New poll

Poll shows U.S. views on Muslim-Americans
Nearly half of Americans believe their rights
should be restricted, according to surveyThe Associated Press
Updated: 6:22 p.m. ET Dec. 17, 2004ITHACA, N.Y. - Nearly half of all Americans believe the U.S. government should restrict the civil liberties of Muslim-Americans, according to a nationwide poll.

The survey conducted by Cornell University also found that Republicans and people who described themselves as highly religious were more apt to support curtailing Muslims’ civil liberties than Democrats or people who are less religious.

'Disturbing news'
Researchers also found that respondents who paid more attention to television news were more likely to fear terrorist attacks and support limiting the rights of Muslim-Americans.

“It’s sad news. It’s disturbing news. But it’s not unpredictable,” said Mahdi Bray, executive director of the Muslim American Society. “The nation is at war, even if it’s not a traditional war. We just have to remain vigilant and continue to interface.”

The survey found 44 percent favored at least some restrictions on the civil liberties of Muslim Americans. Forty-eight percent said liberties should not be restricted in any way.

The survey showed that 27 percent of respondents supported requiring all Muslim-Americans to register where they lived with the federal government. Twenty-two percent favored racial profiling to identify potential terrorist threats. And 29 percent thought undercover agents should infiltrate Muslim civic and volunteer organizations to keep tabs on their activities and fund-raising.

Cornell student researchers questioned 715 people in the nationwide telephone poll conducted this fall. The margin of error was 3.6 percentage points.

37 percent believe terrorist attack likely
James Shanahan, an associate professor of communications who helped organize the survey, said the results indicate “the need for continued dialogue about issues of civil liberties” in a time of war.

While researchers said they were not surprised by the overall level of support for curtailing civil liberties, they were startled by the correlation with religion and exposure to television news.

“We need to explore why these two very important channels of discourse may nurture fear rather than understanding,” Shanahan said.

According to the survey, 37 percent believe a terrorist attack in the United States is still likely within the next 12 months. In a similar poll conducted by Cornell in November 2002, that number stood at 90 percent.

Wow, I don't really know what to say about this. Do Muslim-Americans "scare" me?? Yes, somewhat more than African-Americans or Asian-Americans. I HATE to put "them all" into one group though.

I have known a few muslims in my time on this earth, and I can tell you there are good as well as bad ones. Even having known and befriended a few, I still find myself agreeing with some of the points on that poll. I do believe they should be required to get a U.S. ID card and submit their finger prints upon entry into the country. I believe racial profiling, if not done overboard, can be a useful tool. To completely take away any use of racial profiling leaves some very damaging holes in our security and defense. It's not only muslims I feel this way about, though, it's ALL immigrants who enter this country.

Anyone from any country, not born here in the United States, should be treated with suspicion until they have been here and proven themselves for at least ten years. They should be required to learn the English language and we should not go out of our way to force the current residents to learn their language. I speak bits and pieces of about four languages, but I chose to learn them because I enjoy such things. But to force the people of the United States to learn the languages of foreign countries is wrong. They move here...they learn OUR laws and OUR language, not the other way around. I could give a damn what the laws were in their home country! When they move here...they abide by ours or they leave!

I agree with GW on the point of racial profiling. It is necessary for the obvious reasons. You also will have just as good of a chance to get profiled if you are traveling on a one way ticket, as well if you are Arab.

Why do some of us want to ban some of their civil liberties, or infiltrate their organizations? Well obviously it isn't the Candadian Labor Union that we are fighting in the war on terror; it is predominately peoples of Islam. I think that a lot of that fear is an unconcious reminder which is going through our heads whenever we drive by a mosque; that all to constant reminder of who the perps were on Sept 11. Perception is reality, and unfortunately for most good law abiding Muslims in the United States the perception, and reality of today's world at war is not in their favor(at least not in the U.S.).

I hate what we did to the Japeanese-Americans in WWII and as a Black, I am not a big fan of racial profiling.

Yet the reality exists that many of those who will target our country are Muslims. Had to take a plane trip recently and was uneasy because there were four men aboard who were obviously of Mid-Eastern origin. The flight was uneventful.

I would have to agree that GW has raised some good points. Let's keep one eye open at all times. I do have some Muslim friends and while they deplore the fact that some of their faith have given them a bad name, they accept the fact that they will recieve extra scrutiny because of their appearance.

I am still not in favor of a wholesale restriction of rights though. As for racial profiling, if we rely too heavily upon that we might tend to overlook the blond haired, blue eyed guy that is the real terrorist. AQ has Caucasian operatives as well. This is a difficult situation and there are no easy answers.

The CIA has projected that terrorism will increase over the next 20 years, so this problem will tend to become more complex instead of less.

I agree w/ you Thud. You can't restrict rights, and isolate people like we did to the Japanese. But America learns from its mistakes, and that won't ever happen again!!

I meant the Japanese situation won't ever happen again!!!!!!!!

the poll results scare but really don't surprise me, unfortunately. I really hope we don't see another Manzanar-like situation, or have something fictional like the movie "the siege" become fact.

One more terrorist attack on the scale, or even half the scale of 9/11 and I'm all for internment camps for all muslims living in the US. During WW2 there was no justification for interning the Japanese. I feel things are different today with the muslims.

A person can't help being Japanese. That didn't make Japanese-Americans automatic enemy. With muslims it's different. Just being a muslim means they subscribe to the teaching of the Quran. That makes them a threat. Don't thinks so? I can post a dozen scriptures from the Quran that tells its followers it's open season on non-believers.

I can also pick out a few passages in the bible that has Jesus infuriated w/ the Jews, and messing w/ their future a little. . .but that doesn't mean that they are bad.

Kinda like that situation in NY with that Muslim man and his family getting murdered. Suspected killers were radical Muslims, but not all of them are bad. You can't say that b/c they are Muslim that classifies them as bad. If we did that just imagine what would happen to our people in other countries, particularily Muslim countries. IT wouldn't be pretty.

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/38704.htm

thank you for bringing it up first Joe, because I wasn't going to.

Jews were blamed for killing the son of God. Muslims are blamed for a bunch of evil acts..and yes..the people who committed these acts are muslims..

so we should wipe out 1/7th of our population? because of what they believe?

God I sincerely hope not.

I to am against profiling for profilings sake. But note there are a lot of arabs that are red haired, blue-eyed, and heavily freckled especially in Syria. A great many are christians that think just like the rest. They are a product of those left behind and reconquered after the Crusades. So profiling won't necessarily work!

However, muslim are very clanish and do not tend to want to assimilate into the communities in any of the countries they have immigrated. They have gone as far as to try to increase their numbers and ultimately make them islamic states ie several European countries are right up to 20% muslim.

We do need to monitor some of the larger arab communities though as they have shown to a degree to be infested with those who side/suport with the arab world. Some of our universities have already shown to be hot beds for arab nationalism. A lot of these radicals are students from arab countries and yes even college professors! Some of their activities are unbelievalbe! Some have been found to be in radical islamic organizations and help to promote their causes with funding and such. These need to be watched and prosecuted if need be and the radical ones sent back to their native land!

On the other hand I have lived with and fought with arabs. A great many are educated and love this country but they get free rides in their native land. I found that the less educated, especially to America and our ways, or with less opportunity in their native lands are the ones who are the ones to support the clerics and join these organizations. I still remember the one Saudi prince I was with in Desert Storm he ask me why I didn't turn my back on one of their LTC and a battalion commander. I told him because I knew he was a radical (Wahhabi) and I knew hatred when I was around him! He told me that I should be concerned and to watch him at every turn. Now, that was a Saudi! However, the ones we had to watch (as they wanted to kill americans as well as Iraqis were the Syrians. They were not told at the lower levels of their army whether we were Americans or French!

It has been pointed out that their are two phases to the Koran. Mohammed first was of peace later he became a radical and wanted the destruction of all that is not Islam and those who do not convert must perish!

Great post Dane. . thanks for the insight. I have a question. Why do you think that some of our universities are a hotbed if the ones attending are getting a good education. It kind of contradicts the claim that the most educated are the ones least radical against non-believers?

Not necessarily Joe..of all those who are radical Muslims who are educated, how many are educated that started out radical but DIDN'T end up that way do you think?

Joe: A good question! Having spent the last 9+ years in a college town I take exception to the idea of a good education. I could debate that for years!

The major complaint of the middle east is the influence of western ideas. Most of these countries have classes of citizenship. If your family is not of original stock you are devoid of the goodies that we hear about in most of these countries they goes are far as 3/4th class citizenship! Those educated that I talked about are the haves and they maintain the quo in their countries. It is very simple they do not rock the boat! They are on the gravy train. That is one of the biggest problems in Saudi Arabia alone and that is where the radicalism gets it fodder. They are well controlled by the clerics in most instances have just about autonmy in these countries and thus a great bit of the power! Nobody challenges them! These radical clerics are the main problem to change because they do not want to lose their power! It sounds simple but it is a little more complicated but you get the gist of what goes on ie tribal hatred, shiites vs sunni, and again most people are not willing to change from what they know. And again the haves do not want to upset the applecart.