Muslims first came to the US sometime in the 18th century. Their population has increased steadily and according to the PEW Research Center it now stands at about 2.3 million. About a third of US Muslims are of African descent. They are not usually born muslims but converted to Islam.
What is disturbing is the growth in anti-Muslim feelings in the US. Recent surveys suggest that about 46% of the US population held a negative view of Muslims. This is a full 7% higher than the number of persons with similar views immediately after 9/11. So what is the reason for this increase? In part it is due to media reports and statements by leaders. It is also due to a heightened sense of insecurity and fears of a terrorist attack amongst the people at large.
The events of the past few years have had a profound effect on the psyche of the ordinary American. Although most people still feel that Islam is OK as a religion and it has only been hijacked by extremists, many now feel that the civil liberties of Muslims in the US need to be curtailed. They favor steps such as compulsory registration by Muslims and also racial profiling.
It is interesting to note as far back as in 1946, that is about 55 years before 9/11 the Military Intelligence Division of the US War Department identified Islam as a threat to World stability.
In order to counter this growing anti-Muslim feeling the Council on American-Islamic Relations is proposing to launch a massive media campaign.
It has been suggested that terrorist activities are a result of an ongoing struggle within Islam, between the Jihadis and the Moderate Muslims. But sadly there seems to be no way of clearly identifying the two.
For the time being the US is a nation at war. How long it will take for things to return to normal is unfortunately not possible to predict with any degree of certainty.