Saturday, December 18, 2004

This is very disturbing

Poll: Nearly half of Americans for limiting Muslim-Americans' rights

ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) — Nearly half of all Americans believe the U.S. government should restrict the civil liberties of Muslim-Americans, according to a nationwide poll.

The survey conducted by Cornell University also found that Republicans and people who described themselves as highly religious were more apt to support curtailing Muslims' civil liberties than Democrats or people who are less religious.

Researchers also found that respondents who paid more attention to television news were more likely to fear terrorist attacks and support limiting the rights of Muslim-Americans.

"It's sad news. It's disturbing news. But it's not unpredictable," said Mahdi Bray, executive director of the Muslim American Society. "The nation is at war, even if it's not a traditional war. We just have to remain vigilant and continue to interface."



Note that it says that Republicans and those who describe themselves as very religious are MORE like to favor such a thing. The article doesn't give the numbers, but I wonder: Does this mean that a solid majority of Republicans favor curtailing the rights of American citizens because of what religion they belong to?

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