Washington, September 06: “The Muslim community and peace activists in different parts of America have been victimized by the climate that unfolded in the United States [after] 9/11,” Mauri Saalakhan, the director of The Peace through Justice Foundation, said in an interview with Press TV’s US Desk on Saturday.
This comes as new reports indicate that the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) have singled out Muslim communities for surveillance after 9/11 attacks.
“This climate is predicated on a governmental response to national security issues, the so-called war on terrorism that is being conducted both here and abroad with of course Muslims in other countries bear the brunt of it,” Saalakhan pointed out.
The activist described the 9/11 as a “tragedy that paved the way for an even greater constitutional tragedy,” which continues to take its toll on Muslims around the world.
According to a recent report released by the Pew Research Center poll, ۵۵ percent of American Muslims believe the US government’s anti-terrorism policies have singled them out for increased surveillance and monitoring.
The new poll also showed that the abuse of Muslims by airport security, law enforcement officers and others have increased considerably since Muslim-Americans were first polled in 2007.
Almost as many as 43 percent reported experiencing harassment in the past year, which shows an increase from the 40 percent reported in 2007.
—Agencies