Risky Business: Being Muslim in NYC

On November 18, an estimated 2,000 people turned out in downtown’s Foley Square to protest the rising trend of Islamophobia in New York City – from police harassment and surveillance, all the way down to smaller, everyday incidents, bigoted comments or strange looks on the street.

The latest survey put out by the mayor’s office suggests that a full 80 percent of NYC’s 600,000 Muslims have experienced some sort of discrimination and harassment in the city. Four-fifths of those who said they’d faced prejudice didn’t report the incidents to the authorities, out of fear – fear that they wouldn’t be heard, or worse, that they would be further discriminated against.

Hate crimes against Muslims, too, are on the rise: After falling steadily since their peak in 2001, in 2010 the number jumped by nearly half from the year before.

As New York City’s Muslim community struggles to stop the hate and the bias, hear from two women who’ve experienced the harassment themselves. The video below spotlights the stories of Khadeejah Bari and Sundus Arain, both students at New York University and active members of the college’s large, involved Islamic Center.

NYU Neurologist To Run Marathon For Alzheimer’s

At the ripe age of 50, NYU Neurologist Tom Wisniewski has taken it upon himself to put his body through a grueling 26 mile run all in the name of autism research.

Dr. Wisniewski decided to raise money for his research by running in the New York City Marathon that takes place on November 6.  The marathon goes through all of the city’s five boroughs and attracts over 100,000 participants each year.

TomWisniewski by alexmrobinson