9/11 and Immigration Research Assignment Paper

9/11 and Immigration
Name
Institutional affiliation 9/11 and Immigration
After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack, the American government implemented a series of policies which are at times controversial to prevent the country from such attacks again. All the 19 terrorists were foreigners nationals who managed to enter the country through legal means, the detection and prevention of terrorist activity became the most important task of the government. Since all the attackers were Muslim, acute scrutiny following the attacks was focused on Muslims or those who were perceived as Muslims. The government has gone ahead to initiate new border security and other initiatives for law enforcement. It has also heightened visa controls and the screening of international travelers and immigrants.
Obviously, the attacks had some impact on the American towards the Muslim community living in the country. Muslims in America have for long been viewed as a conservative group because of their unwillingness to divert from their religion and cultures. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the number of the hate crimes against Muslim-Americans increased with a margin of 1,700 percent (Alsultany, 2012). In the process of adjusting to the attack, Muslims experienced a rise in the number of negative stereotypes by the larger American community. The increased racial animosity has left Arabs, people from the Middle East and others who share a physical resemblance to Muslims with fear of attacks on their lives.
According to recently concluded research, the hatred towards Muslim Americans can be traced to years before 911. The hatred can be attributed to the media that always portrays Islam as an intolerant and violent religion (Hoyt, 2010). The truth is that Islam is a peaceful religion that advocates for peace. Radical Islam should be confused with the actual Islam that is practiced around the world and advocates for peace. Radical Muslims have a controve...