NEWS TIP SHEET
University of Colorado at Boulder Professor Frederick Denny said the large Muslim population in America fears retribution following the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania Sept. 11.
An internationally recognized expert on Islamic religion, Muslim beliefs and Muslim customs, Denny estimates roughly 7 million Muslims live in the United States. The vast majority are law-abiding, productive and loyal American citizens afraid of retribution following the attacks, which have not been tied to a particular religious group or foreign country, he said.
"These people are very scared," said Denny, a professor in the religious studies department. "There is a growing amount of tension as the shock of the terrorist attack wears off and the anger of Americans sets in."
Denny is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Religion and a former chair of the Islam Section. Mounting emails and personal contact with Muslims in Colorado and around the country indicate the religious group's fear of harassment and retaliation is increasing, he said. Speculation that a radical Muslim group engineered the massive air hijacking attacks on America Tuesday has been reported by the media.
Denny is an expert on Islamic religion, Islam and gender issues, Muslim beliefs and customs, and the spread of Islam in the United States and Canada. Denny also can discuss the roles of people in Muslim society and how those roles are changing due to the changing demography of Muslim people around the world.
For more information, contact Denny at (303) 492-6358 or Jim Scott in the CU-Boulder Office of News Services at (303) 492-3114.