Republicans favor talking bluntly of Islamic extremism.
By Sujeet Rajan
NEW YORK: Businessman Donald Trump may seem to have massive support among ordinary Americans with his criticism of radical Islamic extremists, and his vow to bar all Muslims from around the world from setting foot on American soil, including from India, but a new study by the Pew Research Center says that half of Americans are of the opinion that the next president should be careful not to criticize Islam as a whole when speaking about Islamic extremists.
The survey, conducted Jan. 7-14, 2016, on landlines and cellphones among a national sample of 2,009 adults, also concluded that 4 in 10 respondents want the next president to speak bluntly about Islamic extremists even if the statements are critical of Islam as a whole.
However the blunt talk is favored more by Republicans than Democrats. An overwhelming 65% of Republicans and those who lean toward the Republican Party are for that initiative, while 70% of Democrats and independents who lean Democratic express the opposite view, saying the next president should speak carefully about Islamic extremism so as not to criticize Islam as a whole.
The survey also shows that many Americans think a substantial segment of the U.S. Muslim population is anti-American.
While 42% of adults say “just a few” Muslims in the country are anti-American (or that none are), 49% of the public believes at least “some” U.S. Muslims are anti-American, including 11% who say “most” or “almost all” U.S. Muslims are anti-American and 14% who think “about half” the U.S. Muslim population is anti-American.
While many Americans are concerned about Islamic extremism, the new survey shows that most people think the problem with violence committed in the name of religion is people rather than with religion per se. Indeed, 68% of Americans say the bigger problem is that some violent people use religion to justify their actions. Only 22% say the bigger problem is that the teachings of some religions promote violence. However, when those who say they think religious teachings are the bigger problem are asked to specify which religions they think are problematic, Islam is the most common response offered.
The data from the survey show that among Republican voters who want the next president to speak bluntly about Islamic extremism even if it means being critical of Islam (69% of all Republican voters), a solid majority thinks that both Donald Trump (63%) and Ted Cruz (61%) would be good or great presidents.
Most Americans (59%) say there is a lot of discrimination against Muslims in the U.S. today. This view is particularly common among Democrats (74%); far fewer Republicans and Republican leaners say there is a lot of discrimination against Muslims (42%).
Also, about half of Americans (52%) say they personally know someone who is Muslim. This includes 10% who say they know a lot of Muslims, 26% who say they know “some” Muslims and 16% who say they know one or two Muslims.