Descent into Bigotry: 21st Century Americans increasingly negative toward Muslims, Minorities
http://www.juancole.com/2014/02/americans-increasingly-minorities.htmlDescent into Bigotry: 21st Century Americans increasingly negative toward Muslims, Minorities
By Juan Cole | Feb. 15, 2014
(By Charles Kurzman via IslamiCommentary)
Islamic terrorism has proved to be a relatively small threat to public safety in America since 9/11. Isolated individuals have engaged in sporadic violence such as the Boston Marathon bombings, but radicalization has remained far more limited than security officials feared. A report issued this month by the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security shows that the number of Muslim-American terrorism suspects and perpetrators remained low in 2013.
Yet American attitudes toward Muslim-Americans have grown more negative in recent years. Eight surveys since 9/11, most of them conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, have asked random samples of adult Americans whether they have a “favorable” or “unfavorable” view of Muslim-Americans. As shown in the top graph, the proportion answering “unfavorable” has increased over time: before 2006, all five surveys found “unfavorable” rates of 26 percent or lower; in the four surveys between 2006 and 2012, only one found “unfavorable” rates that low.
These numbers are still considerably less than positive responses, but they suggest that a growing segment of the American population is willing to express negative views about Muslim-Americans in recent years.
This negative trend is even more pronounced in surveys that ask about Americans’ attitude toward Muslims in general, not specifically about Muslim-Americans (see the middle graph). In 17 surveys since 9/11 conducted by Pew, the Arab-American Institute, and other organizations, “unfavorable” responses declined from 2001 through 2006, then veered upward. From 21-24 percent “unfavorable” responses in 2006, negative responses spiked as high as 63 percent in recent years.
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Right-wing Christianity has not embraced Judaism, it embraces Israel, mainly for their own apocalyptic fantasies. The Jews are still reviled, it just isn't considered "polite" to say things in public about them. Many have figured out ways to be anti-Semitic, in much the same way racists have adapted to a changing world, but still extol their racist/anti-Semitic beliefs.
"today no one mentions the jews control the world "
Again, ! http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014722652 and that is just a recent one. Feel free to read: http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/162559/jews-control-the-internet-says-pro-palestinian-website I have many more examples, just from this year and it's only the middle of February.
This, however, doesn't negate the negative feelings and hate directed at Muslim (and Arab)-Americans, and Muslims in general. The difference is it is generally "acceptable" to 'attack' Muslims in public, but not Jews, though there are certainly exceptions. Few people know anything about Islam, the Middle East, Africa, and the peoples from the region, so they are the spooky "other." Though, oddly enough, both groups are less hated than atheists. A number of Islamophobic or anti-Arab attacks haven't even included people from either group, that is how unknown they are. I believe the reason we see a down turn in 'acceptance' of Muslims is because of Obama, more specifically, the hatemongers in the Tea Party claiming Obama is a Muslim. Here we are years into his presidency, his second term, and people still believe he is a Muslim, even if on the "down low." To be clear, I am not blaming Obama for the increase of Islamophobia, but rather why, IMO, the problem is trending the way it is.
