Poll results include:
* More than one-fourth of survey respondents agreed with stereotypes
such as "Muslims teach their children to hate" and "Muslims value life
less than other people."
* When asked what comes to mind when they hear "Muslim," 32 percent of respondents made negative comments. Only two percent had a positive response.
* Those with the most negative attitudes toward Islam and Muslims
tend to be less-educated white males who are politically conservative.
* General knowledge of Islam is low but the presence of Muslim
friends and colleagues drives more enlightened attitudes.
* African-Americans hold more favorable attitudes about Muslims than
do whites.
* While half of respondents believed that American Muslims are
"cooperating" in the war on terror, 50 percent did not believe that
they are actively "condemning" terrorist acts.
* Most Americans believe that the terrorists are misusing the
teachings of Islam.
* About half of Americans hold one or more favorable attitudes about
Muslims, such as "Muslims have family-oriented values" and "Muslims
have contributed to civilization."
* Those who believe they are knowledgeable about Islam tend to have
more positive attitudes.
"As a nation that values tolerance and equality, we need to
recognize the growing anti-Muslim prejudice in our society and join together as Americans to combat this divisive phenomenon," said CAIR Board Chairman Omar Ahmad.
"It is clear from the results of this survey that we have our work
cut out for us in terms of educating other Americans about Islam and
providing opportunities for positive interactions with the Muslim community."
You can download the entire poll here: http://www.cair-net.org/downloads/pollresults.ppt
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