Despite American newspaper apology ‘Islamophobia’ still evident from September 11 Investigations

EOHR commends the Tallahassee Democrat, Florida for the apology made to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) for the comments of one of its editors which included disparaging remarks about Arabs and Muslims. The editor has been suspended without pay for one week. The issue highlights the necessity of confronting escalating attitudes which promote racism and hatred within the USA.

The disparaging editor’s comment came in response to protest letters received by the newspaper regarding the publication of a defamatory cartoon. The cartoon depicted the prophet Mohammed in Arabian clothes driving a nuclear bomb-laden truck similar to the one used by Timothy McVeigh in Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. The cartoon was captioned "what would Mohammed drive?". EOHR had previously demanded an urgent apology from the newspaper.

EOHR regards the lack of transparency in relation to September 11 investigations as a main source of ‘Islamophobia’ within the United States and Europe. The clearest example of non-transparency is embodied in the conditions under which alleged suspects are detained at Guantanamo naval base. Such detentions breach the standards set by international humanitarian law.

The unjustified secrecy, which is the main characteristic of the September 11 investigations, has led an increase of suspicion towards all Arabs or Muslims.

Unfortunately, the United States has failed to draw a distinction between those criminally responsible for the acts of September 11, and Arabs and Muslims more generally. Investigations and procedures taken in the aftermath of September treat all Muslims and Arabs as potential criminals because of their origin or religion. A prime example is the new US immigration restrictions currently put in place to detain and question Arabs and Muslims upon their entry to or registration at the United States.

EOHR calls upon the authorities in the United States to declare the results of the investigations performed in response to September 11. EOHR regards transparency as a crucial step towards challenging the escalation of Islamophobia. Transparency is essential to protect the civil and political rights of Muslims and Arabs within the United States.

For further information see the CAIR website at: http://www.cair-net.org