The heated national dialogue about America’s attitude toward Islam seems to be winding down now that the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks has passed. In the weeks preceding the anniversary of the attacks, we spoke with several members of the Palo Alto community about their views of the controversy associated with Islam in the United States. We have found that many members of our community — which prides itself on being tolerant and progressive — are quick to condemn what they perceive as American intolerance towards Muslims.

These claims are not entirely unfounded. Critics point to polls like a 2010 Quinnipiac University poll that found that 40 percent of Americans have a generally unfavorable opinion of Islam, compared with 38 percent favorable. The same poll found that only 28 percent of Americans feel that the construction of the highly-publicized mosque and Islamic center near Ground Zero is appropriate, while 63 percent believe that the construction is wrong. Statistics like these, they say, are proof of American bigotry.

We, the authors of this opinion piece, have a favorable opinion of moderate Islam and no objection to the construction of the mosque and community center in downtown Manhattan. Moreover, we feel that these statistics represent a degree of misunderstanding or intolerance in the contemporary American zeitgeist. However, recent criticism of the perceived American attitude toward Muslims — especially emphatic in bastions of liberal thought like the Palo Alto community — has taken our nation’s attitude toward Muslims out of context. An examination of historical parallels in the 20th century reveals that America deserves at least as much credit for how far we have come as condemnation for how much we have left to do to in the effort to eliminate racism and bigotry.

Consider Japanese Americans in the 1940s. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, more than 110,000 Japanese citizens of the U.S. were stripped of their constitutional right to due process of law and quietly herded off to internment camps. Many could not maintain their homes and businesses during internment. This titanic civil rights violation was ordered by former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who remained immensely popular for the duration of Japanese internment. Congress never challenged the order, and the Supreme Court affirmed its constitutionality in Korematsu vs. U.S. All this because Japanese citizens were prejudicially associated with an attack on the United States.

Following the Second World War, American hysteria about “dangerous” minority groups persisted. The emerging Cold War led to heightened suspicion about communist influence on American life, as well as espionage by Soviet agents. America’s involvement in the Korean War, which pitted the U.S. military against the communist forces of North Korea and China, only increased anti-communist sentiment.

During the era known as the Second Red Scare, which lasted until the late 1950s, thousands of Americans were subjected to unsubstantiated, often slanderous accusations of being subversives or communist sympathizers. Many Americans lost their jobs and reputations within their communities as a result of American intolerance of what was considered to be a dangerous minority group. A 1954 Gallup poll found that half of all Americans had a favorable opinion of Sen. Joseph McCarthy, the man who spearheaded the most damaging anti-communist crusades, while only 29 percent had an unfavorable view of him.

The public perception of minority groups as potentially dangerous is not unprecedented in the American milieu. However, America’s prejudice towards the Muslim community following the Sept. 11 attacks pales in comparison to that exhibited by previous generations toward similar racial and political minorities.

So while we recognize the importance of critical examination of American society as we perpetually try to better our national character, we feel that recognition of improvements — large or small — is equally cardinal. While we urge critics to continue to decry racism and intolerance, they should acknowledge that our country deserves commendation as well.