Muslims are now the most unpopular group in the United States, a new study by sociologists at the University of Minnesota has found.
According to the findings, published in the Oxford Journals, Americans' disapproval of Muslims has increased from about 26 percent 10 years ago to 45.5 percent in 2016.
In addition, the study found almost half of those Americans surveyed would not want their child to marry a Muslim. That's compared to 33.5 percent of people a decade earlier.
"And when minority religious identities become politicized, they are problematic," noted the study, first reported in The Independent newspaper.
"Rates of anti-Muslim violence spiked after the attacks of September 11, 2001 — as did attacks on Sikh Americans, who are often confused with Muslims by dominant-group members. Even the generally tolerant millennials exhibit relatively strong anti-Muslim sentiments."
Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told The Independent: "This trend of increasing violence targeting the American Muslim community is deeply troubling … Any American should be able to freely practice his or her religion without fear of harm or intimidation."
The survey of 2,521 people was conducted from February 2014 to March 2016.
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