The comprehensive survey of over 1,000 Muslim-Americans released this week by the Pew Research Center was supposed to be a harbinger of good news, as evidenced by its title, "Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream". And in many ways, it has positive things to report: most Muslim Americans buy into American ideals of hard work and opportunity, have many non-Muslim friends, are relatively educated and well off (only 2% are low income), and report being "happy" or "very happy" with their lives.

The survey also showed that Muslim-Americans views towards Israel are in line with other Americans (most believe that Israeli and Palestinian rights can be reconciled) and that they categorically reject extremism among Muslims. "What this survey shows is that Muslim Americans are largely assimilated, happy with their lives and moderate - mostly in contrast to Muslims in western Europe," said Andrew Kohut, head of the Pew Research Center. "They also reject Islamic extremism to a much greater extent than Muslim populations elsewhere in the world."

This might be the case, but you wouldn't know it from reading the headlines covering the study, most of which are focusing on one troubling statistic: 8% of US Muslims - and 15% of US Muslims under 30 - believe that suicide bombings can be often or sometimes justified in the defense of Islam. With an estimate of 2.35 million Muslims in the US, this statistic has predictably caused some degree of alarm over the 140,000 or so Muslims that fall into this troublesome camp. "Jihad in America?" reads one headline, with other similar articles attracting angry comments. "It is a hair-raising number," admits Radwan Masmoudi, president of the Washington-based Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy. Indeed it is.

But something is missing from this poll that any scientist would understand - a "control." That is, one needs to ask non-Muslim Americans the same questions about terrorism to see where the answers deviate. Fortunately, one such poll with an identical question was released a few months ago and, though it didn't result in any headlines, the deviation is remarkable - and unexpected. When asked if "bombing and other attacks intentionally aimed at civilians" are "often or sometimes justified," 24% of all Americans agreed - three times the 8% of US Muslims who share that view. And scarcely half as many non-Muslims (46%) were found to oppose suicide bombings as all US Muslims in the Pew poll (80%). Similarly, a UK poll last year cited support for suicide bombing among Muslims (10%) and non-Muslims (7%) that is statistically equal. The Pew finding that 47% of US Muslims consider themselves Muslim first - rather than American - needs to be compared to a similar poll that showed 42% of Christians and 62% of white Evangelicals identifying themselves primarily by their religion as opposed to their being American.

Using the alarmist logic that is currently being applied to US Muslims, the numbers would mean 72 million Americans are walking time bombs (or in support of them). Fair? Of course not. But the lack of a "control" demonstrates the inherent flaw in interpreting answers to questions like these - and both Pew researchers and rushed reporters should have known better.

As there are no violent extremist Christian groups in the U.S....

What about the Falwell funeral terrorist?

As there are no violent extremist Christian groups in the U.S....

Don't forget about Olympic bomber / anti-abortion extremist Eric Randolph and his Army of God. See http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/05/14/rudolph.taunts.ap/index.html

those groups are not examples of Christian extremism, but of racism.

I don't know about you, but I tend to think racism is pretty extreme.

Their ideology is not founded in the Christian religion

Why is the foundational philosophy then called "Christian Identity"? I know they're hardly representatives of mainstream Christianity, but they seem pretty sure about the Christian roots of their ideology, no matter how far afield they've taken it. Aren't you just playing hot-potato?

Conversely, if I choose to accept your claim that these aren't really Christian groups--I don't, and I want to make that clear, but let's pretend for the sake of argument--then can't I just say Al-Qaeda isn't really an Islamic terrorist organisation? Only seems fair, doesn't it?

nor can they immerse themselves in a community of passive supporters

Is it possible they can fly under the radar, though?

I'm not worried about them...

Apparently, yes...

--A

>>That charge is a red herring, because there is no Christian equivalent to Al-Q and Salafism in the U.S.

You're kidding, rigt?! The difference is that domestically we call them cults. Abortion clinic bombers are but one glaring religion-based example. They simply have not found it worth thier while to hijack airliners...yet. Pass some gay marriage laws and it will only be a matter of time.

"Their ideology is not founded in the Christian religion..."

This statement is totally false. Look at the history of the KKK. Look at the history of this country and the Institution of Slavery....all used the Bible and Christian idealogy to justify their actions. Same with the abortion clinic bombers, as other people mentioned. Even Adolf Hitler claimed to be doing the work of God (He and the majority of German Nazis were all Christian)!

Jerry Falwell, the so-called "Christian" leader referred to the Civil Rights movement in this country as the "un-Civil Rights" movement and he called the Apartheid state in South Africa a "Model Christian State"!

If you really want to look at the use of religion to justify terror and extremism over the centuries, then look at history....you will find that Christians are the worst in this matter!

I don't consider myself qualified to discuss the details of white supremacist issues; that's why I provided the ADL link. But I do know that they're not the same level of threat as Muslim terrorists - and it seems nobody here is denying that. I see inventing meaningless comparisons as just another way of indulging in that favorite pastime of so many Muslims: denial and avoidance.

Its not meaningless. Muslim terrorism was ignored for too long until it morphed into this nasty thing we have today that is out of control so much so that most people on either side have no idea what to do about it. Domestic terrorism like clinic bombers and ecoterrorists are as likely to spin out of control in a complacent or even a potentially nurturing environment.

OmarG: I'm wrong and you are right. That's why organizations like ADL and law-enforcement must be aware of such groups, even though their threat level is currently low.

You don't see the ADL as a threat because they don't threaten you. There ideology supports the extinction of the Palestinian people.

sorry, should have been "their" ideology.

Hello to all!

Go to the Southern Poverty Law Center website. They have a interactive map that shows all hate-type groups by US state.

There are plenty of hate groups that call themselves Christian.

For example, I live near a military base in Kansas. Fred Phelps comes out here all the time.

The world is not black-and-white, folks.

Peace to all,
CM