Sunday Read: California Muslim students more likely to be bullied in school

Muslim students in California continue to report being bullied or harassed at a higher rate than other students in the state and the country, according to a new report by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

The CAIR report, "Singled Out: Islamophobia in the Classroom and the Impact of Discrimination on Muslim Students,"  released Wednesday (Oct. 16) reveals that Muslim students are bullied at twice the rate of the national statistic.

While the report shows some hope that there is a decline in bullying, CAIR-Greater Los Angeles' Senior Civil Rights Attorney Patricia Shnell, Esq., the lead editor of the report., said, "Muslim students still report bullying at alarmingly high rates, and there is a need to continue to advocate for students at the federal, state and district levels, so that everyone has uninterrupted access to their education, regardless of their religion or background."

“I was in second grade when I first decided to wear a headscarf (hijab). Three days after my decision, a classmate attacked my new appearance by implying that I was connected to Osama Bin Laden," said Anoosh Ali, 18, a first-year student at Sierra College. She was so traumatized she never wore a hijab again until last year. "It took me 10 years to get over the shattering effects that bullying had. Ten years!"

SCREEN CAPTURE

At a press conferencee, Anoosh Ali relates how traumatic bullying can be for a young Muslim student.

The report, is based on findings from a statewide survey of approximately 1,500 Muslim students between the ages of 11 and 18. This report is the fourth in CAIR-CA's series of biennial reports documenting the rates of bullying of Muslim students in California.

Each report is based on a survey which asks Muslim students across the state about how they perceive their school environment and the type of bullying and/or discrimination they have experienced at school, as either a target or bystander.

According to the responses received for the new report, 40% of respondents reported being bullied for being Muslim, which is double the national statistic for students being targets of school bullying.

Key findings illustrate minimal improvement in school environments for Muslim students.

While 72% of Muslim students reported feeling comfortable letting others know they were Muslims, that percentage is down from the 2016 survey, when 77% of respondents felt the same.

Seventy percent of respondents felt safe, welcomed and respected in their schools, just 1% higher than as reported in 2016. However, looking at the wider trend among CAIR-CA surveys, the number of Muslim students who report feeling safe, welcome and respected at their schools has declined 13 percentage points since 2014.

The survey also considered gender-based differences in survey responses. More female students reported experiencing bullying, with 44% of female respondents reporting being bullied compared to 37% of male respondents.

In addition to analyzing gender-based differences, CAIR-CA also focused on age-based differences. The data revealed that high school-age student respondents were bullied at a higher rate than lower grades, with 48% of 12th-grade respondents reporting being bullied, the highest rate based on age/grade.

To comply with that law, Assembly Bill 2291, the California Department of Education posted online an anti-bullying training module that schools must offer to teachers and other employees who have regular interaction with students.

“In the era of Trump and abhorrent attacks on our immigrant communities, the fact that 40% of Muslim students have faced bullying is extremely troubling, but not surprising," Chiu said in a statement. "Moving forward, we will be monitoring this issue and working with advocates to see what steps can be taken to make sure all students feel safe and welcome at school.”

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