In the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, the United States has seen a growing amount of violence directed at Arab-Americans and Muslims across the nation. Though the reported incidents of violence toward Muslims number in the hundreds nationwide, Dartmouth and the surrounding areas of New Hampshire have so far witnessed little or no such behavior.
According to Amin Plaisted, Advisor to Al-Nur, the Muslim students association on campus, Dartmouth's Muslim community has been aware of the possibility of a backlash, yet has not felt any undue alarm.
"My experience is that there hasn't been much of a problem on campus," Plaisted said.
Oosman Ansari '03, Vice President of Al-Nur, thought that violent anger was not an emotion felt by most students.
"I think that everybody is struggling to cope with the tragedy, and that goes for Muslims as well as non-Muslims. I don't think people have retaliation on their minds right now."
Even off campus, the atmosphere does not appear threatening to Muslims at present. Plaisted noted a recent shopping trip he and his wife took to West Lebanon, during which fellow shoppers were courteous and respectful.
"The remarkable thing about it was that it was completely unremarkable," he said. "People cast a few sidelong glances, but that was really the extent of it."
Both Plaisted and Ansari agreed that the College has played a positive role in helping defuse any tensions on campus before they had a chance to erupt.
Scheduled events, increased safety measures and discussions among students and faculty have all figured in this reaction, according to Plaisted and Dean of the College James Larimore.
Larimore spoke of the college's training of Safety and Security officers to better respond to the needs of Muslim students in the aftermath of the attacks.
He cited the example of one Safety and Security officer who offered to drive a Muslim student into Lebanon, when the student felt concern at having to travel there alone. "The officer wanted to make sure [the student] had a friend with her," Larimore said. "It just shows a very human-scale interaction."
A candlelight vigil held in the week following the attacks reinforced a sense of community and shared loss.
"It brought people together and gave them an interfaith view on what happened," said Ansari, who agreed that the vigil had helped students and faculty come together regardless of religious faith.
Undergraduate Advisors will also be trained to encourage discussion and to preempt any possible offenses directed at Muslim students.
"This is a time when we have to be mindful of our comments and actions, and we have been encouraging UGAs to talk with residents on a more local level," Larimore said.
Further events are planned for upcoming weeks, among them possible panel discussions between faculty members and other group gatherings.
Plaisted emphasized that Muslims should be directly involved in efforts to disseminate information about Islam to the student body if such information is to be fully effective in combating possible anti-Muslim sentiments.
"It's much better when people get to hear from the people themselves, rather than have a third party explain it to them," he said.
Ansari agreed, saying that he felt all faiths joined in condemning the attacks, and that the image of Islam should not be tarnished by the actions of a few madmen.
"It's a religion of peace and goodwill, and it's been vilified a bit ... the actions of a few should not jeopardize an entire faith."
Despite the overwhelming support both Ansari and Plaisted say has been given to Muslim students by their peers, the College and campus organizations, they cautioned that as the academic term is not yet underway, a future backlash cannot entirely be ruled out.
Ansari explained, "I'm hopeful, but not certain, that nothing will happen. I'm not expecting anything ... we do realize that there is a backlash and we will deal with it if it comes up."
