Study suggests American Muslims more mainstream than in Europe

Posted: 6/01/07

Study suggests American Muslims more mainstream than in Europe

By Robert Marus

Associated Baptist Press

WASHINGTON (ABP)—One of the most comprehensive studies of its kind suggests Muslims in the United States are far better assimilated into the nation's culture—and far less likely to espouse extremist beliefs—than their counterparts in Europe.

The stark contrasts between the two groups may have something to do with the American traditions of religious freedom and church-state separation, according to experts in the field.

However, the Pew Research Center survey also found that some subgroups of America's Islamic community—specifically, younger Muslims and African-American Muslims—are somewhat more likely than the group as a whole to be open to extremism. African-American Muslims also were far more likely to feel alienated from the culture and suspicious of the government.

And a majority of all American Muslims surveyed believe it has become harder to be a Muslim in the United States since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Overall, the study of more than 1,000 Muslims living in the United States found that 78 percent of adult Muslims think suicide bombings are “never justified” in defense of Islam—a far higher percentage than among European Muslims. Nearly two-thirds of Muslim Americans believe there is no conflict between being a devout Muslim and living in a modern society.

While only 13 percent of all American Muslims believe that suicide bombings could be occasionally justified in defense of Islam, that figure was 25 percent among those under 30. In addition, native-born African-American Muslims are far more likely than the general Muslim population to have a favorable view of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist network.

And while American Muslims are more likely than the population as a whole to believe that most Americans can be successful if they work hard enough, African-American Muslims are much less likely to agree with that proposition.

Nonetheless, American Muslims' tolerance of suicide bombers is much lower than corresponding figures for European Muslims, according to Pew surveys conducted last year. In the United Kingdom and Spain, about one-fourth of all Muslims said suicide bombings could be justified, while a third of French Muslims agreed.

One significant difference between American Muslims and the population as a whole is their support for the U.S.-led “war on terrorism.” A 55-percent majority of interviewees believes the battle is not “a sincere effort to reduce international terrorism,” while only 26 percent believe it is.

In a similar vein, less than 50 percent of American Muslims believe the United States made the right decision to use force to remove the Taliban from power in Afghanistan. A wide majority of the overall U.S. population believes attacking Afghanistan was justified.

Overall, however, the survey suggests Muslims are integrating into society as rapidly as did previous waves of immigrants, while their European counterparts have encountered much more difficulty in integrating into society.

Diana Butler Bass, a religion scholar who writes for a religion-and-politics blog jointly sponsored by Beliefnet and Sojourners magazine, said the American tradition of religious liberty explains the vast difference between Muslim life in parts of the world that are otherwise culturally similar.

“With its contrast between the U.S. and Europe, the Pew study suggests that the separation of church and state works to create a more generous, open, and safer society in regard to terrorism,” Bass wrote in a May 23 entry on the “God's Politics” blog.

“At its best, America has a heritage of Christian liberality, intellectually influenced by Christianity but open to a wide range of ideas and peoples through the practice of religious toleration,” she said.

“The path to peace between Christians and Muslims is that of religious freedom, separation of church and state, and appreciative toleration in the best traditions of liberality.”