultimate hate crime.

Consumed by a heady mix of contempt for the United States and a twisted love for Islam, they commandeered planeloads of people and crashed into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon.

Most of the people in the buildings who didn't escape were reduced to ash and DNA.

Collective shock and sorrow over the attacks soon turned into outrage. But for many, the outrage soon metastasized into hate.

Hatred toward anyone with olive skin and dark hair, bedecked in a head scarf or turban.

Hatred like the kind that caused a man in Mesa, Ariz., to drive into a Chevron station and fatally shoot its Sikh owner.

Hatred toward anyone who dared fly while being an American of Middle Eastern descent. Or Muslim.

It has been a struggle to get much of society to see past the cloud of suspicion that enveloped all Middle Eastern Americans and Muslims on Sept. 11, 2001.

But it's getting better.

"We are going through a phrase where a great deal of this paranoia occurred, but is now subsiding," said M. Ashraf Shaikh, a founding member of the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida, who also said that after Sept. 11, 2001, the center had to deal with picketers out front. "But it has also caused some members of the non-Muslim community to learn more about Islam.

"We also feel pain as Muslims, because those who perpetuated those acts call themselves Muslims ... [Islam's] image has been tarnished because of a few criminals, but instead of them alone being blamed, the faith that I cherish is being blamed for it."

But even though fewer bias crimes against Muslims are being reported, fears about Muslims are still being fed - mostly by people who have turned fear and hatred into a cottage industry.

There are the preachers who believe that glorifying Christ means vilifying Islam.

Yet as people remain fixated on Islam being the only fount of terrorism that threatens the United States, more such founts are threatening to erupt. And they aren't all coming from al-Qaida.

Mike German, a former FBI agent who specialized in domestic counterterrorism from 1988 to 2004, warned that homegrown extremism - extremism like the kind that killed 168 people in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing - is escalating.

In a 2005 Washington Post article, he wrote about how the FBI tends to classify terrorists like Timothy McVeigh, who was behind the Oklahoma City bombing, as "lone wolf" terrorists.

But German said that "lone wolf" label ignores the fact that McVeigh spent quite a bit of time hanging out with militias and white supremacist groups, while Eric Rudolph, who set off a nail bomb at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and bombed two abortion clinics and a gay bar, was reared in the Christian Identity Movement, a hate group.

And these non-Muslim, homegrown hate groups are everywhere.

The point here, of course, isn't to compare the capabilities of fanatics to use religion as a license to destroy rather than redeem or create. But whenever I hear of someone like Shaikh talk of how painful it is to hear his religion being constantly demeaned since Sept. 11, 2001, I think about the burden he and other Muslims have to shoulder when people single them out as potential terrorists rather than citizens.

I think about the pain of him having to hear pundits shriek about how Muslims should be put in internment camps basically for committing an act of religion.

And I have to wonder: Would those pundits have recommended the same thing for McVeigh? [Link]

hey preferred bookstores or hookah bars to mosques. They stopped listening to pop music and instead surfed Web sites promoting radical Islam. They threw away their baseball caps and grew beards.

New York Police Department intelligence analysts have concluded those were some of the telltale signs of homegrown terrorists in the making -- a mounting threat as grave as that from established terror groups like al-Qaida.

An NYPD report released Wednesday warns of a "radicalization" process in which young men -- otherwise unremarkable legal immigrants from the Middle East -- grow disillusioned with life in America and adopt a philosophy that puts them on the path to jihad.

"Hopefully, the better we're informed about this process, the more likely we'll be to detect and disrupt it," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said while presenting the findings at a briefing of private security executives at police headquarters.

The findings drew swift criticism from an Arab anti-discrimination group, which accused the NYPD of stereotyping and of contradicting recent federal warnings that the chief terror threat remains foreign. [Link]

Sikh Americans have found a supporter in high-profile Amrit Singh, daughter of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and a New York-based lawyer herself, who has sharply criticised the Bush administration's alleged abuse of power and said that violent measures have resulted in some Americans feeling it is okay to racially profile South Asians, Sikh Americans and Arab Americans, whom they perceive as terrorist threats.
She termed the unprecedented rise in racial profiling and hate crimes against South Asians, including Sikh Americans, as "a huge problem," and noted that like most Asian Americans "there is a lot of fear about reporting," these incidents.

Amrit, PM Manmohan Singh's youngest daughter, is a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants Rights Project and one of the US's leading civil rights advocates.

In an interview with India Abroad news agency, later published in many Indian dailies, Amrit said these are largely law-abiding communities.

She said the US forces were resorting to techniques which were a case of stereotypes being resorted to in the absence of any concrete information to rely on. "The result is a massive sort of infringement of the victims' rights."

She said there was a connection "between the kinds of contact that occurred in Iraq and Afghanistan and the kind of stereotyping that goes on within the United States with respect to people who are of a certain colour and background." [Link]

A full house has turned out at the Directors Guild of America for the L.A. premiere of the new documentary "Reel Bad Arabs," which makes the case that Hollywood is obsessed with "the three Bs" -- belly dancers, billionaire sheiks and bombers -- in a largely unchallenged vilification of Middle Easterners here and abroad.

"In every movie they make, every time an Arab utters the word Allah? Something blows up," says Eyad Zahra, a young filmmaker who organized the screening this week with the support of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

The documentary highlights the admittedly obsessive lifework of Jack Shaheen, a retired professor from Southern Illinois University, the son of Lebanese Christian immigrants and the author of "TV Arabs," "Reel Bad Arabs" and the upcoming "Guilty? Hollywood's Verdict on Arabs after 9/11."

In his tireless quest for evidence -- any evidence-- of Arab stereotyping, Shaheen has viewed (and reviewed in his books) thousands of movies and TV shows. What he has found, the 71-year-old academic says, are the most maligned people on the silver screen. It is a diss that dates back to the earliest days of cinema and continues today with popular television shows such as "Sleeper Cell" and "24," which Shaheen calls the worst of smears, "because it portrays American Arabs as the enemy within, like, 'Look at the terrorist -- hey, he's my next-door neighbor!' "

In the documentary, Shaheen shows dozens of film clips to illustrate his point. Arab women? Hip-swiveling eye candy of the oasis or "bundles in black." If Arab men are not presented as buffoons, or smarmy carpet-dealers, or decadent sheiks (and oh, how the oily sultans are smitten with the blond Western womens!), then they are basically your bug-eyed hijacker-bomber....

In an interview before the premiere, Shaheen says that the OPEC oil embargo, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Iranian revolution and hostage crisis all conspired to cast the Arab as film villain beginning in the 1970s. "We pray and we kill," Shaheen says of the depiction. Like other stereotypes on film -- of blacks, Jews, gays, Latinos, Native Americans -- Arabs are now in the crosshairs.

"The Arab serves as the ultimate outsider, the other, who doesn't pray to the same God, and who can be made to be less human," says Shaheen, who argues that movies and TV shows do matter -- that they shape public opinion at home and abroad. "Do you have any idea what it must be like to be a young person watching this stuff over in the Middle East?" he says. And if you ask Shaheen who even cares about an old Chuck Norris film, he answers, "Have you ever looked through a TV Guide? These movies are on television constantly. The images last forever. They never go away...."

In the Q&A session after his documentary, Shaheen explains that he is not advocating a politically correct scrubbing of all portrayals of Arab Americans and Arabs -- even as terrorists. The problem is balance, he says.

Meaning? Hollywood still shows black pimps and Latino gangbangers, but pop culture has also made some room for Will Smith and "Ugly Betty." "I've seen the Arab hijacker, but where is the Arab father?" Shaheen says. What we need, he says, seriously, is a sitcom called "Everybody Loves Abdullah." [Link]

Sikhs say an Associated Press story suggesting the FBI has asked followers of their faith to cooperate in counter-terrorism efforts perpetuates the attitude has led to prejudicial attacks on them since 9/11.

"The FBI is intensifying efforts nationwide to enlist Muslims, Arab-Americans and Sikhs to help thwart a possible terrorist attack this summer or fall."

So says the first line of a July 9 Associated Press story that was picked up by numerous newspapers, radio and television outlets including CNN.com, ABCNews.com, National Public Radio and the Guardian Unlimited in England.

This was news to Sikhs, who are not Muslim or Arab and have never been linked to Al-Qaeda or the September 11 attacks.

"That gives the impression some members of the Sikh community are involved in terrorism," said Manjit Singh, president of Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Taskforce (SMART) which works toward accurate representation of Sikhs and Sikhism in American Society and media. "Sikhs are not connected in any way to 9-11."

The AP story, by reporter Curt Anderson, came from a July 9 FBI press release titled "Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigations Reinforce Commitment to working with leaders of Muslim, Sikh and Arab-American Communities."

The press release is based on Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller's recent meeting with leaders of national Muslim, Sikh and Arab-American organizations. It lumped together the FBI's separate initiatives. One goal is to glean terror-related intelligence from Muslim and Arab-American community leaders. The other is to investigate and prevent hate crimes stemming from reaction to the war on terror and directed at these groups as well as at Sikhs, whom some mistake for Muslims because male Sikhs wear a type of turban.

"The AP jumped the gun by not realizing the clear distinction between the different things," said Singh. "Mr. Anderson fell victim to the common misconception that Sikhs are connected to 9-11. That's what we're trying to correct." [Link]

After the attacks in the US on September 11, 2001, ethnic minorities did become targets of violence as a result of a few Americans retaliating in anger. The Sikh community in the United States was one of the targets.

Now the Community has decided to fight prejudice with an exhibition explaining their culture at the Queens Museum of New York. A Brookyln based photographer portrays Sikhs in their public and private lives, to create this unique and intimate look into one of the least well known and understood communities.

On the five year anniversary of 9/11, five Sikhs were chosen and actively helped by Grassroots Initiative and the Sikh Coalition, to run for office, and all five were elected becoming the first-ever Sikh elected officials in New York.

Prerana Reddy, Director of public events says, "Well the Queens Museum is located in one of the most diverse part of the world, And definitely there is a large Sikh Community here and we did not have the opportunity to show case their culture and their public life so this was a great opportunity for us".

Marritt, a visitor to the exhibition says, "By picking the Sikh Community that is one of the most visible and heavily discriminated groups and making it clear that they can succeed, really sets an example." [Link]

Expressing beliefs through personal reflections and performances, representatives of different faiths from across Massachusetts gathered at the George Sherman Union's Metcalf Hall last night to debunk religious stereotypes and misconceptions.

"Breaking Barriers: Destroying Misconceptions About Our World's Faiths," hosted by different on-campus religious groups, was an opportunity for about 20 students to talk about their personal struggles with how others perceive their religions, said Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore during his opening speech.

The event, which included speakers from an array of faith backgrounds, examined social misunderstandings between different faith-based people.

"When I get into an elevator, it is up to me to break the tension because my turban draws attention," said Sham Rang Singh Khalsa, minister of Gurudwara, a Sikh temple. "When I bring up the Red Sox, I know they are relieved." [Link]

Soon after [September 11], we were all warned that Muslims were not terrorists. Christian preachers and Muslims were sounding that message after it was reported that a select few people actually had committed acts of violence against Arabs, and it's certain that a strain of mistrust and misconceptions grew out of Sept. 11 and previous terrorist attacks. Even now, our society has not outgrown it.

One Muslim, a student of international business at Mississippi State, said in an interview that he feels uncomfortable even going to Wal-Mart and that he often receives fearful and intimidated looks and gestures from others.

"Some college students will look at me strongly as if I am up to something ... I think because of my Middle Eastern looks and my beard, people think that all Muslims are terrorists or supporters of UBL [Osama bin Laden]. In fact, I hate UBL. Despite this, I am seen as one of 'them,'" he said. He added that he has had problems with police officers in other cities because of his ethnicity. [Link]

There are 785 [Members of the European Parliament]. Of which only nine are non-white. Why is no one up in arms about it?....

With 785 representatives from 27 member countries and chambers in Brussels and Strasbourg, it is the world's only directly elected international chamber. It represents a more diverse range of people than almost any other - 492 million European citizens. It is also almost completely white.... There are just nine non-white MEPs here, 1.1% of the total....

Neena Gill was elected as a Labour MEP alongside Moraes eight years ago. She is the only Asian woman in parliament. "Nobody would believe me when I said, 'Britannique'. Only two nights ago I was at a function and this Belgian found it really hard to accept that I was an MEP because I was wearing a sari," she says. "I hear phrases such as, 'Madame Gill is wearing oriental costume.' When they realise you're Indian, people say, 'Why aren't you wearing that spot on your head?' It is the sort of thing that would have been said in Britain 35 years ago."....

The few non-white MEPs try to avoid being stereotyped as token experts on race or immigration. But it is a telling sign of their rarity that many are inundated with appeals from people in other countries who share their ethnicity or religion. As well as being the only Asian woman in parliament, Gill is the only Sikh too. She says she receives "almost weekly" calls from Sikh groups in Italy and France who are attacked because of "the turban issue". [Link]