“We need to explore why these two very important channels of discourse (religiosity & media) may nurture fear rather than understanding,” Shanahan said.

CAIRO, December 18 (IslamOnline.net) – A new nation-wide poll showed that a major section of the American society believes fellow Muslim citizens pose a national threat and supports curbing Muslims’ civil rights and monitoring their places of worship.

The survey, conducted by the Cornell University and posted on its Web site, found that at least 44 percent of the respondents believed that American Muslims “are a threat and their civil liberties should be curtailed,” by the authorities.

The poll, based on telephone interviews with 715 people across the US, revealed that 27 percent of respondents wanted Muslim citizens to register their location with the federal government.

It further indicated that 26 percent believed mosques should be “closely monitored” by federal law enforcement agencies.

“Twenty-nine percent agreed that undercover law enforcement agents should infiltrate Muslim civic and volunteer organizations, in order to keep tabs on their activities and fund raising,” according to the survey.

It said that about 22 percent of the respondents believed the federal authorities should profile citizens as potential threats “based on the fact that they are Muslim or have Middle Eastern heritage.”

Amnesty International said that racial profiling by US law enforcement agencies had grown over the past years to cover one in nine Americans, mostly targeting Muslims.

The poll, however, indicated that 48 percent of respondents said they do not believe that civil liberties for Muslim Americans should be restricted, the university website said.

A May report released by the US Senate Office Of Research concluded that the Muslim community took the brunt of the Patriot Act against terrorism and other federal powers applied in the aftermath of the 9/11 deadly attacks.

On July 1, agents raided an Islamic institute in Northern Virginia, with no reasons cited, a move seen by an American Muslim civil rights group as a "new fishing expedition".

Religiosity

The survey also examined the relation of religiosity to perceptions of Islam and Islamic countries among Christian respondents.

It found that Republicans and people who described themselves as highly religious were staunch supporters of curtailing Muslims’ civil liberties than Democrats or people who are less religious.

Sixty-five percent of self-described highly religious people saw Islam as “encouraging violence” more than other religions do.

In addition, highly religious respondents also were more likely to describe Islamic countries as violent (64 percent), fanatical (61 percent) and dangerous (64 percent).

Conservative Christian groups have rocked the US presidential vote in favor of President George W Bush, US experts and analysts said after Bush’s reelection.

Immediately after the results became apparent, many leaders of Christian groups were quick to claim credit for the Bush victory and pledged to press ahead with their agenda, particularly the so-called “war on terrorism.”

Religion took a center stage in the US presidential elections with Bush’s frequent use of religious imagery in speeches and Democrat challenger John Kerry’s resort to the Bible in his campaign addresses.

During his first term in office, Bush granted federal funds to many US hardline religious organizations, including the group of televangelist Pat Robertson  who repeatedly gave anti-Islam remarks and insulted Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Media Factor

The survey also showed a correlation between television news-viewing habits, a respondent's fear level and attitudes toward restrictions on civil liberties.

Respondents who paid a lot of attention to television news were more likely to favor restrictions on civil liberties, such as greater power for the government to monitor the Internet.

“The more attention paid to television news, the more you fear terrorism, and you are more likely to favor restrictions on civil liberties,” said Erik Nisbet, a senior Cornell research associate.

James Shanahan, Cornell associate professor of communication and a principal investigator in the study, said the results “highlight the need for continued dialogue about issues of civil liberties in time of war.”

He said the findings underline that “personal religiosity as well as exposure to news media are two important correlates of support for restrictions.

“We need to explore why these two very important channels of discourse may nurture fear rather than understanding.”