Seriously?!? The states is a scary place nowadays. Read the study. Researchers were “startled by the correlation with religion and exposure to television news.” In other words, broadcast fear into the people and the people will be fearful.

In a study to determine how much the public fears terrorism, almost half of respondents polled nationally said they believe the U.S. government should — in some way — curtail civil liberties for Muslim Americans, according to a new survey released December 17th by Cornell University.

About 27 percent of respondents said that all Muslim Americans should be required to register their location with the federal government, and 26 percent said they think that mosques should be closely monitored by U.S. law enforcement agencies. Twenty-nine percent agreed that undercover law enforcement agents should infiltrate Muslim civic and volunteer organizations, in order to keep tabs on their activities and fund raising. About 22 percent said the federal government should profile citizens as potential threats based on the fact that they are Muslim or have Middle Eastern heritage. In all, about 44 percent said they believe that some curtailment of civil liberties is necessary for Muslim Americans.

Honestly, I don’t even know what else to say. As a Canadian, I am shocked.

via Science Blog
via MSNBC
via Under the Same Sun