Posted: 10/15/04
Poll: Good news, bad news for U.S. Muslims
By Robert Marus
ABP Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON (ABP)–A new survey commissioned by an Islamic civil-rights group offers both good news and bad for American Muslims.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations released the nationwide poll of 1,000 respondents showing, among other things, nearly one-fourth of those surveyed held a negative stereotype of Muslims.
In addition, from 26 percent to 29 percent of people interviewed agreed with one or more of a set of negative assertions about Muslims, such as “Muslims teach their children to hate.”
And 32 percent of all interviewees, when asked what comes to mind when they hear the word “Muslim,” responded with a negative image. Only 2 percent responded with a positive image. The remaining 67 percent were neutral.
However, the council's poll also showed 67 percent of Americans believe Islamic terrorists are abusing the faith's teachings, and 47 percent agreed American Muslims were cooperating in the war against terrorism. Only 21 percent of respondents disagreed with that assertion. But half of the respondents said Muslims were not doing enough to condemn terrorism, while 46 percent disagreed with that statement.
Council officials said they commissioned the study–conducted between June 23 and July 2–after releasing a civil-rights report in May that showed hate crimes against Muslims increased nationwide each year since Sept. 11, 2001.
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