August 1st, 2015 
(DOWNTREND) — On the heels of the “Draw Muhammad” terrorist attack, we’re subjected to a constant barrage of politicians and Muslim leaders proclaiming that yes – despite this attack, Islam is really a religion of peace.
And while the majority of Muslims reject the most draconian tenets of Islam, it might not be as big a majority as you think.
Back in 2012, the Wentzel Strategies group conducted a poll asking American Muslims about their faith and the law.
More than half – 58 percent – believed that criticism of “Islam or Muhammad” is not permitted under the First Amendment. 45 percent believed people who criticize the religion should “face criminal charges.”
But that’s not the shocker. The poll also revealed that 11.5 percent of American Muslims – of which there are more than 5 million – either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed that “Americans who criticize or parody Islam should be put to death.” The margin of error is 3.98 percentage points.
For those doing the math, that’s more than a half-million American Muslims who want death for anybody criticizing Islam.
The most radical Muslims live in the West, where 14 percent “strongly agree” in putting Americans to death, and the young are radicalized much more than older Muslims. Almost 19 percent of those under 30 strongly agree with the statement.
So while it may be comforting to some that the “vast majority” of Muslim Americans don’t want their fellow citizens executed for criticizing Mohammad, the “minority” is much larger than we may have realized.