What Muslims Really Think

Homeland Security: We can all breathe easier now. The first major poll of the U.S. Muslim community finds that "only" one in four young Muslim Americans would be suicide bombers.

The liberal Pew Research Center, which surveyed 1,050 Muslims earlier this year, did its best to put a PC spin on the results.

It says its "overall" findings confirm that Muslims in America are "mostly mainstream" compared with their more radical co-religionists in Europe.

But as is usually the case with such polls, the devil is in the details.

Data buried deep inside Pew's 100-page report put the lie to the notion that our Muslim population rejects extremism.

An alarming 26% — or roughly 100,000 — of younger U.S. Muslims say suicide bombings against non-Muslim "civilian targets" are cool. That's really not any more comforting than the 35% of young Muslim Brits who told Pew the same thing after some of them bombed the London subway, killing 52 civilians and wounding another 700 or so.

You may recall how pundits here assured us our Muslim youth would never subscribe to such lunacy.

Pew, which defines younger Muslims as 18-29 years old, didn't poll Muslim youths under 18. We hazard to guess how many of them also embrace suicide attacks.

We also wonder if the responses would have been even more alarming had Pew (which was assisted in its questionnaire by a Council on American-Islamic Relations board member) had asked if suicide attacks on noncivilians, such as U.S. or Israeli soldiers, were justified.

Or if it took "suicide" out of the question and asked if "martyrdom operations," or "sacred explosions," were justified?

Equally alarming: the poll found that 55% of Muslim Americans — regardless of age — don't support the U.S. war on terror. That mirrors the 59% of Pakistanis who feel the same way.

Muslim Americans are at odds with the vast majority of Americans in general, 67% of whom do support the war.

Also consistent with the views of Muslims in Islamic countries, fewer than half of Muslim Americans — regardless of age — accept the fact that a group of Arab Muslims carried out the 9/11 attacks. Many blame a conspiracy by U.S. or Israeli intelligence.

Only 5% of U.S. Muslims expressed favorable views of al-Qaida, though a quarter did not express an opinion. That means 3 in 10 Muslims surveyed have favorable or unknown views about our Enemy No. 1. How can any American be undecided about the evil of al-Qaida?

Even Pew in its footnotes suspects that Muslim respondents held back for fear they could be tipping off the FBI about their sympathies.

"Some respondents expressed suspicions about the purpose of the study and eventually broke off the interview," forfeiting a $50 participation stipend, it said in its report.

Also, the survey may have been biased in favor of secular Muslims. More devout Muslims who are more likely to interpret the Quran literally were "harder to reach," Pew acknowledged, as they were busy praying toward Mecca at all hours of the day.

Even without a true reflection of the fundamentalist element of Muslim America, the poll revealed the country is embedded with a ticking time bomb of Muslim youth who condone suicide bombings.

Now we'd like to see a follow up poll ask the simple question, "How many U.S. Muslims support holy war against infidels?" That one was never asked.

http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=264727636679817

 

And you plan to do what about this?

 

Uncover and disrupt any plots to dismember by bomb "civilian targets", carried out by our "peaceful" muslims engaged in their "inner struggle".
MARK

 

I never said all Muslims were peaceful and let's please not drag that argument into another thread (that's happened before around here).

Anyway...how do you plan to do this?

 

From the Pew Research Center

Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream
War on Terror Concerns
Released: May 22, 2007


The first-ever, nationwide, random sample survey of Muslim Americans finds them to be largely assimilated, happy with their lives, and moderate with respect to many of the issues that have divided Muslims and Westerners around the world.

The Pew Research Center conducted more than 55,000 interviews to obtain a national sample of 1,050 Muslims living in the United States. Interviews were conducted in English, Arabic, Farsi and Urdu. The resulting study, which draws on Pew's survey research among Muslims around the world, finds that Muslim Americans are a highly diverse population, one largely composed of immigrants. Nonetheless, they are decidedly American in their outlook, values and attitudes. This belief is reflected in Muslim American income and education levels, which generally mirror those of the public.

Key findings include:

* Overall, Muslim Americans have a generally positive view of the larger society. Most say their communities are excellent or good places to live.

* A large majority of Muslim Americans believe that hard work pays off in this society. Fully 71% agree that most people who want to get ahead in the U.S. can make it if they are willing to work hard.

* The survey shows that although many Muslims are relative newcomers to the U.S., they are highly assimilated into American society. On balance, they believe that Muslims coming to the U.S. should try and adopt American customs, rather than trying to remain distinct from the larger society. And by nearly two-to-one (63%-32%) Muslim Americans do not see a conflict between being a devout Muslim and living in a modern society.

* Roughly two-thirds (65%) of adult Muslims in the U.S. were born elsewhere. A relatively large proportion of Muslim immigrants are from Arab countries, but many also come from Pakistan and other South Asian countries. Among native-born Muslims, roughly half are African American (20% of U.S. Muslims overall), many of whom are converts to Islam.


* Based on data from this survey, along with available Census Bureau data on immigrants' nativity and nationality, the Pew Research Center estimates the total population of Muslims in the United States at 2.35 million.

* Muslim Americans reject Islamic extremism by larger margins than do Muslim minorities in Western European countries. However, there is somewhat more acceptance of Islamic extremism in some segments of the U.S. Muslim public than others. Fewer native-born African American Muslims than others completely condemn al Qaeda. In addition, younger Muslims in the U.S. are much more likely than older Muslim Americans to say that suicide bombing in the defense of Islam can be at least sometimes justified. Nonetheless, absolute levels of support for Islamic extremism among Muslim Americans are quite low, especially when compared with Muslims around the world.

* A majority of Muslim Americans (53%) say it has become more difficult to be a Muslim in the U.S. since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Most also believe that the government "singles out" Muslims for increased surveillance and monitoring.

* Relatively few Muslim Americans believe the U.S.-led war on terror is a sincere effort to reduce terrorism, and many doubt that Arabs were responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Just 40% of Muslim Americans say groups of Arabs carried out those attacks.

 

Also from the Pew Center

May 22, 2007
Poll Finds Muslims Satisfied, Opposed to Islamic Terrorism
by Philip Turner
Religion News Service

Most Muslim Americans are largely assimilated in the culture, happy with their lives and embracing the American dream, according to a comprehensive study released Tuesday (May 22) by the Pew Research Center.

The Pew study, conducted between January and April, was based on interviews with 1,050 Muslim American adults. It revealed a Muslim American population that is religious, diverse, socially conservative and politically liberal.

Nearly eight in ten U.S. Muslims say they are either "very happy" (24 percent) or "pretty happy" (54 percent) with their lives, according to the survey.

Among the survey's most important findings:

-- American Muslims are more moderate than Muslim minorities in Western Europe.

-- They have annual incomes and education levels that are comparable with the general public.

-- They believe Muslims coming to the United States should try to adopt American customs rather than separating from the larger society.

-- And like many other immigrant groups, they say hard work can lead to success in society.

The Muslim American population is estimated at 2.35 million, based on data from Pew and the Census Bureau, a figure that is on the low end of most estimates. Other surveys have put that figure as high as 6 million.

Support for religious extremism was also lower among U.S. Muslims than among those abroad, said Amaney Jamal, a politics professor at Princeton University. Only 1 percent of Muslim Americans say suicide bombings against civilian targets are "often" justified to defend Islam, and only 5 percent expressed "even somewhat favorable" opinions of al-Qaida.

"This is a group living as most Americans live ... a group aspiring to assimilate," said Andy Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center.

The results showed a stark contrast between the way Muslims living in America view their country and its way of life, compared with the populations of Muslims living in Western Europe. Higher percentages of Muslims in Great Britain, France and Spain said that suicide bombings in defense of Islam were "often or sometimes justified," according to the study.

Farid Senzai, director of research for the nonprofit Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, said Muslim Americans are succeeding and are happy with their lives because they have become part of the nation's fabric.

In Europe, Senzai said, many Muslim populations are "ghettoized" -- separated culturally and economically from the majority populations -- which creates gaps in education and income, and can lead to unrest.

Kohut credits the United States with doing a better job of assimilating immigrants and said the religiosity of the United States, a majority Christian nation, appeals to Muslims.

"It's a more inviting atmosphere than secular Europe," said Kohut.

Zogby International, a polling firm that works extensively in the Middle East, released a survey in 2004 that similarly found Muslim Americans to have a favorable outlook on life in America and a wish to be a part of the mainstream.

Still, Kohut said there are "pockets of sympathy for extremism," especially among young Muslim Americans under age 30, and among African-American Muslims.

African-American Muslims are "much more disillusioned" with the American way of life and the U.S. government compared with non-African-American Muslims, said Kohut. The study said only 36 percent of African-American Muslims view al-Qaida "very unfavorably," compared with 58 percent of the general Muslim population.

Also, since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a majority of Muslim Americans surveyed said they find it harder to live in America and think they are targets of surveillance and monitoring.

Only 40 percent of American Muslims said they believe Arabs carried out the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which is similar to worldwide numbers. Muslim Americans also overwhelmingly oppose the war in Iraq.

The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.


As a side note: African-American Muslims make up only approximately 14% of the Muslims in North America

 

Uhuh

Nice try. I don't care what that politically driven survey found. On American soil, the only good one is a dead one. That survey as all the others like it only appeared after 9/11. Why? Because they're trying to rationalize that it's wrong so many Americans hate Muslims in America. Those stupid insensitive, braindead intellectuals who wrote that survey can go to hell, or the Middle east. Which ever they prefer. Those morons are taking part in trying to weaken the remaining backbone the West has. If an anglo goes to the middle east, you'll get persecuted if not killed. If a muslim comes here, people want us to be nice and understanding. What a bunch of crap. I'd kill them if it were legal.

 

Wow...great debating skills...such forceful prose, clever use of words indicating a great depth of knowledge and a fine understanding of the subtleties of the issues involved! I'm not sure I can provide an adequate response to fairly measure up to this gem

 

Read it and weep.

Although you don't seem to like Muslims, this must be a tough pill to swallow.

You're "kill em all" attitude is what causes problems with them in the first place.

 

That's high minded of you. Tell me, in your ideal world - what makes America any better than the Middle East?

 

Sure you have. You claim that there are "1.4 billion Muslims worldwide" and you have labeled them as-

"1.4 billion peaceful people who refer to themselves as Muslims."

but thats why you dont like me bringing in your BS from other threads. The piles of BS grow too high, making it impossible for people to miss them.
You must of skipped your classes in Taqiyya and kitman as a child. MARK

 

Let me first say that I in no way embrace a "kill-em-all" approach here. Just thought I'd mention that before the wolves assume they have an easy kill.

With that in mind, I'd like to make an observation about the comments that will undoubtedly flame Justinian to ashes for his rather harsh views.

Lets say for a second that Justinian is one of many Muslims that I have personally witnessed with somewhat radical views on the plethora of political forums I frequently visit. Generally, we want to know what drove him/her to this position. We (some of us anyway) want to to better understand the hatred that sparks the venomous comments while giving this individual our undivided attention. We somehow take him/her seriously. Why? Of course I understand that there is political motivation in the mix. By default, liberals will take an opposing view to conservatives but I have to believe that there is something here beyond the political rhetoric.

As Justinian takes a radical view on the opposing side, I am curious as to why he is instantly cast out and branded a fringe nut without the therapeutic question and answer session that his Muslim counterparts would enjoy?

Do not misunderstand. I agree that Justinian opens himself up for this with his raw comments but my observation still stands.

-Castle

 

The extreme left wing moonbats always seem to give muslimes who want to kill Americans a pass for some reason. Could it be that they hate America just as much as the radical muslimes do? I don't know. Maybe it stems from their seething hatred of President Bush. You know he stole 2000 and 04 elections, caused katrina and is responsible for 9/11 and global warming.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070522/ts_nm/usa_muslims_poll_dc

This is a gross misinterpretation of the actual poll, and the article cited is an op-ed piece, not fact based or impartial.

A percentage of Muslims under 30 years old said that in extreme circumstances suicide bombing is acceptable in order to defend their religion, not that they would become suicide bombers. As Americans, I would think that we would live by those same ideals if we were brought under attack, meaning we would be willing to take up arms and fight for our country.

 

"extreme circumstances" is your gross misrepresentation. MARK