Excerpt:
There is no doubt that the Muslims living in US faced many challenges after the attacks on New York's World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, but they turned the adversity into opportunity.
"There had been a rise in anti-Muslim sentiments post 9/11 in the US which led to various crimes, including hate crimes and destruction of Muslim properties. However, the Muslims met these challenges well by engaging with the government and the civil society and interacting with interfaith allies and the media," said the president of Muslim Bar Association of New York (MuBANY), Asim Rehman on Tuesday. Mr Rehman was speaking on "Muslim identity in a pluralistic society." He was in Kolkata as part of his tour of different Indian cities.
Mr Rehman acknowledged that due to growing antagonism and suspicion, the New York police even started spying on some local mosques and many Muslim Americans faced immense problems while travelling. There was also an opposition to construction of new mosques in many areas. "However, the US government played an excellent role. It told the court that although it was not a party in the dispute, it supported the Muslim community's right to build its place of worship like any other community," he added.