Reuters: Muslim Americans encouraged, hopeful after Obama

Muslim Americans encouraged, hopeful after Obama

Sun Jul 12, 2009 8:07pm EDT

By Wendell Marsh

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE56C00D20090713?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0


"The president, who is a Christian, used his middle name, Hussein, at his inauguration. He called for new dialogue with Islamic nations and named a special envoy for the Middle East on his second full day in office.

"We are more optimistic about the future for us here," said Alqaisi, an accountant. "They changed the way they communicate with the Muslim countries. We feel like we have more value here now. We hope that will continue in the future."

snip:

"The Muslim community has learned the lesson that if you want things to change for you in America, you have to be involved in the process," he said. "Political engagement of the Muslim community is higher than I have ever seen it."

After his first 100 days in office, Obama's approval rating among Muslims was at 85 percent , a level of popularity rivaled only by a 79 percent approval rating among Jews, according to a Gallup poll released in May."

snip: "It is this inclusion and participation in society that Muslim Americans say they are starting to embrace as a means of improving their lot."

link to full article:

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE56C00D20090713?pageNumber=3&virtualBrandChannel=0

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http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/05/local/me-obama-usmuslims5

In Los Angeles and nationwide, Muslims say they are hopeful Obama's address in Cairo will improve the image of their faith, tarnished by perceptions of extremism since Sept. 11.

In Dearborn, Mich., home to the nation's largest Arab American community, leaders quietly cheered Obama's speech in Cairo, hoping it would usher in new American attitudes toward them.

And in Washington, the national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations praised Obama for repeatedly quoting the Koran and for his promise to fight "negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear."

snip:

"I came away feeling confident that this president does take seriously his role in opposing stereotypes of Islam," Al-Marayati, executive director of the Los Angeles-based Muslim Public Affairs Council, said after rising at 3 a.m. to watch the speech on television.

Al-Marayati predicted that Obama's address would help debunk "myths about Islam and Muslims the American public."

Muslim leaders interviewed Thursday said the attitudes of many non-Muslims toward members of the faith in the United States have been mixed over the years, and hostile at times, particularly after Sept. 11.

Many Muslims have long complained of being vilified and mocked in popular culture in this country. More recently, they have protested what they call a concerted effort by the FBI to infiltrate mosques in a search for extremists.

Despite surveys showing that most Muslim Americans are mainstream and middle-class, that profile remains largely unknown, they say, eclipsed by news accounts of the activities of a small number of violent extremists.

With his speech at Cairo University, Obama sought not only to extend a hand of peace to Muslims in the Middle East but also to dispel animosity toward those on American soil.

Obama told his audience that the U.S. is home to nearly 7 million Muslims, who enjoy income and education levels that are higher than those of the average American.

link to full article:

http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/05/local/me-obama-usmuslims5

Strong Support for President Obama and His Policy in the Middle East : President Obama begins his Middle East efforts with extraordinarily high personal favorability (74 percent favorable) and job approval (73 percent) among American Jews. Jews believe that President Obama is honest and trustworthy (76 percent), that he shares their values (73 percent), and that he is restoring America's standing in the world (78 percent). Trust in the new American president also extends to his Middle East policy, with 72 percent approving of the way he is handling the Arab-Israeli conflict, 76 percent believing that he supports Israel, and 69 percent thinking that he "has a good vision for advancing Middle East peace."

Middle East Peace Is a Core Interest for the United States and for Israel: By a 51-to-32 percent margin, Jews believe Middle East peace is a core American interest. When asked whether military superiority alone or a peace agreement with a strong military would provide better security for Israel, Jews favor a peace agreement by a 49-to-36 percent margin.

American Jews Oppose Settlement Expansion : By a margin of 60 to 40 percent, American Jews oppose the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank based on "what they know" and after receiving short statements by supporters and opponents of settlement expansion. Simply put, attitudes toward settlements are highly negative and firmly held. Not surprisingly, opposition to settlements is higher among Reform (64 percent oppose) and unaffiliated Jews (69 percent oppose), in contrast to Orthodox Jews, who strongly support settlements (80 percent support). But one very interesting demographic finding is the strong opposition (72 percent oppose) among Jews who give money to political campaigns.

Support for Engaging a Palestinian Unity Government Including Hamas : Sixty-nine percent of Jews support the United States working with a unified Hamas-Palestinian Authority government to achieve a peace agreement with Israel, even when informed that the United States does not recognize Hamas because of its terrorism and refusal to recognize Israel. Interestingly, precisely the same percentage of Israelis in a recent Hebrew University poll support the government of Israel negotiating with such a unity government.

Deep Communal Divides on Iran : In the wake of America's experience in Iraq, American Jews—like other Americans—are wary of going to war again in the Middle East. But there is also concern among Jews about Iran's nuclear development, and Jewish views are mixed when it comes to what America should do regarding Iran. When given the fundamental choice of whether the United States should militarily attack Iran if it is on the verge of developing nuclear weapons, Jews are split evenly, 41-40. An unusually high 16 percent could not even bring themselves to a decision and just chose "Neither." There is a similar 39-37 result when American Jews are asked to choose between direct negotiations that provide Iran incentives to abandon its nuclear weapons program and sanctions that force Iran to choose between nuclear weapons and international isolation.

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/god-and-country/2009/03/23/poll-american-jews-strongly-support-obama-israeli-palestinian-peace-settlement.html

Judging Obama's first 100 days, 81 percent of the 600 people polled said they approve so far. According to 56 percent, the economy is the most important issue Obama faces. Asked how effective he will be in dealing with economic problems, given that Democrats have a majority in Congress, 79 percent said effective and 16 percent said ineffective.

Asked their opinion about the first 100 days of the new Congress, 67 percent said they approve and 24 percent said they disapprove.

Obama's appointment of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State won strong support: 85 percent approved and 11 percent disapproved.

http://www.uwnews.org/article.asp?articleID=49405