Muslims in U.S. Face More Discrimination than Other Religions
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Eight years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Americans see Muslims as facing more discrimination inside the U.S. than other major religious groups. Nearly six-in-ten adults say that Muslims are subject to a lot of discrimination, far more than say the same about Jews, evangelical Christians, atheists or Mormons, according to a new report based on a recent national survey by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. In fact, of all the groups asked about, only gays and lesbians are seen as facing more discrimination than Muslims.
Results from the national survey, conducted Aug. 11-17 among 2,010 adults, reveal that two-thirds of non-Muslims say that Islam and their own faith are either very different or somewhat different, while just 17% take the view that Islam and their own religion are somewhat or very similar. Majorities also see Mormonism, Buddhism and Hinduism as mostly different from their own beliefs.
Other findings include:
-- High levels of perceived similarity with religious groups are associated with more favorable views of those groups. Those who see their own faith as similar to Catholicism, Judaism, Mormonism and Islam are significantly more likely than others to have favorable views of members of these groups.
-- A plurality of the public (45%) says Islam is no more likely than other faiths to encourage violence among its believers, compared with 38% who say that Islam does encourage violence more than other religions.
-- Almost half of Americans (45%) say they personally know someone who is Muslim.
-- Slim majorities of the public are able to correctly identify Allah as the name Muslims use to refer to God (53%) and the Koran as the name of Islam's sacred text (52%), with four-in-ten (41%) able to identify both Allah and the Koran.
-- Those people who are most familiar with Muslims and knowledgeable about Islam are least likely to see Islam as encouraging violence, most likely to express favorable views of Muslims and most inclined to see similarities between Islam and their own religion.
The report, including a detailed executive summary, methodology and topline questionnaire, is available online (http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=436). Additional results from the survey will be released in subsequent reports.
This survey is a joint effort of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Both are projects of the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan "fact tank" that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world.
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This is a bit of a silly survey. Who really cares who we perceive is being more discriminated against? It's far more useful to actually know. A truly interesting survey would be to first catalog the number of incidents registered / reported by specific groups. Then poll those groups to catalog what level of discrimination they experience (both by perception and by number / how often etc.) Then poll opinions about different groups from other groups. That would be a truly interesting survey, who cares if some middle-aged black christian man thinks younger middle-eastern Muslim woman are more discriminated against. What matters is if it's true.
The reason I don't like the survey is that is is subject to inherent bias due to media coverage of various discrimination events. The media is going to cover a case of a discrimination against a jewish person far more than against an atheist person. The media is going to cover a case of discrimination in the work place against a black man far more than they would a discrimination in the work place of a white man. It's just the nature of the press and that creates inherent bias in anyone who responds to these surveys. We also run into issues of recall bias.
My point is the survey doesn't say anything about discrimination as the title says since it's subject to numerous statistical bias' and only it reporting perception not whether Muslims are really more discriminated against.
It's a numbers game. Even if it's something you don't really intend as an individual, the mob mentality plays a part here. Religious ideologies create a social divide whenever there's a bit of a majority. It doesn't matter if it's 2 on 1, 9 on 3, or 2,000 on 200. Sometimes the bashing occurs in less physically violent ways such as an open forum on the internet . When it takes place in the physical world it can oftentimes escalate as passions rise and cool heads flee the debate.
General misinformation can typically rouse the more violent of the human being on either side of the argument. While there are peaceful individuals caught up in the physical violence and the teachings of the Big Three do not necessarily advocate the behavior you will see human beings who are confused or militant may lash out for their beliefs.
Of course this is not secluded. That is to say that religion is not the only cause for war even if it can play a factor. I don't doubt that Muslims receive persecution in the US. Jews receive it as well. Any minority, whether it is in a community or across a nation, will receive the short end of the stick based on the numbers and mob mentality. It's the sad reality of human error.
The truth is you can strive to be civilized no matter what you beliefs are or you can get angry and outraged whenever you don't agree with something. Then there's the nasty few who slander the other side in harmful psychological OR physical ways.
Media coverage, as you mentioned, is a prime example.
Misinformation, or biased perspectives, handicap society by not revealing everything you need to know. The reason why I don't like faith-based teachings on a personal level is because it can be a motivator just by some of its roots mingling with aforementioned human behavior (capacity to be or react violently). Being told you must spread a message and convert others creates social conflict to those who refuse to accept and convert.
Because we live in a country that has a major - yet declining - number of Christians we will obviously see that there are more cases of the Islamic culture getting batted around because numbers win and those who glorify war and battle, believing it to be praiseworthy, want nothing more than to accomplish some sort of VICTORY. I'm not saying I am anti-war or pro-war. I'm just stating that to some people this is a battle of ideologies.
Even if the media is not trying to broadcast something negative, that's what they will get out of it. Even if a holy scripture does not broadcast something negative, that could be what they will get out of it. Please consider the possibility that the person's perspective - their paradigm, if you will - that twists them to be a certain way and that they will be this way no matter what they believe!
That's why we get religious zealots claiming to be from all faith-based institutions. So you make a valid point, but the persecution is arbitrary and regional. Chances are a Christian in Afghanistan is going to see more violence than a Muslim. Although maybe that's arguable since its already such a violent place. But that doesn't mean your chances of discrimination isn't higher.
Bottom line is yes, there's more criticism of Muslims in the U.S.
I'm atheist and I don't feel discriminated against. Why should I? People are free to slander my beliefs as well as I have the freedom to speak out against what another believes. That's free speech . Is it biased? Maybe a little bit. Is it fair? I'd say so. If you're allowed to attack my beliefs without fists, rocks, or bullets and I am allowed to attack yours without those tools then we can have a peaceful debate. You might not like my answers and I don't have to like yours.
We should still be allowed to have our opinions. Is it verbal discrimination? Only if there is a majority! But if it doesn't physically harm you then how are your beliefs really get harmed? You still have your faith and you're still free to express it.
Just don't fucking hit anyone.
I am totally against censorship , if I even needed to be bothered to say it. No matter how perverse your opinion might be I believe we're all individually entitled to it. Nothing should be blocked. We should all be mature and responsible enough to hear or say whatever we want to hear or say...
And if you say something, you better be prepared to hear the retort. Just as you have the right to free speech so does the person you disagree with.
I think one of the best examples of this is YouTube and the "furry community." There is a lot of hate towards the furries, typically describing this niche as sick people who fantasize about zoophilia, and pedophilia-bestiality. The furry community claims it is open to criticism and yet when videos slandering them appear on YouTube the videos are flagged as ToS violations or DMCA - content that breaches rules of conduct.
Running your mouth on or casting your eyes over a public forum opens you up to user content of varying opinions. If you don't like something then don't expose yourself to it. You can comment on it, rate it poorly, or ignore it entirely if you so desire. Fighting it with censorship is immature.
If you want someone to hear your opinion then you should be okay with hearing someone else.
"-- Those people who are most familiar with Muslims and knowledgeable about Islam are least likely to see Islam as encouraging violence, most likely to express favorable views of Muslims and most inclined to see similarities between Islam and their own religion ."
I find this to be a very telling point... showing that education about minority groups is an important part of reducing discrimination against those groups.
The Qur'an is a terribly violent book. Chapter 9 of the Qur'an explicitly states to "fight those who do not believe in allah." In fact, one of the listed punishments is beheaded for non-believers in the same chapter. Chapter 22 states that those who lay their life down for allah will be greatly rewarded. Hm. I wonder where suicide bombers get their ideas from ?? They get there peaceful religion nonsense from the initial stages of Jihad (there are 4); but they turn quite offensive rather quickly.
This is not to say Islam is inherently any more violent than Christianity or Judaism. While Islam is arguably slightly more violent, the bible and Torah have there fair share of violence. The difference is, that far too many Islamic people (mostly poor and undereducated but there are exceptions - Bin Laden chief among them!) are unable to decide which passages they can cherry pick for morality like most modern Christians / jews because they are so entrenched in ideology and indoctrination.
Back to my title, I'd think it was bad education brought on by religious apologists. In regards to Islam: bad education promotes harmony; good education promotes discontent; and no education allows us to be blissfully ignorant.