May 9, 2002	Thursday	Safar 25, 1423

SAN FRANCISCO, May 8: Almost 600,000 American Muslims have been affected by the US government’s policies since the Sept 11 attacks, says a report by a leading American Islamic group.

At the same time incidents targeting Muslims rose three-fold over the previous year.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)’s annual study, “Stereotypes and Civil Liberties”, said those affected included some 1,200 Muslims who were detained nationwide, but who were treated as if they were terrorists.

About five thousand legal visa-holders who were asked to submit to “voluntary” interrogations and an estimated 50,000 individuals who donated to American Muslim relief agencies were shut down by the government.