Abstract This paper begins with a brief review of relevant background information on Muslim Americans. Thereafter, information is presented pertaining to the contemporary social justice issues related to Muslim Americans, including indicators of oppression, prejudice and discrimination. This is followed by a discussion of the efforts by and effectiveness of local and national advocacy groups to address issues of concern regarding Muslim Americans. The paper concludes with a discussion of what can be done on both a personal and a systems level to alleviate the oppression experienced by Muslim Americans.
From the Paper "While there is a tendency to initially jump to the assumption and conclusion that Muslim Americans did not experience major social justice issues until after September 11, as documented by Blank (1998), the experiences of this group within the US were subject to oppression long before the events of that traumatic day in American history. As Blank explained, while Muslims make up one of the fastest-growing religious groups in the US, they have remained one of the least understood by the general American population. In describing the results of a Roper poll conducted in 1998), Blank reported that over half of the respondents described Islam as inherently anti-American, anti-Western, or supportive of terrorism. However, as noted by Blank, only 5 percent of those who participated in the poll indicated that they had ever had extensive personal contact with Muslim Americans. Similarly, as noted by Blank, while there was a decline in the incidence of violence and harassment directed at Muslims declined 58 percent in 1997, discrimination reports increased 60 percent."
