The Woodstock woman wonders why some people would do that.
“Nobody will dare to make a (negative) comment versus a Jewish person or a black person,” Moiz said. “When people say negative things about Islam, if you don’t feel comfortable, it’s important for people to say ‘That’s not cool.’”
The Muslim community in Georgia has been working to educate the public about their faith in the years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The Council on American Islamic Relation of Georgia held a forum Saturday so American Muslims could ask questions about law enforcement practices or workplace situations.
“The last two years have not been the best of times in the Muslim community in the United States because of things beyond our control,” said Dr. Rashid Naim, a board member of the council.
Naim said Muslims in Georgia have faced discrimination by employers and those in positions of authority.
And people have committed hate crimes against Muslims. Of the 890 hate crimes against Muslims in the United States following the 2001 terrorist attacks, there have been fewer than a half-dozen hate crimes directed against Muslims in Georgia, said Gregory Jones, special agent in charge of the FBI branch in Atlanta.
“In many cases we’ve found we didn’t know where to go when these things happen,” Naim said.
Jones explained to the audience of about 50 people that the FBI must balance protecting the U.S. Constitution and civil rights versus the agency’s role of protecting the country from threats.
“The FBI today is much more responsive and attuned to the constitutional limits of our authority,” Jones said.
Abdul Muhammed, 32, of Atlanta, said he has not experienced any discrimination but said sometimes Muslims and non-Muslims can have preconceived notions of each other. But the groups share similar views, he said.
“We believe in the same thing — we believe in peace and we work for peace,” he added
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