Polling American Islamists

An organization called "Muslims For A Safe America" conducted a unscientific but nonetheless interesting opinion survey at its booth in the Islamic Society of North America's convention in early September. In all, 307 American citizens attending this Islamist event replied to 30 questions. I have rearranged the order of the questions and excluded some. We begin with the denial and conspiracy theory section:

5. Did Muslims hijack planes and fly them into buildings on 9/11?
Yes 117
No 139
Undecided 51

6. Did the U.S. government have advance knowledge of the 9/11 attacks, and allow the attacks to occur?
Yes 200
No 70
Undecided 37

7. Did the U.S. government organize the 9/11 attacks?
Yes 106
No 151
Undecided 50

8. Are the tapes of Osama Bin Laden, claiming responsibility for the 9/11 attacks and threatening future attacks, real or fake?
Real 126
Fake 129
Undecided 52

9. Did Muslims commit the July 2005 train and bus bombings in London?
Yes 140
No 104
Undecided 63

10. The Canadian government says it stopped a plot by Canadian Muslims in June 2006 to attack targets in Canada. Do you believe there was a real plot by Muslims?
Yes 61
No 202
Undecided 44

11. The British government says it stopped a plot by British Muslims in August 2006 to bomb planes flying to America. Do you believe there was a real plot by Muslims?
Yes 66
No 191
Undecided 50

12. Is Al Qaeda a real organization, operated by Muslims who are trying to attack America?
Yes 149
No 109
Undecided 49

Comment: These replies point to an outlook consonant with opinion in the Middle East and other Muslim-majority areas. Living in the United States, clearly, hardly affects their conspiracist mentality.

Second, what about the means that the U.S. authorities use to protect the country?

15. Is it justifiable for the U.S. government to do any of the following in an attempt to prevent terrorist attacks in America:

a. taking religion and ethnicity into account as one factor when deciding whom to interview and search at airports?
Yes 37
No 258
Undecided 12

b. monitoring activities at American mosques?
Yes 43
No 255
Undecided 9

c. listening to phone calls of people in America whom the government claims are connected in some way with Al Qaeda?
Yes 64
No 232
Undecided 11

d. having an informer pretend to support or encourage violence against America, to see if the targeted Muslims will decide to attack American targets?
Yes 35
No 258
Undecided 14

e. monitoring Muslim charities in America, in the hopes of preventing funding for possible terrorist attacks?
Yes 52
No 242
Undecided 13

f. focusing Immigration & Customs Enforcement resources on deporting Muslim illegal aliens, who have not been convicted of terrorism, in the hopes of disrupting possible Al Qaeda attacks?
Yes 29
No 263
Undecided 15

g. allowing Muslim illegal aliens to stay in America if they agree to work as informants, monitoring the Muslim community for the government?
Yes 21
No 277
Undecided 9

h. torturing suspected Al Qaeda members to get information about possible planned attacks?
Yes 14
No 278
Undecided 15

Comment: Overwhelmingly, American Islamists want to prevent Americans from using just about any means for self-defense, suggesting where their sympathies lie.

Third, some key foreign policy issues:

21. Should Iran develop nuclear weapons?
Yes 161
No 123
Undecided 23

22. Should America attack Iran to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons?
Yes 10
No 292
Undecided 5

23. Was America justified in invading Iraq in 2003?
Yes 8
No 294
Undecided 5

24. Should American troops leave Iraq immediately, or stay there until the Iraqi government and Iraqi military are stronger?
Leave now 199
Leave later 86
Undecided 22

25. Was America justified in invading Afghanistan after 9/11?
Yes 51
No 248
Undecided 8

26. Is violence by Muslims against American civilians acceptable, in retaliation for the American government's actions in the Muslim world?
YES 23
NO 274
UNDECIDED 10

27. Is violence by Muslims against the American military overseas acceptable, in retaliation for the American government's actions in the Muslim world?
YES 134
NO 154
UNDECIDED 19

28. Is violence by Muslims against the American military in the U.S. acceptable, in retaliation for the American government's actions in the Muslim world?
Yes 73
No 211
Undecided 23

29. Is violence by Muslims against American government officials acceptable, in retaliation for the American government's actions in the Muslim world?
Yes 51
No 231
Undecided 25

3. Is the American government at war with the religion of Islam?
Yes 208
No 79
Undecided 20

Comment: As in the second section, these views closely track ones found in the Middle East. Living in the United States and American citizenship have little or no effect on views.

Fourth, an all-important question about counterterrorism:

30. If you learned about a plot by Muslims to attack targets inside America, would you tell law enforcement authorities?
Yes 234
No 39
Undecided 34

Comment: 24 percent of the respondents won't commit to stopping terrorism. By comparison, surveys of the whole British Muslim population (not just self-selected Islamists, as in this survey) find between 5 and 18 percent unwilling to help law enforcement prevent attacks.

Fifth and final section:

2. Do you consider yourself to be a Muslim first, an American first, or both equally?
Muslim first 214
American first 4
Both equally 86
Undecided 3

4. Can a good Muslim be a good American?
Yes 292
No 11
Undecided 4

Comment: In the context of all the survey answers, with their profoundly negative views of the United States these replies suggest that being "a good American" is a virtually meaningless phrase to respondents. (September 9, 2006)