CHICAGO: US Muslims are far more satisfied with the direction of their country than most Americans even though nearly half of them have faced discrimination and prejudice in the past year, a poll found Tuesday.
The survey was conducted ahead of the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks and aimed to provide a portrait of the 2.75 million Muslims living in the United States.
"Despite headlines and discussions about the possibility of Islamic radicalism and extremism, what our data shows today is that the Muslim American community is quite mainstream and moderate," said Pew Research Center analyst Greg Smith.
"The vast majority of (US) Muslims continue to oppose extremism, telling us things like suicide bombing in defense of Islam can never be justified."
While 55% of respondents said being a Muslim in the United States has become more difficult since the 9/11 attacks, 48% said they think ordinary Americans are generally "friendly" towards Muslims.
Strikingly, some 56% of US Muslims said they are satisfied with the way things are going in the country compared with just 23% of the general public.
One reason could be because Muslims – who overwhelmingly support President Barack Obama and his Democratic Party – are more satisfied with the current political climate.
Just 38% of Muslims surveyed by Pew in 2007 said they were satisfied with the direction of the country.
The survey found a similar increase in the number of Muslims who view US efforts to combat terrorism as "sincere." Opinion is currently evenly divided (43% to 41%) whereas more than twice as many US Muslims (55% to 26%) viewed US anti-terrorism efforts as insincere during George W Bush's presidency.
American Muslims are also much more integrated than the general public tends to believe, the survey found.
Some 56% of Muslim Americans said that most Muslims who come to the United States want to adopt US customs while just a third of the general public believes Muslim immigrants want to assimilate.
And while about a quarter of the general public thinks that Muslim support for extremism is increasing, just 4% of Muslims agree.
Meanwhile, 90% of American Muslims believe women should be able to work outside of the home and 68% also think that there is no difference between men and women political leaders.
The survey also found that while Muslim Americans are highly religious – half report at least weekly mosque attendance – they are not dogmatic. Just 37% of US Muslims say there is only one true way to interpret their religion, a view held by 28% of US Christians.
The survey also provided a demographic description of the US Muslim population which is generally hard to ascertain because the US census does not question respondents about religion.
It found that 63% of Muslim Americans were born abroad, of whom one in four arrived after 2000.
Foreign-born Muslims are a very diverse group, with no single country accounting for more than one in six immigrants. Four in ten immigrated from the Middle East or North Africa while about a quarter came from South Asia, 11% came from Sub-Sahara Africa and 7% came from Europe.
Among the roughly one in five Muslims whose parents were also born in the United States, 59% are African American, including a sizable majority who have converted to Islam.
It also found that the US Muslim population has grown by about 400,000 since 2007 to 2.75 million people, of whom 1.8 million are 18 or older.
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DISCRIMINATION? Such a small girl wearing scarf is discrimination.her whole life hidden behind some veil, to be used by her husband when ever he feels like.
@ET
I would never claim that there is no discrimination against Muslims in the US, but I am very skeptical of the claim that half the Muslim population has faced discrimination. What exactly constitutes this discrimination and prejudice? Does non-Muslim concern about Islamist terrorism constitute prejudice against Muslims at large? Should all Muslims feel slighted because Americans are (rightfully) suspicious of some crazy people who claim to be Muslims? . On a side note: American Muslims have integrated well into American society because most of them are educated, and therefore tend to be moderate. The problem in Europe is that most of their Muslim immigrants are uneducated and economically backward, and are easy prey for extremist ideologies. . All this once again proves the point that what the Muslim world needs more than anything else is modern education, training in rational and critical thinking, and an exposure to and appreciation of diverse points of view.
Muslims in America are happy because they don't know any better. Other Americans are unhappy because they've lived in their country longer and they know it's in decline.
@Adeel759: Americans are the most insular and arrogant race on the whole planet. And, yes, the murder of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and tens of thousands of Afghanis by Americans is not something we can ignore.
My family has lived in the US for more than 6 years without a legal status. However, even in those days we felt safe, free and happy to be here. According to the US laws: It is unlawful to ask a person's nationality, religion, personal lifestyle, or even age. No discrimination against a person on any bases whether male or female. In fact it is kind of joke to see want ads in Pakistani papers. They have age restrictions, place of birth, domicile and others. There is no such discrimination in the US; selection is purely based upon merit and nothing else. Why should Muslims not be happy about their future in America? We always go and vote in every election, even the local bodies. Many of us did not ever bother to vote in Pakistan, as it does not make any difference. The army and its favorites have the final say there. In the US elections, the feeling is “we are making a difference”.
@ Aryabhat
everyone in pakistan feels neglected and abused just like the minorities of pakistan.
Sindhis and Baluchies blame the punjabis, Siraikis blame the lahores and poor of lahore blame the rich of lahore.............so basically the blame game is a circular argument, unless you believe that the elite of lahore is cause of all of the problems in pakistan
sadly, many people in pakistan would be more than happen to deny others rights, mazloom is only mazloom until he gets leverage and then he becomes the oppressor. take example of the munshi, secretery, of judges who have menial jobs but they act like they are the judges, i have seen example of one munshi who is a millionaire just by being able to control and charge for which cases would be heard first
"some 56% of US Muslims said they are satisfied with the way things are going in the country compared with just 23% of the general public."
I wish the minorities in leading Muslim countries like - Saudi Arabia, Iran or Pakistan would ever feel that way.
Face the facts - Islamic countries are less tolerant of minorities, while ready to shout from roof top if a Muslim was slightly treated badly in non-Muslim country.
It is this hypocracy that irks rest of the world.
"happy" is the wrong word.
They were always safer in the US physically and mentally, apart from materially, because they did not have to deal with hypocrisy and wanton lying and cheating as a way of life, which was all too evident to them in their so-called Islamic homelands. Any differences from 9/11 are perhaps predominantly due to the fact that Muslims are now increasingly aware of their identity as Muslims rather than as doctors, engineers, bankers and students among other possible segments. Fairness, opportunity and justice will always be preferred over any religious proclamations and chants, no matter who makes them or where in the world they may be made..
At least they are more safer then us now a days.
Obviously with the state of affairs in so called Muslim Countries where only the name of Islam is taken fellow citizens are better off in civilized countries like US & UK - at least their life is secure.