|
ING Responds to Recently
Released Pew Poll Released,
May 22, 2007:
“Muslim
Americans: Mostly Middle Class
and Mainstream”
*Key Findings: Muslims are
Mainstream
*Islam’s View on Terrorism
is Clear & Unequivocal
*Media Coverage of Poll
is Imbalanced
*Shared Responsibility in
Advocating Against Violence
and For One Nation
*Are Links Between Islam
and Suicide Bombings Legitimate?
Frequently Asked Questions
and Answers
KEY FINDINGS: MUSLIMS
ARE MAINSTREAM
The poll describes its key
findings on the Pew website,
or in the report. Generally
positive, they include findings
that Muslim Americans:
- Are
largely assimilated, happy
with their lives, and moderate
with respect to many of
the issues that have divided
Muslims and Westerners
around the world.
- Are
a highly diverse population,
yet one that is decidedly
American in its outlook,
values and attitudes. This
belief is reflected in
Muslim American income
and education levels, which
generally mirror those
of the public.
- Are
similar to American Christians
in their religiosity. For
example, U.S. Muslims are
a little more likely than
American Christians to
say religion is “very
important” in their
life (72% and 60%, respectively)
but a little less likely
to say that they pray every
day (61% vs. 70%). The
two religious communities
are about equally likely
to attend religious services
at least weekly (40% for
Muslims vs. 45% for Christians).
Thus in terms of the broad
patterns of religiosity,
American Islam resembles
the mainstream of American
religious life.
- Have
a generally positive view
of the larger society.
Most say their communities
are excellent or good places
to live.
- Are
hard-working and believe
that hard work pays off
in this society. Fully
71% agree that most people
who want to get ahead in
the United States can make
it if they are willing
to work hard.
- Are
highly assimilated into
American society. With
the exception of very recent immigrants,
most report that a large
proportion of their closest
friends are non-Muslims.
- Mostly
believe that Muslims coming
to the U.S. should try
and adopt American customs,
rather than trying to remain
distinct from the larger
society.
- Do
not see a conflict between
being a devout Muslim and
living in a modern society
by nearly two to one (63%
to 32%).
- Reject
Islamic extremism by larger
margins than do Muslim
minorities in Western European
countries.
- Are
far more likely than Muslims
in the Middle East and
elsewhere to say that a
way can be found for the
state of Israel to exist
so that the rights of the
Palestinians are addressed.
In this regard, the views
of Muslim Americans resemble
those of the general public
in the United States.
- Reject
Islamic extremism by larger
margins than do Muslim
minorities in Western European
countries, when compared
with results from a 2006
Pew Global Attitudes Project
survey.
Despite overall data widely
indicating assimilation and
mainstream attitudes, the
most troubling aspect of
the report was the finding
that a number of younger
Muslims expressed support
(2% often, 13% sometimes,
and 11% rarely) for suicide
bombings in the defense of
Islam under some circumstances.
More on this finding later
in this document.
ISLAM’S VIEW
ON TERRORISM IS CLEAR & UNEQUIVOVAL
Just as
Christian utterances and
behavior do not always
reflect mainstream teachings
of Christianity, Muslim
utterances and behavior
do not always reflect mainstream
teachings of Islam. There
is absolutely no sanction
or justification in Islam
for suicide bombings that
target civilians, regardless
of the cause. Islam forbids
the targeting or wanton
killing of innocent civilians.
Taking an innocent life
is considered the most
serious crime a person
can commit against another,
as is taking one’s
own life through suicide.
This principle is upheld
by the Qur’an and
prophetic sayings, and
neither oppression nor
injustice can contravene
a moral principle. Those
who adhere to such views
are misguided about the
very teachings of their
faith and are conflating
Islam with political struggles
that affect Muslims. Islam
is not a tribe or nation,
but a moral and ethical
code; those who use it
for political purposes
and objectives are defaming
and negating the very spirit
of religion, which is to
uphold a moral and ethical
value system.
MEDIA COVERAGE OF
POLL IS IMBALANCED
Despite
Muslim American repeated
condemnations of terrorism
and the fact that according
to this poll most Muslim
Americans overwhelmingly
reject the tactic and are
critical of Islamic extremism
and al Qaeda, most of the
media coverage has focused
only on the one statistic
involving Muslim youth,
linking Islam with suicide
bombings. Instead
of focusing on the vast commonalities
between all Americans, the
media exploited pervasive
stereotypes and enflamed
our worst fears of terrorism
by repeatedly citing, over
days in most cases on cable
news channels, only one statistic.
In today’s political
climate, this is very sad,
as it is irresponsible.
This poll could serve as
a tool for dialogue and
outreach on a number of
important issues to all
Americans, including non
violence, rather than a
source of fear and distrust
that only serves to polarize
communities instead of
bringing us together as
one nation.
SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
IN ADVOCATING AGAINST VIOLENCE & FOR
ONE NATION
Despite the low number that,
according to the poll, believed
harming civilians is justified,
especially when contrasted
with the overwhelming majority
of Muslim Americans who reject
that view, the reality
is that even one person who
holds this view is one person
too many. This
is why we have to continue
to bring all people,
Muslim youth included,
closer together and why
we must continue to engage
in dialogue in order
to build on our commonalities. We
must all work together to
emphasize that violence is
not acceptable, and this
is something that ALL Americans
need to address because surveys
have shown that it’s
not only Muslims who may
have this view.
The University
of Maryland's highly respected
Program on International
Public Attitudes, in December
2006, conducted a concurrent
public opinion poll of the
United States and Iran to
determine the comparative
views of each country's citizens
on a variety of questions
( Click
here for More information).
One of
the questions they asked
was whether "bombings
and other types of attacks
intentionally aimed at
civilians are sometimes
justified?”
According
to this poll, 80% of Iranians
took the strongest position
that such attacks “are never
justified,” and another
5% said they were “rarely
justified.” Only 11%
called them “sometimes” (8%)
or “often” (3%)
justified.
Americans
largely concurred, but
at much different levels.
46% said that such attacks “are
never justified,” while
27% said they were “rarely
justified.” 24% saw
them as “sometimes” (19%)
or “often” (5%)
justified. (p. 10 of report).
These figures
are also strikingly higher
than the 8% for the general
Muslim American public
quoted in the recent Pew
poll (1% “often” and
7% “sometimes”)
and about equal to the number
quoted for young people under
30 (2% “often,” 13% “sometimes,” and
11% “rarely”).
So the problem of radicalism
among old and young people
is a shared challenge that
must be addressed by all
of us, not merely the responsibility
of one community alone. As
a nation, we must work together
to challenge even one person
in the community who may
advocate violence against
innocents, whether that violence
takes place in schools, universities,
or is connected to a political
cause. This is an effort
and a conversation that we
all need to be part of in
addressing the general question
of violence and related issues
of alienation and exclusion.
ARE LINKS BETWEEN
ISLAM AND SUICIDE BOMBINGS
LEGITIMATE?
"Absolutely not" is the
short answer. Attempting
to understand why then would
anyone identifying with Islam
justify suicide bombings,
we’ve prepared
the following answers to
questions that are raised
by the Pew poll statistic
concerning the minority
view of some Muslim youth
on suicide bombings.
1)Who are these
younger Muslim Americans
who justify suicide bombings?
The Pew
poll found that some
younger Muslims expressed
support (2% “often,” 13% “sometimes,” and
11% “rarely”)
for suicide bombings in the
defense of Islam under some
circumstances. Since
we have no more information
about the respondents than
anyone reading the report,
it is difficult to speculate
their demographics and what
drove them to answer as they
did. While this does
not justify terrorism, the
Pew poll did show that younger
Muslim Americans often feel
less assimilated than older
members of the community. They
may be, as young people often
are, searching for their
identity and feeling alienated
due to perceptions of discrimination
and disenfranchisement or
lack of belonging and world
events. Identifying with
a more radical vision of
Islam may be a way of anchoring
themselves, and is symptomatic
of many youth who don’t
feel accepted by the mainstream
society.
2) Why do you think
they feel the way they
do?
That’s a very difficult
question to answer because
it’s like asking someone
to get into the mind of someone
else who justifies suicide
bombings. Moderate Muslim
Americans can’t know
the answer to that as much
as Americans in general can’t
speak for those who justify
criminal activity. Moderate
Muslims do know that
anyone who justifies
terrorism in the name
of Islam does not speak
for them nor should those
individuals be allowed
to speak for Islam.
While this issue can NOT
be used to justify suicide
bombings, according to the
poll, younger Muslim Americans
are more likely to say they
have been victims of discrimination
or intolerance based on their
religion, and that around
42% (nearly half) of Muslims
under the age of 30 say in
the past year they have experienced
verbal taunts, been treated
with suspicion, been physically
threatened or attacked, or
been targeted by police because
they are Muslims, compared
with 29% (1 in 3) of Muslims
who are 30 years old or older
(p. 38)
They may also be feeling
a sense of victimization
borne out by a deep sense
of injustice against Muslims
worldwide. Part of this sentiment
can be traced to foreign
policy issues such as the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict,
and other global conflicts
where Muslims have often
suffered as the victims,
such as in Bosnia, Chechnya,
Kashmir, Afghanistan, and
recently in Iraq.
However, their view about
suicide bombings is more
likely due to their misguided
understanding of Islamic
responses to conflict, not
having the benefit of adequate
or appropriate information
or knowledge about Islam.
3) What are moderate
Muslims Americans doing
about people within the
Muslim American community
who justify suicide bombings?
It is
incumbent upon moderate
Muslims, whom the poll
has identified as the
majority, to take this
issue seriously and address
it through education & other
means in the mosques, Islamic
centers, youth centers and
weekend and fulltime schools. The
true Islamic position on
issues of terrorism must
be clarified in those institutions.
Our organization,
ING & all
its affiliates since 1993
are playing an important
role in increasing Islamic
literacy of Muslims by addressing
contemporary issues and teaching
about Islamic perspectives
through our speakers’ trainings
and community seminars we
conduct at Islamic centers
and conferences throughout
the nation. ING
has also produced content
that includes presentations
on contemporary issues
and answers to 150 Frequently
Asked Questions about
Islam and Muslims that
could be put to use in
this effort of educating
Muslims about Islam.
Institutions
and Seminaries of traditional
learning and other national
organizations such as
the Nawawi Foundation,
Zaytuna Institute, Alim
Institute, Islamic
Society of North America
are similarly important
in providing tools and
knowledge to young people
that is based on scholarly
foundations rather than
on random interpretations
made by lay people.
Other mainstream regional
and local organizations can
and are playing a critical
role in focusing upon and
educating our young people
in the true principles of
Islam, fostering a sense
of Muslim American identity,
and cultivating a practice
of Islam that is moderate
and balanced.
4) What can Americans
of other faiths be doing
to help address this problem
within the Muslim American
community?
It is
also vital for our friends
and neighbors from other
faiths to help in this
effort by learning more
about their Muslim neighbors,
reaching out to them,
providing consultation,
advice or tools and being
vigilant against stereotyping
and prejudices that often
lead to a sense of alienation
that can result in such
attitudes. Americans
of other faiths must
openly SPEAK OUT against
stereotyping about any
people when you confront
it. It
is also important to put
this issue in perspective
and see that violence is
not only restricted to certain
groups of people in the world,
but unfortunately shared
by all communities who perpetrate
it in the name of nations,
ethnic groups and ideologies. It’s
also important that we address
the root causes of violence,
which are generally oppression,
injustice and a suppression
of human rights. The
cycle of violence can only
continue to hurt and destroy
innocent lives and communities. Let
us work together to end
this cycle and create
a society and world of
peace and understanding.
We hope this bulletin helps
to clarify a few of the issues
raised by the recent Pew
poll. Thank you.
Feel free to write to us
at Mail@ing.org
Based in the San Francisco
Bay Area, ING is an entrepreneurial,
educational outreach organization
with affiliates and partners
in 20 states, Canada and
the United Kingdom. ING
promotes interfaith dialogue
and education about world
religions and their contributions
to civilization by annually
delivering thousands of
presentations and other
educational programs in
schools, universities,
law enforcement agencies,
corporations, healthcare
facilities, and community
centers. Reaching hundreds
of groups and tens of thousands
of individuals a year at
the local, grassroots level,
ING is building bridges
among people of all faiths.
|
|
