Immigration delays top complaint from Oklahoma Muslims, report says

Government agencies accounted for more than half of civil rights complaints from Oklahoma Muslims last year, according to a report released Thursday by a state advocacy group.

Most of the complaints reported were regarding immigration delays, said Razi Hashmi, executive director of the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Immigration problems have been reported by members of other minority communities, particularly Hispanics, Hashmi said.

The number of civil rights cases reported increased from 22 in 2007 to 41 in 2008, according to the annual report, which is the first to be issued by the state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

This doesn’t necessarily reflect an increase in prejudice, Hashmi said. It’s more likely a sign that Oklahomans are willing to report rights violations.

Nationally, the number of civil rights complaints increased slightly, but reports of hate crimes declined 14 percent.

Hashmi said he thinks the anti-Muslim sentiment that swelled after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks is starting to ebb.

"This is encouraging news,” Hashmi said. "We hope the trend will continue.”

Aside from civil rights work, the Council on American-Islamic Relations documents its outreach, government relations and communications work. Hashmi said the organization focuses on outreach to the public.

"We are just part of the community like everybody else,” he said. "It’s as simple as the golden rule: Treat your brother as you would want to be treated.”