USA, New York -- "Public officials tried vigorously to contain a wave of hate crimes in the United States after September 11," Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

Nevertheless, hate crimes in the United States rose 1700 percent during 2001. The report documents violence against Arabs, Muslims, and those perceived to be Arab or Muslims (Sikhs) and the local, state and federal response to it.

Human Rights Watch is an independent Non-Government Organization, which tracks rights violations around the world. Its comprehensive 41-page report, 'We Are Not the Enemy,' draws on research with police, prosecutors, community activists and victims of hate crimes in six cities - Seattle, Dearborn, Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix and New York.

The study reviews steps taken by government officials to prevent and prosecute hate crimes after the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. The report also examines the scope and extent of these hate crimes, which included murder, assault, arson and vandalism. A significant amount of information, including testimonies, is also documented on hate crimes directed specifically at Sikhs.

Two issues of concern have surfaced according to Amardeep Singh, the report's author and U.S. Program researcher at Human Rights Watch.

The first is that, given the history of backlash against people who "appear" Muslim in the United States, the hate crimes that followed September 11 were all too predictable.

Activists point to the 1973 Arab-Israeli war and oil embargo as a starting point for anti-Arab/anti-Muslim sentiment. From there, hostilities increased with each consecutive Arab/Muslim conflict: Iran Hostage Crisis 1979; ABSCAM 1980; TWA Flight 847 Hijacking 1985, Achille Lauro cruise liner Hijacking 1985, U.S. Attack on Libya 1986; and the Persian Gulf War 1990.

The anti-Arab/anti-Muslim sentiment has risen to the extent that even during a crisis not involving Arabs/Muslims, the public just assumed they were responsible. This happened during the Oklahoma City Bombing 1995 and the TWA Flight 800 Explosion 1996. Hate crimes rose sharply in the days following these events until it was confirmed that the cause was other than Arab/Muslim terrorists.

"Government officials didn't sit on their hands while Muslims and Arabs were attacked after September 11," said Amardeep. "But law enforcement and other government agencies should have been better prepared for this kind of onslaught," given the predictability of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim violence.

Violence increased dramatically against Arabs and Muslims after September 11. The federal government reported a 17-fold increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes, from 28 in 2000 to 481 in 2001. Muslim and Arab organizations received over 2,000 reports of harassment, violence and other acts of September 11-related bias. Chicago and Los Angeles County both experienced a 15-fold increase in anti-Arab hate crimes during 2001.

Other than a few cities around the country that had active dialogue with Arab/Muslim leaders prior to September 11 and programs in place to handle hate crimes, law enforcement in most of the country could do nothing but react to reports of hate crimes - although they did that to the best of their ability.

After September 11, prominent officials at all levels of government, beginning with President George W. Bush, condemned "backlash" violence. In the report, Human Rights Watch documents the actions that accompanied the public commitment to protect vulnerable groups. The key practices reviewed are backlash planning, police deployment, bias crime tracking, prosecution and outreach to Arab and Muslim communities. These are proactive measures that need to be taken to minimize future occurrences of backlash.

"The U.S. government cares," says Amardeep. It was and is trying to help its minorities. Amardeep pointed out the stark difference between the reaction of the U.S. governments and the Indian government to civil crises, in Gujarat earlier this year and the Sikh pogroms of 1984, when the Indian government not only did not step in to protect its citizens but was an active participant in hate crimes and violence. Amardeep was referencing the Human Rights Watch report on Gujarat 'We Have No Orders to Save You' and 'India: Gujarat Officials Took Part in Anti-Muslim Violence.'

The second point of concern Amardeep highlighted is the mixed messaging by U.S. government agencies.

Although the report lauds official condemnation of hate crimes after September 11 as an important aspect of a public strategy to reduce bias violence, the U.S. government contradicted its anti-prejudice message by directing its anti-terrorism efforts, including secret immigration detention and FBI interviews of thousands of non-citizens, at Arabs and Muslims. While public condemnation by government officials is good and necessary, the actions taken by government agencies is discriminatory.

"This is sending the wrong message and the public will pick up the hypocracy," says Amardeep.

"Since September 11, a pall of suspicion has been cast over Arabs and Muslims in the United States," said Singh. "Public officials can help reduce bias violence against them by ensuring that the 'war against terrorism' is focused on criminal behavior rather than whole communities."

The Sikh community has an important role to play to protect itself in the future.

According to Amardeep Singh, the Sikh community needs to "continue the level of engagement" with the public and public officials that was achieved post September 11. The best method is to educate the public as to who Sikhs are, starting with the schools.

"We need to educate the younger generation whose views need to change."

New York based attorney Amardeep Singh specializes in International Human Rights Law. He went into this field after hearing first-hand accounts of young Sikh men from Punjab about the 1984 genocide of Sikhs.