U.S.

to track discrimination in schools as

anti-Muslim sentiment grows
By Michael Alison Chandler, Washington Post on 09.14.16
Word Count 698

Hannah Shraim (center) turns to chat with other students before an after-hours study session for their math nal at
Northwest High School in Germantown, Maryland, May 10, 2016. Photo: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

The U.S. Education Department announced it will begin collecting data this year about
allegations of discrimination or bullying of students based on their religion, bringing new
attention to what educators and advocates call a growing problem in public schools,
particularly for Muslim students.
Catherine E. Lhamon, the department's assistant secretary for civil rights, said the
department plans to work with schools and communities to promote inclusive school
environments for everyone.
"Students of all religions should feel safe, welcome and valued in our nation's schools," she
said in an announcement.
The news was welcomed by Muslim advocates. Terrorist attacks in Paris, San Bernardino,
and Orlando by individuals who claimed allegiance to the Islamic State, and a presidential
candidate who has proposed a ban on all Muslims entering the country have fueled a
wave of anti-Muslim sentiment.

Frightening headlines and rhetoric on the campaign trial are seeping into school lunch
rooms and hallways and being felt by Muslim children, advocates said.
"Everything from being called 'terrorist' to jokes about 'Where is your bomb?' Obviously,
they are not really jokes," said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on AmericanIslamic Relations, or CAIR.
"It is creating a kind of toxic learning environment in which these students feel like they are
under attack because of their faith," he said.
On December 31, departing U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and current U.S.
Education Secretary John B. King Jr. sent a joint letter to school leaders across the country
enlisting their help to protect against discrimination and harassment of students based on
their race or national origin and religion.
The letter said that historic levels of refugees eeing violence in Syria and other
international and domestic events are creating "an urgent need for safe spaces for
students."
It said students "especially at risk of harassment" include those "who are, or are perceived
to be, Syrian, Muslim, Middle Eastern, or Arab, as well as those who are Sikh, Jewish, or
students of color."
The letter said educators have a chance to make a "real difference" in the way communities
respond to these events, and it encouraged them to help "students grapple with current
events and conicting viewpoints in constructive ways, and not in ways that result in the
targeting of particular students for harassment or blame."
The department's Ofce of Civil Rights enforces Title VI of the Civil Rights Act which
prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs
receiving federal funding. Discrimination based on religion is included when it is related to
someone's actual or perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics.
Last year the ofce received more than 10,000 complaints of alleged discrimination,
including some relating to religion. Those cases were typically not reported separately, as
they will be in the future.
In districts found to have hostile environments, federal ofcials helped to improve
harassment policies, training and school climate surveys.
A better understanding of the prevalence of religious discrimination will help policy makers
and educators understand the scope of the problem and protect more students, educators
say.
The California chapter of CAIR found in a 2014 survey of youth that 55 percent of American
Muslim students surveyed reported experiencing some form of bullying based on their
religious identity while at school.

Zahra, a 17-year-old college freshman at Montgomery College, who gave only her rst
name because of fear of anti-Muslim sentiment, recalled what it felt like when she was a
new immigrant to the United States, starting middle school outside of Dallas.
She recalled that she or family members were called names. In the seventh grade, when
she started wearing the hijab, one girl that she considered a friend stopped talking to her
at school. Her school bus driver called her a "terrorist." For a while she stopped wearing it.
"I wanted to not go to school. I would rather be home-schooled," she said. "It was terrible
for me."
As she got older, she said, teasing or taunts bothered her less. And when she decided to
wear the hijab, she did it because she felt proud to wear it.
Now she wants to educate people about Islam.
"People are ignorant, that is why they are fearful," she said.

Quiz
1

Which of the following statements MOST accurately represents the relationship between the
central ideas in the article?
(A)

The growing problem of bullying within the public schools prompted a letter
from the U.S. Education Department to be sent out to school leaders. School
leaders will be punished if bullying does not stop.

(B)

Joke-telling aimed at Muslim students in the lunchroom mirrors the antiMuslim rhetoric of a presidential candidate on the campaign trail. As a
result, Muslim students feel like they are constantly under attack.

(C)

Reports of discrimination based on religion are on the rise in public schools.

Therefore, the U.S. Education Department is encouraging schools to make
changes so they will feel more safe and open for everyone.

(D)

The Ofce of Civil Rights enforces Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Therefore, it
is launching a campaign to end bullying based on race and religion in
schools.

Which sentence from the article BEST illustrates the central idea that Muslims are treated
unfairly because of their religion?

Which answer option BEST summarizes the U.S. Department of Education's goal when it wrote
the letter to school leaders?

(A)

to explain how conict in the Middle East relates to bullying in the U.S.

(B)

to blame the leaders for not providing a safe environment for students to
learn

(C)

to train the leaders on how to improve harassment policies at schools

(D)

to encourage the leaders to help students deal with conict and differences
in positive ways

According to the article, each of the following has contributed to the growing anti-Muslim
sentiment EXCEPT:
(A)

terror attacks around the world perpetrated by the Islamic State

(B)

unfair policies from the Department of Education around bullying

(C)

politicians who say untrue things about Muslims

(D)

a lack of understanding about Islam in parts of the American population

Answer Key
1

Which of the following statements MOST accurately represents the relationship between the
central ideas in the article?
(A)

The growing problem of bullying within the public schools prompted a letter
from the U.S. Education Department to be sent out to school leaders. School
leaders will be punished if bullying does not stop.

(B)

Joke-telling aimed at Muslim students in the lunchroom mirrors the antiMuslim rhetoric of a presidential candidate on the campaign trail. As a
result, Muslim students feel like they are constantly under attack.

(C)

Reports of discrimination based on religion are on the rise in public

schools. Therefore, the U.S. Education Department is encouraging
schools to make changes so they will feel more safe and open for
everyone.

(D)

The Ofce of Civil Rights enforces Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Therefore, it
is launching a campaign to end bullying based on race and religion in
schools.

Which sentence from the article BEST illustrates the central idea that Muslims are treated
unfairly because of their religion?

Which answer option BEST summarizes the U.S. Department of Education's goal when it wrote
the letter to school leaders?

(A)

to explain how conict in the Middle East relates to bullying in the U.S.

(B)

to blame the leaders for not providing a safe environment for students to
learn

(C)

to train the leaders on how to improve harassment policies at schools

(D)

to encourage the leaders to help students deal with conflict and

differences in positive ways

According to the article, each of the following has contributed to the growing anti-Muslim
sentiment EXCEPT:
(A)

terror attacks around the world perpetrated by the Islamic State

(B)

unfair policies from the Department of Education around bullying

(C)

politicians who say untrue things about Muslims

(D)

a lack of understanding about Islam in parts of the American population