Most of the kids at the Muslim Community School in Potomac have been hearing the same warnings from their parents: Don't go outside right now -- it's not safe.
There have been people shouting insults at them from cars and throwing stones at them. Someone left a threatening message on their school's answering machine. Their Muslim friends at public schools have been teased by classmates.
Maisoon Asi, 13, who chats on the Internet using the screen name "Arabgirl," said she was threatened during an online discussion.
"They said, 'America's going to wipe your country off the face of the Earth,' " said Maisoon, of Silver Spring.
The trouble started soon after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon that killed thousands of people. Almost immediately, government officials said the attacks were probably launched by a group whose members are Muslim. Some Americans began lashing out at anybody they thought might be Muslim.
For students at the Muslim Community School, the past two weeks have been especially tough. On top of their sadness about the lost lives and their fear that more attacks could be coming, they also had to worry about violence from their fellow Americans.
"Americans shouldn't blame Muslims. It's something Islam is totally against. You're not supposed to attack innocent people, hurt defenseless people," said Zahra Mehrabi, 13, of Rockville. "We would be out there with the firefighters, if we could."
"I'm scared," said Ali Afkhami, 11, of Gaithersburg. "They might attack more mosques."
Students here know what it's like to be blamed unfairly. A few years ago, after a television news show described some Muslim groups as being violent, someone scrawled graffiti on the school.
"People always want to blame Muslims," said Yusuf Azim, 10, of Centreville.
Mostly, the students all said, non-Muslims just misunderstand them.
Students at this school have plenty in common with other kids. They shop at the mall, play video games, go to the movies. They go on field trips to Kings Dominion and the Smithsonian. Ask them what music they like and -- along with a shout of "Iranian!" -- they yell "Pop!" and "Rap!" and "Rock!"
Look around the all-purpose room at noon and there are kids munching on barbecue-flavored chips, spaghetti and Lunchables. Check out their school supplies and you'll see "Hello Kitty!" pencil boxes and Barbie stickers.
When one student heard for the first time that President Bush went to a mosque and called on Americans not to blame Muslims for the recent attack, she cheered: "All right! Go, Bush! Way to go!"
Although the parents of most of the students come from Middle Eastern countries, all races and many nations are represented. Nearly all of the students were born in the United States.
There are some differences. Along with regular classes in reading and math, students also study their religion, Islam, and take Arabic language classes. Muslims read their holy book, the Koran, in Arabic. [See "What Is Islam?," below.]
Once a day, after lunch, loudspeakers crackle with a recorded voice, chanting in Arabic the call to prayer. Students and staff wash their hands and faces and then head to the mosque to pray.
The most visible difference is the one that causes the most misunderstanding for kids -- the scarves (hijabs) that girls in the school wear on their heads. People often stare at them and make mean remarks.
"I used to go to public school. Kids there made fun of me. They would say 'What's that on your head? That's ugly. Isn't it hot?' " said Laila Kazerooni, 8, of Rockville.
When it comes to the idea of the United States waging a war on terrorism, these students also have somewhat different feelings from many non-Muslim kids. The families of the school's 145 students come from many countries, including some that could be the target of a U.S. military attack.
"It's not right to bomb," said Yusuf Azim. "They'll only kill more innocent people, for no reason."
Yusuf's family is from Afghanistan, the most likely place to be attacked by American troops or planes.
"We have family there," he said. "My dad has cousins there."
-- Fern Shen
Classroom Resources -- For a teacher's guide to this story, including background information on Islam and an exploration of how the media covers tragedy, visit The Washington Post's Newspaper in Education Web site: www.washpost.com/nie.
