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A dad fig Sptmb 11, 2001, Musim Amias sti fa sm pubi distust ad a

m skptia f a fmt tha a th U.S. faith mmuitis. Dspit ths hags,

Amia fs f Isam a ptimisti abut thi futu, ad thy mba thi utys ivi

istitutis ad igius puaism.

MUSlIM AMerIcAnS: Faith, Freedom, and the FutureExamining U.S. Muslims Political, Social, and Spiritual Engagement 10 Years After September 11

August 2011


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Front cover: Let and middle photos courtesy o Aati Abdul-Qadeer.

Back cover: op right photo courtesy o Aati Abdul-Qadeer.


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MUSlIM AMerIcAnS: Faith, Freedom, and the FutureExamining U.S. Muslims Political, Social, and Spiritual Engagement 10 YearsAfter September 11

August 2011

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exutiv Summay ........................................................................................5

evauatis f lif ad cmmuity ...............................................13

Pitia egagmt .................................................................................23

Sia egagmt .....................................................................................35

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rmmdatis .......................................................................................53

rpt Mthdgy ...................................................................................57


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Copyright 2011 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

A decade ater the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, researchers at the Gallup

Center or Muslim Studies and the newly established Abu Dhabi

Gallup Center saw a need to measure the progress made and yet to be

made regarding Muslim-American engagement. Building on our early

2009 report on Americas Muslim community, Muslim Americans: A

National Portrait, this analysis tracks change since 2008 and delves into

new social and political research topics reecting current public debates.

Our last report measured the opportunities and challenges acing acommunity that had been pushed into the limelight ater Sept. 11 rom

its place o relative anonymity. We discovered an educated, employed,

entrepreneurial, and culturally diverse community, whose strengths

and struggles reected Americas as a whole. At the same time, our

researchers ound that young American Muslims, who had spent

their ormative years during the war on terror, were less likely than

their generational peers to be classied as thriving and more likely to

experience negative emotions, such as anger.1

Since 2008, Americans have elected their rst Arican-Americanpresident, a Christian with Muslim amily roots. President Barack

Obama, who enjoys an approval rating o 80% among Muslim

Americans, identied improving relations with Muslim communities as

a top priority early in his campaign. Obama was the rst U.S. president

in history to mention Muslim Americans in his inaugural speech, and

he has since made repeated reerences to U.S. Muslims, including in

his 2009 Cairo address. He continues to arm that Muslims are now

and have always been a part o America.

At the same time, the controversy over the proposed IslamicCommunity Center near Ground Zero, New York Rep. Peter Kings

1 Muslim Americans: A National Portrait, Gallup 2009

ForeworD


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3Musim Amias: Faith, Fdm, ad th Futu


hearings on Muslim Radicalization, and anti-Sharia legislation in

a number o states puts the Muslim-American community tensely inthe headlines. Moreover, a string o domestic terrorist attacks, both

realized and attempted, have punctuated the past two years. Muslims

are not associated with the majority o these plots, and other Muslims

provided crucial inormation to law enorcement about those who

were. However, these events have oten put the Muslim-American

community on the deensive.

With these complex dynamics as the backdrop, this report explores

questions o Muslim Americans political, social, and spiritual

engagement. Additionally, our analysts ofer a number o evidence-based recommendations to government and civil society leaders

working on Muslim-American integration.

Tis report would not have been possible without important

contributions rom Steve Crabtree, Soa Kluch, Nicole Naurath, and

Mohamed Younis. Data analytics were provided by Ken Kluch, Kyley

Nemeckay, and Eric Olesen. Jon Cliton, Lymari Morales, Gale Muller,

and Frank Newport provided collaborative review and eedback. Te

editing team including Ben Klima and Susan Sorenson ensured

accuracy throughout the report. Design and layout were completed bySamantha Allemang and Molly Hardin. Special thanks to Jef Bechtolt

or operations management. Large portions o the data in this report

come rom the Gallup Nightly poll. Many thanks to Patrick Bogart,

Jef Jones, Frank Newport, and the entire Gallup Nightly poll team or

providing an impressive amount o content.

We are delighted to have collaborated on this research with Dr. Jocelyne

Cesari rom the Islam in the West Program at Harvard and Dr. Justin

Gest rom the Department o Government at Harvard University.

Teir insight, expertise, and analysis were invaluable to this report.


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4 Musim Amias: Faith, Fdm, ad th Futu


Te Abu Dhabi Gallup Center is a Gallup research hub based in the

capital o the United Arab Emirates. It is the product o a partnershipbetween Gallup, the worlds leading public opinion research rm, and

the Crown Prince Court o Abu Dhabi.

Building on Gallups seminal work in the eld o Muslim studies, the

Abu Dhabi Gallup Center (ADGC) ofers unmatched research on the

attitudes and aspirations o Muslims around the world. In addition to

its worldwide scope, the ADGC ocuses on the specic priorities o its

regional base and presents innovative analysis and insights on the most

important societal challenges acing the United Arab Emirates and the

Gul Cooperation Council.

About the Abu Dhabi

Gallup Center


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In the past two years, the percentage o Muslim Americans considered

thriving has increased more than that o any other major American

religious group.

While they continue to experience some perceived bias, both in their

interactions with other Americans and in their exchanges with law

enorcement, Muslim Americans are satised with their current

lives and are more optimistic than other aith groups that things are

getting better.

One possible explanation or Muslim Americans rising lie evaluations

is that their perception o the economy has improved more than that

o other groups, ater a more negative outlook in the downturn o

2008-2009. Another is that Muslim Americans, who tend to register

as Democrats, are optimistic about the political climate in the U.S. in

a way they have not been or the better part o a decade. Nearly 8 in

10 Muslim Americans approve o Obamas job perormance, by ar his

highest rating rom all the major religious groups.

Muslim Americans have the most condence o any major U.S.

religious group in the honesty o the countrys elections. However, they

are less condent than Americans o other aith groups in the Federal

Bureau o Investigation (FBI) and military, among the U.S. institutions

closely associated with what has been known as the war on terror

since the atermath o the Sept. 11 attacks.

Muslim Americans are the least likely members o any major religious

group to be registered to vote (65%, compared with 91% o ProtestantAmericans and Jewish Americans). Tis may be because, though the

majority o Muslim Americans were born in the U.S., many are rst-

generation immigrants and may not yet be citizens. With an average

age o 36, Muslim Americans are also signicantly younger than

people o other religions another trait oten associated with low

voter-registration levels.

Political Engagement

eXecUTIVe SUMMArY


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Teir skepticism about the military extends to U.S. military actions in

Iraq and Aghanistan. While a substantial proportion o Americans oall major religious groups now see the Iraq war as a mistake, this view

is most prevalent among Muslim Americans (83%). U.S. Muslims are

also the most likely (47%) to believe it was a mistake to send orces

into Aghanistan.

Although it is sometimes suggested that Americas unpopularity in

majority-Muslim countries is a result o misinormation spread by

those countries leaders to deect attention rom their own repressive

policies, most Muslim Americans do not believe this. Sixty-ve percent

say the distrust is based on what the U.S. has done. A much smallerproportion o Muslim Americans roughly one in our says

the U.S.s negative image in majority-Muslim countries stems rom

misinormation spread by those countries leaders.

Muslim Americans and Jewish Americans the two major U.S.

religious groups with the biggest stake in the decades-long Middle

East conict have similar views about how that conict might be

resolved. A substantial majority o Muslim Americans (81%) and

Jewish Americans (78%) support a uture in which an independent

Palestinian state would coexist alongside o Israel.

Jewish Americans are also among the least likely religious groups to

believe that Muslim Americans sympathize with al Qaeda. Seventy

percent o Jewish Americans say they do not believe Muslim Americans

eel this way. Te only religious group more certain that Muslim

Americans do not sympathize with al Qaeda is Muslim Americans

themselves, at 92%.

Underscoring their lack o sympathy or al Qaeda, Muslim Americans

are also the least likely major religious group in the U.S. to say there

is ever a justication or individuals or small groups to attack civilians.

Roughly 1 in 10 Muslim Americans say such attacks are sometimes

justied. In every other major religious group except Mormons, the

proportion o people who say such attacks are sometimes justied is at

least twice that.


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A majority o Americans o every aith see Muslim Americans as being

loyal to their country, with Muslim Americans and Jewish Americansthe most likely to hold this view. Ninety-three percent o Muslims,

80% o Jews, 59% o Catholics, and 56% o Protestants in the U.S.

say this.

Americans are divided on whether Muslim Americans are more

obligated than other groups to speak out against terrorism. Muslim

Americans themselves disagree on this, with about the same percentage

saying they are more obligated to speak out as saying they are not.

At least 4 in 10 in every major religious group in the U.S. say Americans

are prejudiced toward Muslim Americans, with Jews (66%) saying this

in slightly higher numbers than Muslims (60%).

Te presumed target o terrorist proling, Muslim Americans are

also the most likely religious group (81%) to say that proling does not

work. Americans o other major aiths are split on whether or not it is

possible to prole a terrorist on the basis o traits such as gender, age,

or ethnicity. Forty-nine percent o Jews, 46% o Catholics, and 44% o

Protestants in the U.S. do not think proling is possible.

Despite believing that they are oten the victims o intolerance,Americans who practice Islam are among the most tolerant o U.S.

aith groups studied. Muslim Americans combined integration-

tolerance scores a measure o their appreciation or religious

pluralism are higher than those o Protestant Americans, Catholic

Americans, and Jewish Americans and are matched only by those o

Mormon Americans.

Muslim Americans who attend religious services at least once a

week have higher levels o civic engagement and report less stressand anger than do other U.S. Muslims who attend religious services

less requently. Tis raises the possibility o community leaders using

mosques as a mobilizing platorm to push Muslim Americans toward

greater civic engagement.

Social Engagement

Spiritual Engagement


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Muslim Americans are generally less likely than Americans o other

major religions to take unpopular stands to deend their aith, despitetheir relatively high level o religious commitment. However, the

willingness to do this is higher among Muslim Americans who are

comortable interacting with people o other religions.

Since January 2008, Gallup has been interviewing a minimum o 1,000

U.S. adults nightly. Te Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index (also

reerred to as the Gallup Nightly or G1K) was developed to obtain

statistics on the state o wellbeing or adults in the United States.

Te data included in this report come rom the Gallup HealthwaysWell-Being Index, as well as two independent Gallup studies o the

Muslim-American population.

Te data rom the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index are reported

out using aggregated data, as well as most recent data. For purposes

o this study, aggregate data reer to interviews conducted rom

January 1, 2008-April 9, 2011. Te total sample based on aggregate data

is 868,264 adults, o which 3,883 sel-identied as Muslim Americans.

In the study, most recent data are based on interviews conducted rom

January 1, 2010-April 9, 2011. Te total sample based on these data is336,888 adults, o which 1,492 sel-identied as Muslim Americans.

Data rom the Muslim American population were collected rom

February 10, 2010-March 11, 2010, and October 1-21, 2010. Te total

sample based on the combined Muslim-American polls is 2,482 adults,

o which 475 sel-identied as Muslim Americans.

In this report, we analyzed the data according to the major religious

groups in the U.S.: Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and Mormons,

as well as No Religion/Atheist/Agnostics. For our reporting purposes,

we did not include Other Christian or Other non-Christian religions.Respondents religious classication is based on sel-identied religious

aliation when asked the ollowing question:

What is your religious preference are you Protestant, Roman

Catholic, Mormon, Jewish, Muslim, another religion, or no religion?

Technical Note


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(INTERVIEWER NOTE: If respondent names another religion, ask:)

Would that be a Christian religion or is it not a Christian religion?

Gallups Global Practice Leader or Faith Communities, Dr. Albert

L. Winseman,2 developed the Religious olerance Index in 2002

with Gallup scientists Dr. Jim Harter and Julie Hawkins to measure

Americans attitudes toward religious aiths that are diferent rom

their own. Te index is based on respondents level o agreement with

the ollowing ve statements on a scale o 1 (strongly disagree) to 5

(strongly agree):

I always treat people o other religious aiths with respect.

Most religious aiths make a positive contribution to society.

I would not object to a person o a diferent religious aith

moving next door.

People o other religious aiths always treat me with respect.

In the past year, I have learned something rom someone o

another religious aith.

From the combination o their answers, Gallup classies populations as:

Isolated: Isolated individuals tend not to be members o any

particular aith group, but i they are, they tend to believe in the

truth o their perspective above all others. Tey do not want to

know about other religions. Tey also neither respect nor eel

respected by those o other aiths.

Tolerant: olerant individuals have a live-and-let-live attitude

toward people o other aiths, and they generally eel that they

treat others o diferent aiths with respect. However, they are not

likely to learn rom or about other religions.

2 Winseman leads Gallups research and consulting services that assist aith communities in helping theirmembers become more engaged. He authored Growing an Engaged Church, which was written to helpcongregational leaders identiy and harness the power o engagement in their churches. Winsemancoauthored Living Your Strengths, which was written to help members o aith communities discoverand use their talents and strengths in their congregations. Beore joining Gallup, he was a pastor in theUnited Methodist Church or 15 years.


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Integrated: Integrated individuals go beyond a live-and-let-live

attitude and actively seek to know more about and learn rom otherso diferent religious traditions. Tey believe that most aiths make

a positive contribution to society. Furthermore, integrated people

not only eel they respect people rom other aith traditions, but

they also eel respected by them.

For complete details on the study, please reer to the methodology

section o the report.


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Photo courtesy o Aati Abdul-Qadeer.


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Muslim Americans are generally better o in 2011than they were in 2008, especially young people.


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eVAlUATIonS oF

Life and Community

While Americans in every major religious group rate their current lives

about equally, Muslim Americans are unique in the level o optimism

they express about the uture. Regardless o religious aliation,

Americans rate their lives about a 7 on a 0-to-10 ladder scale3 and

expect to be even more satised ve years rom now. No other religious

group, however, expects things to improve as much as do Muslim

Americans. On average, they expect their lives to be an 8.4 out o 10

in ve years.

Please imagine a ladder with steps numbered from zero at the bottom to ten at the top. Suppose we say that the top of the ladder

represents the best possible life for you, and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you. On which step of the

ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time, assuming that the higher the step the better you feel about your life,

and the lower the step the worse you feel about it? Which step comes closest to the way you feel?

Just your best guess, on which step do you think you will stand in the future, say about five years from now?

Muslim Americans Rate Life in Five Years More Highly Than Do Other Religious Groups

0

2

4

6

8

10

No Religion/Atheist/Agnostic

MormonJewishCatholicProtestantMuslim

Life in five yearsLife today

7.0

8.4

7.1 7.4 7.07.7

7.38.0

7.1

7.8

6.8

7.9

Surveys conducted via Gallup Nightly Poll rom January 1, 2010-April 9, 2011.

3 Tis reers to the Cantril Sel-Anchoring Striving Scale.

Muslim Americans See

Their Lives Improving


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Muslim Americans assessments o their current and uture lives also

put them near the top o U.S. religious groups in terms o Gallups LieEvaluation Index. Sixty percent o Muslim Americans are thriving,

virtually the same as the percentage o Jewish Americans who are

thriving and slightly higher than the percentage o Catholic Americans

(54%) and Protestant Americans (52%). Tree percent o Muslim

Americans are sufering, about the same proportion as in every other

major religious group.






Muslim Americans as Likely as Other Faith Groups to Be Thriving

SufferingStrugglingThriving

Muslim

Protestant Catholic Jewish

Mormon No Religion/Atheist/Agnostic

37%

60%

52%3%

3% 2%

3% 3%

3%

44% 43%36%

41% 42%

54% 61%

56% 55%


O particular note is the improvement in Muslim Americans lie

evaluations between 2008 and 2011. While the thriving percentage

increased among all U.S. religious groups during this period, it jumped

the most 19 percentage points among Muslims, at least double

the increase o any other major religious group.


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In addition to the overall improvement in Muslim Americans thriving,

there is a specic increase among Muslim American youth. In MuslimAmericans: A National Portrait, young Muslims thriving (those aged 18

to 29) was at 40%. Tis was the lowest o all young Americans in major

religious groups. In 2008, Muslim-American youth were the exception

to the trend o a youth bonus in thriving, where young populations

are typically higher in thriving compared with older populations. In

contrast, 2010-2011 data suggest that Muslim-American youth are

now thriving at a proportion similar to their peers on par with young

Catholic Americans, Mormon Americans, and people o no religion.

And they share the trend o being more positive about their lives today

and in the uture than older members o their aith group.






Muslim Youth Thriving Back on Track

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%



65+45-6430-4418-29

65%

60%

52%

41%

70%

63%

51%

43%

67%

59%

49%

43%

74

%

72%

58%

48%

70%

63%

50%

40%

60%

58%

49%

46%


Te percentage o Muslim Americans who say their standard o living

is getting better (64%) is also higher than that o any other major

religious group in the U.S. Tis percentage increased by 18 percentage

points between 2008 and 2011 as economic conditions stabilized.


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Right now, do you feel your standard of living is getting better or getting worse?

Muslim-American Standard of Living Increases From 2008 to 2011

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

55%

60%

65%

2011201020092008


Mormon

Jewish

Catholic

Protestant

Muslim 46% 55% 62% 64%

37% 34% 37% 41%

40% 39% 45% 48%

34% 33% 39% 44%

51% 45% 47% 48%

43% 46% 53% 55%


In a broadly diverse population such as the U.S., it can be somewhat

misleading to group peoples attitudes or experiences solely on the

basis o religious aliation. Tis is particularly the case with Muslim

Americans, as they represent the most racially diverse religious

community in the U.S.4 Race is another actor that might separate the

attitude o one Protestant or Catholic American rom another, and

it gures into the experiences and challenges o Americas Muslim

population. For instance, Asian Muslims are easily the most likely in

America to be thriving. Black Muslims report more nancial hardship

than do white Muslims, and black Muslims are somewhat less likely

than other Muslims in the U.S. to be satised with their standard o

living.

Black Muslims are more likely than white or Asian Muslims to say they

lack enough money to buy what they need or to make major purchases.

However, U.S. Muslims as a group do seem to be somewhat more

vulnerable to nancial diculties than Americans o other aiths.

4 Muslim Americans: A National Portrait, Gallup 2009.


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Higher rates o Muslims say there have been times in the past year

when they were unable to aford basic necessities such as ood, shelter,and healthcare. Muslims are also the only major U.S. religious group

where less than one-hal say they would be able to make a major

purchase i they needed to.

Would you be able right now to make a major purchase, such as a car, appliance, or furniture, or pay for a significant home repair if

you needed to?

Muslim Americans Least Likely to Be Able to Make Major Purchases

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%



Percentage yes

39%

60%

51%

68%

54%50%


Muslim Americans optimism about the uture, despite their seemingly

greater economic challenges, is striking. One possible explanation is that

Muslim Americans were hurt more than other major religious groups

by the recession, and have thereore experienced more improvement

as the recovery has begun. Te steady increase in Muslim Americans

levels o thriving and their increased economic optimism since 2008

seem to support this conclusion. Another actor may be the change

in the U.S. political climate. Muslim Americans tend to identiy as

Democrats (46%) or independents (35%), with a smaller percentage

(9%) saying they are Republicans.

Tey may see Obama as promoting policies that are more in keeping

with their own political views than those o ormer President George

W. Bush. In 2009, Obamas rst year in oce, the percentage o

Muslim Americans

Optimism May Reect

Afnity or Obama


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high numbers. Still, one might expect that Muslim Americans, the

group expressing the least satisaction currently, would also have theleast optimism about their communities becoming better places to live

in the uture. Yet Muslim Americans, along with Mormon Americans,

are the most likely to say that their communities are getting better as

places to live.

Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the city or area where you live?

Is the city or area where you live getting better or getting worse as a place to live?

Muslim Americans Among the Least Satisfied With Their Community but Most Optimistic

About Its Improvement

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

No Religion/

Atheist/Agnostic


City or area getting betterSatisfied with city or area

81%

63%

89%

54%

87%

56%

88%

54%

89%

62%

82%

56%



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24/66

Muslim Americans are at least as likely as Americans o othermajor aiths to have confdence in civic institutions. Tey are the

most likely aith group studied to reject violence targeting civilians,despite their more critical view o the countrys oreign policies.


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PolITIcAlEngagement

Muslim Americans are the most likely o any religious group in the

U.S. to say the countrys elections are honest. Fity-seven percent o

Muslim Americans say this, versus 44% o Protestant Americans (the

religious group least likely to express such condence). Moreover,

Muslim Americans are just as likely as other religions to say they have

condence in the U.S. media and judicial system.

In the United States, do you have confidence in each of the following, or not? How about honesty of elections

Muslim Americans Are Most Likely to Have Confidence in Honesty of Elections

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%



Percentage yes

57%

44% 46%48%

53%

40%

Surveys conducted via Muslim American Polls rom February 10-March 11, 2010, and October 1-21, 2010.

Muslim Americans express less condence than other major U.S. aith

groups in two government institutions involved in the war on terror.

Seventy percent o Muslim Americans say they have condence in

the U.S. military, lower than the 91% or more o Americans in other

religious groups who say this. Tere is also a split in attitudes toward the

FBI, with 60% o Muslim Americans saying they have condence inthe FBI, versus 75% or more o Americans o other aiths who say this.

Muslim Americans Have

More Confdence in

Elections, Less in the Military


26/66



In the United States, do you have confidence in each of the following, or not? How about the military

Muslim Americans Have Lowest Level of Confidence in Military

Muslim



Dont know/RefusedNoYes

28%

70%

95%

2%

1%

1%4% 6%

9%

3%

20%

94% 91%

97% 79%


In the United States, do you have confidence in each of the following, or not? How about national security organizations, such as the

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Muslim Americans Have the Lowest Level of Confidence in FBI

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%



Percentage yes

60%

75%78%

75% 75%

68%


O all the major religious aiths in America, Muslims are the least likely

to be registered to vote. Sixty-ve percent o Muslim Americans are

registered, compared with 91% o Protestant and Jewish Americans.


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Are you now registered to vote in your precinct or election district, or not?

Muslim Americans Least Likely to Be Registered to Vote

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%



Percentage yes

65%

91%

78%

91%

84%78%


Muslim Americans lower voter registration numbers may be partially

explained because many more o them are rst-generation immigrants

than those in other major U.S. aith groups. Additionally, Muslims in

the U.S. are less established; at an average o 10.5 years, they have lived

in their current cities and areas the shortest amount o time o people

o any major religious group.

Another challenge to political mobilization is that many Muslims

do not eel there is a national Muslim-American organization that

represents them. When asked which o a list o national Muslim-

American organizations represents their interests, 55% o Muslim men

and 42% o Muslim women say that none do.

No National Muslim American Organization Represents a Large Percentage of the Community

Which national Muslim American organization, if any, do you feel most represents your interests? (Open ended)

Organization Cited % Males % Females

cui Amia-Isami ratis 12 11

Isami Sity f nth Amia 4 7

Musim Pubi Affais cui 6 1

Musim Amia Sity 0 2

Imam waith D Mhammd Gup 3 1

Isami ci f nth Amia 2 0

oth 6 20

n 55 42



28/66



Another possible explanation or lower political involvement is

that Muslim Americans are more likely to be young people ademographic that tends to be less politically active across aith groups.

With an average age o 36, Muslims in America are considerably

younger than Americans o other major aiths. Across all other major

religious groups in the U.S., the average age is 46 to 55.

What is your age? (Average age)

Muslim Americans Are the Youngest of the Major Religious Groups

20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60

Muslim(36)

Protestant(55)

Catholic(48)

Jewish(50)

Mormon(46)


(41)


With such a young population, Muslim Americans can be expected to

have diferent needs and priorities. In particular, they are most likely to

be ocused on getting an education, entering a career, getting married,

and starting a amily.

Looking back on the events ollowing the U.S. invasion o Iraq in

2003, a substantial proportion o Americans in most major religious

groups surveyed now say the Iraq war was a mistake. At 83%, Muslim

Americans are by ar the most likely to hold this view. A majority o

Jewish Americans (74%) also say the war was a mistake. Mormon

Americans are the least likely to say the U.S. made a mistake in sending

troops to Iraq.

Muslims Are the Youngest

o Any Major Religious

Group in the U.S.

U.S. Muslims Most Likely

o All Faiths to Call Iraq,

Aghanistan Wars Mistake


29/66



In view of the developments since we first sent our troops to Iraq, do you think the United States made a mistake in sending troops to

Iraq, or not?

Muslim Americans Are the Most Likely to Cite Iraq War as a Mistake

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%



Yes, made mistake

83%

45%49%

74%

32%

67%


Likewise, Muslim Americans are the most likely o the major religious

groups surveyed to have reservations about the war in Aghanistan.

wo-thirds or more U.S. Protestants, Catholics, Jews, and Mormons

support the war in Aghanistan, but Americans with no religion are as

likely as U.S. Muslims (47%) to say the war was a mistake.

Thinking now about the U.S. military action in Afghanistan that began in October 2001, do you think the United States made a

mistake in sending military forces to Afghanistan, or not?

Muslim Americans and Those With No Religion Are Most Likely to Cite Afghanistan

War as a Mistake

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%



Yes, made mistake

47%

28%33% 32%

22%

47%



30/66



Most Americans in all aith groups studied say the U.S. has a negative

image in predominantly Muslim countries. o explain the U.S.s negativeimage, in most o the religious groups studied more than one-hal o

those who are pessimistic about Americas standing among Muslim

communities say the media and governments in those countries spread

misinormation that osters unavorable views o the U.S.

Muslim Americans, on the other hand, see it diferently. O those who

say the U.S. has a negative image in majority-Muslim countries, about

one in our say this is the result o misinormation, while 65% o the

same sub-group o Muslim Americans say it is based on what the U.S.

has actually done.

Do you think the unfavorable views people in Muslim countries have of the United States are based mostly on what the U.S. has doneor based mostly on misinformation provided by the media and government about what the U.S. has done? (Asked of those who saidpeople in Muslim countries have very unfavorable, or somewhat unfavorable views of the United States.)

Muslim Americans Are the Most Likely to See U.S. Actions as Causing Unfavorable Views of

U.S. in Muslim Countries

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%



Based on misinformationBased on what U.S. has done

65%

26% 24%

65%

21%

70%

29%

55%

13%

76%

35%

53%

Surveys conducted via Muslim American Polls rom February 10-March 11, 2010, and October 1-21, 2010.Tis question was asked o a subset o the population.

Muslim Americans

Blame U.S. Actions Not

Misinormation, or Majority-

Muslim Countries Distrust


31/66



In roughly the same numbers, U.S. Muslims (81%) and Jews (78%)

two o the aith groups most closely associated with the MiddleEasts enduring conict support a uture in which an independent

Palestinian state would coexist alongside o Israel. Catholic Americans

(83%) also strongly support the two-state approach. U.S. Protestants

are the least likely o the major religious groups surveyed to back a

two-state solution. Protestant Americans relative resistance to a two-

state solution is signicant because o the political inuence wielded

by this aith group, which represents a little more than one-hal o the

U.S. population.

Would you support or not support a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict? By two-state solution, I mean an

independent Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel.

Regardless of Religious Affiliation, Most Support a Two-State Solution toPalestinian-Israeli Conflict

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%



Support

81%

69%

83%78%

73% 75%

Surveys conducted via Muslim American Polls rom October 1-21, 2010.

Muslim Americans

and Jewish Americans

Support Two-State

Solution in Middle East


32/66



O the major religious groups studied, Muslim Americans are the

staunchest opponents o military attacks against civilians, with 78%saying such attacks are never justied. Muslim Americans are unique

in the numbers in which they oppose such attacks. A majority o

Americans in the other aith groups say military attacks on civilians

are sometimes justied, with Mormon Americans the highest at 64%.

Some people think that for the military to target and kill civilians is sometimes justified, while others think that kind of violence is never

justified. Which is your opinion?

Muslim Americans Are Most Likely to Reject Violent Military Attacks on Civilians

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%



DependsSometimesNever

78%

21%

38%

58%

39%

58%

2%

43%

52%

3%

33%

64%

3%

56%

43%


U.S. Muslims Are Most Likely

to Say Military Attacks on

Civilians Never Justifed


33/66



Even beore the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Americans have debated

whether Islam as a religion innately encourages violence and terrorismand whether Muslim Americans secretly sympathize with organizations

and movements such as al Qaeda.

o that end, it is worth noting that Muslim Americans are the least

likely o all major religions in the U.S. to justiy individuals or small

groups attacking civilians. Eighty-nine percent o Muslim Americans

say there is never a justication or such attacks, compared with 79% o

Mormon Americans, 75% o Jewish Americans, and 71% o Protestant

and Catholic Americans. Moreover, the requency with which Muslim

Americans or any other aith group attend religious services hasno efect on whether they justiy violence against civilians.

Some people think that for an individual person or a small group of persons to target and kill civilians is sometimes justified, while

others think that kind of violence is never justified. Which is your opinion?

Muslim Americans Are Most Likely to Reject Violent Individual Attacks on Civilians

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%



DependsSometimesNever

89%

11%

71%

26%

2%

71%

27%

2%

75%

22%

79%

19%

2%

76%

23%

1%


Neither U.S. Muslims nor U.S.

Jews Say Muslim Americans

Sympathize With Al Qaeda


34/66



U.S. Muslims are also the most likely (92%) o the major religious groups

studied to say that Muslims who live in America have no sympathy oral Qaeda. Majorities o those in the other U.S. aith groups share this

view, though a signicant minority o U.S. Protestants and Catholics

(33%) and Mormons (31%) do not dismiss the possibility that Muslim

Americans harbor some sympathy or al Qaeda.

Jewish Americans are the least likely religious group, ater Muslim

Americans, to believe that Muslim Americans sympathize with

al Qaeda. Although U.S. Jews and Muslims oten have sharply

divided views on the Israeli-Palestinian conict, and some o the most

outspoken critics o the Muslim American community are prominentJewish Americans, most Jewish Americans seem to have shrugged of

these views. Seventy percent say they do not believe Muslims in the

U.S. sympathize with al Qaeda.

Now thinking specifically about Muslims, do you think each of the following applies, or does not apply, to Muslims living in this

country? Muslims living in THIS COUNTRY are sympathetic to the al Qaeda terrorist organization?

Muslim Americans, Those With No Religion, and Jewish Americans Are More Likely to Believe

Muslims Have No Sympathy for Al Qaeda

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%



Does not apply

92%

56%

63%

70%

57%

75%



35/66


36/66

Muslim Americans ace signifcant public distrust andare generally more likely than other groups to say they

are discriminated against. However, they are among themost open o aith groups to inter-religious diversity.


37/66


Te national uproar generated in 2010 over plans to build a mosque

and cultural center near Ground Zero made it apparent that some in

politics, the media, and the general public continue to question where

Muslim Americans loyalties lie. Nonetheless, a majority o Americans

in all major aith groups say U.S. Muslims are loyal to their country,

though they are ar less likely to say this than Muslim Americans

themselves. Almost all U.S. Muslims (93%) believe other Americans

who share their aith are loyal to the country; U.S. Protestants (56%),

Mormons (56%), and Catholics (59%) are the least likely to say so.

Jewish Americans are much more likely than those o other non-

Muslim aiths studied to see U.S. Muslims as loyal (80%).


country? Muslims living in THIS COUNTRY are loyal to this country?

Majorities of All Religious Groups Say Muslim Americans Are Loyal to the U.S.

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%



Dont knowDoes not applyApplies

93%

6%1%

56%

37%

7%

59%

35%

6%

80%

18%

2%

56%

32%

9%

69%

18%

9%


Tat a signicant minority o Americans doubt U.S. Muslims loyalty

to their country seems to suggest they may expect Muslim Americans

to somehow prove their loyalty. Similarly, members o the media and

the public oten ask why Muslim Americans do not speak out against

Nearly All Muslim Americans

Say Their Faith Group

Is Loyal to U.S.

Must U.S. Muslims Speak

Out Against Terrorism?

Americans Are Divided

SocIAlEngagement


38/66



terrorist attacks more oten, as i their silence somehow condones such

acts. Most major religious groups (including Muslims themselves) aresplit on this question, with about one-hal in each aith group saying

U.S. Muslims are obligated to speak out more than others, and one-

hal saying they are not.

Some people say that Muslim Americans are more obligated to speak out against terrorism than other groups. Others say Muslim

Americans are NOT more obligated to speak out against terrorism than other groups. Which comes closer to your point of view?

U.S. Faith Groups Divided on Need for Muslim Americans to Speak Out More Against Terrorism

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%



Not more obligatedMore obligated

*

49% 49%52%

45% 44%

52%47%

52%

30%

69%

Surveys conducted via Muslim American Polls rom February 10-March 11, 2010.

*Mormon population too small to report results

I Americans o most aiths are split in their perception o Muslim

Americans obligation to speak out against terrorism, they are not

divided in their perception o whether Muslim Americans do so oten

enough. Most believe they do not. Among Protestant, Catholic, Jewish,

and Mormon Americans, no more than about one-third and as ew as

one-quarter believe U.S. Muslims are suciently vocal in condemning

terrorism. Tat compares with 72% o Muslim Americans, a mismatch

suggesting U.S. Muslims have not ound the right bullhorns to make

themselves heard. It also reects the rustration Muslim Americansoten express that their repeated condemnations o terrorism seem to

go unheard.


39/66




country? Speaking out enough against terrorism

Most Religious Groups Say Muslims Not Speaking Out Enough Against Terrorism

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%



Does not apply

28%

62%66% 65% 68%

55%


It is possible that Muslim-American organizations rely too heavily on

websites and email lists to speak out against terrorism. Such electronic

methods are immediate, easy, and inexpensive to use, yet they tend to be

homogenous and thus result in preaching to the choir. Te websites

where condemnations are posted are generally o most interest to U.S.

Muslims and may not be seen by a wider audience.

Despite the debate over the past decade about whether law enorcement

should prole potential terrorists based on visible traits such as

gender, age, and ethnicity, many members o major religious groups

in the U.S. do not agree on the ecacy o this tactic. Most o these

groups are split on the issue, but Muslim Americans the presumed

targets o proling express the least condence in this method by

ar. Te percentage o Muslim Americans (17%) who say it is possibleto efectively prole is ar lower than that o U.S. Protestants (55%),

Catholics (54%), Mormons (58%), and Jews (49%).

As Main Target o Profling,

Muslim Americans Are Least

Likely to Favor Its Use


40/66


41/66



toward Muslim Americans the groups also least likely to believe

that Muslim Americans are loyal to the U.S. and most likely to believea terrorist can be proled. Surprisingly, American Jews agree that there

is prejudice toward U.S. Muslims in even higher numbers (66%) than

do Muslims themselves.

I am going to read you two statements. Please tell me for each whether you agree or disagree with it. In general, most Americans are

prejudiced toward Muslim Americans.

Jews Most Likely to Agree Muslims Face Prejudice

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%



Agree that most Americans are prejudiced toward Muslim Americans

60%

48%51%

66%

47%

54%


At 48%, Muslim Americans are by ar the most likely o major

aith groups surveyed to say they have personally experienced racial

or religious discrimination in the past year. Te next most likely are

Mormon Americans, although less than one-third o U.S. Mormons say

this. Te numbers o U.S. Protestants, Catholics, and Jews who report

experiencing discrimination in the past year are ar lower, about one

in ve in each o these groups. Tough Jews and Catholics historically

have been the most requent targets o religious discrimination in

the U.S., these data suggest that Muslim Americans now perceive

themselves to hold this dubious distinction.


42/66



Have you personally experienced racial or religious discrimination in the past year?

Muslims Most Likely to Have Experienced Racial or Religious Discrimination

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%



Have experienced racial or religious discrimination

48%

18% 20%21%

31%25%


Higher levels o perceived prejudice may inuence U.S. Muslims

eelings about practicing their religion in public. While a majority

(63%) o Muslim Americans say they eel respected when they practice

their religion in public, this number is much lower than that o U.S.

Protestants and Catholics (both 81%) and Mormon Americans (85%).

Now, I will read you a list of statements. Please tell me for each whether you agree or disagree with it. I am respected when I practice

my religion in public.

Muslim and Jewish Americans Are Less Likely Than Protestant and Catholic Americans to Feel

Respected When Practicing Their Religion in Public

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


DisagreeAgree

63%

35%

81%

15%

81%

18%

66%

24%

85%

13%



43/66


44/66



as tolerant, with 8% being isolated.5 Teir combined integration-

tolerance scores in efect, a measure o their welcoming o religiouspluralism is higher than that o U.S. Protestants, Catholics, and

Jews and is matched by that o Mormon Americans.

Religious Tolerance Index

Mormons and Muslims Highest in Integration Among U.S. Religious Groups

Muslim



IsolatedTolerantIntegrated

8%

48%

44%

35%

25%

13%

11%

15%

5%

52% 55% 49%

49%

54%

34% 36%

46%

21%


One might expect Americans who are more accepting o those

o other aiths to be less connected to their own aith and ellow

believers. However, this is not the case. An examination o responses

rom Americans o all major aiths studied shows that no matter how

passionately they eel about their own religion, it does not prevent

them rom being open to those o other aiths.

5 In Gallups methodology, peoples position with respect to other aiths is characterized as integrated,tolerant, or isolatedbased on the extent to which they say they agree with ve statements: 1. I alwaystreat people o other religious aiths with respect. 2. Most religious aiths make a positive contributionto society. 3. I would not object to a person o a diferent religious aith moving next door. 4. Peopleo other religious aiths a lways treat me with respect. 5. In the past year, I have learned somethingrom someone o another religious aith.


45/66



Religious Tolerance Index

How strongly do you identify with each of the following groups? Extremely strongly, very strongly, moderately strongly, only a little, or

not at all? Your religion

Integrated Religious Groups Are No Less Likely Than Tolerant Religious Groups to Identify

Strongly With Their Religion

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

TolerantIntegratedTolerantIntegratedTolerantIntegratedTolerantIntegratedTolerantIntegrated

Muslim Protestant Catholic Jewish Mormon

Not at allOnly a littleModerately stronglyVery stronglyExtremely strongly

30%

36%

29%

2%2%

24%

38%

27%

9%

1%

34%

38%

19%

5%

4%

29%

40%

21%

7%

2%

26%

34%

27%

10%

3%

26%

28%

33%

11%

2%

21%

28%

33%

16%

2%

14%

37%

34%

14%

58%

35%

4%

3%

45%

45%

7%

3%


Religious Tolerance IndexHow strongly do you identify with each of the following groups? Extremely strongly, very strongly, moderately strongly, only a little, or

not at all? Those worldwide who share your religious identity

Integrated Religious Groups Are No Less Likely Than Tolerant Religious Group to Identify

Strongly With Those Who Share Their Religious Identity Worldwide

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%



Not at allOnly a littleModerately stronglyVery stronglyExtremely strongly

10%

27%

49%

10%

1%

9%

24%

42%

18%

3%

25%

28%

32%

9%

5%

17%

31%

36%

11%

3%

21%

36%

29%

10%

4%

12%

18%

48%

19%

3%

15%

27%

40%

15%

2%

10%

28%

46%

12%

3%

44%

42%

12%

1%

42%

39%

16%

1%1% 2%



46/66

Frequent mosque attendance and a strong religiousidentity are associated with greater civic engagement

and emotional health among Muslim Americans.


47/66


SPIrITUAlEngagement

Muslim Americans report attending a religious service requently about

as oten as Protestant Americans. Majorities o Americans in most o

the religious groups studied say they attend religious services roughly

once a month or more. Tis is the case with 65% o U.S. Protestants,

61% o U.S. Catholics, and 64% o U.S. Muslims. Mormon Americans

are the most requent attendees 80% say they attend services once

a month or more and Jewish Americans are the least requent.

Forty-six percent o Jewish Americans say they seldom attend religious

services, and 19% say they never do.

How often do you attend church, synagogue, or mosque at least once a week, almost every week, about once a month, seldom, or

never?

Muslim Americans Are Similar to Protestant Americans in Their Religious Service Attendance

Muslim

Protestant Catholic

Jewish Mormon

NeverSeldomAbout once a monthAlmost every weekAt least once a week

20%

14%

6%

15%

44%

43%

10%

19%14% 4%

24%

11%11%

11%

27%

15% 8%

13%

46%8%

6%

38%

16%66%

7%


More than 80% o Muslim Americans say religion is an important

part o their daily lives. As such, to understand this community it is

important to examine the correlations between those who take religious

observation seriously and their other behaviors and attitudes.

For U.S. Muslims, Mosque-

Going Oten Means More

Engagement, Less Stress


48/66


49/66




never? Did you experience the fol lowing feelings during A LOT OF THE DAY yesterday? How about: Stress

Muslim Americans Who Report Feeling Stress Are Less Likely to Attend Religious

Service Frequently

Experienced stress yesterday Did not experience stress yesterday


39%47%

6%7%

16%

13%

23%18%

16% 14%



Experienced anger yesterday Did not experience anger yesterday


never? Did you experience the following feelings during A LOT OF THE DAY yesterday? How about: Anger

Muslim Americans Who Report Feeling Anger Are Less Likely to Attend Religious

Service Frequently

32%46%

7%6%20%

13%

27% 18%14% 15%



50/66



Tat requent mosque attendance might lessen stress and anger is

an intriguing nding, given that the experience o anger is slightlymore common in the Muslim-American population than in other

major religious groups in the U.S. It also takes away rom the theory

that mosque attendance stokes Muslims anger and radicalizes them.

Rather, Muslim Americans are no diferent rom other major U.S.

religious communities who appear to draw peace o mind rom their

aith. Gallup researchers have documented a relationship between

religiosity and wellbeing in general7 across aith groups.

Indeed, the data suggest that some o the anger elt by Muslim-

American men and youth in particular (those in the 18- to 29-year-old age cohort) results rom the relatively small amount o time they

spend socializing, and that the mosque may help ll this void. Muslim

Americans are signicantly more likely than Americans in other

major religious groups to be young and unmarried; in some cases, this

reduces their sense o social support and connectedness. Tey are also

somewhat less likely than Americans in other major religious groups

to say they have riends or relatives they can count on in times o need,

and Muslim Americans report spending less time than other religious

groups socializing, an average o six hours a day.

A regression analysis sheds light on the traits most closely associated

with thriving in every major American religious group. Among U.S.

Protestants, Catholics, Jews, and Mormons, a college education, a

high level o religious observance (attending services at least once a

week), and condence in national security organizations such as the

FBI are all predictive o thriving. Tese same traits plus a ew others

including strongly identiying with the U.S. are also predictive o

Muslim Americans likelihood to thrive.

7 Very Religious Have Higher Wellbeing Across All Faiths, by Frank Newport, Sangeeta Agrawal, and DanWitters, Gallup, January 6, 2011

Thriving U.S. Muslims

Likely to Be College-

Educated, Have

Confdence in FBI


51/66



Regression Analyses Predict Factors That Likely Relate to Thriving for Muslim Americans

Muslim Americans Overall

- Confident in the FBI

- Attend mosque at least once a week

- Strongly identify with the U.S.

- Strongly identify with those worldwide

who share religious their identity

- College educated

Muslim American Men and Women

MEN

- Confident in the FBI

- Strongly identify with the U.S.

- College educated

WOMEN

- Strongly identify with those worldwide

who share their religious identity

Muslim Americans are somewhat less likely than U.S. Protestants

and Mormons to say they have an extremely or very strongidentication with the United States and those around the world who

share their religion. In no major U.S. religious group is there a conict

between loyalty to the U.S. and identiying with others around the

world who share the same religion. Rather, in every group, including

Muslim Americans, people who identiy extremely strongly with the

U.S. are also more likely to identiy strongly with their worldwide

religious identity.

Moreover, U.S. Muslims who have a strong identication with the

broader Muslim world, sometimes known as the Ummah, are morelikely to be thriving. Te connection between identication with the

global Muslim community and thriving is somewhat stronger among

Muslim American women than it is among men.


52/66



How strongly do you identify with each of the following groups? Extremely strongly, very strongly, moderately strongly, only a little, ornot at all? (Read A-D) [Combining those saying very strongly and extremely strongly identify with]

A. The United StatesB. Your ethnic backgroundC. Your religionD. Those worldwide who share your religious identity

Muslim Americans Identify With the United States and Their Faith Equally

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%



Those worldwide who share your religious identityYour religionYour ethnic backgroundUnited States

69%

60%6

5%

37%

91%

57%

70%

50%

88%

60%

5

5%

39%

86%

56%

49%

43%

92%

69%

90%

81%

76%

36%

9% 1

2%

Surveys conducted via Muslim American Polls rom February 10-March 11, 2010, and October 1-October 21, 2010.

As they move along the continuum rom tolerant to integrated (thatis, rom a moderate acceptance o those o other religious backgrounds

to the highest level o acceptance), the attitudes o people in most

religious groups do not change dramatically with respect to spiritual

matters. For instance, U.S. Protestants and Catholics who are ully

integrated are not signicantly more likely to say they have orgiven

people who have hurt them than are Protestant Americans or Catholic

Americans who are merely tolerant.

Tere are some notable exceptions, however. Catholic and Muslim

Americans who are more open to people o other aiths are also morelikely to see their own aith as central to their lives. Tis is especially

true or Muslim Americans; three-quarters o U.S. Muslims who

are integrated say their aith is involved in every aspect o their lives,

compared with 63% who say the same among those who are classied

as tolerant.

U.S. Muslims Who

Are the Most Open

Are Most Willing to

Deend Their Faith


53/66



Another area where there are some bigger diferences among Muslim

Americans depending on the degree o their openness to religiouspluralism is in their willingness to take unpopular stands to deend

their aith. It is worth noting that U.S. Muslims take such stands

in the lowest numbers o Americans o any religion. However, their

willingness to take a stand in deense o their aith rises as does their

comort in interacting with, and having respect or, those who practice

other religions. Tis suggests that Muslim Americans speaking out in

deense o their belies is a sign o more not less integration and

sense o belonging.

Religious Tolerance Index: Now, I will read you a list of statements. Please tell me for each whether you agree or disagree with it.

I will take unpopular stands to defend my faith.

My faith is involved in every aspect of my life.

Integrated Muslims Americans Are More Likely to Take Unpopular Stands for Faith

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%



My faith is involved in every aspect of my life.

I will take unpopular stands to defend my faith.

80%76%

67%63%

91%

68%

90%

69%

88%

63%

82%

51%

87%

19%

86%

23%

89%87%

95%

80%



54/66


55/66


recoMMenDATIonS

Our analysis suggests that policymakers and civil society leaders

working to improve Muslim-American inclusion in their country

should consider the ollowing at the national, regional, and local levels.

Assess the degree of anti-Muslim discrimination in America.

Almost one-hal o Muslim Americans report experiencing racial or

religious discrimination in the past year, signicantly more than other

religious communities. Mounting evidence suggests a link betweenIslamophobia and anti-Semitism.8 U.S. Muslims and Jews are also the

two most likely religious groups to say there are times when they have

to hide their religious identity. Government agencies should address

this issue directly by rst accurately measuring its severity. Some

specic suggestions include:

reat Islamophobia and anti-Semitism as related phenomena.

Te State Department should expand its report on anti-

Semitism to include Islamophobia.

rack reports o discrimination against U.S. Muslims in a similar

manner to reports o discrimination based on anti-Semitism.

Raise awareness, particularly within Muslim-American

communities, o the procedures required to le a complaint

with the Civil Rights Division at the Department o Justice.

Local and state police as well as the FBI should launch a

national strategy to address the challenges in community-

law enorcement relations. A major component o this could

be multi-religious town hall meetings around the country

to discuss civil liberties and discrimination, as well as law

enorcements role in protecting all Americans rom hate crimes.

Tis could increase trust in the FBI and the local police, two

important national institutions in which Muslim Americans,

in particular, have relatively low levels o condence.

8 American Religious Perceptions, Gallup 2010

Recommendations

or Government


56/66



Engage and leverage Muslim Americans expertise in the nations

foreign policy. Muslim Americans are among the most likely o allmajor religious groups in the U.S. to express trust in their countrys

national democratic institutions, including the courts, honesty o

elections, and even the quality and integrity o the media. However,

they are more likely than those o other major religious groups to be

skeptical o some aspects o U.S. oreign policy. As the most culturally

diverse religious community in America,9 signicant minorities o

the Muslim-American community may not only speak multiple

languages but may have also traveled, worked, and conducted research

and business globally. Such experiences and expertise should be more

widely drawn upon in orming global policy.

In particular, Muslim Americans ofer policymakers a valuable cultural

and religious brain trust upon which to draw when engaging Muslims

globally. Tey embody a concept Obama has repeatedly emphasized:

Islam and America are mutually enriching, not mutually exclusive.

With the presidents renewed ocus on supporting democratic

transitions in the Middle East, it will be important to demonstrate

the democratic process at home to these newly empowered publics

by including, not marginalizing, Muslim Americans. Tis is especially

important as almost 80% o Egyptians say that or Western societies todemonstrate respect or Muslim societies, it is extremely important

to protect the rights o Muslim minorities in Western societies.

Moreover, Americans o the Middle East Diaspora can ofer insight

on the best way to support new democracies such as in unisia and

Egypt. Policymakers should make ull use o this national resource, one

o the country s most diverse and educated aith communities.

9 Muslim Americans: A National Portrait, Gallup 2009


57/66



Focus on the mosque as an important institution of Muslim-

American mobilization. Islamic centers and mosques have emergedas important institutions in Muslim Americans spiritual, social, and

political engagement. Te Muslim-American community would do

well to invest in building the capacity o these institutions. Tis can be

accomplished in a ew ways, including by:

Strengthening national organizations that connect and

coordinate among mosques, and building robust databases o

U.S. Muslim institutions and their members.

Creating regional communication plans or local Muslim-

American institutions, both to address security concerns and

to mobilize higher levels o political participation on other

matters that concern the community.

Investing in capacity building by providing robust

training10 or imams and other community leaders on the

unique spiritual, social, and political challenges acing the

Muslim-American community.

Increase opportunities for education and engagement in and

among faith groups. Gallups research uncovered a link betweenMuslim Americans trust in their national institutions a measure

o integration and the quality o interaction between Muslim

Americans and people o other aiths.11

10 Te American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute at the University o Southern Caliornia and theMuslim Public Service Network based in Washington, D.C., are some examples o existing programsthat leaders could scale up.

11 Interaction with ethno-religious diversity is solicited by the ollowing three questions: 1. Otheraiths treat me with respect. 2. reat other aiths with respect. 3. Learned something rom someoneo another aith. Respondents should be labeled to have reported generally positive interactionswith ethno-religious diversity i they answer agree or strongly agree to allo these three questions.Respondents should be labeled to have reported mostly positive interactions with ethno-religious

diversity i they answer agree or strongly agree to two o these three questions. Respondents shouldbe labeled to have reported mostly negative interactions with ethno-religious diversity i they answeragree or strongly agree to oneor zero o these three questions.

Recommendations

or Civil Society


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en years ater the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a signicant number o

Americans o diverse aiths report distrust o and prejudice toward U.S.Muslims, more so than toward any other major aith group studied.12

Most Americans also admit to knowing almost nothing about Islam.

Tis knowledge gap not only hurts Muslim Americans, but also

American society as a whole, since the health o democracy depends

on a well-inormed citizenry. o help bridge the divide, civil society

leaders should consider making the ollowing investments and changes:

Increase grants or journalists and educators taking university

educational programs on Islam and Muslim societies.

Monitor media coverage o Islam and Muslims, evaluating

the volume o news, how that news is ramed, and the sources

reporters use.

Increase multi-religious service opportunities ocused on the

needs or challenges o the larger local community. Tis approach

can help build shared experiences based on shared interests

and, thereore, trust between communities and individuals.13

reat Muslim religious identity and Muslim-American

identity as mutually reinorcing, not competing, concepts.

12 American Religious Perceptions, Gallup 201013 United We Serve: Muslim Americans Answer the Call, www.MuslimServe.org


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Te data included in this report come rom three independent sources

based on sel-identied religious aliation: Te Gallup Healthways

Well-Being Index (also reerred to as the Gallup Nightly or G1K), as

well as two independent studies o the Muslim-American population.

Te Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index was developed to obtain

statistics on the state o wellbeing or adults in the United States. Te

endeavor accumulates responses rom a random minimum sampleo 1,000 U.S. residents, 350 days per year. On any given evening,

approximately 250 Gallup interviewers conduct computer-assisted

telephone interviews with randomly sampled respondents 18 years

o age and older, including cell phone users and Spanish-speaking

respondents rom all 50 states and the District o Columbia. Te

survey includes many o the standard demographics, including race,

income, education, employment status, occupation, and household size

(number o adults). Location data, such as zip codes, allow researchers

to map the responses to particular parts o the country and accumulate

data or local-level comparison and interpretation.

Te survey methods or the Gallup Nightly poll rely on live (not

automated) interviewers, dual-rame random-digit-dial (RDD)

sampling (which includes list-assisted landline interviewing as well as

wireless phone sampling to reach those in wireless-only and wireless-

mostly households), and a random selection method or choosing

respondents within the household. Starting in April 2011, Gallup

switched rom list-assisted RDD landline interviews to directory-

listed landline interviews. Additionally, the survey includes Spanish-language interviews or respondents who speak only Spanish, and

sample coverage in Alaska and Hawaii, and relies on a three-call

design to reach respondents not contacted on the initial attempt.

Nightly quotas ensure that the unweighted samples are proportionate

by region and gender. Te data are weighted daily to compensate or

disproportionalities in selection probabilities and non-response. With

The Gallup Healthways

Well-Being Index (Gallup

Nightly) Survey Process

rePorTMethodology


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household, and telephone status (landline only, cell phone only, and

dual users that are either cell only or cell mostly). Te latest availableestimates rom the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) rom

the National Center or Health Statistics are used to determine the

target proportions by telephone status. Post-stratication weights

are then computed based on targets rom the Current Population

Survey (CPS) conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau or the Bureau o

Labor Statistics (BLS). An iterative proportional tting (i.e., raking)

algorithm is used to ensure the daily data match national targets or

region by gender by age, age by education, race by gender, and ethnicity

by gender. Finally, the weights are trimmed to reduce variance so that

the maximum range o the weights is no greater than 12 to 1.

Te majority o results in the report are based on an aggregate o daily

telephone interviews with no ewer than 1,000 adults, aged 18 and

older, conducted rom January 1, 2010-April 9, 2011. Te total sample

based on these data is 336,888 adults, o which 1,492 sel-identied

as Muslim Americans. Te report also includes trended results or

some items. rended results are based on interviews conducted rom

January 1, 2008-April 9, 2011. Te total sample based on trended data

is 868,264 adults, o which 3,883 sel-identied as Muslim Americans.

Te margin o error is calculated at the 95% condence level and isadjusted to reect the design efect.

2010-2011 Gallup Nightly Poll

ReligionNumber of

InterviewsDesign Effect Margin of Error

Ptstat 158,109 1.66 0.3

cathi 102,396 1.64 0.4

Jish 10,449 1.74 1.3

Musim 1,492 1.43 3.0

Mm 8,002 1.59 1.3n rigi/

Athist/Agsti56,440 1.62 0.5


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2008-2011 Gallup Nightly Poll

Religion Number ofInterviews

Design Effect Margin of Error

Ptstat 408,438 1.6 0.2

cathi 271,017 1.61 0.2

Jish 28,314 1.69 0.8

Musim 3,883 1.44 1.9

Mm 19,248 1.56 0.9

n rigi/

Athist/Agsti137,364 1.6 0.3

Te rst study o Muslim Americans was elded via telephone to

Muslim Americans and a nationally representative sample o adults

in the U.S. aged 18 and older. Te Muslim-American sample was

selected rom sel-identied Muslim Americans who agreed to be

recontacted ater participating in the Gallup Nightly polling. Te

general population sample included landline as well as cell-phone

only respondents. Te survey was administered rom February 10,

2010-March 11, 2010, and eatured a ve-call design. Because o the

low number o Jewish American respondents in the sample o U.S.

adults, an oversample o the Jewish population was perormed using

recontacts rom the Gallup Nightly polling. Te data were weighted

to correct or disproportionalities in probabilities o selection and

response propensities. Te data were then weighted to targets or age,

gender, region, race, ethnicity, and education rom the U.S. Census

Bureau. Final weights were applied based on sel-identied religious

aliation using targets rom the Gallup Nightly polling. Te response

rate or the study was 21%.

Te second study o Muslim Americans was elded via telephone to

a sample o participants rom each o the major religious groups. Te

sample or this study was selected based on sel-identied religious

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