Pew Survey of Muslim-Americans Confirms Lower Population Estimates
A Pew poll surveying the opinions of Muslim-Americans has provided important data on the size and status of the Muslim-American community.
The Pew survey confirms the population estimates by population researcher Thomas Smith, who estimated the Muslim population in America at 1.9 million in 2000, considerably lower than the figures provided by Muslim advocacy groups like CAIR. Muslim organizations claim the American Muslim population is slightly larger than the Jewish population, at around 6-8 million. Haverford College Political Scientist Harvey Glickman a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute also recently asserted that Muslim-Americans now outnumber American Jews. These exaggerated estimates are routinely accepted by many organizations and information resources like encyclopedias and internet information sites. Smith, whose survey determined the Muslim population of America in 2000 was most likely around 1.9 million, with a figure of 2.8 million being the absolute maximum, has suffered from the lingering question of objectivity because his study was commissioned by the American Jewish Committee.
The recent Pew poll provides confirmation of the soundness of Smith’s study, estimating a current Muslim-American population of 2.35 million. Of these, only 24% or less than 600,000 are estimated to be Muslims from Arab countries. It remains to be seen whether the media and information resources will continue to use the inflated figures provided by Muslim advocacy groups.
The survey also reinforces the view that Muslim-Americans are much better integrated economically and culturally than Muslims in Europe.
More from SNAPSHOTS
Mahmoud Abbas’ Diatribe Threatening Israel Included Bogus Canaanite Claim
September 10, 2019
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ recent anti-Israel diatribe that aired on PA TV was monitored and translated by Palestinian Media Watch (PMW). Excerpt: "I say to [Israel]: Every stone you have built on our land [...]
CNN Calls House’s Unifying Anti-BDS Vote ‘Divisive’
July 24, 2019
Yesterday, in an overwhelming vote of bipartisan support, the House of Representatives voted 398 to 17 to adopt a resolution opposing the anti-Israel BDS (boycott, divest, sanctions) campaign. Yet, CNN's headline casts the unifying vote [...]
NY Times Cites Poll, Hides Palestinian Support for Violence
July 9, 2019
The New York Times has struggled to accurately describe polls this year. In January, editor Jonathan Weisman misrepresented Pew polling data to describe a nonexistent surge in Israeli support for the United States under President [...]
CNN’s Zakaria Indulges Palestinian Propagandist Hanan Ashrawi
June 9, 2019
Fareed Zakaria’s weekly Cable News Network (CNN) program (grandiosely named “Global Public Square”) June 9 broadcast included a discussion of the current U.S. Middle East peace plan with guests Hanan Ashrawi (Palestinian Authority official) and [...]
In Robert Bernstein Obit, AFP Inappropriately References His Judaism
May 29, 2019
Robert Bernstein (Courtesy the New Press) In its obituary yesterday for American publisher Robert Bernstein, Agence France Presse inserted an inappropriate reference to the Human Rights Watch founder who later turned on the organization due [...]