"I have been monitoring and following Libya all my life," said Osama Al-Qasem, 56, who left the country as a child and lives in Holland, Bucks County. "My father was a lawyer. Life was very pleasant until Gadhafi came to power." Although Al-Qasem was just 12 when he left for boarding school in England, he recalls how the promise of the 1969 coup that began Gadhafi's reign quickly soured.
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Nearby, Fatin Guzlan and Sally Selim, of the Council of American-Islamic Relations, handed out dates, a traditional Muslim treat. "We're here to explain that we're Americans, too, and that Sept. 11 was a double whammy for us," said Selim. "It hit us as Americans and it hit our religion."
The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations has fielded calls from Muslims in the Delaware Valley who reported they’ve been victimized. Many reported incidents involve hiring practices and workplace issues. With the poor economy and heightened competition for jobs, having the name Muhammad or Fatima can be a real disadvantage, said Rugiatu Conteh, outreach and communications director for CAIR in Philadelphia.
The attacks of 9/11 were definitely an attack on the American-Muslin Community,” said Moein Khawaja, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) Philadelphia chapter. “I think the attacks tarnished … the Muslim community. In the aftermath, it produced an unnecessary hatred. But I believe that with the death of Osama bin Laden, I am confident we have seen an end to the terror that plagued this nation and the Muslim community. I feel like al-Qaida attacked me twice, once by murdering so many fellow citizens, but the second time by smearing my faith.
"We do get calls, 'Hey, I've been asked to be an informant - I've been asked to record the Friday sermons of my imam and pass them along to the FBI,' " said Moein Khawaja, 28, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Philadelphia, a civil-rights advocacy organization. "A lot of these people are immigrants," he continued. "They'll say, 'Look, I'm a student, I'm an immigrant, I just want to get by and get my work done, and the FBI says this is what will happen to me if I don't do it.'
