Wednesday, 23 May 2007CAIRO ÔÇö US Muslims are largely moderate and well integrated into society although it has become more difficult to be a Muslim in post-9/11 America with increase government scrutiny, according a new comprehensive, nationwide survey.
"Overall, Muslim Americans have a generally positive view of the larger society. Most say their communities are excellent or good places to live," said the Pew Research Center in a study posted on its website.
It noted that Muslim Americans are a highly diverse population, largely composed of immigrants.
"Nonetheless, they are decidedly American in their outlook, values and attitudes."
The survey shows that although many Muslims are relative newcomers, they are highly assimilated into American society.
"On balance, they believe that Muslims coming to the US should try and adopt American customs, rather than trying to remain distinct from the larger society."
According to the survey, nearly 63 percent of those interviewed do not see a conflict between being a devout Muslim and living in a modern society.
The Pew Research Center conducted 55,000 interviews to obtain a national sample of 1,050 Muslims with interviews conducted in English, Arabic, Farsi and Urdu.
It estimated the total population of Muslims at 2.35 million.
American Muslim organizations usually put the number between six to seven million, less than three percent of the country's 300 million population.
Post-9/11 America
The nationwide survey showed that life for Muslims changed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
"A majority of Muslim Americans (53%) say it has become more difficult to be a Muslim in the US since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks," it said.
"Most also believe that the government 'singles out' Muslims for increased surveillance and monitoring."
Civil liberties groups complain that racial profiling, largely of Arab and Muslim men, has been on the rise since the 9/11 attacks.
A May 2004 report released by the US Senate Office Of Research concluded that the Arab Americans and the Muslim minority in the United States have taken the brunt of the Patriot Act and other federal powers applied in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
Thousands of Muslims and Arabs were rounded up and questioned in the US in the weeks and months following the 9/11 attacks.
Several Muslims and Arabs who were randomly rounded up after 9/11 have sued the US government after their release for inhumane and degrading treatment.
Anti-Terror
The survey found that Muslim Americans have a moderate approach to many of the issues that have divided Muslims and Westerners.
"Muslim Americans reject Islamic extremism by larger margins than do Muslim minorities in Western European countries," it said.
The poll showed that 78 percent of American Muslims said suicide bombings are never justified.
Only 5 percent said suicide bombing is "rarely" justified, 7 percent said "sometimes" and 1 percent said "often" justified.
"Nonetheless, absolute levels of support for Islamic extremism among Muslim Americans are quite low, especially when compared with Muslims around the world," concluded the study.
Muslim Americans have a very negative view about the Iraq war and the war against terror.
Nearly 75 percent opposed the Iraq invasion and half opposed the Afghanistan war -- compared with 29 percent of the general population.
Relatively few Muslim Americans believe the US-led war on terror is a sincere effort to reduce terrorism.
The overwhelming majority of peoples in four leading Muslim countries believe that the US is taking its global war on terror as a guise to undermine Islam and divide the Muslim world, a poll by the Washington-based WorldPublicOpinion.org showed on Tuesday, April 24.
A January poll for the BBC showed that an overwhelming majority in 25 countries had negative views of US foreign policies, especially Iraq.
May 23, 2007
Islam Online |
Wednesday, 23 May 2007
US
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