Islamophobia was the invention of the Bush era 'think tanks'. It's good to remind everyone the roots of current so-called 'Islamophobia' extend to well before 9-11.The reason it's important is that is underscores the aforementioned agenda as being 'political' versus reality driven. in brief: when the Soviet Communism collapsed, Arabs, Muslims and an Middle-Eastern country sitting on oil reserves became the new scapegoat for the Military Industrial Complex. By fomenting discontent by, isolation and suspicion of orthodox muslims after 9-11, the stage was set for a redirection of frustrations by a recently slighted and disenfranchised hard core bigoted sector of American society . This has functioned well as a distraction from the root cause of America's recent economic and geopolitical disasters.
Understanding this, it's now key to defeat Islamophobia by reversing the distraction and redirecting our energies to identifying, de-fanging and isolating the perpretrators of both the Islamophobic distractions and the root cause of the aggressor's discontent.
What is needed now is a 'De-Bushification' of our town hall meetings, Capitol Hill Machinations and imminent 2012 campaign.
Grass roots efforts to directly and forcible confront Islamophobia will have limited results as it invariably plays into the hands of the bigoted perpetrators.
mahmoud el-darwish

The above statement by Mahmoud sounds like nonsense to me. Fear of Islam is a direct result of the 9/11 attack on America. Any concerns or fears that some people may have had prior to that time were minor. It will take many many years, if not decades, for Americans to begin to get past the fear and distrust created by the twisted bigoted fanatics from the Middle East that attacked our homeland. The 9/11 terrorists ( acting in the name of their religion) should be the focus of your anger.
Don't blame the victims, blame the terrorists.

As a Muslim-American, I can tell you firsthand that Fear of Islam happened before 9/11. When I was in high school, Americans were held hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Not a great time to be a Muslim in America. But it's not about about my religion and never has been. People are afraid of the different, of what they don't understand.

In the 1940s, Americans put Japanese-Americans who had lived here for generations in internment camps, courtesy of Pearl Harbor. We saw a resurgence of hatred against the Japanese in the 1970s when we were in a recession. We blamed Japan -- and thus Japanese-Americans -- for the loss of American jobs. The Ku Klux Klan targets Vietnamese-Americans in the Gulf today for their success in the shrimping industry.

When the world suffered a global depression in the 1930s, Hitler blamed the Jews, the gypsies, the gays, the disabled, the Catholics, and pretty much anybody else who did not fit his Aryan ideal. Twelve million people were slaughtered as a result.

JH, the response to fear is not love, but information! Engage us American-born Muslims, whether converts or not. Some of us are actually literate! Listen to how we were shattered TWICE by 9/11: first by the loss of innocent lives on our American soil, then the backlash against us, where women wearing headscarves were afraid to leave their houses, afraid of being attacked.

Engage us, JH, and experience our humanity. You'll learn that Islam is nothing anyone has to fear.

If you think Muslims are getting a bad rap, then you are in the right country to voice your opinion, thank God. This country and its heritage supports your right to speak on this forum and in clubs, parks, Congressional floors, and even in private houses to say what you think.

But if you want real respect for your faith and culture, then get on out there, all you Muslim Americans, and work vocally and loudly against the radical Islamic agenda. Don't spend your time saying how much you're hated and line yourselves up with the progressive left who want to shut down any free speech that isn't their own.

Stand up for liberty, even if the people exercising that liberty peacefully don't echo your own sentiments - because that's what it is to be American.

Disagree with them all you want. But do not tell them that they don't have the right to speak.

Oh and who, pray tell, will decide what "biased speech" is and what isn't? That suggestion sounds like something out of a George Orwell book.

NH

Aref ---- I urge you to reach out to those fanatics ( and their support network here and around the world) that attacked America and let them understand and embrace the love that you feel for the American people. You can have a positive impact and play a constructive role in the war on terror. Start today!

"Stand up for liberty, even if the people exercising that liberty peacefully don't echo your own sentiments - because that's what it is to be American.

Disagree with them all you want. But do not tell them that they don't have the right to speak."

Hilarious. We held a public forum at which we invited Fred Grandy to discuss his views. He failed to show up because he fears public debate of his views alongside informed opponents. So we did EXACTLY Nisi Hamilton is recommending. Yet she is still blasting American Muslims.

This "logic" is absurd and ridiculous on its face. And it belies a deeper prejudice.