Results of American Perceptions of Islam Polling!
Published by Haseeb March 9th, 2006 in CAIR, Current News, IslamAnd finally, the results from a new poll on the perceptions of Islam have just been released. Here is a graphical summary:
So basically, half of Americans (46%) have a negative view of Islam (worse than post-9/11), and a third of Americans think Islam encourages violence!
A similar, more comprehensive survey recently taken by CAIR (SUMMARY / DETAILED RESULTS) shows even more alarming statistics, such as:
- Half of all Americans believe Islam encourages the oppression of women.
- One in five Americans believe that its okay to lock up Muslims and limit their civil liberties
- A quarter of Americans believe Islam teaches violence and hatred
- An overwhelming majoridy ot Americans do not consider themselves knowledgeable about Islam
- Only 1/3 of all Americans have heard Muslims condemn terrorism
If I wasnt muslim, I probably wouldnt like us very much either..
Inshallah things will get better
This means we Muslims gotta keep working…
Are we surprised? Not me. Why? Cause some news covers things that sell (violence) and the other news covers things for their propaganda. What do they cover? Our ignorant brothers and sisters who do things in the name of Islam that aren’t Islamic.
What benefit does the news have in airing stories about peaceful Muslims? None. Can we stop Muslims from doing stupid things? Not always.
Do not get discouraged, we can only do our best, the success comes from Allah
(swt) and not from us.
What can we do?
(swt) for tawfiq.
1.) Educate non-Muslims AND Muslims. Big time. This includes dawah through our actions as in the sunnah of RasulAllah (saw). Instead of passing out a pamphlet, make relations with our neighbors and show them by our kindness that Islam is the most beautiful way of life. If our neighbor’s only interaction with a Muslim is when a Muslim cut them off in traffic or cheated them at the car shop or called them infidels…then yeah of course they will think bad of Muslims.
2.) Make dua and ask Allah
3.) Repeat #1.
I think that as long as we have ridicilious ideas about how to solve these kind of issues with either extereme of kufar man its all kufar on one side and beautiful love type stuff on the other i might make my own suggestion. Americans and Muslims should write books…i have some suggestions…you know to educate the public…:
Why Johnny doesnt like muslims. (also Why Abdullah doesnt like da Wessst)
On how to tolerate a muslim for idiots.
The autobiography of I used to hate myself but today i’m an american muslim who hates non americans and non muslims and especially nonamerican muslims
On how to tolerate a muslim if your a xenophobe for idiots
On how to tolerate Western Civ if your militant for idiots
“Half of all Americans believe Islam encourages the oppression of women.”
It is rather funny to read when we know that it is in the UNITED STATES where there are most women BEATEN and KILLED by their husband in the western world, the second country which holds the record of beaten women it is FINLAND. It is nevertheless the DEMOCRATIC Scandinavian country which gave the right to vote to the women 100 years ago as well as of numerous rights.
Finn WOMEN eventually kill THEIR husband to ESCAPE to the conjugal VIOLENCE. These 2 countries are supposed to be DEMOCRACIES which respect the RIGHT of the WOMEN. What a JOKE !!!!
“- One in five Americans believe that its okay to lock up Muslims and limit their civil liberties”
It is them whom we should lock up and limit their CIVILS LIBERTIES because they are the first EXPORTER of poverty/misery and SUFFERING within the Moslem countries. Lock up them also because the Americans are too STUPID, VAIN and BELLIGERENT !!!!
To finish, I repeat the sentence of a FRENCH WRITER of LITERATURE, Victor Hugo, known notably in the US for Les Misérables and Notre-Dame-de-Paris (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame). ” We don’t EXPORT the FREEDOM with CANNONBALLS ” (VICTOR HUGO : 1802-1885).
Jenn you said : “Instead of passing out a pamphlet, make relations with our neighbors and show them by our kindness that Islam is the most beautiful way of life. If our neighbor’s only interaction with a Muslim is when a Muslim cut them off in traffic or cheated them at the car shop or called them infidels…then yeah of course they will think bad of Muslims.”
It is not that the problem but well the lack of knowledge about the Islam, the 3 monotheist religions have many common point but many Christians know themselves nothing about their religion. They content with believing in Jesus and they think going up to the paradise.
Other thing which affects the image of the Islam a lot worldwide, it is the Islam diverted from its purity which is practised in Sudan, in Pakistan, in Blangadesh, In Yemen as well as in Saudi Arabia….. And I think that the situation is grave in certain countries !!
Some of these countries have a bad interpretation of the Islam which affects all our oummah. Furthermore some of these countries mix the Coranic law with customs and patriarchal traditions which have nothing to do/see with the Islam, worse still the mixture Coranic law (Charia) and tribal justice. But the not Moslems don’t make the difference, they think that these practices deviants are linked to the Islam.
The first thing to do, it is to lead reforms within these countries, purge the country of his EXTREMISTS (also of his pedophile mollahs) and EDUCATE people. The KNOWLEDGE is a weapon, a known expression!!
Salam alikoum
Depuis mon enfance,je n’en finis pas de souffrir
De la faim, des privanence au-dessus de ma tête
Pourtant, je rêvais de douceur de vivre,
Et de projets sur cette terre qui est mienne
Le « mektoub » en a décidé autrement Mais, Ô mon
pays, je t’en fais le serment
Un jour je reviendrai
Algérie, mon amour Algérie pour toujours
Algérie, mon amour Algérie pour toujours
Malgré ta tragédie et ton sort injuste
Je t’aime, Ô mon pays
Je te porte toujours dans mon cœur
Et pour te préserver
Je ne reculerai devant aucun sacrifice
Mon pays, tu as cru en des idéaux
Vidés de leurs sens par quelques uns
Sache que beaucoup de tes enfants
Te sont éternellement dévoués
Ô cher pays, des gens t’on projeté
Dans les ténèbres et l’obscurantisme
Ils t’on souillée, terre nourricière
Et humilié ton peuple
C’est un exil, pas une fuite
Me voilà étranger, exilé
Mon pays ne me blâme pas trop
Si je n’ai pu tout te donner
Des uniformes mal intentionnés
M’en ont empêché
Algérie, mon amour Algérie pour toujours
Algérie, mon amour Algérie pour toujours
Algérie ma bien aimée
Aujourd’hui voilée de tristesse
Nous veillerons à ce que ce ne soit pas en vain
Que tout ce sang aura coulé
Ô ma chère Algérie, tu as enfanté des artistes
Pour accompagner tes joies comme tes peines
Ô mon pays où la justice a été bafouée par des tyrans…
Un jour Dieu les dévoilera
Ô mon pays, ma lumière, mon sang, ma chair
Tu habites mon cœur et je t’aime à en mourir
Algérie, mon amour Algérie pour toujours
Algérie, mon amour Algérie pour toujours
Thank you my friend for this magnificent song which I already know but, I don’t SEE the RELATIONSHIP with my comment. It is rather sly to shift the debate, I see that the critical spirit has no its place when we want to speak about certain countries.
Concerning Algeria, I still thank you but my country, at the moment, goes well. A thorough work which was necessary has been made and continue to be made, but certain countries refuse to begin ;).
If you want to continue to discuss, don’t HESITATE, even about my country. I am opened to the discution even to the criticisms, what is not the case of certain persons. Rectification of an error, it is RACHID TAHA and not TAUHA, my friend.
May Allah
helps us and guides us because we need it, especially at the moment, Amîne. May Allah 
make that you will OPEN to the CRITICISMS concerning your OWN countries. The CRITICISM it is to QUESTION and to reappraisal and it is REWARDING.
And for those who would think that it is free criticisms which are made in my first comment, you are WRONG because it is real problems which exist. And you should be BLIND or DEAF to have never heard about it, or quite simply INSINCERELY.
At least, I assume what I say, contrary to the person who does not even indicate her pseudonym, it is true it is not an obligation but it is COWARDLY !!
Salam alikoum
The time for talk is over
Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Regrettably, Ali C, you are only confirming what I thought. ALL, You Have No Critical Spirit about your countries and it is Simply Unfortunate.
When, it is necessary to criticize the Western countries, you have no problems but your own countries, Be Careful, MINDED GROUNDS !!!
The criticism and the questioning, it is “To Think” and “To Refuse”. “To Keep the silence” it is “To Accept” and “To Be in Collusion”, otherwise to be as Death !!!
” I THINK, THEREFORE I AM ” (René Descartes : 1596-1650, French Philisopher, Mathematician and Scientist) TO MEDITATE !!!
Salam Alikoum