Im usually a pushover for surveys. I welcome those telephone surveys, especially the political ones. And I will usually answer the mail surveys, unless it is one of those six-page consumer products questionnaires about my buying patterns of paper towels or household batteries.The Pew Forum surveys are well-established in their examination of the spiritual realm of this country. For example, they recently conducted more than 55,000 interviews to get a national sample of 1,050 Muslims living in the U.S. The report, released Wednesday, found they are middle class, largely assimilated and happy with their lives. About 65 percent are foreign-born Muslims and 35 percent U.S. born. Of the American-born Muslims, three out of five are blacks. Thirty-nine percent of all Muslims here have come to the U.S. since 1990 and only 11 percent before 1980. Interviews were conducted in English, Arabic, Farsi and Urdu. They are decidedly American in their outlook, values and attitudes, the report said. This belief is reflected in Muslim-American income and educational levels, which generally mirror those of the public.Muslims in other countries were also surveyed. One of the most interesting findings was one that compared the life for Muslim women in five western countries versus their living in predominantly Muslim countries. It was fairly consistent in the countries: the U.S. (62 percent saying it was better), Great Britain (58 percent), France (62 percent), Germany (50 percent) and Spain (46 percent). Interestingly, Muslims concerns about Islamic extremists were considerably higher in the U.S. and Great Britain, the presumed toughest fighters in the War Against Terrorism than with those Muslims in other four Western European countries. Very concerned about Islamic extremism in the world these days?: U.S., 51 percent; Great Britain, 52 percent; France, 35 percent; Germany, 29 percent; and Spain, 29 percent. Could some of that concern emanate from the incessant government-driven mantra about terrorists in the U.S. and Britain?One encouraging finding: Nearly twice as many Muslim Americans (63 percent to 32 percent) dont see a conflict between being a devout Muslim and living in a modern society. One finding that has gotten a lot of media is the fact that younger Muslims in the U.S. are more likely than older followers to say that suicide bombing in the defense of Islam can at least sometimes be justified. Yet absolute levels of support are paltry compared with other parts of the world.All in all, the survey underscores the phenomenon of countless groups that have come to settle in the U.S. across the nations history. Once they taste America en masse, once to see how they can immerse themselves in a wide-open place of opportunities, they tend to transform and become wholesome citizens. They tend to embrace what makes America special from due process to religious pluralism to strong public education. Loyalties to Old Country ways and warts dwindle. And America is better for the threads they become in the tough national fabric.When they join us, they become us, and we are changed as well. Yet it is a race to see whether we can tip the scales in favor of trust and acceptance before aggressive forces of division and fear of Islam poison the discussion and longer delay the time when Muslims will be just another part of the American scene.

Posted in: Uncategorized |

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.