The controversy over a plan to build a mosque and a 13-story community center in lower Manhattan, a few blocks from Ground Zero, shows no signs of slowing down, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
Democrats praise President Obama for openly voicing his views on the issue, while Republicans condemn his comments.
The controversy over a plan to build a mosque and a 13-story community center in lower Manhattan, a few blocks from Ground Zero, shows no signs of slowing down, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,020 American adults, 49 per cent of respondents (+7 since late July) believe having a mosque close to one of the sites of the 9/11 attacks is a provocation.
Conversely, only 28 per cent of respondents (unchanged since last month) see no problem with the mosque, and regard it as a sign of New York’s tolerance and openness.
About two-in-five respondents aged 18-34 (38%) believe the planned mosque is a provocation. The sentiment is clearly stronger among Americans aged 35 to 54 (53%) and those over the age of 55 (54%). A majority of respondents in the Northeast (56%) and half in the South (49%) regard the mosque as a provocation—along with 72 per cent of Republicans and 52 per cent of Independents.
The President’s Intervention
President Barack Obama weighed in on the mosque controversy earlier this month and declared: “As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country. (…) That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances.”
Across the country, a third of Americans (35%) agree with Obama’s views, and think he was right to speak out. One-in-four respondents (26%) disagree with the president and believe he was wrong to speak out.
Analysis
There is an evident political divide on this particular issue, just a few weeks before the mid-term congressional election. Half of Democrats (50%) side with Obama and believe he did the right thing. Half of Republicans (49%) condemn his views and his decision to speak out.
About one-in-six Democrats (16%) agree with Obama’s views but think he was wrong to speak out—along with 11 per cent of Republicans and 13 per cent of Independents.
