'Censusphobia', Or, 'All Those Empty Neighborhoods'

I do believe “fearing backlash” will never go out of style, like the crooked ball cap, which I remember as far back as 1980.

According to the Washington Post,

The millions of blue forms being mailed this month in the first census count since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, do not ask about religion. But the idea of answering any questions posed by the government makes some Muslims uneasy, and community leaders are worried that many may avoid the 2010 Census altogether. (“Some Muslims, fearing backlash, worry about intent of census”).

The real gem in this story is this paragraph quoting CAIR/Muslim Brotherhood’s Ibrahim Hooper, whose kufi has no bill, which makes it hard to tell when he’s wearing it crooked.

Still, community leaders say they understand why people might be cautious. Many remember the trepidation that arose after Sept. 11, when men from some Muslim countries were required to register with the then-Immigration and Naturalization Service. The requirement led to deportations for visa violations or minor infractions unrelated to terrorism, Hooper said, adding that "whole neighborhoods were emptied."

Whole neightborhoods were emptied??

Do any of you Dearborn folks remember whole neighborhoods being emptied after September 11? Did this have a positive effect on the overcrowding in the Dearborn schools? Real estate prices in 2001 and 2002?

Anyone? Anyone?