BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — According to a new survey, 60% of Muslim public school students in Massachusetts said they had been bullied because of their faith.
The survey, run by the Council on American-Islamic Relations and released on May 1, asked Muslim students in grades 6-12 in Massachusetts schools if they had been "made fun of, verbally insulted, or abused for being Muslim." It's the organization's first statewide report on islamophobia in Massachusetts schools.
20% reported they had experienced bullying at least once a month, with 9% being bullied every week or even every day.
A full third of the nearly-200 students surveyed said they had hidden their Muslim identity from their peers in the past, and 17% said they had been respondents reported that their hijab had been pulled on, tugged or they were otherwise disturbed when wearing a hijab.
"We want to make sure that Muslim students know they are not alone, and that they have the power to report these bullying incidents," said Fatuma Mohamed, the Youth Advocacy Officer for CAIR-MA,
Mohamed said CAIR recommends that students document any bullying incidents in precise detail, so their harassers can be held accountable.
WBZ's Carl Stevens (@carlwbz) reports:
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