bq. The first-ever, nationwide, random sample survey of Muslim Americans finds them to be largely assimilated, happy with their lives, and moderate with respect to many of the issues that have divided Muslims and Westerners around the world.
This is the summary of a Pew Center poll of Muslim-Americans — the first of its kind. Some other interesting findings:
* 65% are foreign-born. Of the native-born, 3 in 5 are converts to Islam.
* Just over half of Muslim-Americans consider themselves “American” first. In Britain, Germany, and Spain, most Muslims consider themselves Muslim first.
* A plurality (43%) says that Muslims-Americans should adopt American customs, rather than trying to be distinct.
* Muslims-Americans are more critical of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the broader war on terrorism, than is the American general public.
* “…native-born African American Muslims are the most disillusioned segment of the U.S. Muslim population.”
* “…younger Muslim-Americans – those under age 30 – are both much more religiously observant and more accepting of Islamic extremism than are older Muslim Americans.” That said, the number of Muslim-Americans who accept extremism (e.g., endorse suicide bombing) is small in both groups.
And those come from just the first 6 pages of a 102-page report. The full report is here (pdf).