Poll: Nearly half of all Americans support restricting rights of Muslim-Americans
Wednesday, December 22, 2004 at 09:24PM
TheSpook
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. 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. [more]
Article originally appeared on (http://brownwatch.com/).
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