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Doubts About Islam Rise Amid Broad Unfamiliarity

Amid broad public unfamiliarity with Islam, doubts about the religions tenets have grown. More than a third of Americans now dont think it teaches respect for other beliefs, and nearly a quarter believe Islam encourages violence against non-Muslims.

While these numbers remain far from majorities, they are up. Last January 22 percent said Islam doesnt teach respect for other beliefs; today its 35 percent. And the view that Islam encourages violence is up by nine points, to 23 percent. Many more 53 percent reject this suggestion, but a substantial number, 25 percent, are unsure.

Similarly, while 42 percent of Americans express an overall favorable opinion of Islam, this is unchanged in the last 10 months, while unfavorable views are up by nine points, to 33 percent. (Still it was higher, 39 percent unfavorable, shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks.)

This poll was conducted earlier this month, before the arrest of Washington-area sniper suspect John Allen Muhammed, whos been identified as a convert to Islam. Authorities have not specified a motive for the shootings.

These views in part reflect very widespread unfamiliarity with Islam. Seventy-three percent of Americans do not feel they have a good basic understanding of its beliefs and tenets, and that, too, has risen, from 61 percent last winter. This suggests that any additional information people have gleaned about Islam has confused more than clarified.

Familiarity does matter: People who feel they have a good basic understanding of Islam are 16 points more likely to express a favorable opinion of it, 15 points more likely to think it respects other faiths and 15 points more likely to call it a peaceful religion.

EVANGELICALS Last fall, Christian evangelist Franklin Graham called Islam "evil" and "wicked" and wrote that it "encourages violence in order to win converts." More recently, early this month, the Rev. Jerry Falwell described Muhammad as "a terrorist" and "a violent man." A week later Falwell apologized.

Such views are more prevalent among evangelical white Protestants than among their non-evangelical counterparts or the public more broadly. Evangelical white Protestants are 22 points more likely than mainstream white Protestants to express an unfavorable opinion of Islam. Theyre also more likely, but by much smaller margins, to think Islam encourages violence and doesnt teach respect for other beliefs.

However, negative views of Islam havent grown more quickly among evangelical white Protestants than among others suggesting that comments such as Falwells are more an expression than a cause of such views.

PREJUDICE? While just under a quarter of Americans, 23 percent, say its "a fair comment" to describe Islam as a violent religion, more than twice as many 49 percent say such comments are an expression of anti-Islam prejudice.

Evangelical white Protestants are much more accepting of this kind of remark. They divide, 35 percent to 37 percent, on whether its a fair comment or prejudicial. By contrast non-evangelical white Protestants call it prejudice by a 39-point margin.

Most accepting of this kind of comment are those evangelical white Protestants who describe themselves as political conservatives. In this group, 47 percent say its a "fair comment" for religious leaders to call Islam a violent religion; 31 percent say its prejudice.

OWN CHURCH Most Americans say the religious leaders in their own churches or houses of worship have been silent on Islam: Eighty-four percent say they havent heard their own pastor or religious leader say anything about it recently.

Just nine percent have heard about Islam from the pulpit. Of them, 63 percent say the comment was a favorable one; 30 percent say it was unfavorable.

OTHER GROUPS There are ideological components to some of these views, with conservatives more apt than moderates or liberals to express an unfavorable opinion of Islam. Overall views of Islam are similar between blacks and whites, and more favorable among better-educated than among less-educated Americans.

METHODOLOGY This ABC News/Beliefnet poll was conducted by telephone Oct. 11-15, 2002, among a random national sample of 1,018 adults. The results have a three-point error margin. Fieldwork by ICR-International Communications Research of Media, Pa.

Analysis by Gary Langer.
ABC News polls can be found at ABCNEWS.com on the Internet at:
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/PollVault/PollVault.html
Media contact: Cathie Levine, (212) 456-4934
Full results follow.

1. Do you feel you do or do not have a good basic understanding of the teachings and beliefs of Islam, the Muslim religion?

2. Would you say you have a generally favorable or unfavorable opinion of Islam?