Ahmed, Sameera and Linda describe in the article Understanding the Mental Health Needs of American Muslims: “A 1,600% volume increase since 2000 in the number of hate crimes perpetrated against Muslims. As a result, many American Muslims are experiencing increased feelings of anxiety, fear, and rejection” (2). It is wrong to hate a group of people just because they may be different from you. These hate crimes against Muslims cause serious mental harm to American Muslims, such as living in constant fear and feeling like second-class citizens. American Muslims are treated as unequal simply because they look different and believe in a religion most people don't know about: Islam. According to Ahmed, Sameera and Linda: “Despite increased attention, American Muslims continue to be misunderstood and misrepresented. These individuals represent a very diverse group who are American and follow the Islamic religion” (1). This misunderstanding of their culture makes people hate Muslims, because they are afraid of what they don't necessarily understand. American Muslims have a bad reputation simply because of their appearance as well as a misrepresentation of Muslims in our society. Which ultimately causes hate crimes against American Muslims, causing a mental state of fear, anxiety and rejection towards that particular.