WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com)�Muslims, Christian Arabs and Asians are being attacked from one coast to the other as backlash to the September 11 attacks on the United States continues.

"The bigoted acts of a small minority are creating an atmosphere of apprehension and fear," said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which reported 542 complaints of anti-Muslim incidents at Final Call press time.

The Washington-based Islamic advocacy group recently condemned the Sept. 20 incident in Minneapolis, Minn., where three Muslim passengers were kicked off a Northwest airlines flight because other passengers refused to fly with them.

Media reports explained that the three men, who all live in Utah and were on their way home from Philadelphia, were taken from a connecting flight in Minneapolis. Northwest Airlines says that security rules say the airline has to "re-accommodate" passengers if their presence makes other passengers uncomfortable.

"This is racial and religious profiling of the worst kind. Both the passengers and the airplane personnel should be ashamed of their actions," said Mr. Awad.

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights initiated a second toll-free hotline (866-768-7227) to increase its capacity to document claims of discrimination, harassment and hate crimes. Since it officially launched the hotline Sept. 14, the Commission has received hundreds of allegations of harassment and discrimination from Arab and South Asian-Americans, as well as Muslims and others perceived to be from those communities.

The Commission has documented that:

� An Arab-American family that has lived in a northern Virginia community for more than 30 years decided to leave the country for Europe after their home was badly vandalized.

� A Bangladeshi Muslim caller from Texas stated that he has been harassed repeatedly at work and his complaints to supervisors have not been addressed. He feels he is now being retaliated against for filing complaints�his immigration status recently was questioned by his employer despite being a legal permanent resident of the United States for nearly 20 years.

� A caller encountered a sign in a New Jersey restaurant that read, "Boycott Arab Businesses." Finding the sign demeaning and unfair, he complained to the restaurant manager who subsequently told him that if he did not like it, he could leave.

"Muslim women are forced to remain in their homes because of widespread reports of harassment against those who wear Islamic attire. Muslim children and students are facing taunts by classmates and teachers. Islamic institutions are receiving threatening calls and emails," said Mr. Awad.

Arab storeowners in New York and suburban Washington have had rocks thrown through their windows, Mr. Awad continued, adding, a mosque in California was covered with pig�s blood and racist graffiti, and at least two murders of Arab-Americans are being investigated as hate crimes.

"I came from Palestine to be free to do what we want because our country is under Israeli occupation," commented Marjan Al-Razzaq, 24, a student at Midwestern University College of Pharmacy, as she stood with friends outside a suburban Chicago mosque during an interfaith peace vigil.

"When I work, it�s hard to tell what nationality I am, but I see people stare at my name. We live in fear and mourn for both sides. We are American and we are Palestinians. The reaction from the American public is a result of the media�s portrayal of Muslims and Arabs as terrorists all the time."

"I haven�t left my house since we got caught in the middle of an angry mob. I was terrified," said Tammie Ismail, 25, another Palestinian woman standing outside the mosque. "I�m going through the same mourning process as every other American. It is very difficult to deal with both emotions," she said, referring to the suffering of her relatives in refugee camps in Palestine.

The FBI is investigating more than 40 hate crimes as backlash to the events of September 11. President Bush has spoken with Muslims and visited the Islamic Center in Washington, D.C., to quell public fears and reactions. He emphasized, at his recent speech before Congress, that the war is not against Islam or against people who had nothing to do with Sept. 11.

But those words of tolerance had little impact on Rep. John Cooksey (R-La.). He told a Louisiana radio network: "If I see someone come in that�s got a diaper on his head and a fan belt wrapped around the diaper on his head, that guy needs to be pulled over."

Soon after, Rep. Cooksey�s spokesman, Bob Anderson, told the Washington Post that the Congressman was making a larger point�that turban-wearing airline passengers should be taken aside and questioned: "Obviously suspicious people should be checked out."

Rep. Cooksey explained later that he was referring to Osama bin Laden. "I never intended to disparage loyal Americans of Arab descent," he said.