U.S. Muslims’ Image Gains, Poll Finds

The image of U.S. Muslims improved significantly in the eyes of their fellow Americans after the terrorist attacks, despite fears that the opposite would occur, according to a survey released Thursday.

Fifty-nine percent of Americans had a favorable view of U.S. Muslims in November, compared to 45% in March, according a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

Conservative Republicans showed the most dramatic change, with 64% feeling favorably toward the group, compared to 35% in March.

“The survey finds clear evidence that Americans are heeding President Bush’s call for tolerance,” the report’s authors said.

Muslims--and members of other religions who were mistaken for Muslims--were targets of hate crimes after the hijackers struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Along with other political and religious leaders, Bush urged Americans not to blame their Muslim neighbors for the destruction.

Regarding motivation for the attacks, 49% of Americans blamed political beliefs, while 30% felt religion motivated the hijackers.

Most respondents--89%--completely or mostly rejected the idea that the attacks were a sign God was not protecting the United States. Evangelists Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson had made that argument, then later apologized for the remarks.

Church attendance has dropped to roughly normal levels since the spiritual outpouring after Sept. 11. Still, the poll found 78% of people believe religion’s influence in American life is growing, up from 37% in March.

Meanwhile, 85% of respondents said they supported the war in Afghanistan. More than half felt the United States should push harder for victory, while just 25% felt the military was doing too little to avoid civilian casualties.

The poll of 1,500 adults was conducted Nov. 13 to 19 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.