A new poll conducted by Cornell researchers finds:
About 27 percent of respondents said that all Muslim Americans should be required to register their location with the federal government, and 26 percent said they think that mosques should be closely monitored by U.S. law enforcement agencies.
Twenty-nine percent agreed that undercover law enforcement agents should infiltrate Muslim civic and volunteer organizations, in order to keep tabs on their activities and fund raising.
About 22 percent said the federal government should profile citizens as potential threats based on the fact that they are Muslim or have Middle Eastern heritage.
In all, about 44 percent said they believe that some curtailment of civil liberties is necessary for Muslim Americans.
A whopping 40% of Republicans reported that they wanted Muslims to register their location.
The history of registration of location as the first step towards later reprisals makes this news more chilling. I don't mean to suggest that registration is at all likely, but it's sad that a quarter of Americans--if the poll results are to be believed--would feel it appropriate to require this of people because of their religion.