Increase in tolerance and understanding of Islam indicates the failure of Bush’s former administration

Dr Mohyee Hamed from the Muslim Brotherhood Executive Bureau asserted that "the former Bush administration’s effort to tarnish the image of Islam and Muslims, especially after the September 11 attacks, has resulted in nothing but dismal failure."

Surveys in America indicate that when Americans were questioned about their perceptions of Islam a plurality of the public (45%) says Islam is no more likely than other faiths to encourage violence among its believers; opposed to only 38% taking the opposite view, saying that Islam does encourage violence more than other faiths. Views on this question have fluctuated in recent years, with the current findings showing that the view that Islam is connected with violence has declined since 2007, when 45% of the public said that Islam encourages violence more than other religions, indicating that there has been an increase in awareness of Islam, its ways and peoples’ tolerance to it. These results are consistent with recent years and show modest increases in Americans’ familiarity with Islam, compared with the months following the 9/11 attacks.

The September 11 attacks gave rise to the increase in peoples’ efforts to know and understand Islam, since Islam was wrongly perceived. More Islamic texts and books on the faith were published than any other time in history, with an increase in the number of converts.

The survey shows that higher levels of familiarity with Islam, and especially knowing someone who is Muslim, are associated with more positive views toward the religion. For example, among the group with the highest level of familiarity with Islam, most reject the idea that Islam encourages violence (57%). Not surprisingly, people with lower levels of familiarity with Islam exhibit higher levels of non-response in attitudes about Islam, saying they do not know whether it is more or less likely than other religions to encourage violence. This indicates the significance of promoting measures in which other people of different religions and races can educate themselves of issues in which they are less cultured in, where more Americans say that they are willing to read up and understand Islam even if their beliefs are different from rather than similar to the Muslim religion. Hence, those with the highest levels of familiarity with Islam express the most favorable views of Muslims. Nearly six-in-ten of those most familiar with Islam express favorable views of Muslims, compared with less than four-in-ten among those with less familiarity.

Dr Mohyee emphasized that the administrations lack of intelligence enhanced the chances of more knowledge of Islam since resulting in, those with the highest levels of familiarity with Islam expressing the most favorable views of Muslims where nearly six-in-ten of those most familiar with Islam express favorable views of Muslims, compared with less than four-in-ten among those with less familiarity. The younger generation was adamant in familiarizing themselves with a religion in which the Bush administration had utilized any methods in defaming a religion which advocated nothing but peace, harmony, tranquility, and good will.