Sat 04 May 2019:
Study by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding found that 53 percent of Jews in the US held Muslims in a positive light, compared to just 20 percent of White Evangelicals.
Jewish Americans have the most positive attitudes of any religious community towards Muslims, according to a survey of American attitudes vis-a-vis Islam. The study, which was carried out by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) on Wednesday, said that 53 percent of Jews in the US held a positive view of Muslim Americans, with just 13 percent thinking negatively of the group.
By contrast, according to the poll, White Evangelicals held the most negative perception of Islam and Muslims, with 44 percent thinking negatively of the community and just 20 percent holding a positive image of Muslims. On the other hand, the survey showed that just 14 percent of Muslims held a negative view of White Evangelicals, with 33 percent holding a positive view, and 50 percent giving no opinion.
Researchers also said that Muslims supported the Democratic Party more than any other religious demographic. The Democrats got 76 percent support from Muslims, compared with 69 percent from Jews. Fears of Islam decreased the more people knew about the religion, the study concluded.
Our #ISPUpoll found Hispanic Americans are 5x as likely to hold favorable opinions of Muslims as they are to have negative attitudes (51% vs. 10%). Hispanic Americans are more likely than white Americans to know a Muslim personally and have the lowest levels of Islamophobia. pic.twitter.com/eUr6RXa5UG
— ISPU (@TheISPU) May 1, 2019
The survey results were published amid rising Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in the US with both communities the target of an ascendant far-right.
Muslims have been affected by official measures targeting their community, such as US President Donald Trump’s Muslim ban, while Jewish Americans have suffered from a spate of violent White supremacist terror attacks. In October, a far-right gunman killed 11 at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, while in April, one person was killed in a mass shooting in San Diego.
The survey carried out by ISPU showed that Muslims held a negative view of Trump’s performance, with just a 16-percent approval rating for the president. In comparison, Trump enjoyed a 77 percent approval rating among White Evangelicals. Among the recommendations for challenging Islamophobia, ISPU said Muslims should work with other groups in the far-right firing line, especially Jews, Hispanic Americans, and African Americans.
It also recommended demystifying Islam, by teaching people about its tenets and through interfaith work with other communities. Muslims make up just about one percent of the US population, but negative media coverage and government policies have resulted in widespread Islamophobia. A November 2018 study found that two in five Americans believed that Islam was incompatible with American values.
The study by the New America Foundation and the American Muslim Initiative found that negative perceptions of Islam were higher among Republicans, with 71 percent responding that Islam was not compatible with US values.
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