Does anyone remember the exact wording of the question about putting arab-americans into camp while links to terrorism are investigated? The poll question with which discussion was started...
I can't seem to find this online

I'm interested in seeing those results as well. When they flashed by, it seemed very frightening. I think it was about 25% that wanted to put Arab-Americans in camps until a threat or lack of threat could be established and 47% that supported having Arab-Americans carry an ID card of some sort, but I'm not sure.

Either way, the ID card echoes pre-WWII Germany, where Jewish people were forced to wear a yellow Star-of-David to identify themselves. A few years later they were rounded up into camps. We have to be careful not to trace the mistakes that history has made before us. An good and reasonable desire for security can quickly turn into dangerous fanaticism.

Could this be what you're referring to?

In a CNN-USA Today Gallup poll conducted October 19-21, respondents were split 49-49 on whether to require Arabs in the United States to carry a special ID card.

I was actually asking about the first question about putting people into camps (I think these were the actual words used, but would like confirmation...).

Curious, the question you refer to was mentioned in second by Konnel, and if I remember correctly the answers were 47% and 50%, not 49% and 49% not that it matters much as the error margin is 3%

Sorry, I haven't been able to find the poll in question. But I did find this 2003 article in which Rep. Howard Coble, R-NC, the chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, is quoted as saying that he agreed with internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Coble explained that

"Some probably were intent on doing harm to us, just as some of these Arab-Americans are probably intent on doing harm to us."


Among others, the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee took exception to his remarks.

Yes, ve_nyc, I also remember the flash of that poll result while watching the program. I am disappointed that in what was an otherwise balanced examination of the price each American is paying for this false sense of security Bush is still peddling, these shocking poll results were shown quickly without commentary and then :cut to commercial break:.

My ten-year-old son watched in awe and complete disbelief that our country could be "detaining" people indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay Prison. "Isn't that against the law?" was his persistent question which led us into a long discussion of my views on the matter and how I, like many, did not initially question the detention for questioning of these "persons of interest". But I have changed my head has since cleared and I now view further detention as torture and a blatant violation of human rights, Geneva Convention or not.

I am shocked and saddened that in 2006, the idea of a majority of people in any given country – especially ours! – could endorse special identification and registration of people from a select ethnic group or religious affiliation. This is very scary stuff indeed, as I would have thought the United States public had learned from Hitler’s mistreatment of the Jews and our own of Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor, many of which were citizens of the U.S. I truly would rather die than be around to witness the special registration of a certain group of people due to a perceived or imaginary threat that the fears of others conjure up.

Better late than never: I just found an October 25, 2001 story on the CNN web site that mentions those poll findings:

In a CNN-USA Today Gallup poll conducted October 19-21, respondents were split 49-49 on whether to require Arabs in the United States to carry a special ID card.

Unfortunately, I don't think any more recent polls have revisited this question. It would be insightful to see whether this particular sort of bias toward Arab-Americans is subsiding as we get further away in time from the September 11 attacks, or whether it persists.

I did find this 2004 poll about American attitudes toward Muslims on the web site of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations. The findings:

* More than one-fourth of survey respondents agreed with stereotypes such
as "Muslims teach their children to hate" and "Muslims value life less than
other people."
* When asked what comes to mind when they hear "Muslim," 32 percent of
respondents made negative comments. Only two percent had a positive response.
* Those with the most negative attitudes toward Islam and Muslims tend to
be less-educated white males who are politically conservative.
* General knowledge of Islam is low but the presence of Muslim friends and
colleagues drives more enlightened attitudes.
* African-Americans hold more favorable attitudes about Muslims than do whites.
* While half of respondents believed that American Muslims are
"cooperating" in the war on terror, 50 percent did not believe that they
are actively "condemning" terrorist acts.
* Most Americans believe that the terrorists are misusing the teachings of
Islam.
* About half of Americans hold one or more favorable attitudes about
Muslims, such as "Muslims have family-oriented values" and "Muslims have
contributed to civilization."
* Those who believe they are knowledgeable about Islam tend to have more
positive attitudes.