Poll: 1 in 3 think Muslim Americans more sympathetic to terrorists than other Americans

CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.

Ten years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, one in three Americans think Muslim Americans are more sympathetic to terrorists than other Americans, a new CBS News/ New York Times poll shows.

Nearly 60 percent of Americans do not think Muslim Americans are more sympathetic to terrorists, according to the poll, conducted in late August. Residents of New York City polled have similar opinions.

A quarter of Americans, as well as 20 percent of New Yorkers, admit they hold negative opinions of Muslims because of 9/11. Among adults who say a close friend or family member was killed on 9/11, 25 percent also say they have negative feelings toward Muslims.

As many as 55 percent of Americans say they know people who have negative feelings toward Muslims because of 9/11. New Yorkers and close family and friends of 9/11 victims gave similar answers. More than three in four Americans say it is likely that Muslims, Arab Americans and immigrants from the Middle East get unfairly singled out in the United States.

Views on Muslims are a bit different among Americans who have a close friend who is Muslim: 43 percent of them say Muslims are very likely to be unfairly singled out, compared to 29 percent of the public nationwide. Only 10 percent of those with a close friend who is Muslim hold negative feelings toward Muslims because of 9/11 and 73 percent do not think Muslim Americans are more sympathetic to terrorists.

CBSNews.com special report: 9/11 10 years later

Most Americans, and even more New Yorkers, have heard or read about the proposed Islamic community center and mosque two blocks from Ground Zero, but close friends and family of 9/11 victims are following that story the closest. Nearly half of those who had a close friend or relative who died in the 9/11 attacks say they have heard or read a lot about the proposed Islamic community center. Add a line about how that was a big controversy last year

Fifty-two percent of Americans oppose the building of the center, as do 55 percent of Americans who were close to a 9/11 victim (45 percent of those Americans oppose it strongly). At 45 percent, New Yorkers are less likely to be opposed, but more are against the building of the community center than for it.

Among Americans who have a close friend who is Muslim, 51 percent favor the proposed Islamic community center.

Most say U.S. will always face terrorism threat
Americans no longer more optimistic than pessimistic, poll finds
More than 4 of 5 Americans says U.S. is fundamentally changed since 9/11
Read the full poll (PDF)

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The national poll was conducted among a nationwide random sample of 1,165 adults, interviewed by telephone August 19-23, 2011. The error due to sampling could be plus or minus three percentage points for results based on the complete sample. The error for subgroups is higher.

The New York City poll was conducted among a citywide random sample of 1,027 adults, interviewed by telephone August 9-15, 2011. The error due to sampling could be plus or minus three percentage points for results based on the complete sample. The error for subgroups is higher.

The friends and family poll was conducted among a nationwide sample of 246 adults who say a close friend or family member was killed on 9/11, interviewed by telephone August 11-23, 2011. 854 respondents fitting this description were identified in previous CBS News and CBS News/New York Times Polls conducted since late 2010 and were called back for this survey. The results for the 246 adults responding to the callback were weighted to demographic targets based on all of the 854 who were called. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus six percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher.

All three samples included standard land-lines and cell phones. These poll releases conform to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

[magicwhiteman]

Muslims are by nature terroist period. Their religion is a religion of vilolence to all that do not convert. This is true if you read the koran ( ie the UNHOLY EVIL DEVILISH BOOK) of the Muslims.

All of the 9-11 hijackers were Muslim, the fort hood shooter was muslim, on and on it goes. We need to wake up a realize the Muslim faith = trouble. Pray that these sinners can be converted to faith in JESUS CHRIST!!

[Camoflaush]

You sir are an idiot.
If you look at the Islamic Religion it is only 6% of the entire Population that has terrorist thoughts. Also if you knew anything you would know that Muslims in fact do worship Jesus Christ as a prophet. I am saying this as a Christian myself so think before you act!

[dantom39]

Yes indeed sir you are correct.

[twistercat]

Of course Muslim Americans are more sympathetic to terrorists. All Catholics are more sympathetic to pedophiles. All Italians are more sympathetic to organized crime. And all whites are more sympathetic to the Ku Klux Klan. This is all simply common sense.

[richlala]

Here we go again Americans. You expect for everybody to love you as demonize anyone not like you. Then you get angry if they don't like you. America is so full of racists whites who are afraid of losing their superiority over everyone else. (Blacks, Muslims, Hispanics, Gays, etc.) And although you treat all of these people terribly, you expect them to still love you. Whites are afraid of anyone not like themselves because they have wronged all of the above. Let's face it, you people are not as wonderful and loving as you want all to believe.

[jeffreymiles]

Why are you putting out a hate message? We are America the melting pot of the world we are all Americans here it does not matter what your skin color is or your sexual prefrence. Your post is a lie you do not know anything about the American people you should be ashamed to say that whites are anymore racist then the next race you judge all by the actions of few sounds to me like you are the one who is racist here.

[Jaylah54]

Well, duhhh. This is certainly a no-brainer.

Everybody knows that:

*Muslims are all either terrorists themselves or support terrorism.

*Blacks are inferior (in every way) to whites.

*Native Americans are all alcoholics.

*Girls can't do math.

*Boys are smarter than girls.

*All Indians are Hindu.

*Every person originally from the nations that used to make up the USSR are communists. So is everybody whose family originally came here from China.

Etc., etc., etc.

[Former_Marine_Sgt]

Gee 30% of Americans think muslims support terrorists?

I thought there were more right wingers than that.

Or do they just have bigger mouths and like to flap them alot?

[credibility2]

When a group is silent every time there is an atrocity, such as attacks against innocent by radical Muslims, the conclusion is complicity or to condone. The vivid images of the horrific attacks on 9/11 also showed images from around the world of Muslims celebrating in the street, passing around sweets, in a triumph of terror. The Muslim community must not remain silent and must rather continually condemn each and every time an atrocity occurs in the name of their religion, regardless of where it occurs.

[msimamaji]

And who is responsible for this shocking poll number? None other than the GOP.
Remember, when the GOP took over the House last January, their first step was to set up a new un-American committee to investigate Muslims. Then the GOP instigated demonstrations against the Cordova Center near the World Trade Center.
The GOP cannot survive without finding some one to hate, whether it's gays, African-Americans, Latinos, senior citizens, labor leaders, school teachers, - or Muslims.
Tomorrow at 7:30 PM, various religious organizations are organizing a candle light vigil near City Hall in Los Angeles to foster religious tolerance. I will be there. I urge everyone else in LA to show up.

[jnostromo]

Surprising..I would have put it at 60%...

[formrusmcsgt]

by LtSmily September 9, 2011 9:36 AM EDT
Wow, apartheid... big words. So let me get this straight, there has ALWAYS been a Hebrew presence in the area now known as Israel.
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Yeah.

That's why Israel's creation occured with the partition of Palestine.

[AOCGUY]

There has been an Arab presence in that area for at least as long as there has been a hebrew presence. So could be get to the point here?

[LtSmily]

Call them Israeli, or Hebrew, they still have had a presence in that land for over 6000 years. Their claim is valid. The Arabs in the area were mainly nomadic in nature. Technically if you want to go back far enough the area should actually be Greek or Persian (Iran). The Philistines (Aegean)settled the area around the 12th century B.C. and were called palestinians by the invading Romans because of language differences. The people of the area rejected this name because they were not palestinians. The Arab translation is Filastin, but palestinians, as now known are not Arab either. In truth they were nomadic Syric and Aramaic tribes. The area has a long history of conquest and subjugation. If you go back far enough you could claim the Canaanites occupied the entire area before there was an Arab culture. While I don't agree with the Zionist Jews, who were a very small minority, no one disputes there has been a Jewish/Hebrew presence in the area since at least 3700 B.C. With the blessing of the International community, a very small piece of land was set aside for a people driven out it multiple times for several thousand years. The local Arab leaders of the time in 1937 told the Peel Commission that there was no such land as Palestine, they were all a part of the Syrian nation. In a twist of irony, Arab leaders of the time also insisted that "Palestine" was invented by the Zionist (small minority separate from the Orthodox Jews) and that their nation was always part of Southern Syria. They also noted Palestine is NOT in the Bible, so they have no religious claim on the land. Remember Islam reads "The Book" as well. But all of this is academic to people who insist on their version of "fairness". They will whine and moan about it not being fair or right. By that logic all white/black/Latino/Asian people need to vacate America. All Italians need to vacate Europe since Roma Victa conquered most of Europe and left their cultural imprint. All Spanish descendants need to vacate Central and South America. The issue at hand is not one of palestinian vs. Hebrew/Jew but one of a false ideology (Islam) scheming to conquer the world. The driving force behind this hatred is Islam, directly related to this story. Do you think Muslims would stop praying to Mecca if they were to capture Jerusalem? According to their ideology the Muslims that crashed plans on Sept 11th were "good" Muslims. Separate Islamic ideology from Arab peoples (Africans, Indonesians) and you just have human beings who are generally illiterate and starving for food and work. The source of the problem is lack of education, and promotion of a systemic ideology of hatred.