Muslims+in+US+Struggle+with+Alienation

www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-muslims_t6_03mar03,0,3270236.story By Sarah Gantz WASHINGTON — A study of Muslim Americans released Monday by the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies presents a portrait of an often misunderstood community—socioeconomically integrated but culturally alienated; succeeding in the workforce but struggling to find contentment.
 * Muslims in U.S. struggle with alienation ** March 3, 2009 
 * Poll finds unhappiness among group, despite economic successes **

The numbers suggest economic and career success among Muslim Americans—they have a higher employment rate than the national average and are among the nation's most educated religious groups.

And while Muslim Americans are more likely than the general public to be employed and hold a professional job, according to the report, they also expressed less satisfaction with their standard of living and community. Only 41 percent described themselves as "thriving."

The disparity is a sign of the alienation some Muslim Americans may feel, experts say. Ahmed Younis, a senior analyst for the center, said some Muslim Americans feel a sense of "otherness" created by outside perceptions of their religion and a lack of involvement in their larger community.

Three-quarters of Muslim Americans polled said they were satisfied with their community, as opposed to nearly 90 percent among respondents from other religions. And they were less optimistic about the future of their communities. Muslim Americans ranked highest among religious groups in the U.S. who believed their communities were getting worse.

The data reflect the responses recorded by 946 of more than 300,000 Americans surveyed over the course of 2008 who identified themselves as Muslim. The Gallup Center for Muslim Studies is a non-partisan research center affiliated with the Gallup polling organization.

"There's no doubt that there is a certain sense of isolation and alienation—there's no doubt," said Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), the first Muslim elected to Congress.

Muslim Americans age 18 to 29 in particular reported discontent with their jobs and communities. On average, Muslim American youth were unhappier, angrier and less optimistic than their peers of other religious groups, according to the report.

Only 78 percent of young Muslims reported having smiled or laughed the day before, while nearly 90 percent of Protestants, Catholics and Jews of the same age said they had.

A great deal of the emotional turbulence among young Muslim Americans is the product of the stereotypes and suspicion of Islam in the post-Sept. 11 era, experts say. Copyright © 2009, [|Chicago Tribune] 