Source: The Sun
http://www.sunspot.net/bal-md.muslims13mar13.story
On March 13, 2003 The Sun reported that "members of the Islamic Society of Western Maryland... closed its 5-year-old day care center, which once tended to as many as 25 children, because of lingering concerns by parents and staff about a telephoned threat last year... The incidents, under FBI investigation, have occurred as other Muslim communities in the state have reported problems that they believe are connected to terrorism fears after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks... Since the Sept. 11 attacks, [Shahab Z.] Siddiqui and other Muslims have attended a handful of community meetings in the Hagerstown area that include representatives from church groups and a Jewish congregation... The idea behind the interfaith sessions is to break down 'the fear of the unknown,' said Anne W. Jenny, a conflict resolution specialist who moderates. 'The Muslims know far more about the Christian community than vice versa. By sitting in small groups and looking eye to eye, it's much more difficult to look at them as just 'Other,' Jenny said."