Three quarters of all US Muslims say they face "a lot of discrimination," according to a new study. A survey by the Pew Research Center finds more than seventy percent also believe President Donald Trump is "unfriendly toward Muslims." It comes as Muslims in the US face a new spike in attacks targeting their communities. The advocacy group, the Council on American Islamic Relations, says anti-Muslim hate crimes in the United States increased 44 percent in 2016 - an upward trend it says is continuing. As Steve Mort reports, several mosques are ramping up security in the wake of recent attacks targeting Islamic places of worship.
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SCRIPT: Showing worshippers how to fend off an attacker…
Members of a small mosque near Miami receive training in dealing with threats. Today's session is being given by Nezar Hamze - a Muslim police officer and a director with the Florida chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations.
INSERT: "Safety is about being aware, having a plan and having practiced that plan."
Within the last year two Florida mosques have experienced arson attacks, including the mosque where Orlando nightclub shooter Omar Mateen once prayed.
INSERT: "We've had members of the community shot at, we've had members of the community beat up."
The Council on American Islamic Relations says it's recorded more than 130 hate crimes so far this year, nearly double the incidents documented in the same period last year.
The organization says its trainings are constantly evolving based on events, such as the attack last month on London's Finsbury Park mosque which rattled many in this tight knit community.
Abdul Sattar is a director of this mosque - tucked away on a backstreet in the Miami suburb of Homestead.
INSERT: "What happened there - // everybody was worried and they wanted to make sure that this doesn't happen here."
As children play basketball in the playground of the mosque, they're protected by a razor wire fence. The gate remains locked, and members are often protected by off duty police officers, especially during busy holiday periods such as Ramadan.
The American Civil Liberties Union says Florida has one of the highest rates of violence in the US targeting mosques like this one behind me. It blames terrorist attacks such as the bombing of a stadium in Manchester this year for a spike in anti-muslim sentiment.
INSERT: "We are very concerned about the safety of worshippers. These are soft targets."
Imam Muhammad Musri is the President of the Islamic Society of Central Florida which operates several mosques in Orlando - one of the biggest cities in the state.
Here at the al-Rahman mosque volunteers are deployed during prayer services to keep watch for threats. Fencing, a security guard at the gate, and concrete barricades prevent a potential attacker from using a vehicle to attach worshippers.
INSERT: "We are coordinating with the law enforcement community, making sure that if they know something they tell us, if we know something we tell them."
Other religious minorities in the US are also facing security challenges. Incidents targeting US Jews jumped by more than a third last year.
Meanwhile, despite heightened fears in the Muslim community, a recent Pew study finds Americans' feelings towards Muslims becoming warmer over the last three years.
But the survey still shows the community is viewed much less favorably than other religious groups.
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