In the Battle Against Islamophobia, We Must Stand with Interfaith Partners

April 4, 2016
by Guest Contributor, Maha Elgenaidi

If anyone doubts the strength of anti-Muslim sentiment in the U.S., a poll taken last week by YouGov should settle the issue. It revealed that 51 percent of Americans support a presidential candidate’s proposal to bar all Muslims (except U.S. citizens) from entering the U.S., while a solid plurality (45 percent) support another presidential candidate’s proposal to “empower law enforcement” to patrol Muslim neighborhoods, with only 40 percent opposing.

On a more fundamental level, a record 61 percent of Americans view Islam unfavorably, while only 19 percent view it favorably. (The remainder are undecided.) The most recent prior poll, in November 2015 showed 37 percent viewing Islam favorably, while the same 61 percent viewed it unfavorably.

Obviously a good many who formerly viewed Islam favorably now do not.

These are not figures just for one political party (For example, 83 percent of Republicans view Islam unfavorably); these represent the general population! This should be a wake-up call for all American Muslims and the coming general elections.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/altmuslim/2016/04/in-the-battle-against-islamophobia-we-must-stand-with-interfaith-partners/