New York ( CNN ) -- Most New Yorkers believe the city 's police act appropriately in dealing with Muslims , according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday . In the poll , taken amid a tumultuous public debate surrounding the police department 's surveillance of Muslims , 58 % of respondents found no fault with police actions toward Muslims . And 82 % said they believe the antiterrorism efforts of the NYPD have been effective . Overall , 63 % said they generally approve of the way the department does its job . The survey questioned 964 registered voters across New York 's five boroughs from March 6 through Sunday . `` Voter approval of the way police are handling terrorism is through the roof and overall approval for police in general and for ( Police ) Commissioner Ray Kelly is undented by criticism , '' said Maurice Carroll , director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute . Poll respondents also gave Kelly a 64 % approval rating for his leadership of the NYPD , while Mayor Michael Bloomberg got a 67 % approval rating for the way he is handling crime . But when asked about the controversial `` stop and frisk '' tactic of police , responses were split : 59 % of self-identified white voters approved of the practice , while 68 % of self-identified black voters and 52 % of self-identified Hispanic voters disapproved . The department 's `` stop and frisk '' policy has prompted its own debate over the years , with some claiming it is nothing less than racial profiling targeting minorities . Critics of NYPD treatment of Muslims claim the police are denying Muslims basic civil rights , and perpetrating ethnic and religious profiling . `` It 's one of these situations where people are OK with other people being targeted with tactics they would never approve of themselves , '' said Ibrahim Hooper , a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in response to Tuesday 's poll . Polling numbers show that most New Yorkers , 54 % , have a positive opinion of Islam , with 65 % of those polled saying mainstream Islam is a peaceful religion . Hooper said those numbers are positive , but added , `` Our basic position is that civil and legal rights are guaranteed by the Constitution , and not subject to the changing nature of public opinion in times of crisis and national security . '' He added , `` I 'd like to see polling data of how people felt about the internment of Japanese-Americans just after Pearl Harbor . '' Last month , Kelly addressed reporters amid a flurry of questions about NYPD tactics . `` Our efforts are to protect everyone in New York City , no particular group , '' he said . `` We are continuing to do what we believe necessary to protect the city , pursuant to the law . '' The Quinnipiac University poll is based on a random sample of people 18 years of age and older , with a sampling error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points .
58 % of respondents to Quinnipiac University poll back NYPD 's surveillance of Muslims . CAIR official : People approve of tactics they would n't stand for if aimed at them . The poll found a racial divide over approval of the NYPD 's `` stop and frisk '' tactic .