Islam and Muslims in American Opinion Polls (1963–2023)

The Centre for Arab Unity Studies has published the book Islam and Muslims in American Opinion Polls (1963–2023) by Dr. Ayman Mansour Nada.

The relationship between Islam and the West is marked by a long history of interaction and tension, shaped over centuries of debate and misunderstanding—a history being revisited today amidst renewed questions regarding identity and belonging. There is now a pressing need to examine the image of Islam held by the West through a scholarly lens, free from preconceptions, and removed from both the narratives of “Islamophobia” and the wishful thinking of “Islamophilia.”

The book employs a scholarly methodology that combines quantitative and qualitative analysis with a critical historical approach to examine US public opinion poll data—comprising 1,399 polls and 2,471 questions—spanning six consecutive decades (1963–2023). It reveals how wars, major events, and the media have shaped the American perception of Islam and Muslims, and how attitudes have shifted between viewing Islam as an “enemy,” a “challenge,” or a faith with which coexistence is possible.

The book offers an analytical perspective on the complex interplay between media, public opinion, and policy regarding this mental image. It goes beyond merely describing trends, seeking instead to explain them by examining the cultural, political, and religious factors that have shaped American perceptions of Islam and Muslims—both within the United States and abroad. Furthermore, the book provides insights that help elucidate how the image of Islam is constructed in the West, paving the way for a deeper understanding of relations between the Islamic and Western worlds, and fostering fresh thinking on building more balanced cross-cultural bridges and establishing more equitable inter-civilizational ties.