All Comments (37)

The reason Islam's negative, sensational, and violent aspects are so well publicized is that they present a clear threat to the non-Muslim world.
In fact, one could argue Islam's transformative power is negative - it transforms otherwise peaceful people into mass murderers and suicide bombers.
Esposito also fails to mention that violence against non-Muslims are fully supported by the Quran and Hadith.

This article seems to repeat the 2nd paragraph through the end of the article. From the second "The emphasis on “headline events”" to the end seems to be a duplicate, though perhaps slightly different.

Oh, and kudos Mr. Esposito, the article's spot on, I'd say.

I'm sure if the so-called American Muslims had organized a 100,000 strong demonstration against "the subversion of the Religion of Peace by Islamo-crazies" in some place like Washington DC all the news providers would find that event 'news worthy'.

Just a suggestion to bear in mind in the event an Islamo-crazy who's hijacked the Religion of Peace blows up something big in the USA, after slipping through the FBI net.

ross:

Mr. Esposito,
The appeasers of islam just dont get it, the core of islam is rotten, there are no virtues found in this cult.

Esposito why do you refuse to debate Ali Sina ? You have been challenged more than once and you get to select the topic, why do you avoid him ?

The posts can be made right here (instead of FFI) if it is acceptable to you.

http://www.faithfreedom.org

http://www.faithfreedom.org/forum/index.php

Much can be hidden in statistics, particularly if you survey or if you are subjective.

If you make it a point that an American TV program showing yet another Islamic terrorist attack/bombing is biased against Muslims, then you'll rack up the 'Americans are sooo mean to Muslims' points.

If you see this as just presenting the facts then you'll come to a different conclusion. Hey, has anyone considered that the news report of yet another Islamist suicide bombing is true?

Compare such journalistic facts with the anti-American, anti-Jew hatred on Arab TV? Is there any comparison? Did anyone scale the 'bias'?

Hands up those who think al-Jazeera is a better news provider than the average American TV network. Yup - just as I thought. All these subjective analysis. Has anyone actually sat down and watched al-Jazeera with its blatantly pro-Palestinian, pro-Ummah, pro-Islam, Muslims-can-do-no-wrong, Muslims are such VICTIMS, programs? No?

A case in point was the pathetic pro-Iraqi slant during the second Gulf War. Unbiased al-Jazeera certainly is not. I'd much rather watch Fox News than al-Jazeera anyday, and that's saying something.

How many of you have seen the mainstream Egyptian TV serial portraying the Jews as blood-sucking parasites who make motzas out of Christian boys' blood? It was still showing a couple of years ago.

I can tell you that Muslims in general don't speak out against Islamic terrorism because they agree with it. It's in their scriptures - read Surah 9 at-Taubah for god sake. Turn on Arab TV and see the absolute hatred of Jews, America, Christians openly spouted. Much of this is on Memri and youtube - you only have to look.

ppppp

well this didnt print out as the poll taken but as the poll itself - heres the link-

http://www.projectmaps.com/PMReport.htm

since that seems to have been a conversation stopper- im going to tuck this poll in here as it seems this blog has stagnated-and it wont interfere with a flow-

Zogby International

Polling/ Market Research

Public Relations Service

Supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts

NEWS RELEASE

Embargoed until Wednesday, December 19, 2001, 9:30 A.M.

AMERICAN MUSLIM POLL

Nov/Dec 2001

For further information, Please Contact:

Project MAPS: Zogby International

Muslims in American Public Square John Zogby, President and CEO

Sulayman Nyang, Co-director Alan Crockett, Vice President, Communication

Zahid Bukhari, Co-director Will Daley, Special Projects Editor

Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding 1750 Genesee Street

Georgetown University Utica, New York 13502-5418

37th & O St., NW Ph: 315-624-0200 x 240

Washington, DC Fax: 315-624-0210

Ph.: 202-687-2947, Fax: 202-687-6001 E-Mail: mail@zogby.com

E-Mail: zhb@georgetown.edu www.zogby.com

www.projectmaps.com

Subject Page

I. Introduction 2
II. Methodology and Sample Characteristics 3
III. Executive Summary 6
IV. Narrative Analysis 9

Tables Page

Table 1. Political Activity 12

Table 2. Importance of Politics 13

Table 3. Involvement in Community Activities 15

Table 4. Agreement with Statements 17

Table 5. Views on Terrorist Attacks 20

Table 6. Views on U.S. Foreign Involvement 23

Table 7. American’s Attitudes Toward Muslims 26

Table 8. Favor/Oppose Domestic Issues 28

Table 9. Favorability toward Congress and Corporations 30

Table 10. Importance of Religion 33

Table 11. Fairness of Muslim Media Portrayal 35

Appendix A: Questionnaire 36-50

I. Introduction

Project MAPS: Muslims in American Public Square is presenting the results of the first ever systematic poll of American Muslims. The Poll covers the following four areas:

1) Demographics: gender, generation and ethnicity, U.S. born and immigrants, income and education levels, age and occupation.

2) Religious practices: relationship with the mosque, conversion to Islam, importance of religion in their life and interaction between the mosque and politics.

3) Opinion and behavior on social and political issues, party affiliation, voting in the presidential election, foreign policy and other domestic issues relating to religion and public life.

4) September 11th and its aftermath: reaction, backlash, President Bush’s handling of the crisis, war against terrorism and military action in Afghanistan

The project commissioned Zogby International to conduct the Poll through phone interviews of a nationwide representative sample of the American Muslim population during the months of November and December 2001. The questionnaire was developed with the help of Dr. Ihsan Bagby, Project MAPS team and staff of Zogby International.

Project MAPS seeks to document the role and contribution of the Muslim community in the American public life. It is a three-year research project that began in 1999 with the support of The Pew Charitable Trusts. The Pew Charitable Trusts are supporting the MAPS project as part of a larger examination of seven major religious groups in the United States and their place in public life. The Project is housed at Georgetown University's Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.

The project team is also working to produce two edited volumes, Who’s Who among American Muslims, and a directory of the Islamic Centers and Muslim Organizations. The project website, www.projectmaps.com, has all information of the activities and development of the project.

II. Methodology and Sample Characteristics

Zogby International interviewed 1,781 persons, 18 years and old, nationwide who identify themselves as Muslim. From November 8 through November 19, 2001, phone interviews were conducted. The telephone list was created by matching the zip codes of 300 randomly selected Islamic centers, against their respective local telephone exchanges. Listings of common Muslim surnames were then identified from the local telephone exchanges and called.

An additional sample of Afro-American Muslims was taken in-person December 7-9, 2001, at locations in New York, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, GA, and Detroit, MI. The additional surveys were required to account for Afro- American Muslims with Anglo-American or non-Muslim surnames who were not called on in the telephone survey. The percentage of Afro-American respondents was weighted to reflect 20% of the American Muslim population.

The margin of error is 2.4%. Margins of error are higher in sub-groups.

Sample Characteristics

Frequency

Percent
Total

1,781

100

Region
East

685

39
South

380

21

Central/Great Lakes

486

27
West

229

13

Ethnicity

South Asian

Pakistani

Indian

Bangladesh

Afghan

584

308

130

78

68

32

17

7

4

4

Arab

461

26

Afro-American

358

20

African

132

7

Other

159

14

Not sure of ethnicity

23

1

Gender

Male

1,051

59

Female

730

41

Marital Status

Married

1,225

69

Single, never married

344

19

Divorced, separated, widowed

189

11

Age Group

18-29

393

23

30-49

878

51

50-64

346

20

65+

118

7

Did not answer age

46

--

Education

1)

990. Why are you not registered to vote? (Do not read choices. Choose only ONE.)

1. Not a citizen

2. Not interested/never thought about it/never got around to it

3. Too difficult to register

4. My vote doesn’t make a difference

5. Other (Please specify )

6. Not sure (Do not read)

3. Do you intend to register to vote (All responses to 906)

1. Yes 2. No 3. Not sure (Do not read)

(Ask only if Q2 =1)

4. How likely are you to vote in national elections?

1. Very likely (to 5) 2. Somewhat likely (to 5) 3. Not likely 4. Not sure (do not read)

(Ask Q991 only if Q4 > 2) (All responses to Q906)

991. Why are you not likely to vote in national elections? (Do not read choices. Choose only ONE.)

1. Never enough time

2. Generally not interested

3. Usually don’t like the choice of candidates

4. My vote doesn’t make a difference

5. Other (Please specify )

6. Not sure (Do not read)

(Ask Q5 only if Q4 < 3)

5. In the 2000 election, the candidates were Democrat Al Gore, Republican George W. Bush, Reform Party’s Pat Buchanan, and Green Party’s Ralph Nader. For whom did you vote?

1. Gore 2. Bush 3. Buchanan 4. Nader 5. Someone else 6. Not sure (do not read)

6. In which party are you either registered to vote or do you consider yourself to be a member of – Democrat, Republican, Independent/minor party, or Libertarian?

1. Democrat 2. Republican 3. Independent/minor party 4. Libertarian 5. Not sure (do not read)

906. Which description best represents your political ideology?

1. Progressive/very liberal

2. Liberal

3. Moderate

4. Conservative

5. Very conservative

6. Libertarian

7. Not sure (do not read)

8. Refuse (do not read)

7. Would you consider yourself to be an active member in your political party?

1. Yes 2. No 3. Not sure (do not read)

8. Have you ever given a contribution or volunteered your time or services to a political candidate?

1. Yes 2. No 3. Not sure (do not read)

9. Have you ever visited a political web site?

1. Yes 2. No 3. Not sure (do not read)

10. Have you ever called or written the media or politician on a given issue, or have you signed a petition?

1. Yes 2. No 3. Not sure (do not read)

11. Have you ever attended a rally in support of a politician or a cause?

1. Yes 2. No 3. Not sure (do not read)

12. Have you ever participated in a boycott of a product or a business?

1. Yes 2. No 3. Not sure (do not read)

13. Have you ever changed your lifestyle in support of a cause, like the environment?

1. Yes 2. No 3. Not sure (do not read)

14. How important is it for you to participate in politics?

1. Very important 2. Somewhat important 3. Not important 4. Not sure (Do not read)

15. How important would you say it is for your children to participate in politics?

1. Very important 2. Somewhat important 3. Not important 4. Not sure (Do not read)

16. How often do you discuss politics with family and friends?

1. Always 2. Sometimes 3. Hardly ever 4. Never 5. Not sure (Do not read)

17. How often would you say you follow what’s going on in government and public affairs

1. Most of the time 2. Some of the time 3. Only now and then 4. Hardly at all 5. Not sure (do not read)

18. What do you consider to be the most important issue facing American society today? ____________

19. What do you consider to be the most important issue facing the Muslim American community today? ____________

I am now going to read a list of community activities, please tell me if you have ever donated time, money or been an officer of any.

20. School or youth programs (such as day care centers, PTA, scouts or little league)

1. Donated time

2. Donated money

3. Served as an officer

4. A combination of these

5. None of these

6. Not sure (do not read)

21. Any arts or cultural organization (like public TV stations, museums)

1. Donated time

2. Donated money

3. Served as an officer

4. A combination of these

5. None of these

6. Not sure (do not read)

22. Any neighborhood, civic or community group (such as a block club, neighborhood watch)

1. Donated time

2. Donated money

3. Served as an officer

4. A combination of these

5. None of these

6. Not sure (do not read)

23. Any organization to help the poor, sick, elderly or homeless

1. Donated time

2. Donated money

3. Served as an officer

4. A combination of these

5. None of these

6. Not sure (do not read)

24. Any professional organization

1. Donated time

2. Donated money

3. Served as an officer

4. A combination of these

5. None of these

6. Not sure (do not read)

25. Any mosque or other religious organizations

1. Donated time

2. Donated money

3. Served as an officer

4. A combination of these

5. None of these

6. Not sure (do not read)

26. Any trade or labor unions

1. Donated time

2. Donated money

3. Served as an officer

4. A combination of these

5. None of these

6. Not sure (do not read)

27. Any veteran’s or military service organizations

1. Donated time

2. Donated money

3. Served as an officer

4. A combination of these

5. None of these

6. Not sure (do not read)

28. Any ethnic organizations

1. Donated time

2. Donated money

3. Served as an officer

4. A combination of these

5. None of these

6. Not sure (do not read)

29. Any Muslim political action or public affairs organization

1. Donated time

2. Donated money

3. Served as an officer

4. A combination of these

5. None of these

6. Not sure (Do not read)

Do you agree or disagree with the following statements.

30. Muslims should be involved with the American media and the educational system to change the image of Islam.

1. Strongly agree 2. Somewhat agree 3. Somewhat disagree 4. Strongly disagree 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

31. Muslims should be involved in American civic organizations and community development organizations to improve America.

1. Strongly agree 2. Somewhat agree 3. Somewhat disagree 4. Strongly disagree 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

32. Muslims should participate in the political process.

1. Strongly agree 2. Somewhat agree 3. Somewhat disagree 4. Strongly disagree 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

33. Muslims should financially support worthy non-Muslim political candidates.

1. Strongly agree 2. Somewhat agree 3. Somewhat disagree 4. Strongly disagree 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

34. Muslims should participate in interfaith activities.

1. Strongly agree 2. Somewhat agree 3. Somewhat disagree 4. Strongly disagree 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

35. Muslims should donate to non-Muslim social service programs like aid for the homeless.

1. Strongly agree 2. Somewhat agree 3. Somewhat disagree 4. Strongly disagree 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

36. America is an immoral society.

1. Strongly agree 2. Somewhat agree 3. Somewhat disagree 4. Strongly disagree 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

37. The influence of religion and spiritual values in American life should increase.

1. Strongly agree 2. Somewhat agree 3. Somewhat disagree 4. Strongly disagree 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

38. How satisfied are you overall with the way things are going in American society today?

1. Very satisfied 2. Somewhat satisfied 3. Somewhat dissatisfied 4. Very dissatisfied 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

Now I will read you some questions concerning the events of September 11 and their aftermath.

39. In your own words, why do you think the United States was targeted for the terrorist attacks?

40. Overall, how would you rate President Bush’s handling of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon?

1. Excellent 2. Good 3. Fair 4. Poor 5. Not sure (Do not read)

41. How confident are you of President Bush’s ability to handle this crisis?

1. Very confident 2. Somewhat confident 3. A little nervous 4. Very nervous 5. Not sure (Do not read)

42. Do you consider yourself more patriotic, less patriotic, or the same as before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks?

1. More patriotic 2. Less patriotic 3. The same 4. Not sure (Do not read)

43. Do you agree or disagree that the attacks could have been prevented?

1. Agree 2. Disagree 3. Not sure (Do not read)

44. Do you agree or disagree that the terrorist attacks were inevitable?

1. Agree 2. Disagree 3. Not sure (Do not read)

45. In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, do you feel the U.S. is fighting a war on terrorism or a war against Islam?

1. Terrorism 2. Islam 3. Not sure (Do not read)

46. Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose or strongly oppose the U.S. military action against Afghanistan?

1. Strongly support 2. Somewhat support 3. Somewhat oppose 4. Strongly oppose 5. Not sure (Do not read)

47. Do you agree or disagree that the military effort could lead to more terrorism aimed at the U.S.?

1. Agree 2. Disagree 3. Not sure (Do not read)

48. Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree or strongly disagree that the military effort could lead to more instability in the Middle East and across the Muslim world?

1. Strongly agree 2. Somewhat agree 3. Somewhat disagree 4. Strongly disagree 5. Not sure (Do not read)

49. How much of an impact do you think U.S. policy in the Middle East had to do with the attacks?

1. Strong impact 2. Slight impact 3. Very little impact 4. No impact whatsoever 5. Not sure (Do not read)

50. If you had to choose ONE of the following ways to wage the war against terrorism, which would you choose?

1. Changing America’s Middle East policy

2. Use of strategic nuclear weapons

3. Attacking Iraq

4. Contracting with mercenaries

5. Using U.S. Military Covert/Special Forces

6. U.S. Air Force bombing

7. Biological warfare

8. None of the above/Other (Do not read)

9. Not sure (Do not read)

51. Do you agree or disagree that the U.S. should reduce financial support to Israel?

1. Agree 2. Disagree 3. Not sure (Do not read)

52. Do you agree or disagree that the U.S. should support a Palestinian state?

1. Agree 2. Disagree 3. Not sure (Do not read)

53. Do you agree or disagree that the U.S. should reduce its support of undemocratic regimes in the Muslim world?

1. Agree 2. Disagree 3. Not sure (Do not read)

54. Secretary of State Colin Powell has described the Kashmir issue as the central issue between India and Pakistan. Do you agree or disagree with this assessment?

1. Agree 2. Disagree 3. Not sure (Do not read)

55. How would you describe the opinion of Americans toward Muslims and Arabs since September 11?

1. Very favorable

2. Somewhat favorable

3. Somewhat unfavorable

4. Very unfavorable

5. Not sure (Do not read)

56. I will now read you several statements about American’s attitudes toward Muslims that you have experienced in your own personal experience and the attitudes of Americans toward Muslims overall -- in the society as a whole. Please tell me which statement best reflects Americans’ attitudes toward Muslims since the September 11 attacks:

Statement A: In my experience and overall, Americans have been respectful and tolerant of Muslims.

Statement B: In my experience, Americans have been respectful and tolerant of Muslims, but American society overall is disrespectful and intolerant of Muslims.

Statement C: In my experience and overall, Americans have been disrespectful and intolerant of Muslims.

Statement D: In my experience, Americans have been disrespectful and intolerant of Muslims, but American society overall is respectful and tolerant of Muslims.

1. Statement A

2. Statement B

3. Statement C

4. Statement D

5. Not sure (Do not read)

57. Have any individuals, businesses or religious organizations in your community experienced anti-Muslim discrimination since the September 11 attacks?

1. Yes 2. No 3. Not sure (Do not read)

58. Which of the following best describes anti-Muslim discrimination you have experienced personally or that has been experienced in your community: (Read choices, choose only one)

1. I am not aware of any discrimination.

2. Verbal abuse

3. Physical abuse or assault

4. Destruction of property

5. Denial of employment

6. Boycott of Muslim- or Arab-operated businesses

7. Racial profiling by police resulting in a stop, search or arrest.

8. Other (Please specify: ________)

9. Not sure (Do not read)

Now I am going to read you a list of issues that are being discussed in this country today. Please tell me if you strongly favor, somewhat favor, somewhat oppose or strongly oppose each issue.

59. The death penalty for persons convicted of murder

1. Strongly favor 2. Somewhat favor 3. Somewhat oppose 4. Strongly oppose 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

60. Allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally

1. Strongly favor 2. Somewhat favor 3. Somewhat oppose 4. Strongly oppose 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

61. Providing more generous government assistance to the poor

1. Strongly favor 2. Somewhat favor 3. Somewhat oppose 4. Strongly oppose 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

62. Allowing research related to human cloning

1. Strongly favor 2. Somewhat favor 3. Somewhat oppose 4. Strongly oppose 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

63. Allowing more research using stem cells

1. Strongly favor 2. Somewhat favor 3. Somewhat oppose 4. Strongly oppose 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

64. More cuts in the income tax

1. Strongly favor 2. Somewhat favor 3. Somewhat oppose 4. Strongly oppose 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

65. Making it legal for doctors to give terminally ill patients the means to end their lives

1. Strongly favor 2. Somewhat favor 3. Somewhat oppose 4. Strongly oppose 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

66. Allowing religious institutions to apply for government funding to provide social services

1. Strongly favor 2. Somewhat favor 3. Somewhat oppose 4. Strongly oppose 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

67. Allowing public schools to display the 10 Commandments

1. Strongly favor 2. Somewhat favor 3. Somewhat oppose 4. Strongly oppose 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

68. Allowing non-denominational prayers to be read in the classroom

1. Strongly favor 2. Somewhat favor 3. Somewhat oppose 4. Strongly oppose 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

69. Providing vouchers to families for tuition in private schools, including religious schools

1. Strongly favor 2. Somewhat favor 3. Somewhat oppose 4. Strongly oppose 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

70. Banning the public sale and display of pornography

1. Strongly favor 2. Somewhat favor 3. Somewhat oppose 4. Strongly oppose 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

71. Making abortions more difficult to obtain

1. Strongly favor 2. Somewhat favor 3. Somewhat oppose 4. Strongly oppose 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

72. Making it more difficult for people to buy guns

1. Strongly favor 2. Somewhat favor 3. Somewhat oppose 4. Strongly oppose 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

73. Eliminating affirmative action programs that give some consideration to minorities in hiring and entrance into college

1. Strongly favor 2. Somewhat favor 3. Somewhat oppose 4. Strongly oppose 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

74. Stricter laws and regulations to protect the environment

1. Strongly favor 2. Somewhat favor 3. Somewhat oppose 4. Strongly oppose 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

75. Increasing foreign aid for poorer countries

1. Strongly favor 2. Somewhat favor 3. Somewhat oppose 4. Strongly oppose 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

76. Stronger laws to fight terrorism

1. Strongly favor 2. Somewhat favor 3. Somewhat oppose 4. Strongly oppose 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

77. Eliminating all forms of racial discrimination

1. Strongly favor 2. Somewhat favor 3. Somewhat oppose 4. Strongly oppose 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

78. Providing universal health care for citizens

1. Strongly favor 2. Somewhat favor 3. Somewhat oppose 4. Strongly oppose 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

79. Racial profiling to combat crime

1. Strongly favor 2. Somewhat favor 3. Somewhat oppose 4. Strongly oppose 5. Not sure (Do not read.)

80. Overall what is your opinion of the Congress? Is it…

1. Very favorable

2. Somewhat favorable

3. Somewhat unfavorable

4. Very unfavorable

5. Not familiar

6. Not sure (Do not read.)

81. Overall what is your opinion of business corporations? Is it…

1. Very favorable

2. Somewhat favorable

3. Somewhat unfavorable

4. Very unfavorable

5. Not familiar

6. Not sure (Do not read.)

Finally, I am going to ask you some questions about religion and how it impacts your daily life.

82. On average, how often do you attend the mosque (mah-sk) for salah (sal-AH) and Jum’ah (Joom-AH) Prayer

1. More than once a week

2. Once a week for Jum’ah (Joom-AH)

3. Once or twice a month

4. A few times a year especially for the Eid (Eed)

5. Seldom

6. Never

7. Not sure (Do not read)

83. Excluding salah (sal-AH) and Jum’ah (Joom-AH) prayer, how involved are you in the activities at the mosque (Mah-sk). Would you say that you are…

1. Very involved 2. Somewhat involved 3. Not very involved 4. Not at all involved 5. Not sure (Do not read)

(Ask Q84 only if Q83 < 4)

84. Which of the following best describes how you have volunteered for your mosque (mah-sk)?

1. Prayer arrangements

2. Sunday school activities

3. Fund raising efforts

4. Charity work

5. Other (Please specify: _______)

6. Not sure

85. Did you happen to attend a mosque (Mah-sk) for Jum’ah (Joom-AH) prayers or salah (sal-AH) in the last seven days?

1. Yes 2. No 3. Not sure (Do not read)

86. Concerning daily salah (sal-AH) or prayer, do you in general, pray all five salah (sal-AH) daily, make some of the five salah (sal-AH) daily, occasionally make salah (sal-AH), only make Eid (Eed) Prayers, or do you never pray?

1. Pray all five salah (sal-AH) daily

2. Make some of the five salah (sal-AH) daily

3. Occasionally make salah (sal-AH)

4. Only make Eid (Eed) Prayers

5. Never pray

6. Not sure (Do not read)

87. How important is religion or spirituality in your daily life? Is it very important, somewhat important or not very important?

1. Very important 2. Somewhat important 3. Not very important 4. Not sure (Do not read)

88. Would you say the role of Islam in your life is very important, somewhat important or not very important?

1. Very important 2. Somewhat important 3. Not very important 4. Not sure (Do not read)

89. Were you raised as a Muslim or did you convert?

1. Raised 2. Convert 3. Not sure (Do not read)

(Ask only if Q89 = 2)

90. What was the main reason you converted to Islam?

1. Read about the religion and was inspired to convert

2. Married someone who was a Muslim

3. Was influenced by a fellow Muslim

4. Other (Please specify )

5. Not sure (Do not read)

91. In your opinion should mosques (mah-sks) keep out of political matters or should they express their views on day-to-day social and political questions?

1. Should keep out of politics 2. Should express their views 3. Not sure (Do not read)

92. Do you think it’s right for khatibs (KAH-tibs) to discuss political candidates or issues in the khutbah (COOT-bah)?

1. Yes 2. No 3. Not sure (Do not read)

93. Do you think the media is fair in its portrayal of Muslims and Islam?

1. Yes 2. No 3. Not sure (Do not read)

94. Do you think Hollywood is fair in its portrayal of Muslims and Islam?

1. Yes 2. No 3. Not sure (Do not read)

Thanks, we’re done. I just need some statistics.

95. Which of the following best describes your ethnicity?

1. Afghan

2. African

3. African American

4. Albanian

5. Arab

6. Bangladeshi

7. Bosnian

8. Indian

9. Iranian

10. Malaysian

11. Pakistani

12. Turkish

13. Other (Please specify: _____________)

14. Not sure (Do not read)

96. Were you born in the U.S.?

1. Yes 2. No 3. Not sure (Do not read)

(Ask Q97 only if Q96 = 2 or 3)

97. What is your country of birth? _______________

98. What is your father’s country of birth? ______________

99. What is your mother’s country of birth? _______________

(Ask Q100 only if Q96 =2 or 3)

100. If you were born outside America, what year did you arrive in America? ________

701.What is your age? _______________

(Ask Q101 only if Q89 = 2)

101. If you were not raised a Muslim what year did you convert? ________

903. Which of the following best describes your highest level of education?

1. Less than high school graduate

2. High school graduate

3. Some college

4. College graduate

0. Refuse (Do not read)

913. Which of the following best describes your occupation?

1. Managerial

2. Medical

3. Professional/Technical

4. Sales

5. Clerical

6. Service

7. Blue-Collar/Production

8. Student

9. Homemaker

10. Teacher/education

11. Retired

12. Other (please specify_________)

13. Not sure (do not read)

0. Refuse (do not read)

914. Which of the following best describes your marital status?

1. Married

2. Single, never married

3. Divorced/widowed/separated

4. Not married, living together

5. Not sure/Refuse (Do not read)

102. Is your husband or wife a Muslim

1. Yes 2. No 3. Not married 4. Not sure (Do not read)

103. How many people live in your household? __________

916. How many of them are adults 18 and over?

1.1 2.2 3.3 4.4 5.5 6. 6 or more 7. Not sure (do not read) 0. Refuse (do not read)

917. How many of them are children 17 and under?

1.1 2.2 3.3 4.4 5.5 6. 6 or more 7. None 8. Not sure (do not read) 0. Refuse (do not read)

921. Which of the following best represents your household income last year before taxes?

1. Less than $15,000

2. $15,000-24,999

3. $25,000-34,999

4. $35,000-49,999

5. $50,000-74,999

6. $75,000 or more

0. Refuse

922. Gender (Do not ask, simply record.)

1. Male 2. Female

demonization of arabs in american media

http://whiletheearthburns.blogspot.com/2007/02/reel-bad-arabs-how-hollywood-vilifies.html

I will stand on my prior observation as well, and will resist the urge to post a rebuttal, which we know will be of no use.

Au revior.

i think that was the point phaedrus-

so i stand the same-

any poison found exists in the heart of the finder of poison- but its not inherent in the qur'an (wich was your implication)

Victoria:

I know exactly what the hadeeths are. I have read several of them, as well as the entire Koran, as I have stated to you previously

I certainly hope that you are not claiming that there are no differing opinions within the islamic world on the meaning of Koranic verses, because that would serve to undermine your oft-expressed view that Islam is not monolithic in its thought and practice.

hadeeths arent verses phaedrus- they are sayings of the prophet(pbuh) transmitted by his companions

so the fact remains-
the ayats are not hadeeths- the hadeeths are the sayings

"any of the rationalizations for terrorist mentality come from purely questionable or eve made up altogether hadeeths-"

The fact that there exists the opportunity for, and the many instances of, disagreements about what certain verses actually mean, makes my point quite nicely.

I am not going to get back into this with you, as we have travelled this road before. I wanted to clarify the point that I was making to Muslim Man, and am satisfied that I have done so. I am content to simply disagree with you on the rest, although other Muslims you say you respect, agree with my perspective

regards,

P.

Saturday, March 10, 2007
U.S. MEDIA'S EYE ON ISLAM IN AMERICA: News media focuses on divisions between Muslim Americans

This past week was unusual as several major American media outlets ran feature stories on Muslim Americans and the state of Islam in the United States. The first appeared in Thursday's Washington Post and was focused on sectarian divisions between Sunni and Shia Muslims in northern Virginia. The story was framed around the question of "could Iraq happen here?" with tensions between local Muslims highlighted as well as efforts by Muslim leaders to bridge sectarian divides.

A similar story appeared in the NY Times today and focused on the relationship between African-American Muslims and immigrant Muslims within NYC. The two stories appearing so close together in two major rival papers is most likely not a coincidence, either the NY Times decided to follow the WP with their own feature, or the WP got wind of NY Times feature (which is much longer and more in depth) and decided to run a short feature providing their own local angle on a similar topic.

I recommend the NY Times article - its a good read and not only explores the relationship between black Muslims and immigrant Muslims, but also provides an exemplar of post-September 11th intolerance and fear toward Muslim congregations, even "moderate" or "progressive" ones. If what the article describes is true and accurate about Congressman Peter King and his treatment and attitude toward his local Muslim congregation post-September 11th - and his novel - it is simply mind blowing to me that this guy is in office.

On an academic note, the type of conflict frames, especially those exploring sectarian divisions, the media use to cover Islam may have an impact on attitudes toward Islam. For example, as my previous post notes, media and public opinion indicators since March 2006 suggest the media's increased focus on sectarian conflict in Iraq is correlated with an substantial increase in the number of Americans who have a generally unfavorable opinion of Islam (a rise of 10 percentage points).

Lastly, Louis Farrahkan, the infamous long-time leader of the Nation of Islam, was also profiled on CNN this week. He is stepping down from his leadership post due to health reasons and is now calling for greater peace and understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims. Some see his passing of the leadership torch and the emerging new leadership among the Nation of Islam as possible signs of the group moving toward more "mainstream" Islam.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007
MEDIA TENOR RELEASES REPORT COMPARING AL JAZEERA, EUROPEAN, AND AMERICAN TELEVISION NEWS CONTENT:

Media Tenor, a German company which specializes in global content analysis of television and print news, released a presentation the other day comparing the news content of several Arab TV channels, al-Jazeera, al-Jazeera English and other American and European TV channels. The pdf of the presentation may be found here.

Some key points from the presentation regarding news content related to both anti-Americanism and Islamophobia are:

*
"Negative news dominates the image of Islam [all facets of Islam, just not radical Islami]" on Western TV channels. According to Media Tenor, 65% of all media coverage of Islam on U.S. television is negative! NOTE - COMPARE THIS TO ARAB TV WHERE BETWEEN 20-30% OF ALL COVERAGE ABOUT U.S. IS NEGATIVE DEPENDING ON THE CHANNEL!

*
Al-Jazeera's "reporting about the U. S. government, Congress and the armed forces is marked by restrained negativity, not surpassing the amount of negative news for instance in Germany. There are only minor differences between the Arab and English versions of al-Jazeera."

*
"About 2/3 of U. S. news reports are from the U. S., 20 to 25% from Islamic countries, mainly from Iraq. The rest of the world is of little importance in U.S. TV news. Even Al-Jazeera International displays a wider horizon."

*
"Despite its layout as pan-Arab TV channel, Al-Jazeera in English dedicates a bigger share of its newscasts to U.S. domestic policy issues and U.S. domestic security than ABC, CBS or NBC."

*
"No excessive [my emphasis] criticism of Bush on Arabic TV Screens" compared to U.S. television - with "British and Italian TV most negative about U.S." even compared to Arabic channels.

*
"While U.S. TV news report about foreign countries mainly in the context of U.S. interests, Al-Jazeera deals with domestic affairs of a wider number of countries, broadcasting news from a bigger share of the world than U.S. networks."

*
"Arabic News frames Islam in political context" - about 50% of the news coverage according to Media Tenor's figures. Maybe one reason we see a resurgence of Pan-Muslim identity in the region according to Telhami/Zogby's latest poll.

im going to use this blog to post some negative depictins or studies of muslims in the western media because it seems more friendly to such posts-

im posting positive ones on the other panelists blogs- these would set up a furor of denial and anger possibly and i dont want to poke the bears.

Editors Weblog -
Blogarama - The Blogs Directory
Monday, November 14, 2005
Study reveals Western media coverage contributes to negative views of Islam

A new report entitled “Western Perceptions About Islam and Muslims”, released last week at the NewsXchange conference in Amsterdam, reveals that Arab Muslims are typically portrayed in a stereotypical and negative fashion by the media in Western Europe and the United States.

The report is the result of a study, commissioned by the Kuwaiti government and undertaken by Communique Partners of San Francisco, which involved a survey and a series of interviews with media experts.

Stereotypes of Arab Muslims are reportedly most obvious in television coverage, although they also exist in the print media. The report states: "In print stereotypes are not so obvious, except in cartoon caricatures, but they still occur and anti-Muslim bias is more insidious. The terms Islamic or Muslim are linked to extremism, militant, jihads, as if they belonged together inextricably and naturally (Muslim extremist, Islamic terror, Islamic war, Muslim time bomb)." (See previous postings here and here).

The Western media has also been criticized for its misuse of the word 'jihad'. In an article entitled 'Intent of 'jihad' missed in translation as 'holy war', Faysal Ruwayha asserts:"Muslim scholars explain that jihad, literally means 'to struggle' and that the word pertains first and foremost to mastering one's passions and leading a virtuous life."

Newspaper coverage has a strong impact, second only to television coverage, on the perceptions of Arab Muslims, with 36% of Western Europeans and Americans admitting their opinions of Arab Muslims are strongly influenced by newspaper reporting.

37% of survey respondents said they were exposed to very little news coverage of Arabs and Islam, and nearly 75% stated that they think the media reports accurately on Arab Muslims and Islam 50% of the time, not often, or never.

In response to the question “What can be done to improve the perception of Arab Muslims and Islam?”, respondents from the Communique study frequently answered: an increase in positive coverage of Arab Muslims and Islam, increases in education and communication, more media balance, a decrease in the religious zealotry of radical Muslims and a reduction in terrorism.

Chris Yalounis, one of the authors of the Kuwaiti sponsored report, told the NewsXchange conference that "The image of Islam has been hijacked by extremists and it is time to take it back."

Also at the NewsXchange conference, a Reuters editor in charge of the agency's new Middle East service questioned why "if the west was serious about coming to terms with Islam and understanding what the Middle East was all about" have more Western organisations not bought this service, which provides a "very good daily view of life in the Middle East.

In addition to the Reuters Middle East service, other initiatives such as Al Jazeera International have appeared, pledging to circulate new perspectives on the Middle East and Islam. Al Jazeera is set to launch its new English language channel this spring, the channel wil have broadcasting centres in Doha, Kuala Lumpur, London and Washington, and will provide a fresh Middle Eastern view on international news and current affairs. Nigel Parsons, head of Al Jazeera International, has stated that finding American cable companies that will transmit the new Al Jazeera in English has proved difficult.

Sources: Media Guardian.co.uk (here and here), Followthemedia.com, news-press.com

Well theres still an inherent misperception that the verses are there to be found or misunderstood-

people have to really stretch and take things wildly specific to try to stretch it to fit anything remotely violent- this is the point- its not there

any of the rationalizations for terrorist mentality come from purely questionable or eve made up altogether hadeeths-

for instance the idea of 72 virgins comes from a sheikh who chose to interpert a word that menas grapes to mean virgins-

this isnt in the quran- its an idea supplanted by an individual-

so i still balk at your misrepresentation of the qur'an- while its eas to find violence in the bible the qur'an is distinctly NOT the bible-

and is overwhelmingly consistent in it message of peace

victoria:

I would have thought that you would have known me a little better than this by now. Of course I do not believe that all, or even most, Muslims are violent and hateful. And I would not, and have not implied that in this, or any of my posts.

My point is that the violent and hateful Muslims, however many of them there might be, read the same Koran as the rest, and find ingredients that prove lethal to many others, most of them fellow Muslims. One can say the same for some Christians, who utilize Biblical passages to justify all manner of cruelties, historically and presently.

Inerrantism and literalism are the problems.

I hope this sets things to right.

muslim man- an excellent analogy- if i may- i will borrow its usage in the future-

now jakob is yakuv and is telling us that if we hear voices in our heads we should go get checked out-

thanks jakob- thats a comfort

phaedrus-
yes if some of the ingredients were lethal the ALL would die-

but the analagous comparison of the qur'an doesnt lead us to the conclusion that there is 'poison' in it-

because mostly all the muslims now and in history have gotten it right or close to right- using the basic materials provided-

by your reasoning- EVERY SINGLE MUSLIM WHO EVER LIVED WOULD BE VIOLENT AND HATEFUL-

such a violent and hateful people would have no compassion and would have subjugated the entire world by now (there have always been enough of them)

but most muslims ARE NOT VIOLENT OR HATEFUL-

as a matter of fact phaedrus- conduct your own little study and find one hateful muslim on these boards-

if you can sift through the very hateful prejudice spewed at them to do so-

go on- its a challenge-

so thanks for your analysis- it actually PROVES that the ingredients (qur'an) in the recipe (islam) ARE healthy.

Muslim Man:

You write:

"I can hand 20 students the same recipe but get a few exceptional dishes and a few terrible ones. This is the same for revelation. It doesn't make the recipe bad."

I appreciate your analogy in part, but would rebut that if some of the ingredients in this particular dish are lethal, it does not matter how any of them might taste.

victoria, I was referring to crime stats from 2003, but unfortunately I don't have a specific url at my disposal to link to. From memory of one report, there were 1317 reported hate crimes against gays that year. Of these, a few hundered were of the name calling variety, which I hope we can agree, while wrong, are not egregious. A few hundered more were 'simple assault', which often is shoving or pushing, but of course can be worse.

I do not have stats on general assault stats across the country, or sexual assault, but of course the sad total would be in the tens if not 100s of thousands per year. Every form of violence is terrible. But violence against gays is certainly not the national tragedy some make it out to be.

(I only pop up on here 2/week or so - if I don't answer, I'm not ignoring, merely working) :)

This is idle talk. Why does your opinion on a religion not your own have any relevance? The only opinion that matters is the one of your own way of life.

Disbelieving in something you never believed in is like affirming the bogeyman doesn't live under your bed. Would it matter that I think Religion XYZ is pure evil? It would if I were a practitioner. Then I'd be entering into disbelief.

Humans are violent. Humans are peaceful. Religion is a guidance system for those whose hearts are healthy.

I can hand 20 students the same recipe but get a few exceptional dishes and a few terrible ones. This is the same for revelation. It doesn't make the recipe bad. It means only that some students have an aptitude for cooking while others need more guidance. Tweaking the recipe will hardly change the normal distribution of aptitude.

Victoria:

Printing "studies" by discredited organizations of hate groups like If Aaerica Knew which supports the hateful type of Islam espoused by genocidal terror groups like Hamas causes a disservice to everyone. Until the Palestinians embrace a loving Islam as espoused by Dr. Esposito which recognizes the differences between all of us they will continue to wallow in their despair. We need more Islamic leaders to come to the fore and remind us that the Jews and Christians are also people of the book and share a devotion and love of the Holy Land. We need less distorted studies that attempt to demonize Israel and more exposure of the hatred practiced by Hamas and Hezbollah that demonize Islam. Only until all Muslims speak out against the true crimes against Islam as practiced by these descendants of those who supported HItler during WWII (e.g., the GRand Mufti of Jerusalem) and voice support for the Jewish people to live in peace in their tiny state in a sea of Islamic countries will there be true peace as envisioned by our prophet, may he blessed in peace.

“G-d Bless UNITED States of America & FRIENDS!

(((( DOWN WITH IRAN's Rule By THEOCRACY ))))

(((((((((((( DOWN W/ SAUDI Style MONARCHY ))))))))))

((( Reward for MAHMOUD Ahmadinejad's TONGUE )))

(( DOWN WITH PERSIA's GOV. by THEOCRACY ))

USE YOUR ((( H.U.E.R.I.S.T.I.C.S ))) NOT RELIGION

(-: (((((( VOTE FOR SECULAR THINKING MINDS )))))) :-)

halozcel,
Here we go again:same unfounded naive polimics and Islam bashing you repeat every where on these threads,why not for a change get educated a bit on islam so at least you can hide your ignorance and haterd;we mess your partner "Xtian the not so liberated."

Victoria,
Thanks for the study. We know how the victims,esentially Palestinian civilians, were/are killed: by the Israeli army directly-bullets, artillary and tank shells,aircraft strafing and missiles, house buldozing and assissinations "targeted killing" and torture in Israeli prisons were over ten thousand Palestinians are incareserated including women and children.

The above post is mine.

Professor Esposito,
Thanks for this insightful analysis. This is one of rare pieces that articulates objectively and eloquently the state of affairs of how and why is Islam portrayed the way it is in America:Media bias, senstionalism and especially self-serving Politics. Unfortunately there are so many "instant experts on Islam and terrorism" embraced by the US media-a sharp difference from European media for example-and hence the serious rift in public opinion between US and Europe on the Iraq war.

Professor Esposito,
Thanks for this insightful analysis. This is one of rare pieces that articulates objectively and eloquently the state of affairs of how and why is Islam portrayed the way it is in America:Media bias, senstionalism and especially self-serving Politics. Unfortunately there are so many "instant experts on Islam and terrorism" embraced by the US media-a sharp difference from European media for example-and hence the serious rift in public opinion between US and Europe on the Iraq war.

Religions are businesses like all businesses with exceptions, no product, no service. They collect the money and give the suckers what they ask for. Over a trillion tax free, tax deductible dollars will go from America to the Vatican over the next 20 years at the present rate. With inflation...

L Ron Hubbard any different than Bill Graham? Billy operates off tax free, tax deductible "gifts to God" while L Ron's gang gets taxed like they were WalMart. Freedom of religion does NOT include a lot of religions, only those officially endorsed by the government. That's endorsed and definitely not established ;)

ON: Scientology & Going under:

MOST of the PSYCHOLOGISTS & PSYCHOTRISTS & Freudian & Jung fiens are PRO-RELIGIOUS or PRE-Apocalyptic "CooCoo" or "Copa Cabana" So to speak.

Yes, That is the way they will label you "PSYCHOTIC" and or "Dysfunctional" or even "Dangerous" if you give them a out of this [Truth] World philosophy or vision.

If you hear voices in your head then it is best to "Check-In" and yes, get examined.

But:
DIANETICS: Like "NOVELIST" MOSSES, JESUS, MOHAMAD et at, includes another Pre-Apocalptic Biblio "Novelist" Mr. Lafayette, RONNY, HUBBARD him self, preaches a "Psychiatric" type of brain washing faith that includes, guess what, you guessed it, MORALITY.

And upon close examination and by using the ECLATi-On "Technique" of the INSIGHT & PATTERN RECOGNITION power and using the FREUDIAN SLIPS OF GENUINE Prophecy Powers, aginst what is said and running rampant, in Hubburds eponymous or so called "Dianetics", Does show me and others how stupid and mixed up they are in their minds. And their "GOING CLEAR" concept or teaching , is nothing but going blind & getting in debt. Ya Ya.

Ronny Hubbs "TIME-TRACK" or "PRE-NATAL" reversing or remembering oneself form UTERO is a nut cases attempt to make you see yourself as if out side of your body seeing yourself.
This is a Mental "Manipulation of the Psych: and NOT (NDE) or Near Death Experience. i think a NDE is the ultimate human experience. especially when I had TWO (2) of them both in my pre-teens. Ya Ya.

So better give me your money Mr. Tom Cruise et at.. singer Madonna too (Lover of Secret Mysticism). SCIENTOLOGIST's are like Vultures waiting for a well-off but-confused “Sucker(s)” like you. I went under ground with them. And they indeed operate like those Purse/Wallet gold digging “GYPSYS” who read ones palms and sucker you in via naiveness.

Thats how they operate. 'B.I.G. B.I.Z", Ya Ya.

Believe & trust in your vibrations & Heuristics AND YOU WILL SURELY FIND the ECLATi in You & things too. This is a high in ITSEL and IT is all truly FREEY. Ya. yA. tA tA.

So, Ronny Hubbard and his QUASI "SCIENTOLOGY" is another classic case of "Market Share" grabbing or in search of that "SUCKER," OUT THERE ion cyberspace or elsewhere, that is said out there, that is born every minute of the day somewhere.

Even Albert Einstein knew Hubbard et al were "MISHIGINNA" “crazy” or stupid like. Ya Ya. :-)

Bill C:

All religions are "religions of war" and Islam is no exception. Religion was founded on the principle that some dead could be prevented from going on to their next lives. That began as the hacking up of the body and got a substantial face lift with the notion of a place called hell, invented (discovered?) by Pharaoh.

Moral people do what their leaders tell them to do including take the lives of other people. That's always done with gain of some kind in mind. The problem hell solves is the facing of the killed in the next world.

The whole story is at http://www.hoax-buster.org The Bible is bogus and the Qu'ran is a follow on hoax. They both serve the same purpose, assure killers (warriors) they will not have to face their victims in the next life becasue they, their victims are not worthy of life now or later. No one can be stopped from coming back to life so to hell with our enemies. Dream on jihad warrior and Christian soldier alike.

you are right-

if it bleeds it leads

could you substantiate your figures?
i have no intention of bashing- i was not aware there are hundreds of assaults against gays every year

thanks for the study.

There is more here than merely the numbers, however.

As Mr. Esposito stated, most people would agree that the media tend to report more sensational events.

In general, a suicide bomber killing people is more sensational and morally convicting than accidental collateral damage. So unless we know HOW each of the Palestinians & Israelis died, it is problematic to jusitfy bias in coverage due to conservatve/liberal, pro-Israel, etc.

Likewise, we've had far more reports of Ameircna casualties in Iraq than Iraqi dead, and waaaay more reports of war deaths than the thousands Saddam killed beforehand. I don't take this necessarily as anit-war bias; it's the media / public interest in Americna casualites.

What the facts DO support is many studies that admit the vast majority of print media people are self-described liberals. One can argue to what extent that it spills into their reporting, but it is obviously affects it somewhat. Of course talk radio has found a different niche/bias (hello, Mr Limbaugh!).

Lastly, the media does seem to be clearly biased in one area, and I tread lightly here because homosexuality is a very emotional subject. The media reports crimes like the murder of Matthew Shepard (sp?) over and over and over... and pretty soon people like Rep John Conyers actually believe there are a rash of hate crimes acorss the country, so much so that more legislation is needed. The facts speak differently, but I don't see the meida reporting that out of millions of crimes in the last decade, incidents of things like assault against gays (which of course individually are horrible and ought to be punished) are a few hundred per year; not exactly the #1 problem our country faces.

Since opinions can lack credibility if one doesnt know the source of their reasoning, here is a study by a media watch group on the san francisco chronicle-touted as one of the more liberal mainstream newspapers ( not implying liberal is synonymous with fairness, but the more conservative media has the dual motive of justifying a war on a muslim country- and has been aggressively anti-muslim)

Our findings indicate significantly inaccurate coverage by the San Francisco Chronicle of these topics. We found a vast disparity in the likelihood of a death receiving coverage based on the ethnicity of the person killed. For the first six months of the current uprising, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on 111% of Israeli deaths and only 38% of Palestinian deaths in the headlines and/or the first paragraphs of the 251 articles on the topic.

This discrepancy was even more exaggerated in the Chronicle’s coverage of the killing of children. During the six- month study period, Palestinian children were being killed at a far higher rate than Israeli children — 27 % of Palestinians killed were under 18 (93 children), while only 6 % of Israelis killed were minors (4 children). Yet Chronicle headlines and/or first paragraphs reported the killing of only 5 Palestinian children, while headlines and/or first paragraphs reported 6 Israeli children killed (one Israeli teenager’s death was reported three times).

In other words, the Chronicle covered 150 % of Israeli children's deaths and only 5 % of Palestinian children's deaths, giving readers the impression that approximately equal numbers of youths had been killed on both sides. Thus, while the death of an Israeli child was prioritized above the killing of an adult, the killing of a Palestinian child was de-prioritized, despite the abnormally high percentage Palestinian children made up of the casualties. One would expect the fact that Palestinian children constituted such a high percentage of deaths to have been considered newsworthy in itself, not the reverse.

Regarding Chronicle coverage of cumulative totals, information that would have at least somewhat ameliorated the above misimpressions, we found that only 12 stories (or 4.8 %) of 251 news stories on this topic contained cumulative totals of deaths on both sides somewhere in the article. There was not a single report on the total number injured.

Finally, only 1.2 % of stories about Israel/Palestine contained information about U.S. aid to Israel and the Palestinians, despite the fact that such aid is an integral factor in the current conflict, and that aid to Israel accounts for approximately 30 percent of total U.S. international aid expenditures.

We are providing our findings to the San Francisco Chronicle in the hope that it will help them to fulfill their goal of accurately reporting the news. We are also providing this study to readers to help them evaluate the Chronicle as a source for understanding the Israel/Palestine conflict in all of its complexities.

Introduction

Beginning in 2003, If Americans Knew began issuing a report card to major media across the country on their coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This study of the San Francisco Chronicle covers the first six months of the current uprising (September 29, 2000 through March 31, 2001). We chose this particularly significant period because it set the context within which all subsequent reporting on the conflict is viewed.

Given that the media have a desire and a responsibility to cover this topic accurately, we provide these reports in the hope that our analyses can assist them in this goal.

In addition, we are making these reports public, as a way to help readers evaluate for themselves the reliability of their sources of information on this issue.

The goal of this report is to

* Establish agreed-upon standards for assessing accuracy in reporting
* Provide, in a consistent format, an assessment of the publication’s accuracy in reporting on the Israel/Palestine conflict.

Methodology

We recognize that reporting on Israel/Palestine has been an exceptionally controversial topic. Therefore, while there are many potential yardsticks for measuring accuracy, we chose criteria that would be universally acknowledged to be highly significant and not be construed as at all subjective.

1. Coverage of Casualties
We counted the number of Israeli and Palestinian deaths the San Francisco Chronicle reported on:

* In absolute numbers, and
* As a percentage of total deaths for Israelis and Palestinians respectively. We broke these numbers down into three specific categories:
o All headlines and/or first paragraphs
o Front-page headlines and/or first paragraphs only
o Children’s deaths reported in all headlines and/or first paragraphs. (No children’s deaths were reported on the front page).
* The number of times that cumulative totals of deaths and injuries were reported

We chose this yardstick because it is simple, quantitative and relatively immune to subjective interpretation. In addition, we wanted to discover whether the San Francisco Chronicle demonstrates even-handed respect for human life, regardless of ethnic or religious origin. Finally, because headlines are often among the most prominent aspects of coverage that the reader absorbs, we believe they play a disproportionate role in generating an overall impression about the conflict and the relative consequences for Israelis and Palestinians.

Additionally, we chose to count the number of times the Chronicle provided its readers with the total number of Israelis and Palestinians killed and injured because, given the ongoing nature of daily news reporting, an understanding of the overall context may be lost without such cumulative totals being periodically reported as accurately as possible