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People perceived to be Middle Eastern were as likely to be victims of hate crimes as followers of Islam in the days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, says a study.
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Newswise—People perceived to be Middle Eastern were as likely to be victims of hate crimes as followers of Islam in the days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, says a Ball State University study.
Data collected from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program also found the number of such hate crimes fell dramatically after eight days, said Bryan Byers, a criminal justice professor and hate crimes researcher.
The FBI data suggests a 1,600-percent surge in anti-Islamic hate crimes in the days following the Sept. 11 attacks. The research also found a similar increase in hate crimes against people who may have been perceived as members of Islam, Arabs and others thought to be of Middle Eastern origin.
“We knew that followers of the Islamic faith were victims of hate crimes, but other groups suffered just as badly,” Byers said. “That is the nature of prejudice. People perceived as being different because of the color of their skin or dress, or perhaps mistaken as Islamic, were immediately considered outsiders. They became the new enemy for some Americans.
“Some people reacted to it by physically attacking or harassing any person who they considered to be different, he said. “Only when there were calls for tolerance did the attacks decline.”
Byers also examined FBI data following the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993 and the 1995 bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City, OK. Neither terrorist attack caused a spike in anti-Islamic hate crimes or attacks against people perceived to be of Middle Eastern origin.
The previous terrorist attacks may not have sparked hate crimes because each was smaller in magnitude, he said.
“Sept. 11 was covered by the media around the clock for days,” Byers said. “The other attacks were major news stories, but did not have such a pronounced effect on America.”