Washington, (IINA) - A new study conducted by researchers from Georgetown University showed that three out of 10 American Catholics hold an unfavorable impression of Muslims.
It was revealed in the study on the topic of Islamophobia that white Catholics in the country have diverse opinions about Islam but only 14 percent of the respondents admitted to having favorable views of Muslims. About 45 percent of the respondents said that they had "neither favorable nor unfavorable" views of Muslims while 11 percent said they were not sure, The Christian Times (CT) reported.
The study was conducted from a sample of 1,027 Catholics. The report titled "Dialogue and Danger: Report on American Catholic Public Opinion and Portrayals of Islam," revealed that almost half of the respondents cannot cite the similarities between Catholicism and Islam.
The document also showed that most Catholic media outlets had published articles with negative sentiments regarding Islam. It cited "Catholic Answers" and "Catholic Culture" as online media outlets that published titles that conveyed negative impressions towards the religion.
The report mentioned that books by Robert Spencer of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) are being sold by Catholic institutions. MEMRI has been listed as an anti-Muslim hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
Another study conducted by sociologists from the University of Minnesota showed that Muslims have surpassed atheists as the most unpopular minority group in the U.S. The dislike for Muslims jumped from 26 percent to 45.5 percent in the past 10 years. About 48.9 percent said that they would not let their child marry a Muslim.
Hussein Rashid, a professor at Barnard College, said that the rising anti-Islamic sentiment only reflects the current political rhetoric. "The data from this survey showed that there is an increasing pull away from the promise of America," he said in an email to Religion News Service. "In 10 years, people have a more negative perception of Muslims, Jews, Latinos, and Blacks. As a new America is taking shape, with all its diversity, there is a reactionary response that wants a mythic America of everyone being exactly the same," he added.
Such negativity towards Muslims is also reportedly present in other countries. Earlier this week, Austrian Cardinal Christophe Schönborn caused a stir for asking "Will there be an Islamic conquest of Europe,” during his speech at the 333rd anniversary of the West's victory over the Ottoman forces in the Battle of Vienna
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