According to a survey conducted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the number of Muslim students physically harmed or harassed at school increased from 9 percent in 2014 to 19 percent in 2016.
CAIR surveyed 1,041 Muslim students age 11 to 18 enrolled in California’s public and private schools. Fifty-three percent said they were mocked, verbally insulted or abused because of their religion.
In a 2014 survey, 83 percent of Muslim students reported feeling safe, welcome and respected in their school. That number dropped to 69 percent in 2016. Sixty-one percent reported feeling comfortable in class discussions surrounding Islam and Muslims compared to 76 percent in 2014, and 77 percent said they felt comfortable letting students know they are Muslim compared to 83 percent two years prior.
Marwa Rifahie, a civil rights attorney for CAIR-LA and lead author of the report, says the answer is better training for students and teachers. “When teachers and students are less informed, bullying is more likely to occur,” she said.
Read the full article on the Campus Safety Magazine website.
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