While close to half, or 47 percent of respondents said they are anxious they might be a victim of terrorism, almost 53 percent said that the US should not close its doors to Syrian refugees coming to America fleeing war and violence. But he has once again succeeded in taking over the news cycle. The FBI said the couple became radicalized and sympathized with Islamic State militants. Actually, that gives it credit for too much time in the oven.
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Obama did not directly address the debate over whether to block Muslims from entering the United States, but instead emphasized that most Americans are reaching out to their Muslim neighbors “to let them know we’re here for each other”. Hillary Clinton avoids that phrase and talks about “radical jihadists”.
Trump has come under fire for weeks for various controversial comments he has made about Muslims. After all, in a world of 1.6 billion Muslims, the presence of perhaps 30,000 ISIS fighters represents a tiny percentage of the Muslim community. If we’re to succeed in defeating terrorism we must enlist Muslim communities as some of our strongest allies, rather than push them away through suspicion and hate. Trump’s recent proposal may make frightened people feel better in the short term. But there’s no doubt that a lot of Americans have anxieties about Muslim immigration – and these anxieties don’t always reflect simple bigotry.
“Overall, this survey paints a portrait of an American public that is deeply concerned about terrorism, but not panicked”, said Dr. Robert P. Jones, CEO of PRRI.
In addition to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, and Bernard Hopkins, there are many famous Muslims who have cultivated the worlds of music, comedy, and more.
Other worries concern Muslims’ integration into our free society.
According to the Islamic Holy Book, the Quran, “under no condition should an individual be forced to accept a religion or belief against his or her will;” the conservative Christian and Republican anti-Muslim rhetoric is all the more despicable due to their lies about Muslim intent. In the 19th century, nativists directed such fears at Catholic immigrants.
Republican candidate Ben Carson, whose poll numbers have been fading, said the USA shouldn’t discriminate against people due to their religion, so it should require everyone visiting the U.S.to register and be monitored. A ban on Catholic immigrants would’ve been an enormous mistake, denying us the talents of tens of millions of people and retarding the spread of our principles.
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It is remarkable that while America is lurching toward sheer fascism, and incrementally changing religious freedom to apply only to white Christians, Islamic nations are adamant in protecting the rights of all religions within their borders as an important adherence to their Islamic faith. The USA (and its Supreme Commander of military, the US President Obama) should be ashamed that despite 65 countries (including military superpower, the USA) attacking ISIS for the last ~ 16 months a militarily nonentity ISIS is not eliminated.
