Trump effect: One fifth of Muslims planning to leave US

Almost half of Muslim children face bullying in schools

WASHINGTON: Faced with religious discrimination, airport screening and school bullying, one fifth of American Muslims have made plan to leave the country if it becomes necessary after the election of President Trump.

According to The American Muslim Poll 2017 despite their troubles, the Muslims in the United States are the religious group most satisfied with the nation's trajectory. The study published by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, a Muslim think-tank based in Washington shows that almost half of the Muslim children face bullying at schools and they're twice as likely to face additional screening at airports.

The survey found the Muslims and the Jews are most likely to express fear for their personal safety after the election of President Trump. The study showed both the Muslims and the Jews reported higher levels of fear and anxiety than other faith groups because of the election results, with 38 percent of the Muslims and 27 percent of the Jews expressing fear for their safety because of white supremacist groups. But the Muslim women are also more likely than men of their faith to report experiencing religious discrimination in the last year. One in five Muslim women said recent elections had caused them enough stress and anxiety to believe they need help of a mental professional.

However, the study found two in five Muslims report being satisfied with the way things are going in the US today, a higher percentage than any other major faith group or those who are not affiliated with a faith.

The survey involved interviews with 2,389 respondents in January of this year including the Muslims, the Jews, the Protestants, the Catholics and those who were not affiliated with a faith.

The survey found the Muslims are nearly twice as likely to report bullying among their school-age children as the Jewish Americans (42 percent to 23 percent), and four times as likely as the general public (10 percent). Of these incidents, one quarter involved a teacher or school official.

The Muslims are more than twice as likely (30 percent) as Jews (13 percent), the Catholics, and Protestants (11 percent) to say they've been stopped at the border for additional screening, the poll found. Most Muslims stopped say they were easily identified as a member of their faith group, compared with the Jews and none in other groups.  The Muslims are the most likely faith community to report religious-based discrimination in the past year, the survey found, followed by the Jews.

The majority of nonwhite Muslims report some frequency of race-based discrimination in the last year. The American Muslims are the youngest faith community, with more than one-third younger than 30 years of age. The American Muslims are the most ethnically and racially diverse faith group with no single background garnering a majority.

Half of the Muslims were born in the United States, with immigration continuing to play a significant part in the American Muslims' stories. The Muslims are the most likely faith community to report low income despite the fact that the Muslims, the Protestants, and the Catholics have similar education levels, according to the poll.  In large part, due to widespread dissatisfaction with the options presented to them, the American Muslims were the least likely group to vote (61 percent) or be registered to vote (68 percent).

The study shows the Muslim women are more likely than the Muslim men to achieve higher education (73 percent of women vs 57 percent of men with post-high school education or higher).