Poll Shows Almost Half of the Population Think Muslim Americans Harbor Some Hatred Towards America

A new poll released on the same day President Barack Obama made an historic visit to a Maryland mosque on Wednesday reveals that nearly half of the U.S. population believes that "at least some" Muslims in the country have anti-American sentiments.

According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, 49 percent of those surveyed think Muslim Americans harbor negative feelings about the country they live in. Of those 49 percent, 11 percent said "most" or "almost all" Muslims were anti-American. In contrast, 42 percent said they believe that "few" or "no" Muslims harbor ill feelings towards the U.S.

Meanwhile, another 46 percent of respondents think Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence, while 49 percent admitted to being "very concerned" about the rise of Islamic extremism in the U.S.

The Pew study, which was conducted between Jan. 7 and 14, also reveals a strong partisan divide in the public's perception of Islam. Over half of Democrats say "just a few" Muslims in the country are anti-American, while a whopping majority of Republicans believe anti-Americanism is a prominent problem in the nation.

Americans are also divided over how the next president should discuss Islamic extremism.

The poll said 50 percent of respondents think the next U.S. president "should be careful not to criticize Islam as a whole," while 40 percent disagreed, saying the commander-in-chief should speak bluntly, "even if the statements are critical of Islam as a whole."

The views are also split according to party lines as 70 percent of Democrats think the president should use caution compared to 29 percent of Republicans. Meanwhile, 65 percent of Republicans said the next president should be frank about Islamic extremism.

The Pew survey also found that 60 percent of Americans believe there to be "a lot" of discrimination against Muslims in the United States, and 76 percent think discrimination is growing.

Plus, the survey revealed that white evangelicals are more likely than other Christian sects to say Muslims in the United States are anti-American. They are also the least likely to know a Muslim on a personal level.