WASHINGTON, March 23: Muslims in the United States fear that the war in Iraq could make life more difficult for them in this country where anti-Muslim feelings have already increased dramatically after the Sept 11 attacks.

“With America at war against Iraq, many anti-war activists feel a sense of frustration. But few have faced the difficulties that Arab and Muslim activists say they’ve encountered in making their voices heard,” said a recent report published in the Washington Post.

Though their reasons for opposing the war are generally the same as those of other activists, many Muslims say they’re viewed with suspicion because of their ethnicity and faith.

“Our motives are questioned to a certain degree because of our connection with that part of the world,” said Obeidat, a member of American Muslims Intent on Learning and Activism, a Northern California advocacy group.

“Somebody might look at us and say, ‘Well you’re unpatriotic,’ but also, ‘You’re Muslim. You’re Arab. You’re suspect. Somehow maybe you’re a fifth column in this country, maybe you’re actually doing this with sinister motives,” Obeidat said.

Samia El-Moslimany, vice chairwoman of the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, warned: “There are things we expect to come from the uninformed and the ignorant,” El-Moslimany said. “This has happened before.”

Ahmed Bedier, a Muslim community leader in Florida, said Muslims have a particularly high level of anxiety over action in Iraq.

“The Muslim community feels anxiety due to the backlash and the feeling that they’re being targeted by the government,” he said.

Faiz Rehman, communications director for the Washington-based American Muslim Council, urged other Americans to understand the anxieties of the Muslim Americans.