One-fourth in US think ill of Muslims: Poll

"This is an outrageous number, the number of people who (have) these thoughts or stereotypes or misunderstanding of Islam and Muslims in this country," said Omar Ahmad, chairman of the Council on American Islam Relations (CAIR).

Twenty-six percent of respondents said Muslim taught violence and hatred and 27 percent said Muslims valued human life less than other people, according to the poll for CAIR by Genesis Research.

Two-thirds of Americans had a neutral view of Muslims, and one-half of Americans hold one or more positive views of Muslims when asked about "family values" and Muslim "contributions to civilization."

"We know that there is hate speech on the rise against Muslims and Islam in the society, especially after 9/11, but we did not know it was that deep," CAIR executive director Nihad Awad said.