In U.S., 44 Percent Say Restrict Muslims

[Ultra_Kool_Dude]

I'm speechless:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...ivil_liberties

[andyhui01]

hmm... restrict muslims or rectrict people from muslim country... I am a malaysian but I'm not actually muslim... wonder if this affects me

[andyhui01]

just read the article... this is really ridiculous... just because a bunch of people who attacked Amerca happened to be muslim's... all the muslims around the world especially the ones in America have so much restrictions. So if a bunch of Jewish or christian people attacked america... what are they going to do... ban them from coming into the states and record down where each and everyone of them lives and sooner or later they will prob. force all of them to wear those ankle things that criminal wear so they can track them everywhere they go?

[Captain Morgan]

Basically, almost half the US populance would like to throw out the Constitution.

I really have no further comment. The article and figures speak for themselves.

[justin syder]

just read the article... this is really ridiculous... just because a bunch of people who attacked Amerca happened to be muslim's... all the muslims around the world especially the ones in America have so much restrictions. So if a bunch of Jewish or christian people attacked america... what are they going to do... ban them from coming into the states and record down where each and everyone of them lives and sooner or later they will prob. force all of them to wear those ankle things that criminal wear so they can track them everywhere they go?

I'm speechless:

Basically, almost half the US populance would like to throw out the Constitution.

Go to this website and read the number of ppl that they surveyed.

http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases....Poll.bpf.html

They polled 715 people. 44% of 715 people is 314. WOW, half of Americans.

AMAZING what a little research and fact finding will do. NEVER TAKE NEWS TO HEART!!!! ALWAYS question it, well most of the time.

Don't be surprised if ppl like M.Moore or crazy Hollywood Liberals use this to tarnish religious Republicans like me. In my opinion, I would not want restrictions on anyone. Crazy fanatics attacked us, not Muslims.

[Mischief007]

that's sad news. Something like that shouldn't happen. If it does...well...I don't know...speechless to that.

[hanasand]

That is a bad source allright.. But it's equally likely for someone like FOX to base
"news" on such sources as it is for people like Michael Moore to do so

[Ultra_Kool_Dude]

It had a 3.2% margin of error though (the possible difference between the survey and the overall representation of the population).

They grey area may be the amount of restriction. Maybe one of the options was to search suspicious looking muslims.

[hanasand]

It had a 3.2% margin of error though

I'm no Einstein but my math tells me that by questioning less than 1000 people
out of a population of over 250 million gives more than a 3.2% margin of error...

[Ultra_Kool_Dude]

It was a nationwide telephone poll - not just asking 1000 people on the street. It would have been random numbers by area, which would have yielded very accurate results. It's the same way they take presidencial election polls.

[ESPNSTI]

Originally Posted by Ultra_Kool_Dude

It's the same way they take presidencial election polls.

And we all know how accurate those were.

[Ultra_Kool_Dude]

They were within 3.2% weren't they? Either way, even if it is only 20%, it is still pretty troubling.

At the beginning of the war in Iraq, two thirds of muslims surveyed said they thought that some secret service agency in America carried out the attacks on 9/11 as an excuse for a war against them. This survey does lend some credence (not much) to their belief that the war is against their religion rather than against terrorism.

[haha604]

Margin of error only measures precision. It doesn't measure accuracy. You can be precise and inaccurate at the same time (eg. you do this survey 5 times. estimated means are 30%,28%,32%,29%,31%, so the avg estimated mean is 30%. The survey is very precise as there is very little variation between the 5 estimated means. However, the true mean is 50%, meaning the survey is not accurate at all)

The formula for calculating the margin of error in this case is simple: ([p(1-p)/n]^1/2 ) * Z, 1-alpha, where alpha is the confidence level and Z is the number of standard deviations away from the sample mean in a standard normal distribution with mean 0 and variance 1. Plugging in the p and n, you will find that the confidence level is 95% (Z=1.96), meaning that if you compile say 100 surveys, 95 of them will report a statistic within the range of [44-3.6, 44+3.6]

Contrary to what most of you believe, 700 is a big enough sample size. The total population being estimated is also irrelevant. The credibility of this suvey depends on whether the sample taken is random and whether the questionairres are biased. NOrmally researchers also have to account for people who refuse to answer, but this survey simply bases its statistics on those who did.

So in conclusion if you want to argue against this survey, do not say that the sample size is too small. Just thought some of you should know...

[Ultra_Kool_Dude]

Taking data management are we?

[SiR_dude]

^ Or stats. I thought of throwing some of that stuff in, but it's been so long since I did it that I'd probably make a fool of myself and ruin the point I was trying to make in the first place. I never really trusted that area of math...wierd

[haha604]

Yeah stats is one of my majors. I thought taking stats would be an easy ride but boy was I wrong haha . Nevertheless I have taken quite a number of required courses for the stats program so I might as well graduate with a degree in it.

[justin syder]

Are we all forgetting the main point made by this poll?

http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases....Poll.bpf.html

Conversely, 48 percent of respondents nationally said they do not believe that civil liberties for Muslim Americans should be restricted.

I do believe that 48 is the majority. Also if you see the break down of the 44% Restricting Muslims it breaks down in sub-categories which simply conclude that a minority of people believe that muslisms should be restricted in some way.

*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

[hanasand]

The sub-catergories just say that people have different views of how one should
restrict their civil liberties, the number who wants to, in some way, restrict their
liberties is still the same (44%).

I do believe that 48 is the majority.

Well yes, but that isn't exactly the point. The controversial opinion is the one
supporting to restrict their liberties so it's really this number which is interesting
and not 48%. 44% is higher than one may would expect and that's what it's all about...

[Ultra_Kool_Dude]

It's really a shame when religion divides us instead of uniting us .

[Bitko]

We ought to fight the extremists of all religions, they are out to destroy the world for the majority who are not. Education, social justice, and economic prosperity are key to combat stereotypes/prejudice and religious fanaticism.