POSTED: Tuesday, September 7, 2010 --- 9:35 p.m.

The Justice Department is investigating a handful of apparently anti-Muslim incidents in four states.

The Attorney General met today with Muslim and other religious leaders to discuss the uproar over a planned mosque near ground zero in New York.

They want the AG to condemn hate crimes and to try to defuse tensions over a Florida church's plan to burn copies of the Quran on Saturday, the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Some Muslims in Madison say the problems here may not be as visible but the personal attacks do exist.

With September 11th and election season approaching there is fear things could get worse.

What's happening across the country is obviously hurtful to Muslim's in Madison but they say they're just glad, at this point, it's not happening in their back yard.

Madison's Islamic Center is a busy place. Only a few blocks from campus many students pour in for prayer.

They do it with a lot on their mind.

Muslim Students Association President Rashid Dar says, "It gets kind of disheartening after a while."

A Florida church is planing to burn the Quran Saturday, September 11th, despite top military officials telling them it could endanger U.S. troops.

A New York City Taxi driver is stabbed, he says, because he is Muslim.

Someone sets fire to a mosque construction site in Tennessee.

And a bitter debate rages over the construction of a mosque near ground zero.

Muslim Yahya Altaf says, "It's my dad who calls me and says did you see what happened, did you see what they're saying about us."

A UW student, Altaf's parents worry for his safety.

He says, "Obviously I'm concerned about what could potentially happen but I have enough faith that I think everything will be OK."

In Madison students say they haven't had any problems approach the level of what's going on nationally but there are confrontations from time to time.

About once a year the Muslim Students Association says they're barraged with hate mail.

Kylie Christianson has experienced personal attacks.

She says, "I've had a couple of ignorant remarks or hateful things said but I never felt I was in danger or anything like that."

Overall the students say they're glad to be living in Madison where they don't have many problems but as the national controversies heat up they prepare for things to get worse.

Dar says, "I don't expect to be walking down State Street and have eggs thrown at me or something but I'm expecting criticism, at times heavy criticism."

The Muslim Students Association president says he has been in contact with the chancellors office and the dean of students office about the possibility of problems intensifying but again, he says at this point he hasn't experienced any "overt" incidents of prejudice.