WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- A prominent national Islamic civil
rights and advocacy group today called on elected representatives and
government officials to address the rising level of Islamophobia in America.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued
that call following today's release of a survey by the Media and Society
Research Group in Cornell University's Department of Communication indicating
that 44 percent of Americans believe the government should curtail the civil
rights of American Muslims in some manner.
A Cornell University news release on the report states:
"About 27 percent of respondents said that all Muslim Americans should be
required to register their location with the federal government, and 26
percent said they think that mosques should be closely monitored by U.S. law
enforcement agencies ... About 22 percent said the federal government should
profile citizens as potential threats based on the fact that they are Muslim
or have Middle Eastern heritage. In all, about 44 percent said they believe
that some curtailment of civil liberties is necessary for Muslim Americans."
SEE: "44 Percent of Americans Queried in Cornell National Poll Favor
Curtailing Some Liberties for Muslim Americans"
http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/Dec04/Muslim.Poll.bpf.html
TO VIEW THE ENTIRE STUDY, GO TO:
http://www.comm.cornell.edu/msrg/report1a.pdf
"Elected representatives, government officials and other opinion leaders
must finally recognize that Islamophobia is a growing phenomenon in American
society that must be urgently addressed," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad
Awad. "Our nation and its values are diminished whenever any faith or ethnic
group is viewed with such suspicion and hostility."
Awad said the Cornell study confirms the results of a CAIR survey released
in October indicating that 1-in-4 Americans believes anti-Muslim stereotypes.
SEE: "Poll: 1-in-4 Americans Holds Anti-Muslim Views"
http://www.cair.com/asp/article.asp?id=1248&page=NR
CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, is headquartered in
Washington, D.C., and has 30 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect
civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote
justice and mutual understanding.
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
ihooper@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a journalist's window to
the American Muslim community. To SUBSCRIBE to ISLAM-INFONET, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/islam-infonet/
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