by Valerie Russ
Philadelphia Inquirer
Until recently, many immigrant and first-generation Muslims lived in mostly white suburban communities without facing discrimination or hostility, said Jacob Bender, executive director of the Council of American-Islamic Relations in Philadelphia, a civil rights organization that advocates for Muslim Americans.
However, since 9/11 and, more recently, since President Donald Trump called for “Muslim bans” on immigration, those Muslims have started to experience anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim bigotry, he said.
“For many of them, having economic success was a guarantee of living in a hate-free, bigotry-free environment,” Bender said. “Then along came 9/11, and the election, and reversed that.”
