Understanding US Mulims

The following article comes from Haya El Nassar, writing for USA Today. I find it provides a good deal of realism into an uninformed and emotional public. [8/30/2011]

Survey: Muslim Americans have moderate views

Almost half the nation's estimated 2.8 million Muslims fault their leaders for not speaking out against Islamic extremists but a vast majority are far more satisfied with the way things are going in the USA than the overall population, according to the first comprehensive survey of U.S. Muslims in four years.

The Pew Research Center report out today shows no evidence of rising support for Islamic extremism among Muslim Americans despite controversies about the building of mosques and a majority opinion (52%) that government anti-terrorism policies single out Muslims for increased surveillance.

Nearly half say that Muslim leaders here have not done enough to challenge extremists.

"I think we should all do more," says Hassan Jaber, executive director of Dearborn, Mich.-based ACCESS, the largest non-profit Arab-American human services organization.

The survey shows that U.S. Muslims have more moderate views than their brethren around the globe, yet 7% say suicide bombings are sometimes justified, same as in 2007, and 21% say there is a great deal or fair amount of support for extremism in their communities.

By contrast, 40% of all Americans believe there is a fair amount of support for extremism among U.S. Muslims and 24% think Muslim support for extremism is increasing (only 4% of Muslims agree).

"They (U.S. Muslims) are mainstream and moderate in attitude," says Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center. "Most Muslims want to adopt American customs, many of their close friends are not Muslims and they rate their economic situation pretty positively. They think like Americans."

Despite 55% saying that being a Muslim in the USA is more difficult since 9/11, they are far more positive about the state of the nation than Americans as a whole — 56% vs. 23%.

Four years ago, there was more agreement: 38% for Muslims and 32% for the general population.

Muslims are split on the government's sincerity in fighting terrorism but far less than when they were last surveyed in 2007.

"We do see a public more approving of this president (Obama) than President Bush by a yawning gap," Kohut says.

"I don't think anyone questioned the motives (of the Bush administration) but many people questioned the tactics," says Daisy Khan, executive director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement, a New York-based non-profit. "Going to war (in Iraq) increased the divide even more."

Most Muslim Americans continue to identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party and overwhelmingly support President Obama.