As Americans unite in the hours and days following the possible terrorist attack, some are left praying for more than just the safety of those injured or peace for the families of those lost. 

 

I’m also praying- oh Allah, please don’t let it be a Muslim.

 

In the weeks following the Sep. 11 attacks Islamic communities were singled out by hate groups, Latino Americans who appeared Middle Eastern where beaten in the streets of New York, some Muslim women stopped wearing the hijab for fear of being identified as a Muslim -tan or olive colored skin became a target.

 

A new word entered the lexicon: Islamophobia. It can be defined as the fear of or prejudiced viewpoint towards Islam, Muslims and matters pertaining to them. We know that today many Muslim communities in the US are experiencing an increase in suspicion, deep-rooted prejudice, ignorance, and, in some cases, physical and verbal harassment.

 

An effort began to identify Muslims as “others.” The separation of “others,” from the collective “we,” makes it easier to stereotype, segregate, discriminate, hate, and fear. This fear, without reason, was fed upon.

 

Organizations dedicated to stopping the spread of Islam or declaring the truth about Muslims sprang up after an army officer killed members of his unit at Fort Hood.

 

The U.S. went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq and Muslim members of the U.S. military were subject to harassment, ridicule, and suspicion simply because of their religion– still they performed their duties.

 

Law makers attempted to bar Muslims from taking part in the legislative process. National security investigations were called for to find any links between U.S. Muslims and terrorist threats.

 

Police organizations began to monitor Muslim student organizations and mainstream media outlets began to report every event of Islamic extremism with no effort to distinguish between terrorists and the overwhelmingly larger community of Muslims who practice in peace. 

 

But has time passed, the panic has begun to settle. The wars are drawing to an end and Muslims are beginning to feel enjoined with the larger community again. People do not usually grow out of discrimination nor is it easy to recover from. This goes for the victims of Islamophobia, and it is equally true for the perpetrators, but healing has begun.

 

The fear-mongering that rang louder than the Islamic voice in the US has started to draw to a whisper.

 

Organizations that once shouted over the sound of Muslims being swept into seclusion are starting to become a badge identifying only the least educated among us. Yet, with each passing hour after the horror of the Boston marathon explosions, the ties that bind us are beginning to unravel. 

 

When the press announced that a person of interest had been identified as a Saudi national statements like, “why am I not surprised?” could be heard. It seems that even the dying embers of the once raging fire of Islamophobia can still burn.

 

Watching T.V., listening to the radio, reading the newspaper my thoughts and prayers are with the families of each of the 24,000 people running the marathon in Boston. We gather together with our community for vigils and donate our time and energy to help in any way we can.

 

Yet some of us also look in the mirror and ponder shaving our beards. Some of us dress the day after and wonder if they should dawn a hijab. Some of us watch the clock and worry the afternoon prayer may bring with it a renewed scorn.

 

Oh Allah, please be with the families that are hurting due to the evil acts of another. And please- don’t let that person be Muslim.