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Notice the results of this poll. Is there good cause or does this surprise you? What can be done to counter it, or should we? Is it just a normal defense mechanism?
Poll: Nearly Half of Americans Admit to Anti-Muslim Bias
BY ADELLE M. BANKS ©2010 Religion News Service
Close to half of Americans admit to harboring prejudice against Muslims and negative feelings about Islam, a new study from the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies shows.
The level of anti-Muslim prejudice—43 percent of Americans admitted feeling at least "a little"—is more than twice as high as Americans' reported feelings toward Buddhists, Christians and Jews.
Fifty-three percent of respondents said their view of Islam was "not too favorable" or "not favorable at all," according to a 32-page Religious Perceptions in America report released January 21.
"It was interesting to note that Americans admit no more prejudice against Buddhists and Jews than they do against Christians," said Dalia Mogahed, director of the Washington-based center. "So this isn't just simply a problem against minority religions. There is a somewhat unique issue with Muslims in particular."
The report also seemed to debunk the conventional wisdom that greater exposure to individual Muslims can be an antidote to anti-Muslim prejudice. Researchers found that personally knowing a Muslim may "soften extreme prejudice," but can't eliminate bias altogether.
"It suggests that you can know a Muslim but if you have a negative opinion of the faith as a whole because of media exposure, you can perhaps explain that this one friend of yours is an exception," said Mogahed.
The study drew on media studies that have found that prominent television news coverage of Islam tends to be negative and focuses on extremism. That, in turn, fuels anti-Muslim prejudice, Mogahed said.
"The default state for Americans is not having prejudice," Mogahed said. "Americans really have to learn prejudice by being inundated by negative information."
http://www.adventistreview.com/article.php?id=3107#2
Last edited by bob_2 (02-03-10 5:13 pm)
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IsabelleR, I remember 9/11 as if it was yesterday. The attitude on 9/10 and the attitude on 9/12. The American people are a melting pot, it can not be that without diversity. But when deceive by one of their own or a foreigner like in this case, where it was realized that they had taken flight lesson in our country, only to learn how to fly a big plane not to takeoff or land. On 9/12 it would have been hard for even an American to get those type of lessons.
The attitudinal shift after groundind all planes over America, was not like the Americans. Are we biased, I would say the attitude after 9/11 was "trust but verify" . We are a different people after 9/11. Anti-bias, no, but if all the guys that brought those planes down, when we tightened up our airport security, we weren't looking for the little old lady from Pasadena, so their is no reason to pat down this type of flyer, to pat this type of flyer down or even scan her which she more than likely she would choose, although, Gloria Allred , attorney extrodinaire said she enjoyed the pat down because no one had touched her that way in a long time.
You can see by Ms. Alllred's answer that Americans still have a sense of humor.
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The truth is that the FBI and CIA and other governmental agencies completely lost it when given information that these men were trying to get flying lessons, without needlessly learning to either take-off or land, and it was reported, they completely ignore the warnings. Even in Washington, there had been warnings of such an attack very soon, but again, it was ignored.
Now they are harassing tiny toddlers and old ladies in wheel chairs in airports! IOW, if there was a shoebomber (again, not caught by government) and the "underwear bomber" (again by passengers, we have less to fear from our fellow travelers than the government and TSA.
On a recent trip to San Diego, I sent off the alarms going through the detector and was subject to a very thorough pat-down. What are the chances that an 86-yr. old grandmother, and a toddler in mother's arms would be loaded with explosives?
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Depending on how sensitive the mental detector walk through is, I would imagine that an unwire bra could set off a metal detector or show up on the total body scan. Some reason will eventually come out of this. I think Obama over reacted from the embarassment of last Christmas in Detroit with the underwear bomber.
Sorry Elaine that you had to go through that but if I can give this a lighter note, one of my friens said recently that only Lady Gaga and the TSA know her real sex!!!
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With three artificial joints--two hips, one knee, it was sufficient to send out signals. Not sure about underwire bras, but theoretically, could also work the same.
The Israelis have never had an incident because they use "intelligence" not machines.
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