Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Survey: Most American Muslim Voters Intend to Vote in Presidential Election

by Wayne Lee

   Eighty-six percent of the registered Muslim voters in the U.S. say they
   plan to vote in the Nov. 8 presidential election in the midst of a
   perceived rise in Islamophobia, according to a new survey.

   The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) released the results
   of a nationwide survey Thursday that found that 72 percent of American
   Muslim voters plan to cast their votes for Democratic presidential
   nominee Hillary Clinton, compared to 4 percent for Republican rival
   Donald Trump.

   Three percent intend to vote for Green Party candidate Jill Stein and 2
   percent plan to support Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson.

   FILE - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a rally
   as a man holds up a sign that reads "Islamophobia is not the answer" in
   Oklahoma City, Feb. 26, 2016.

   The survey also shows that 85 percent of Muslims believe that
   Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment have increased in the U.S. in
   the past year. CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad attributes the
   perceived rise to politicians like Trump, former Republican
   presidential hopefuls Ben Carson and Ted Cruz, and "ideologues around
   them who have allowed this Islamophobia to mushroom."

   Reports of discrimination

   Nearly one-third, or 30 percent, of the survey respondents said they
   felt they were discriminated against in the past year. Awad expressed
   serious concern, citing reports of apparent discrimination at public
   places such as airports, as well as vandalizing of mosques and
   hate-crime-related murders of Muslims.

   "These numbers tell a story of a Muslim community that is hopeful and
   worried at the same time, worried that the national political discourse
   has deteriorated so much that they feel unsure about their future as
   American citizens because of the threats of having special policies
   that will be designed to target them," Awad said at a Washington news
   conference.

   FILE - People gather near a crime scene for a demonstration after the
   leader of a New York City mosque and an associate were fatally shot in
   a brazen daylight attack as they left afternoon prayers, Aug. 13, 2016.

   Awad said the possible policies that concern Muslim Americans include
   proposals that would, for example, require them to wear special
   identification cards, force the closure of mosques and bar foreign
   Muslims from entering the U.S.

   Party leanings

   Of the Muslims surveyed, 44 percent said they considered themselves
   political moderates, 25 percent were liberals, and 11 percent said they
   were conservatives.

   The results suggest the historical trend of Muslims aligning with the
   Democratic Party has leveled off. Sixty-seven percent said they were
   Democrats, compared with 66 percent in 2012 and 49 percent in 2006.

   Muslim affiliation with the Republican Party remains little changed,
   with 6 percent of the respondents expressing GOP membership compared
   with 9 percent in 2012 and 8 percent in 2008.

   However, more Muslims have a negative perception of the Republican
   Party. Sixty-two percent of those surveyed said the Republican Party
   was unfriendly toward Muslims, an increase from 51 percent in 2012. The
   Democratic Party is perceived more favorably, with only 2 percent
   saying that party was not friendly toward Muslims.

   FILE - Demonstrators shout during a "Freedom of Speech Rally Round II"
   outside the Islamic Community Center in Phoenix, Arizona, May 29, 2015.

   An overwhelming majority of the respondents, 91 percent, thought that
   Trump's proposed temporary ban on Muslims entering the U.S. was wrong.
   Only 3 percent thought it was the right decision.

   The survey also showed that nearly half of Muslim voters said the U.S.
   did not provide adequate support in the past year to defeat the Islamic
   State terrorist group in Iraq and Syria.

   Eighty-two percent of the respondents support the resettlement of
   Syrian refugees in the U.S.

   "Our survey results indicate that presidential candidates still have
   time to appeal to American Muslim voters by addressing issues such as
   the erosion of civil rights and growing Islamophobia," said CAIR
   Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw.

   More than 800 Muslim voters were queried for the pre-election survey
   between Sept. 7 and Oct. 5. CAIR said the survey has a margin of error
   of 3.5 percentage points.