Source: Newsday.com
On July 27, 2005 Newsday.com reported, "Despite the recent terrorist bombings in London and renewed fears of another attack at home, people's opinions of Muslim Americans are unchanged, with even fewer than two years ago viewing Islam as more likely to spur violence, according to a nationwide poll released yesterday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life... The poll of 2,000 adult Americans began July 7, the day of the first London bombings, and ended 10 days later before a second set of failed attacks last Thursday. Fifty-five percent of those polled earlier this month said they had a favorable view of Muslim Americans, just slightly higher than similar surveys in 2003 and 2002. Twenty-five percent had an unfavorable opinion and 20 percent had no opinion. There was a 2.5 percentage-point margin of error... Fewer Americans than two years ago say Islam encourages violence. While 44 percent of those polled in 2003 felt that way, only 36 percent did in the latest survey... Sixty percent of Americans agreed that the terrorist attacks are a conflict 'with a small radical group,' while only 29 percent said it was a 'major conflict with Islam.' However, half of those who said terrorism was the work of a small group expressed concern that continued terrorist attacks could result in a major clash of religions."