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Calif. Muslim students face double rate of discrimination

Women take part in a vigil for three young Muslims killed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, at Dupont Circle on February 12, 2015 in Washington, DC. The three were killed by a neighbour in what police said was a dispute over parking and possibly a hate crime. AFP PHOTO/MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Muslim-American students in California are bullied and discriminated against in schools at a rate double that of all students nationally – and much of it via administrators, teachers, textbooks and peers, according to a report by a prominent Muslim-American advocacy group.
The Council on American-Islamic Relation’s California chapter released “Mislabeled: The Impact of School Bullying and Discrimination on California Muslim Students” last week. It gives details to the results of a 621-student survey in which 55 percent said they have experienced religion-based bullying.
The bullying, officials for CAIR said at their Anaheim office in a Friday press conference, often affects the ability of students to learn and feel comfortable in school.
“Many students struggle with poor performance and internalize their feelings,” said Fatima Dadabhoy, a CAIR senior civil rights attorney. “It’s a struggle trying to balance their American side while still respecting their religion.”
Much of the report reflects the negative perceptions and forms of discrimination many in the Muslim community have faced since 9/11.
These problems include peers calling Muslim students names and accusing them of being terrorists, students grabbing the hijab, a headscarf worn by many Muslim women, and teachers saying Muslim students don’t understand something because they aren’t American.
The report concludes with recommendations for the U.S. Congress, textbook publishers, administrators, teachers and parents to help Muslim students feel welcomed, comfortable, respected and able to learn in a safe environment.
Some solutions: enact laws to prohibit religion-based bullying, ensure textbook discussions about Muslims is not Islamaphobia, provide proper cultural training to teachers, and assert your child’s right to a harassment-free learning environment.
“If students don’t feel respected or part of the (school) environment,” Dadabhoy said, “you become marginalized and disempowered.”

Source: World Bulletin

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