Americans: Do you support the restricting of rights of Muslim Americans?

zulu9812 · Dec 18, 2004

from http://www.freedomunderground.org/view.php?v=3&t=3&aid=12713

Nearly half of all Americans believe the U.S. government should restrict the civil liberties of Muslim Americans, according to a nationwide poll.

The survey conducted by Cornell University also found that Republicans and people who described themselves as highly religious were more apt to support curtailing Muslims' civil liberties than Democrats or people who are less religious.

Researchers also found that respondents who paid more attention to television news were more likely to fear terrorist attacks and support limiting the rights of Muslim Americans.

"It's sad news. It's disturbing news. But it's not unpredictable," said Mahdi Bray, executive director of the Muslim American Society. "The nation is at war, even if it's not a traditional war. We just have to remain vigilant and continue to interface."

The survey found 44 percent favored at least some restrictions on the civil liberties of Muslim Americans. Forty-eight percent said liberties should not be restricted in any way.

The survey showed that 27 percent of respondents supported requiring all Muslim Americans to register where they lived with the federal government. Twenty-two percent favored racial profiling to identify potential terrorist threats. And 29 percent thought undercover agents should infiltrate Muslim civic and volunteer organizations to keep tabs on their activities and fund-raising.

Cornell student researchers questioned 715 people in the nationwide telephone poll conducted this fall. The margin of error was 3.6 percentage points.

James Shanahan, an associate professor of communications who helped organize the survey, said the results indicate "the need for continued dialogue about issues of civil liberties" in a time of war.

While researchers said they were not surprised by the overall level of support for curtailing civil liberties, they were startled by the correlation with religion and exposure to television news.

"We need to explore why these two very important channels of discourse may nurture fear rather than understanding," Shanahan said.

According to the survey, 37 percent believe a terrorist attack in the United States is still likely within the next 12 months. In a similar poll conducted by Cornell in November 2002, that number stood at 90 percent.

SeleucusNicator · Dec 18, 2004

Muslim Americans are disproprionately likely to be undertaking activities helpful to terrorists, such as, say, sending funds to terrorists. If "restricting the liberties" of such people counts as "restricting the liberties of Muslims", then, by that definition, I am all for such activities.

Unfortunately, that was perhaps too dignified a reply to this, the latest part of your effort to make an "Anti-American Thread of the Day" desk calendar.

Pasi Nurminen · Dec 18, 2004

SeleucusNicator said:
Unfortunately, that was perhaps too dignified a reply to this, the latest part of your effort to make an "Anti-American Thread of the Day" desk calendar.

Yes, never mind that the article quoted actually has important and meaningful content, someone posted something critical of America, so it must be hogwash.

stratego · Dec 18, 2004

How do I answer the poll based on the poll question?

The survey showed that 27 percent of respondents supported requiring all Muslim Americans to register where they lived with the federal government. Twenty-two percent favored racial profiling to identify potential terrorist threats. And 29 percent thought undercover agents should infiltrate Muslim civic and volunteer organizations to keep tabs on their activities and fund-raising.

Wow, those are disturbingly high percentages

Bronx Warlord · Dec 18, 2004

Yes, never mind that the article quoted actually has important and meaningful content, someone posted something critical of America, so it must be hogwash.

Well there was FDR being behind pearl harbor, a message from the terrorists in iraq, how the hearts and minds of iraq are lost and a host of other threads... I can see how people come to the "Anti-American Thread of the Day" conclusion.

He dosen't even add his own feelings and has been called out on it :lol:

Nor have I seen one post that is critical of say... what scumbag terrorists are doing like cutting off heads and kidnapping people to hold for ransom, nah, america is far worse :lol:

Plotinus · Dec 18, 2004

Absolutely extraordinary. I don't recall Britain curtailing the rights of Catholics during the Troubles.

SeleucusNicator · Dec 18, 2004

Bronx Warlord said:
Nor have I seen one post that is critical of say... what scumbag terrorists are doing like cutting off heads and kidnapping people to hold for ransom, nah, america is far worse

Zulu's not the worst we've ever seen, though. I remember one thread where a bunch of European posters argued that China had more civil liberties than the United States.

The funniest thing was that the next day there was a big article in the news about China censoring internet access or something of that nature.

stratego · Dec 18, 2004

Bronx Warlord said:
Well there was FDR being behind pearl harbor, a message from the terrorists in iraq, how the hearts and minds of iraq are lost and a host of other threads... I can see how people come to the "Anti-American Thread of the Day" conclusion.

He dosen't even add his own feelings and has been called out on it

Nor have I seen one post that is critical of say... what scumbag terrorists are doing like cutting off heads and kidnapping people to hold for ransom, nah, america is far worse

Just because Zulu doesn't like America very much, we can't just accuse everyone of his post to be Anti-American. This study shows a pretty damn disturbing trend towards the internment camp days. As Americans we should be careful not to let that happen.

Mark1031 · Dec 18, 2004

You should have offered multiple choice as the catagories are not mutually exclusive, I would have voted:

Racial profiling should be used to identify potential terrorist threats

Undercover agents should routinely infilitrate Muslim civic and volunteer groups (Depends on the group)

Muslims, as a whole, are not a terrorist threat

Curtailing Muslim's civic rights in any broad manner is racism

SeleucusNicator · Dec 18, 2004

Mark1031 said:
Curtailing Muslim's civic rights in any broad manner is racism

Hardly. Religious affiliation knows no racial bounds. Yes, a disproportionate number of Muslims are Arabs, Turks, Iranians, or Berbers. However, not all people of those groups are Muslims, and not all Muslims are people of those groups.

Is it discrimination? Yes. But it is not racism.

Mark1031 · Dec 18, 2004

OK technical point accepted.

shadowdude · Dec 18, 2004

Trust, but verify.

EDIT: If anyone answers with anything more, it would become tomorrow's america bashing thread topic :rolleyes:

zulu9812 · Dec 18, 2004

stratego said:
How do I answer the poll based on the poll question?

I just put that for something to be in the box - just pick one of the answers, basically

zulu9812 · Dec 18, 2004

Mark1031 said:
You should have offered multiple choice as the catagories are not mutually exclusive

Oh, I suppose. I figured it was more of a sliding scale, but I guess you could look at it that way.

A'AbarachAmadan · Dec 18, 2004

I'd like to see the questions used in the survey. Often you can get these to lead to the answer you want or can be misinterpreted purposely. However, the result doesn't surprise me.

My personal view is no civil liberties should be curtailed. Answering your items in order:

Racial profiling: By itself, absolutely should not be used. Easy to recruit others anyway. However, profiling with a multitude of factors can be used.

Undercover agents: only agencies that with suspected ties to terrorism. They may or may not be Muslim groups. Of course, some of them may be. It only takes one bad person in the group. There was a case of a Catholic charity that many folks gave to that sent lots of money, with only one persons knowledge, to terrorists in Northern Ireland. The same could easily happen to a Muslim charity now.

Security access: No restrictions for Muslims.

Terrorist attack: probably will be one, but it won't be 'Muslim orchestrated', it will be evil terrorist orchestrated. Most likely will be so-called 'Muslim extremists'. These aren't real Muslims to me, they are evil terrorists.

Edit sidenote: Voted for the last one, but it isn't 'racism' as Muslims are from all races. Wrong, but a different term is more appropriate.

Cuivienen · Dec 18, 2004

SeleucusNicator said:
Hardly. Religious affiliation knows no racial bounds. Yes, a disproportionate number of Muslims are Arabs, Turks, Iranians, or Berbers. However, not all people of those groups are Muslims, and not all Muslims are people of those groups.

Is it discrimination? Yes. But it is not racism.

Fine, zulu used the wrong word in the poll. Are we really going to argue about the semantics of it? You know what he meant, I know what he meant, everyone else knows what he meant. It doesn't matter whether his wording was perfect or not.

stormbind · Dec 18, 2004

In the real world, it might translate into simple racism. There is no badge or distinguishing feature to designate Muslims, so aren't Christian & Athiest Americans going to suspect people of Persian-decent before anyone else?

There is also the matter of "Twenty-two percent favored racial profiling to identify potential terrorist threats.

zulu9812 · Dec 18, 2004

Bronx Warlord said:
Nor have I seen one post that is critical of say... what scumbag terrorists are doing like cutting off heads and kidnapping people to hold for ransom, nah, america is far worse

What? You mean like this one?

Sanaz · Dec 18, 2004

A'AbarachAmadan said:
I'd like to see the questions used in the survey. Often you can get these to lead to the answer you want or can be misinterpreted purposely. However, the result doesn't surprise me.

Exactly. This is why such "studies" are ridiculous, or at least the reporting of them is. Sometimes they publish the exact methods and questions asked, but when reported only some previously expected conclusion is talked about. The article, as posted, is worthless.

Zwelgje · Dec 18, 2004

SeleucusNicator said:
Muslim Americans are disproprionately likely to be undertaking activities helpful to terrorists, such as, say, sending funds to terrorists. If "restricting the liberties" of such people counts as "restricting the liberties of Muslims", then, by that definition, I am all for such activities.

I find this quite sickening.
Have you got any information to confirm your claims or are you just making this up at the spot? If you don't have any supporting information then I suggest you don't post such crap anymore...

Americans: Do you support the restricting of rights of Muslim Americans?

Americans: Do you support the restricting of rights of Muslim Americans?

Muslims in America should be rounded up like the Japanese in WWII

Racial profiling should be used to identify potential terrorist threats

Undercover agents should routinely infilitrate Muslim civic and volunteer groups

Muslims in America should not have access to security-sensitive information and jobs

Their will be a Muslim-orchestrated terrorist attack in the USA within the next 12 months

Muslims, as a whole, are not a terrorist threat

Curtailing Muslim's civic rights in any broad manner is racism

The Newbie Nightmare

Diadoch

Deity

Trying to be good.

Squad Leader

Philosopher

Diadoch

Trying to be good.

Deity

Diadoch

Deity

cynic in training

The Newbie Nightmare

The Newbie Nightmare

Deity

Deity

Retenta personam!

The Newbie Nightmare

Gorilla Joe

Deity

Similar threads