The pictures of Barack Obama in African garb and the focus by wingnuts on his middle name has shown the continual fear of the Other on the part of the Republican party, with the other being Muslims. When you have people screaming that Obama will swear on the Koran instead of the Bible and Muslim Rep. Keith Ellison (who did take his oath on the Koran) being asked to prove his allegiance to this country, it’s clear that way too many people buy into the “Muslims are the enemy” mentality. This whole notion that all Muslims are some 7th century throwback who “hate us for our freedoms” really does show the collective dumbing down of this country.
Gallup did an extensive survey of 50,000 Muslims globally on their attitudes and values, and recently published its findings in a book called Who Speaks For Islam? Some of their findings knock out these insulting stereotypes that the administration and media keep feeding us:

The result is Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think, based on six years of research and more than 50,000 interviews representing 1.3 billion Muslims who reside in more than 35 nations that are predominantly Muslim or have sizable Muslim populations. Representing more than 90% of the world’s Muslim community, it makes this poll the largest, most comprehensive study of its kind.
What the data reveal and the authors illuminate may surprise you:
* Muslims and Americans are equally likely to reject attacks on civilians as morally unjustifiable.
* Large majorities of Muslims would guarantee free speech if it were up to them to write a new constitution AND they say religious leaders should have no direct role in drafting that constitution.
* Muslims around the world say that what they LEAST admire about the West is its perceived moral decay and breakdown of traditional values - the same answers that Americans themselves give when asked this question.
* When asked about their dreams for the future, Muslims say they want better jobs and security, not conflict and violence.
* Muslims say the most important thing Westerners can do to improve relations with their societies is to change their negative views toward Muslims and respect Islam.

Hmmm….doesn’t sound like the bloodthirsty savages bent on destroying this country, does it? Will this survey or its findings ever make it onto American airwaves? Nope, I don’t think so either. It’s so much easier to wallow in ignorance and bigotry.

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very true.

also there was a margin of error reported on another study. it asked about citzen-based warfare. it was presented to say that many support terrorism. when in fact the way it was wrote made many who answered the question think about the issue with palestien and israel, where each side views the other as invaders and terrorists.
I'm part irish and although I am anti-war, I do sympathize with the IRA. I do not advocate violence of any kind but I still feel a tug for people in situations where their homeland is invaded. I do not consider myself a terrorist support although some English people might.

Excellent post Fed Up American.

That wallowing in ignorance and bigotry has brought this country a heap of trouble and debt.

I am despairing that the majority of Americans are smart enough to wise up to the truth of what your post says.

All it would take is another staged or real terror attack and the cowards in this country would be again willing to give the country over to the Bush Bots.

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Real Christians Don't Support Preemptive War



Life is not about counting the number of breaths you take , life is about the moments that take your breath away.

Remember that thousands of Muslims in the streets celebrating the death of thousands of Americans when the Trade Towers collapsed? Think about the murder of a director in Denmark after he did a documentary about Muslims doing genetial mutalations to women. The author of 'Satanic Verses' is still in hiding due to the tolerance of Muslim leaders. I am certainly not going to say all Muslims are terrorists. I am going to say that there is a lack of condemnation from Muslim leaders in regards to violence against non Muslims. I will also say that in countries where Muslims become the majority religious persecution of non Muslims follows suit, Indonesia and Lebanon are two good examples. Turkey has long been a Muslim country but for decades it has been becoming much less secular and much more oppressive towards non-Muslims. In parts of England, Shirea Law is what is enforced and the British police have to get permission from Immans to enter the areas. In parts of England, Muslims were insulted by having to learn about the Holocaust so it was dropped. In the U.S. taxi drivers refuse to pick up fares carrying unopend bottles of alcohol, a clerk refuses to scan packaged pork product, in Maine students get in trouble for eating ham sandwiches at a table where Muslim students might eat. Immans board a plane and act in the same way the 9/11 hijackers acted. Now they are suing the people who they were trying to intimidate, the ones who reported them. These are not a few isolated instances. Each year the number of occurrences increase. Each year they grow more severe.

I really like their talking about attacks on civilians. It was very vague, it should have specifically asked about both Muslim civilians and non-Muslim civilians as many of the Islamic terrorists have said the Koran allows attacking non-Muslim civilians. Even Osama talks about how the U.S. citizens need to convert or die. Who are the Muslims they surveyed? How many from each country? How many women verses how many men. How many would use Shirea Law?

Fear Islam? No. Respect it, understand what is is capable of doing and what it is doing? Yes.

Where do you "learn" all this shit, Cletus?

LMFAO!

Ahh--so its those damn republicans--and definitely NOT HITLARY--that have spread and promoted Muhamed Barrack Hussein Kareem Jabar Skyhook and his muslim photo shoots.

Fed did you become muslim before or after 9/11?

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Give a lib a fish--he eats for a day

Teach a lib to fish--he is back the next day asking for more free fish

"no one in their right mind believes that humans are the sole cause of the warming trend."

You can hope for change--or you can get off your fat ass and change it yourself

Hillary's office sent the pic to Drudge (who happens to be gay).

Rightwing dumbshits took it from there.

Hillary will suffer for that play.

Count on it.

I listen to news stations, even to NPR, a socialist agency that is supported by tax funds. I watch news programs on NBC, ABC, and CBS, I read newspapers. I even look up things on the internet. I do not go to A website, I go to many and gather as much raw data as I can and then I THINK about what I have read. I do not read a website nor book and then regurgitate what the author thought. I also look at the sources and try to determine if they have an agenda in what they are writing. Then if the information I have is incorrect I adjust my opinion accordingly.

Like the time in 1995 when my history professor told my class that if North Carolina did not legalize marijuana then by 2000 half of the state would be in jail for offences related to it. The young liberals thought that was an awesome piece of wisdom, being older and wiser having served in the military and then going to college I THOUGHT about what she said. I knew she was a liberal and smoked marijuana and therefore she wanted it legalized, so she had an agenda. I knew from prior research that her numbers of North Carolinas was inaccurate. So I concluded that was the dumbest thing I had heard in my life up to that point. 5 years later I was proven to be correct, but being a liberal she would NOT change her position as her liberal sources had to be correct.

LOLOLOL!!!!!

Sorry junior, never join a cult. Except for Christianity but I came to my senses and got out.

When did you become stupid? Before or after 9/11.

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OK muslims do not worship the God of Israel. Muslims have to kill every Jew and Christian on earth or the Koran isnt true. Jews and Christians are infidels in muslim eyes. Jews and Christians belong to God of Israel. Muslims belong to Satan. Satan has to establish his kingdom on earth before Jesus Christ comes back. Thats why you hear for Israel to be blown off the map. They will detonate.