veiled4allah: study finds that gov't roundup of Muslim immigrants fosters prejudice

In Making Enemies, Solana Pyne discusses the conclusions of a study by social psychologists:

The violent attacks of September 11 and their aftermath have created a real-world experiment for social scientists who usually develop their theories in university labs. Their research, much of which is still in progress, shows that the more positively people feel toward their country, the more likely they are to hold anti-Arab prejudices. Taken with statistical evidence of hate crimes and job discrimination, the new research suggests that while the shock of the attacks sparked bigotry against those associated in American minds with Islam, subsequent sweeping crackdowns, such as the government roundup and detention of Muslims, are sending "social signals" that are worsening the biases. "I would hypothesize that the aftermath of 9-11 - the Patriot Act, the war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq - would do more to increase anti-Arab bias than 9-11 on its own," said University of Virginia social psychologist Brian Nosek...

...By requiring male immigrants from Middle Eastern, South Asian, and other Muslim countries to register with authorities, the government is signaling that all males from those countries are dangerous, Harris and others agree. A similar message was sent in the months after 9-11, when the Justice Department detained 750 immigrants, mostly South Asian and Middle Eastern, on minor immigration violations to look for terrorist ties. A recent Department of Justice internal report tells how the government held many people without any proof of terrorist links, often for long periods of time, effectively stigmatizing entire groups.

Their study also suggests how prejudice can be overcome:

Harris found some evidence of how familiarity with people of other races can change one's perspective. In a study of 1,667 college freshmen, he found that whites with nonwhite roommates were less rigid in their racial classifications and more likely to classify photographs of multiracial individuals as mixed-race, rather than trying to fit them within categories such as white and Latino. It's a reach to say that having less rigid classifications indicates less prejudice, Harris acknowledged, but the evidence did indicate that living with someone of another race can change how people perceive race. "You need people to interact with each other to realize that the 'other' isn't that different," Harris said, citing the Oklahoma City bombers Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. "Most people know white guys, so after that bombing, no one said all white guys are terrorists."

I think this is really true. Prejudice and hatred are often built on ignorance. When you get to know someone personally, you're less likely to judge them by what group they belong to - racial or religious - and more likely to see them as an individual.