Posted on 12/17/2004 3:57:13 PM PST by yonif
ITHACA, N.Y. A nationwide poll finds nearly half of all Americans believe the U-S government should restrict the civil liberties of Muslim Americans.
The survey -- conducted this fall by Cornell University -- found that 44 percent favored at least some restrictions, while 48 percent said civil liberties shouldn't be restricted in any way.
Twenty-seven percent of the 715 respondents supported requiring all Muslim-Americans to register where they lived -- and 29 percent thought agents should infiltrate Muslim civic and volunteer groups.
The poll also found Republicans and people who described themselves as highly religious were more likely to support curtailing Muslims' civil liberties than Democrats or people who are less religious.
The executive director of the Muslim American Society says the news is disturbing, but not surprising.
All Muslim Americans should be required to register their whereabouts with the federal government: 27%
Mosques should be closely monitored and surveilled by U.S. law enforcement agencies: 26%
U.S. government agencies should profile citizens as potential threats based on being Muslim or having Middle Eastern heritage: 22%
Muslim civic and volunteer organizations should be infiltrated by undercover law enforcement agents to keep watch on their actiities and fundraising: 29%
Agreed with none of the statements: 48%
Agreed with one statement: 15%
Agreed with two or more statements: 29%
Some of these things really stretch the definition of "restricting civil liberties". Is it a restriction on your civil liberties when law enforcement focuses on those who are statistically most likely to commit crimes?
That being said, some of these things are truly disturbing. Requiring registration with the federal governent based on religion? C'mon, this is America.
I'm also really curious how come the last three percentages don't add to 100%.
When the terrorism moves to WMD's, do you really think we will do any less than the Japanese during WW2? Wake up.
ALL of the terrorists have been Muslims!!!
That is simply not true. Suicide bombing was acutally pioneered by the Tamil Tigers, who are Hindu. The Oklahoma city bombing was not conducted by Muslims. Muslims were also not involved in terrorist activities in Northern Ireland. The Muslim bastards who plotted 9-11 and who are currently plotting against us must be stopped, but they do not represent Islam. They are simply a vocal minority trying to create a holy confrontation that doesn't exist. Calling for the deportation of Muslims is exactly what they want because it allows them to claim that the holy war exists. We should not give it to them. There are 1.3 billion Muslims in the world, our President has said that we are not at war with those 1.3 billion people, but with the terrorists. He is correct.
Please note the bold sentence (emphasis mine). Currently muslims aren't as candid at expressing their world view.
The significant thing here is the notion that islam is a "religion". The wording here makes it clear that it is not. Anyone who continues to believe that this is a "freedom of religion" issue is abysmally and suicidally ignorant.
Well... Mohammedans should have the right to embrace their idiotic sect. There's no point in restricting their civil rights as they have the right to believe in the hallucinations of a murderous pedophile.
no one asked me, add one more
I'd be interested to know if this survey made a clear distinction between Muslims who are U.S. citizens, and those who aren't. Doesn't sound like it. A large percentage of the Muslims here aren't citizens, and I have no problem at all with extra levels of scrutiny and regulations for any identifiable group of non-citizens. But doing this to citizens on the basis of their professed faith would be patently unconstitutional.
Tim McVeigh was a terrorist. Maybe we should kick out all the Scottish people.
Many Irish give money to the IRA. Let's kick the Irish out.
Some Germans were members of the Bund during WWII. Some spied for Hitler. Let's get rid of them.
Some Southerners are in the KKK, a terrorist organization that burns and hangs people. Let's get rid of them.
Jim Jones gave everyone poisoned kool-aid in the name of Jesus. Let's deport all the Christians.
I don't think the 9-11 boys were Americans.
Really, who has them? What kind of delivery system will be used? Why don't our intelligence agencies have this info? WHAT DO YOU KNOW THAT WE DON'T!!???
oh, and you probably mean islamists...islamics is not a word
The government has apologized for its treatment of Japanese-Americans during WW2... rightly so, I think. You seem to trust the government much more than I do. Myself, I'm leery of letting the government violate anyone's civil rights, for fear that mine will be next.
I use the term, it's the most polite one I can for them.
And you really don't think they can eventually get their hands on a nuke and sneak one over the border? C'mon.
"Yes, but that would be assuming that ALL Muslims intend to kill others. If this were the case, there would be many more dead Americans out there."
True, but my problem with the "peaceful" Muslims is that they insist on staying in a religion that is pretty much the cause of nearly all world violence. If the Christians were lynching blacks in the name of Jesus, I, for one, would not a Christian for very long. These "peaceful" Muslims continue to make excuses for the killers (misguided, not following the Koran, etc.). That is now how a properly functioning religion deals with monsters like these.
Apparently a number of FReepers believe that's OK. For the record let me dissociate myself from them. And yes freaks is a good term.
When a million and climbing are dying and nobody can stop it except for the actions mentioned in this article, I'm sure you'll wake up.
The Commies had the same idea about their rule. They called it Democratic Centrism. Except for the absence of God, Democratic Centrism and Islam are essentially the same idea about how to organize human affairs.
There is no such thing as a Muslim American. Islam forbids this. Islam is at war with America, "the great satan". Either you are a Muslim or an American, but never both.
Yeah, restriction is not enough. Not NEARLY enough! Ship them to the "holy" Muslim land of their choice.
"If the civil liberties of Muslim Americans can be restricted, then the civil liberties of Catholics, Jews, Mormons and 7th day Adventists can be restricted. No thanks."
...and I would be first to support it...if these other religions were behaving in the same way. Just calling yourself a religion does not (or at least should not) protect any group that conspires to kill.
add my name to the "almost half" list. :')
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