Muslim Americans in line with US values
- By News Hound
- Published 06/18/2007
- Politics
- Unrated
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View all articles by News HoundMuslim Americans in line with US values
by von Edward Luce (Washington)
A new survey shows that American Muslims and the remainder of the population are strikingly similar in their attitudes.
Muslim Americans are far more assimilated and integrated into their adopted country than their counterparts in Europe, according to the first survey conducted of America's 2.4m-strong Muslim community. The survey, which was carried out by the Pew Research Center, one of America's most respected polling groups, found that Muslim Americans were just as likely as the rest of the population to agree with quintessential American attitudes about hard work and opportunity.
Seventy-one per cent agreed with the statement that you "can get ahead with hard work", compared with 64 per cent of the population. Forty-two per cent rated their personal financial situation as excellent or good, compared with 49 per cent of Americans in total. Only 2 per cent of US Muslims are in the low-income bracket, compared with 22 per cent in Britain and 18 per cent in France and Germany.
Likewise, Muslim Americans were strikingly in line with the remainder of the US population in their attitude towards Israel, with 61 per cent believing a "way can be found for Israel and Palestinian rights to co-exist" compared with 67 per cent for the American population as a whole. This compared with just 5 per cent in Morocco and 23 per cent in Pakistan.
"What this survey shows is that Muslim Americans are largely assimilated, happy with their lives and moderate - mostly in contrast to Muslims in western Europe," said Andrew Kohut, head of Pew. "They also reject Islamic extremism to a much greater extent than Muslim populations elsewhere in the world."
Thirteen per cent of American Muslims believe that suicide bombing is justified in some circumstances, which is sharply lower than comparable findings among European Muslims and those in Muslim-majority countries. However, the proportion of Muslim Americans under the age of 30 who believe suicide terrorism is sometimes justified rises to 26 per cent, compared with 35 per cent in Britain and 42 per cent in France.
The survey, which screened 55,000 Muslim Americans, found the under-30s were far more likely than the older generations to describe themselves as Muslim first and American second and were far more likely to attend a mosque weekly.
It found that African-American Muslims, most of whom are converts to the religion, were more radicalised than other Muslim Americans. Only 36 per cent had a "highly unfavourable" view of al-Qaeda, compared with 58 per cent among Muslims as a whole. "African-Americans are clearly the most disillusioned section among Muslim Americans - and they are also much more sceptical of American values," says Mr Kohut.
Muslim Americans account for just 0.6 per cent of the US population, compared with 5 per cent or more in France and Germany.
http://www.ftd.de/karriere_management/business_english/:Business%20English%20Muslim%20Americans%20US/206782.html
A new survey shows that American Muslims and the remainder of the population are strikingly similar in their attitudes.
Muslim Americans are far more assimilated and integrated into their adopted country than their counterparts in Europe, according to the first survey conducted of America's 2.4m-strong Muslim community. The survey, which was carried out by the Pew Research Center, one of America's most respected polling groups, found that Muslim Americans were just as likely as the rest of the population to agree with quintessential American attitudes about hard work and opportunity.
Seventy-one per cent agreed with the statement that you "can get ahead with hard work", compared with 64 per cent of the population. Forty-two per cent rated their personal financial situation as excellent or good, compared with 49 per cent of Americans in total. Only 2 per cent of US Muslims are in the low-income bracket, compared with 22 per cent in Britain and 18 per cent in France and Germany.
Likewise, Muslim Americans were strikingly in line with the remainder of the US population in their attitude towards Israel, with 61 per cent believing a "way can be found for Israel and Palestinian rights to co-exist" compared with 67 per cent for the American population as a whole. This compared with just 5 per cent in Morocco and 23 per cent in Pakistan.
"What this survey shows is that Muslim Americans are largely assimilated, happy with their lives and moderate - mostly in contrast to Muslims in western Europe," said Andrew Kohut, head of Pew. "They also reject Islamic extremism to a much greater extent than Muslim populations elsewhere in the world."
Thirteen per cent of American Muslims believe that suicide bombing is justified in some circumstances, which is sharply lower than comparable findings among European Muslims and those in Muslim-majority countries. However, the proportion of Muslim Americans under the age of 30 who believe suicide terrorism is sometimes justified rises to 26 per cent, compared with 35 per cent in Britain and 42 per cent in France.
The survey, which screened 55,000 Muslim Americans, found the under-30s were far more likely than the older generations to describe themselves as Muslim first and American second and were far more likely to attend a mosque weekly.
It found that African-American Muslims, most of whom are converts to the religion, were more radicalised than other Muslim Americans. Only 36 per cent had a "highly unfavourable" view of al-Qaeda, compared with 58 per cent among Muslims as a whole. "African-Americans are clearly the most disillusioned section among Muslim Americans - and they are also much more sceptical of American values," says Mr Kohut.
Muslim Americans account for just 0.6 per cent of the US population, compared with 5 per cent or more in France and Germany.
http://www.ftd.de/karriere_management/business_english/:Business%20English%20Muslim%20Americans%20US/206782.html
