Muslims say U.S. singles them out

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- More than half of American Muslims say U.S. government anti-terrorism policies single out Muslims in the country for increased surveillance and monitoring.

A decade after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a Pew Research Center survey found 52 percent of Muslims report increased scrutiny. The proportion has not changed significantly since 2007, the survey found.

The survey showed that 28 percent of American Muslims reported they had been looked at with suspicion in the past year, 22 percent had been called offensive names, 21 percent had been singled out by airport security, 13 percent had been singled out by other law enforcement and 6 percent said they had been attacked or threatened.

More than half, 55 percent, said life in the United States has become more difficult for Muslims since the terrorist attacks, compared with 53 percent in 2007, the survey said.

Those saying they're are "bothered" by their belief Muslims are being singled out for increased government surveillance totaled 38 percent, compared with 39 percent in 2007.

The survey reports 56 percent of Muslims coming to the United States today seek to adopt American customs and ways of life, compared with 20 percent who said they want to remain distinct from the larger U.S. Society.

For the American population as a whole, by contrast, just 33 percent believe most Muslim immigrants want to adopt American ways while 51 percent think they want to remain distinct from the larger culture, an April Pew Research survey found.

The new survey was based on telephone interviews of about 1,075 people and had a sampling error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.