Four years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, some Muslim men in Colorado say they are called “Osama” or singled out for attention because of their Islamic-sounding names.
And some Muslim women who wear head scarves and long robes say they’ve been yelled at and told to “go home.”
“The high school kids call me Osama (in reference to al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden),” said Jalaal Abdullah, president of the Islamic Center of Boulder.
But Abdullah also said that many of the non-Muslims he talks to are making more of an effort to understand Islam.
Nevertheless, Muslims here and around the nation still report discrimination.
Muslims in 2004 filed 1,522 discrimination complaints with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group. That was almost 50 percent more complaints than the year before, according to a recent council report. About a quarter of those complaints dealt with alleged mistreatment by law enforcement agencies, the council said.
The increase appears to be fueled by “a lingering atmosphere of fear” following the 9/11 attacks and by the council opening more offices, making it easier for people to file complaints, the report said.
Unreasonable arrests, searches, seizures, detentions and interrogations also are often discussed in Colorado among Muslims, said Ahmad Nabhan, imam of the Colorado Muslim Society. Nabhan said he has never been singled out because he is Muslim.
A Muslim scholar who dresses in the traditional white robe and cap said he often draws attention when he walks down the street. If people ask him his beliefs, the scholar said, he tells them he is a Muslim and reminds them that Islam and Christianity are very similar.
(The scholar and some others interviewed for this article asked not to be identified because of concerns about retaliation or stirring up trouble.)
“You cannot kill the elderly people, the women, the children. These are orders from Mohammed,” the scholar said.
Women who cover themselves often get questions and stares because they stand out from the crowd, said Stephanie Doerr, an Arvada resident who converted to Islam.
“It’s more like mean glares, or they treat me like I’m invisible,” said Doerr, who wears a colorful robe and a head and face veil.
Female Muslim students also get a lot of attention on campus, said Aamenab Zulali, a University of Colorado at Denver student who covers her hair and often wears a long, black robe.
“For girls, they ask why we wear the scarf. And people ask, ‘How do you feel about the war?”‘ Zulali said. “Some people ask because they want to understand, but others ask because they want to start something. We’re not looking for trouble.”
Shaqaiq Birashk, 21, who also covers her hair, said she is accustomed to hearing comments about what she is wearing. She said she doesn’t think the attention is malicious.
“Out of a hundred people, I’m the only one who is covered, so of course they are looking,” said Birashk, a Metropolitan State College of Denver student who had on a black head scarf and a jean jacket over a longer tunic and pants on campus one day last week. “We welcome questions.”
Other college students complain that while terrorists linked to Islam are often prominently portrayed in the American media, the general Muslim population’s good deeds are not recognized.
For example, the Colorado Muslim Society is raising funds for Hurricane Katrina victims, said Hajer Sasi, 18, a student at Metro State.
“And Saudi Arabia donated a lot of money to Katrina victims, but I didn’t hear anything about it on the news,” Sasi said.
Most people seem tolerant of all beliefs, said Rawan Elkhatib, 17, another CU-Denver student.
“Nothing has ever happened to me that is negative,” Elkhatib said.
At the University of Colorado at Boulder, a researcher said his colleagues treated him well until they met his wife and saw that she wears a head scarf.
Co-workers don’t understand that a Muslim woman chooses the way she dresses to honor God, said the man, who is clean-shaven and wears polo shirts and khaki pants.
“They liked me before. But when they met my wife, now they hate me,” the man said.
But in Golden, customers go out of their way to show how much they appreciate Mahmoud Dukmak and his restaurant, the Ali Baba Grill. Dukmak is Stephanie Doerr’s husband.
“We’ve been treated very well. People say, ‘Who will cook for us if you’re not here?”‘ said Dukmak, who has relatives in Lebanon and Syria. “People are taking care of us.”
He keeps a card from a patron in a green envelope behind the counter to remind himself of how kind people can be. The woman gave it to her favorite Ali Baba waiter in October 2001, offering to intervene if anyone said negative things to the restaurant staff, Dukmak said.
“Since this (Sept. 11) tragedy happened, the attitude here is great,” Dukmak said. “It’s just like home.”
Staff writer Bruce Finley contributed to this report.
