Don’t kid yourself, there’s a war over Muslims in America. As 2010 comes to a close, it’s clear that this year offered few favors for the American Muslim identity or reputation. Indeed, Pew reports that Muslims in America had a higher approval rating after 9/11 than in 2010. As moderate Muslims fought valiantly (no pun intended) to present a peaceful image of Islam, extremists ascribing their views to Islam made these efforts all the more difficult.
For Muslims, the new year stumbled to a start (right off the heels of the 2009 Christmas Day underwear bomber) when five Virginian youths were arrested and convicted of a terrorism conspiracy. In May, Faisal Shahzad made world headlines after his homemade bomb failed to detonate in Times Square. In November, a disgruntled Mohamed Mohamud attempted to detonate a fake bomb in Portland. Likewise, this December, Antonio Martinez tried to detonate a fake bomb of his own in Baltimore.
In response, anti-Muslim sentiments grew dramatically in 2010.
Tags: islam and the west, islamophobia, muslim americans, muslims for peace, religious freedom, religious pluralism
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