New Poll Shows Obama Ratings Down As Mosque Controversy Lingers

A new poll released Monday showed that the ongoing debate regarding Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf’s proposed mosque and cultural center two blocks from New York City’s Ground Zero is skewing the public’s opinion of President Barack Obama and how he has handled the situation.

Nine years after the September 11 attacks, public sentiment towards Islam remains relatively low with only 38 percent of voters having favorable opinions of Islam, the poll found. Fifty percent of voters, however, perceive mainstream Islam as a peaceful religion, rather than an ideology which encourages violence to non-Muslims.

Although the Quinnipiac University National Poll found that 70 percent of Americans believe that the Muslim group has the right to continue with building the Mosque, 63 percent of voters say it’s wrong to do so.

Controversy over the Mosque’s construction stirred up radical opposition among some Americans. Florida Pastor Terry Jones threatened to assemble a Quran burning rally during this weekend’s 9/11 anniversary, ultimately canceling it after receiving warnings from the White House and Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.

The controversy has taken its toll on the public’s perception of President Barack Obama and how he has handled the mosque situation in New York. After publicly defending the mosque’s construction in last week’s press conference, the new poll shows American voters disapprove 44-31 percent of the way Obama is handling the situation.

“The proposed mosque near Ground Zero are taking a toll on President Barack Obama’s standing with American voters,” assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute Peter Brown said. “The fact that so many Americans think the President does not share their values might worry the White House.”