For Muslims, New York City is a mecca.

last updated 8 January 2015

United Arab Emirates

Mohammed A.R. Galadari

I went to New York City to write about prejudice against Muslims, said Mohammed A.R. Galadari in the UAE’s Khaleej Times. To my shock, I couldn’t find any. Muslims in New York “live as normal a life as anybody else there.” It’s not as though they are few in number, or hidden away. Muslims from the Middle East and South Asia “are a visible presence” all over the city. Many drive cabs or run sidewalk food carts. Some of the more educated work in office buildings, as computer programmers or in other professions. Muslim women stand out even more, as many of them wear head scarves. Yet even they reported “no discrimination worth mentioning.” Apparently some years ago, things were worse. But even then, “I am told that those who faced problems in the past, Muslims or non-Muslims, were the illegals.” And they were looked down on not for their religion, but because of the perception that they were taking jobs from legal residents. “The big city has a big heart, and treats all as equal. That’s the greatness about it.”