Poll: Republicans REALLY dislikes Muslims and Arabs

[Douglas Carpenter]

A new survey shows just how uncomfortable the Republican base is with Muslim and Arab people

By Alex Seitz-Wald for salon.com

Anyone wondering why Rep. Michele Bachmann would launch a witch hunt against Muslims or why the Republican Party would add a plank to its platform opposing Sharia law need look no farther than a new poll conducted by the Arab American Institute.

The results are split sharply along partisan lines. Overall, Republican voters hold strongly negative views of Muslims, with 57 percent saying they view them unfavorably and just 26 saying they view them favorably — more than double. The numbers are similar for Arabs, whom Republican respondents view negatively by a slightly smaller margin of 26 percent, 53 to 27 percent. When asked about “Muslim Americans” and “Arab Americans,” the numbers improved slightly, with a 12 and 15 percent net unfavorable rating, respectively.

By contrast, Democrats held favorable views of these groups by margins of at least 20-35 percent in all four cases cases. The view of Muslims and Arabs among Democrats was still less positive than other religious groups included in the survey, however, underscoring a resilient problem of post-9/11 America. Still Democrats gave no group a net negative rating, while Republicans gave negative ratings to Muslims, Arabs, Muslim-Americans and Arab-Americans.

Of the 13 religious or ethnic groups included in the survey, only Sikhs had anywhere close to the negative ratings Muslims and Arabs. Among all respondents, the religious group is viewed favorably 45-24, but Republicans are split 36-35, with almost a third unfamiliar. All other religious groups had strongly favorable views by margins of up to 60 percent in the cases of Presbyterians and Jews.

On the question of Muslims and Arabs in the government, the results were similar. While about twice as many Democrats said they were confident a Muslim-American could do their job and those who said ethic loyalty would interfere, the results were flipped among Republicans. A slim majority of 51 percent said ethnic loyalty would trump job responsibly, while 25 percent said they were confident Muslim-Americans in government could do their job.

http://www.salon.com/2012/08/23/poll_republicans_really_dislike_muslims/

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. They dislike so much - but what they really loathe is themselves.

which is pathetic, really - that they feel they need to take out all of that self-loathing on the entire country.

[RedStateLiberal]

3. I've always thought that had a lot to do with it.

They are filled with so much irrational hatred that there must be some deep insecurities going on. Those kind of people need a scapegoat to blame all of their problems so that's why we see so much hatred from them.

[NRaleighLiberal]

5. They just can't stand people around them who are truly happy, empathetic, optimistic

because their own little world is so nasty - insanely jealous, I think. Just my theory!

And weirdly, the more they have the more miserable they get!

[RedStateLiberal]

6. It kinda makes me want to study psychology

just so I can understand them. I have so many in my own family that I feel the need to know exactly why they are the way that they are. Racism and irrational hate is just foreign to me. I guess I should stop worrying about them and write them off. They're not worth the stress and they'll never change their mind.

[wiggs]

2. ...and immigrants, gays, atheists, San Franciscans, Chicagoans, New Yorkers, union members,

teachers, government employees, people from New England, kite surfers, the bottom 50%, brown people, etc. etc. etc.

[hifiguy]

4. And they wonder why we call them

bigoted assholes.

[librechik]

7. i wonder if any of them have ever met a Muslim?

I doubt it.

[Cali_Democrat]

8. They are the party of hate

[Xyzse]

9. Thing is, I would have thought that

Quite a bit of Sharia law is something that they want to begin with.

I mean they want to govern on morality, sexuality, prayer and so forth.
Hell, they want to even make penalties on dress codes.

They don't like it because it has an exotic name.
Call it Jim-Bob's Law, they will be all for it.

Actually no, that doesn't make sense, it would have to be a word.

Just call it the "Godly Way" Law, and they would probably support it.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

10. I wonder if the Muslim community has been polled

... to see how they're likely to vote, or what percentage will go to the polls.

I'd bet there's more than a few Republicans in the population.

[Douglas Carpenter]

11. Muslims give Obama the highest rating of any religious group -

at least according to this poll which is about two years old. But I cannot find a more recent one.



It is true that for decades - in fact until the 2004 election Muslim-American and Arab-Americans (regardless of religion) leaned Republican by about 2-1 margin. But George W. Bush changed all of that. Beginning in 2004 the number reversed with Muslim-Americans and Arab-Americans supporting the Democratic candidates by about a 2-1 margin.

[Douglas Carpenter]

12. so the MAJORITY of Republicans don't actually think that a Muslim-American or Arab-American can be

trusted in a government job. That is scary

[Jack Sprat]

13. Path of least resistance maybe

I'm sure they hate most everyone equally or as much, but the Muslims are a group they feel comfortable hating openly. Hatred of another group is central to their motivation.