Anxious and Active: Muslim Perception of Discrimination and Treatment and its Political Consequences in the Post-September

Abstract: Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative analysis, this article assesses discrimination and anxiety among Muslims in the post-September 11, 2001 United States. Substantial portions of Muslim-Americans are indeed anxious and report personal and group discrimination. However, this is guided by many factors including religious salience, age, education, political attentiveness, native born status, and years lived in the United States. Respondents who are more anxious and know victims of religious discrimination are also more active in politics. However, personal experiences with discrimination are unrelated to political participation. Overall, in spite of or perhaps because of anxiety over their present status, Muslim-Americans are highly functional in the political sphere. Many are now more active in politics than prior to September 11, 2001. What is it like to be Muslim in post-September 11, 2001 America? Although only a handful of radicals committed the atrocious acts for which we remember that fateful day, are Muslims deemed guilty by association, increasingly scrutinized and under attack? How prevalent are perceptions of discrimination and anxiety about their status in the post-September 11, 2001 United States? Does this vary by subgroup? Overall, how do these perceptions affect Muslim-Americans politically? Using a telephone survey of a random sample of Muslim-Americans, this article first explores factors related to differing perceptions of treat-ment and discrimination, linking these views to current levels of politica