A new survey that shows Americans ranking Muslims as least deserving of religious freedom is disheartening, said an attorney who advocates for Muslims in central Ohio.
Romin Iqbal, staff attorney at the Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the findings are especially troubling in light of recent decisions by the city of Columbus declining to make accommodations for a Muslim police-officer candidate who asked to wear a head scarf with her uniform.
.... Solid majorities of Americans said it was extremely or very important for the United States to uphold religious freedom in general; however, the percentages varied dramatically when respondents were asked about specific faith traditions, according to the poll released Wednesday by the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Eighty-two percent said religious liberty protections were important for Christians, compared with 61 percent who said the same for Muslims. About 7 in 10 said preserving Jews’ religious freedom was important, while 67 percent said so of Mormons. [The Columbus Dispatch] Read more
