California Muslim leaders mark Muslim Awareness…
California Muslim leaders mark Muslim Awareness Month, call for greater acceptance
SJM-MUSLIM-0823In this photo, local Muslims stand outside San Jose City Hall, whereofficials recognized August as "Muslim Appreciation and Awareness Month."-Photo courtesy CAIR Bay AreaCaption writer: Tatiana Sanchez*Permission to publish online and in print.
By Mercury News | themerc@bayareanewsgroup.com |
PUBLISHED: August 22, 2016 at 12:48 p.m. | UPDATED: August 24, 2016 at 1:32 a.m.
American Muslims across California called for greater inclusion and acceptance Monday, amid a growing anti-Muslim rhetoric they say is fueled by the upcoming presidential election.
Leaders in the Muslim community also called for the passage of Assembly Bill 2845, proposed legislation that would provide school and community resources for students who face religious-based bullying and discrimination at school.
"It's a difficult time for many American Muslims … but especially challenging for our youth," said Zahra Billoo, executive director of the Bay Area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
A 2015 report by CAIR California found Muslim students are bullied at twice the rate of their non-Muslim peers at schools throughout the state.
Their advocacy efforts come during what the state assembly has recognized as Muslim Appreciation and Awareness month, recently marked by the San Jose City Council with a proclamation to the local CAIR chapter.
Billoo said she remembers getting her own head scarf pulled as a young child in school more than 20 years ago and says bullying of Muslim students "is not a new problem."
"We believe (this legislation) is an important step forward not just to mobilize the community but to send a message that everyone should feel safe in school," Billoo said.
There were an estimated 3.3 million Muslims living in the United States last year — about 1 percent of the total U.S. population — according to a January report by the Pew Research Center. That estimate will likely double by 2050, according to the report.
Political rhetoric against Muslim-Americans has sparked an increased number of hate incidents and discrimination against Muslims in the workplace or at school, while traveling or searching for housing and in other settings, according to CAIR California's 2016 civil rights report.
In Hayward in December 2015, for example, a man had just finished praying at Lake Chabot when he was allegedly physically assaulted by a woman saying he was "worshiping Satan," the report stated.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump contends Muslims entering the U.S. need to be closely scrutinized and has vowed to "ban" Muslims or people coming from countries associated with terrorism from immigrating to the country.
"We can say for sure that Islamophobia tends to see an uptick during election cycles," said Dr. Hatem Bazian, a lecturer of Near Eastern and Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies at UC Berkeley.
CAIR Bay Area launched several voter outreach efforts earlier this year to get more Muslims to the polls in November.
Contact Tatiana Sanchez at 408-920-5836. Follow her atTwitter.com/TatianaYSanchez.
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