Written by Don Byrd
A new Pew Research Center poll shows an upward trend in the percentage of American Muslims who have experienced discrimination on the basis of their religion. 48% of those polled say that they have encountered religious discrimination in the past year, up from 40% who said the same a year ago.
A Washington Post report on the poll has more:
“Overall, Muslims in the United States perceive a lot of discrimination against their religious group, are leery of President Donald Trump and think their fellow Americans do not see Islam as part of mainstream U.S. society,” the study’s authors wrote.
…
A large majority — 75 percent — said there is a lot of discrimination against Muslims in the United States. Nearly three-quarters said Trump is unfriendly toward Muslims, compared with just 4 percent who said that of President Barack Obama in 2011. And about two-thirds said they don’t like where the nation is headed.
But the news is not all bad. In conjunction with an increase in fear and being “treated with suspicion,” American Muslims report an increase in expressions of support from others. Emma Green of the Atlantic notes that “[a]lmost half of respondents said someone had reached out to express support for their religion within the past year, compared to 37 percent in 2011 and 32 percent in 2007.” (If you are looking for a good way to reach out to your Muslim neighbors, participate in the Know Your Neighbor campaign!)
92% of American Muslims say they are proud to be Americans.
For more, see the Pew Research Center’s page on the survey, or read the complete report.
