Washington, DC: A survey was conducted by New America, in collaboration with the American Muslim Institution (AMI) to examine the general public’s perceptions of Muslim Americans. The “Americans’ Views of Muslims Survey” provides insight into public perceptions of Muslim Americans at both the national and local levels in Houston, Orlando, Tampa, and the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, where oversampling was done.
According to the New America report, Americans are largely accepting of Muslim Americans, but more than half of the respondents express concerns about the spread of extremism within Muslim communities in the United States. 1/3 of the respondents feel uncomfortable when they see Muslim Americans wearing a veil or other Islamic attire, are concerned if a mosque or Islamic centre was built in their neighbourhood and believe Muslims should be subject to extra security screenings at airports.
According to the report, a majority of non-Muslim Americans (71%) agree there is a lot of discrimination against Muslim Americans.