Muslim Americans Happier With US Than Everyone Else

If you thought things like Peter King’s hearings or the “Ground Zero Mosque” controversy would leave Muslim Americans feeling disgruntled, think again. Muslims are actually much happier with the country than everyone else, according to Pew poll released today, with 56% saying they’re satisfied with the way things are going, compared to just 23% of the general public. Only 16% believe the public is unfriendly toward Muslims, and 79% rate their communities as excellent or good.

“This is not an underclass,” the president of the Pew Center tells the Washington Post. “There’s a great deal of ‘We want to be Americans.’ They see opportunity here.” Things aren’t entirely rosy, however: 55% say it’s become more difficult to be a Muslim in the US since the 9/11 attacks, and significant numbers report being looked at with suspicion (28%), called offensive names (22%), or singled out at the airport (21%).