Analysis: Islam's image deteriorates

WASHINGTON, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- One of the most touching reactions by most Americans to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, was their eagerness to avoid stereotypes about Islam and its faithful. Two years on, this religion's image has drastically deteriorated, even among well-educated U.S. citizens, a new poll shows.

After Osama bin Laden's kamikaze killers had crashed hijacked airliners into New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon, scattered anti-Islamic outrages did occur, of course. More remarkable, though, was the outpouring of solidarity for Muslim residents in the United States, and an increased interest in their beliefs.

Interfaith gatherings, visits by Christians and Jews to mosques and massive sales of the Koran marked the immediate post-Sept. 11 era. When the Washington-based Pew Research Center polled a sample group of some 2,000 Americans nationwide in March 2002, only 25 percent opined that Islam is more likely to encourage violence than any other religion.

This has changed dramatically. In the latest Pew poll, which was conducted in July but released only now, 44 percent rate Islam as a faith that promotes violence among its followers, while a slightly lesser number - 41 percent - rejects this view.

Remarkably, this opinion prevails across educational and to some extent denominational lines. White evangelical and mainline Protestants, usually at loggerheads on most issues, seem to agree on this point. Fully half of both groups discern a violent streak in Islam, while just under 40 percent of white Catholic, black Protestant and secular Americans share this opinion.

When United Press International asked leading Muslim thinkers in the U.S. for a comment, several sounded very alarmed and asked not to be quoted on the record, presumably out of fear of being accused of badmouthing their co-religionists. They allowed that these results were "very understandable." One said, "It's a fact that political movements based on Islam tend to be more violent than others. It is of course bothersome that even U.S. intellectuals confuse our faith with this kind of Muslims."

One highly respected U.S. Muslim willing to be quoted was Yemen-born Abdulwahab Alkebsi, who has dedicated his career in the United States to promoting the compatibility between Islam and democracy. He is now a program officer with the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington.

Alkebsi said, "What bothers me the most is this: In the eyes of the American elite, political Islamist movements using violence to reach their goals have become representative of Islam." Alkebsi urged a two-pronged response to this dilemma: "In this country, American Muslim organizations must educate the U.S. that Islam is compatible with democracy, pluralism and even secularism."

"At the same time," Alkebsi went on, "moderate Muslims must be given a louder voice in the Islamic world." He added the United States "must stop helping violent people. The right way is to promote democracy, women's empowerment, youth empowerment and free media in the Middle East and North Africa." This is, of course, what the National Endowment is trying to do with the help of Congressional funds.

The Pew Report shows that there is no time to lose. Not only is the number of Americans equating Islam with violence steadily increasing. But the share of U.S. citizens believing that all, most or at least half of all Muslims around the world are anti-American has also risen from 36 to almost 50 percent since March 2002.

American Muslims may take some comfort from the fact that a majority of their fellow citizens rate them favorably. But even on this score the Pew pollsters noted a steady slippage. Two months after the Sept. 11 attacks, 59 percent saw their Islamic compatriots in a positive light. By March 2002 that figure had gone down to 54 percent; now only 51 percent expressed a liking of Muslim Americans.

There is, however, one group Americans distrust even more than Muslims -- atheists. While 31 percent of the public stated reasons not to vote for a Muslim presidential candidate, 41 percent have the same negative feelings about a godless person trying to make it into the White House.