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Report: Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes Drop For Second Year in a Row

Masood Farivar

   WASHINGTON - Anti-Muslim hate crimes in 10 of the largest U.S. cities
   declined last year for the second year in a row, according to a new
   report from California State University at San Bernardino.

   There were a total of 53 reported anti-Muslim hate crimes in cities
   with large Muslim populations such as New York and Los Angeles, down
   from 74 incidents reported in 2017, the report by the university's
   Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism stated.

   The 28% decline in anti-Muslim incidents last year on top of a smaller
   decrease in 2017 followed three years during which attacks on Muslim
   Americans nearly doubled to levels not seen since the attacks of
   Sept.11, 2001.The offenses have ranged from harassment and assault to
   homicide.

   Preliminary data

   While cautioning that the data is preliminary, Brian Levin, director of
   the center and the report's lead author, said the decline was focused
   mostly on larger cities where historically a disproportionate number of
   hate crimes take place.

   Anti-Muslim hate crimes, Levin said, tendto be "cyclical," rising as
   terror attacks carried out by Muslim extremists inspire a public
   backlash and falling when the violence subsides.

   The latest drop in anti-Muslim hate crime came as the number of deaths
   caused by Muslim American extremist violence fell to one last year from
   17 in 2017 and 54 in 2016.

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