U.S. radio host Jerry Klein triggered uncommon reactions when he suggested on-air that all American Muslims must be marked with a crescent-shaped tattoo or a distinctive arm band.
One of the callers congratulated Klein for his suggestion, saying: “Not only do you tattoo them in the middle of their forehead but you ship them out of this country ... they are here to kill us."
Another said that marking Muslims isn’t enough, adding: "You have to set up encampments like during World War Two with the Japanese and Germans."
At the end of the one-hour show, which was aired on Nov. 26, Klein revealed that he had staged a hoax.
”I can't believe any of you are sick enough to have agreed for one second with anything I said," he told his audience on the AM station 630 WMAL, which covers Washington, Northern Virginia and Maryland.
"For me to suggest to tattoo-mark people's bodies, have them wear armbands, put a crescent moon on their driver's license, their passport or birth certificate is disgusting. It's beyond disgusting,” he added.
After the show, Klein said that he had been surprised by the response.
"The switchboard went from empty to totally jammed within minutes… There were plenty of callers angry with me, but there were plenty who agreed.”
Those who agreed aren’t a minority, according to recent public polls in post 9/11 America.
A USA Today poll, carried out in August, showed that 39% of Americans believe that Muslims, even U.S. citizens, should carry special IDs.
Another survey by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the U.S.'s largest Muslim advocacy group, found that one in every three Americans associate the word “Islam” with negative connotations such as "war” or “hatred”.
The 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq contributed to such perceptions, according to CAIR.
Moreover, CAIR’s 11th annual report concluded that discrimination against Muslims in the U.S. reached a record high in 2005.
In the report, titled “The Struggle for Equality”, CAIR said it processed a total of 1,972 civil rights complaints last year alone; almost 30% higher than the figures of 2004.
A recent study published in the Journal of Human Resources also showed that wages of Arab and Muslim men working in the U.S. declined by 10% after the Sept. 11 attacks.
“Ignorance”
Some analysts believe that the rising Islamophobia emerged from the policies of many Western governments who want to protect their interests in the Middle East through tarnishing Muslims’ image to justify their political and military interference in Arab and ME nations.
Other Muslims believe that ignorance is the main reason behind the rise in anti-Muslim sentiment.
"The level of knowledge is very, very low," said Mohamed Esa, an American Muslim of Arab descent who teaches a course on Islam at McDaniel College in Maryland. "There are 1.3 billion Muslims in the world and some people think they are all terrorists."
Hossam Ahmad, a retired Air Force Reserve colonel who occasionally leads prayers for a small congregation at the Pentagon, agreed. "Ignorance is the number one problem. Education is of the essence,” he said.
Although the rise in Islamophobia affected Muslims’ efforts to integrate in Western societies, many Muslims succeeded in establishing themselves in the West, and played a key role in their countries’ social and political life.
Some optimists saw signs of change in the Nov. 4 election of the first Muslim to the U.S. Congress.
Democrat Keith Ellison, a 43-year-old defense lawyer, did not stress his religion during his campaign for a Minnesota seat, but said his victory would "signal to people who are not Muslims that Muslims have a lot to offer to the United States and the improvement of our country."
Every Muslim is obliged to educate followers of other religions about Islam because, unfortunately, many non-Muslims have negative views of the noble religion, wrongfully associating it with violence.
Contrary to what they believe, the Islamic religion promotes peace and justice. In fact, the word “Islam” itself, which means “surrender or submit” to Allah (SWT) in Arabic, is originally derived from the word “Selm”, or peace.
-- AJP and Agencies
One of the callers congratulated Klein for his suggestion, saying: “Not only do you tattoo them in the middle of their forehead but you ship them out of this country ... they are here to kill us."
Another said that marking Muslims isn’t enough, adding: "You have to set up encampments like during World War Two with the Japanese and Germans."
At the end of the one-hour show, which was aired on Nov. 26, Klein revealed that he had staged a hoax.
”I can't believe any of you are sick enough to have agreed for one second with anything I said," he told his audience on the AM station 630 WMAL, which covers Washington, Northern Virginia and Maryland.
"For me to suggest to tattoo-mark people's bodies, have them wear armbands, put a crescent moon on their driver's license, their passport or birth certificate is disgusting. It's beyond disgusting,” he added.
After the show, Klein said that he had been surprised by the response.
"The switchboard went from empty to totally jammed within minutes… There were plenty of callers angry with me, but there were plenty who agreed.”
Those who agreed aren’t a minority, according to recent public polls in post 9/11 America.
A USA Today poll, carried out in August, showed that 39% of Americans believe that Muslims, even U.S. citizens, should carry special IDs.
Another survey by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the U.S.'s largest Muslim advocacy group, found that one in every three Americans associate the word “Islam” with negative connotations such as "war” or “hatred”.
The 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq contributed to such perceptions, according to CAIR.
Moreover, CAIR’s 11th annual report concluded that discrimination against Muslims in the U.S. reached a record high in 2005.
In the report, titled “The Struggle for Equality”, CAIR said it processed a total of 1,972 civil rights complaints last year alone; almost 30% higher than the figures of 2004.
A recent study published in the Journal of Human Resources also showed that wages of Arab and Muslim men working in the U.S. declined by 10% after the Sept. 11 attacks.
“Ignorance”
Some analysts believe that the rising Islamophobia emerged from the policies of many Western governments who want to protect their interests in the Middle East through tarnishing Muslims’ image to justify their political and military interference in Arab and ME nations.
Other Muslims believe that ignorance is the main reason behind the rise in anti-Muslim sentiment.
"The level of knowledge is very, very low," said Mohamed Esa, an American Muslim of Arab descent who teaches a course on Islam at McDaniel College in Maryland. "There are 1.3 billion Muslims in the world and some people think they are all terrorists."
Hossam Ahmad, a retired Air Force Reserve colonel who occasionally leads prayers for a small congregation at the Pentagon, agreed. "Ignorance is the number one problem. Education is of the essence,” he said.
Although the rise in Islamophobia affected Muslims’ efforts to integrate in Western societies, many Muslims succeeded in establishing themselves in the West, and played a key role in their countries’ social and political life.
Some optimists saw signs of change in the Nov. 4 election of the first Muslim to the U.S. Congress.
Democrat Keith Ellison, a 43-year-old defense lawyer, did not stress his religion during his campaign for a Minnesota seat, but said his victory would "signal to people who are not Muslims that Muslims have a lot to offer to the United States and the improvement of our country."
Every Muslim is obliged to educate followers of other religions about Islam because, unfortunately, many non-Muslims have negative views of the noble religion, wrongfully associating it with violence.
Contrary to what they believe, the Islamic religion promotes peace and justice. In fact, the word “Islam” itself, which means “surrender or submit” to Allah (SWT) in Arabic, is originally derived from the word “Selm”, or peace.
-- AJP and Agencies
