It's hard not to be troubled by a new poll that suggests that as many as one in four young American Muslims condones suicide bombings against civilians, at least sometimes.
That equates to about 117,000 Muslims between ages 18 and 29. Another 6 percent of those aged 30 and over - that is, 63,000 more - likewise say terror strikes at times may be OK.
"It is a hair-raising number," says Radwan Masmoudi, of the Center for Islam and Democracy, referring to U.S. Muslim support for suicide attacks. (Masmoudi's group promotes efforts to reconcile Islam with democratic culture.)
He's absolutely right.
Indeed, the findings, released by the Pew Research Center, constitute a strong warning about the need for vigilance on the homefront.
Because American Muslims, as the study found, are "largely assimilated," those who are inclined toward terror can be difficult to identify.
After all, terrorists operate incognito - and it takes only a few to cause untold pain. Just 19 men managed to hijack four planes and murder 3,000 people on 9/11.
The stats about the under-30 group's support for terror are especially disconcerting. About 11 percent back suicide bombings "rarely," another 13 percent "sometimes" and 2 percent "often."
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