Americans are Learning More About Islam

Eight years after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, there is evidence that Americans are learning more about Islam. A new Pew Research Center report, Muslims Widely Seen As Facing Discrimination found that Muslims face the most discrimination of all major religious groups. 58% of adults surveyed believed there is a lot of discrimination against Muslims, and those surveyed believed Gay and Lesbians are the only group who face more discrimination.

“To say that Muslims are discriminated against … it’s not the same thing as expressing an unfavorable view of Muslims. In fact it’s just the opposite,” said Greg Smith a senior researcher for the study. He added, “People who are most sympathetic to a group are more likely to see that group as being discriminated against.”

A plurality of those surveyed (45%) believes Islam “is no more likely than other faiths to encourage violence among its believers.” This is in contrast from a majority of similar surveys conducted in past years which found more people who believed Islam did encourage violence.

In 2007 for example, 68% of Conservative Republicans viewed Islam as encouraging of violence, which has dropped to 55% in 2009, representing a 13 point change. However, the study shows Conservative Republicans consistently are the most likely to think Islam encourages violence. When Liberal Democrats were asked the same question in 2007, 26% viewed Islam as encouraging violence, which has decreased by 1 pt, in 2009. Additionally, the study shows that Liberal Democrats are the least likely to hold the view that Islam encourages violence.

From 2002-2005, Americans were asked if they knew that “Allah is the name Muslims use for God” and the “Koran is the Islamic equivalent to the Bible.” Comparing the responses across age groups, college educated, and religious groups, there is a complete and significant increase amongst Americans who can correctly identify both of these terms in 2009, compared to 2002-2005. The most dramatic increase in those who can identify “Allah” and “Koran” is seen from those aged 50-64, White Evangelicals, Black Protestants, and those with some college education. Overall, 53% of Americans can define Allah, 52% can define the Koran, and 41% of those surveyed can correctly identify both.

This information is a great indicator of the progress we are slowly making as a nation to learn more about Islam. The report found that overall, ¼ of Americans have a high familiarity with Islam, ¼ have a low familiarity, and the remaining half falls somewhere in between. Those with a higher familiarity with Islam and know Muslims have a more positive view than those who don’t have a familiarity with the religion or Muslims. Regardless of this reality, it is clear that to some degree, Americans are learning more about Islam.