No fear.....Just rational, thoughtful observations, and a Nation that should be prepared. We're not, because of those who are either: (1) Uniformed; or (2) Misinformed. Both the uninformed and misinformed are Elitist Progresssives; and for whatever reason, choose to remain ignorant.
On Wed, Dec 23, 2015 at 10:25 AM, plainolamerican <[email protected] > wrote: > fear noted again. > > Islamophobia: Understanding Anti-Muslim Sentiment in the West > > *Introduction* > > A *phobia*, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is an > exaggerated, usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular > object, class of objects, or situation. It may be hard for the afflicted to > sufficiently determine or communicate the source of this fear, but it > exists. In recent years, a specific phobia has gripped Western societies - > *Islamophobia*. > > Researchers and policy groups define Islamophobia in differing detail, but > the term's essence is essentially the same, no matter the source: > > An exaggerated fear, hatred, and hostility toward Islam and Muslims that > is perpetuated by negative stereotypes resulting in bias, discrimination, > and the marginalization and exclusion of Muslims from social, political, > and civic life.[1] > > Islamophobia existed in premise before the terrorist attacks of September > 11, 2001, but it increased in frequency and notoriety during the past > decade. The Runnymede Trust in the U.K., for example, identified eight > components of Islamophobia in a 1997 report, and then produced a follow-up > report in 2004 after 9/11 and the initial years of the Afghanistan and Iraq > wars. The second report found the aftermath of the terrorist attacks had > made life more difficult for British Muslims. > > In a 2011 meeting, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, as well > as the League of Arab States, a key partner, identified Islamophobia as an > important area of concern. Gallup developed a specific set of analyses, > based on measurement of public opinions of majority and minority groups in > multiple countries, to guide policymakers in their efforts to address the > global issue of Islamophobia. > > Research shows that the U.S. identified more than 160 Muslim-American > terrorist suspects and perpetrators in the decade since 9/11, just a > percentage of the thousands of acts of violence that occur in the United > States each year. It is from this overall collection of violence that "an > efficient system of government prosecution and media coverage brings > Muslim-American terrorism suspects to national attention, creating the > impression - perhaps unintentionally - that Muslim-American terrorism is > more prevalent than it really is." Never mind that since 9/11, the > Muslim-American community has helped security and law enforcement officials > prevent nearly two of every five al Qaeda terrorist plots threatening the > United States[2] and that tips from the Muslim-American community are the > largest single source of initial information to authorities about these few > plots.[3] > > Islamophobia affects more than a small fringe group of Muslims. Through > various research vehicles and global polling efforts, Gallup has collected > a wealth of data detailing public opinion about various aspects of respect, > treatment, and tolerance relative to Muslims worldwide. This brief serves > as a snapshot of opinion and thought displayed by people from multiple > countries, regions, and communities - findings that chronicle perceptions > associated with Islamophobia globally. > > *Respect and Fair Treatment* > > Globally, many Muslims report not feeling respected by those in the West. > Significant percentages of several Western countries share this sentiment, > saying that the West does not respect Muslim societies. Specifically, 52% > of Americans and 48% of Canadians say the West does not respect Muslim > societies. Smaller percentages of Italian, French, German, and British > respondents agree. > > [image: Those in the West Say Western Societies Do Not Respect Muslims]Data > reported from 2011[4] > > Looking specifically at data from the U.S., U.K., France, and Germany, > opinions about respect in the West for Muslim societies generally stayed > consistent from 2008 to 2011, aside from a 9-percentage-point decrease > among Germans. > > [image: Western Respect for Muslims Consistent From 2008 to 2011, Despite > World Events]Data reported from 2008 and 2011[5] > > Several elements can affect the interactions and degree of respect between > Muslim and Western societies. Differences in culture, religion, and > political interests may shape one population's opinion toward the other. > Definitions of Islamophobia tend to attribute fear or hatred of Muslims to > their politics or culture, and to Islam and the religiosity of Muslims. > > When asked where they think tensions between the Muslim and Western worlds > originate, answers vary. Those in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) > nations and in the U.S. and Canada equally cite religion and political > interests as the primary cause of tensions. Sub-Saharan Africans more often > cite religion than politics, while Europeans say political interests are > the driving force behind Muslim-West tensions. > > [image: Across All Regions, Europe and MENA Most Likely to Point to > Politics as Root Cause of Muslim-West Tensions]Data reported from 2008[6] > > Religion and culture outpace politics across all regions surveyed as the > root cause of tension between Muslim and Western worlds. This is > significant in discussions about Islamophobia, considering political > interests can vary and change while cultural and religious differences are > more ingrained within populations. > > Recent examples of Islamophobia exist within several countries. In late > 2009, the largest party in the Swiss parliament put to referendum a ban on > minaret construction. The government opposed the ban, citing harm to the > country's image - and particularly Muslims' views of Switzerland. Nearly > 60% of Swiss voters and 22 out of 26 voting districts voted in favor of the > ban, leading to cries of Islamophobia by leaders in countries such as > Pakistan and organizations such as the United Nations. > > In the month following the referendum, Gallup asked a representative > sample of Swiss adults a series of questions about the issue specifically > and Muslim rights in general. Most Swiss say that religious freedom is > important for Swiss identity. About one-third agree that there is an > irresolvable contradiction between liberal democracy and Islam. However, > the Swiss are more likely to disagree (48%) than agree (38%) with that > statement. Rather, 84% say it is possible for a Muslim to be a good Swiss > patriot. When asked if those in the Swiss Muslim community have reason to > believe they have been discriminated against in the wake of the minaret > ban, two-thirds (68%) say no. Furthermore, most Swiss say they do not > believe that the recent belief that Switzerland was being seen as willing > to infringe on the rights of its Muslim minority in the wake of the > referendum on minarets has harmed Switzerland's reputation in the > international community. > > Despite a very public debate on the banning of a religious symbol of > Islam, much of the Swiss population did not believe that the Swiss Muslim > community should feel discriminated against. > > In 2008, Gallup asked representative samples from a subset of > majority-Muslim countries about public perceptions of fair treatment of > Muslims in the U.S., France, Britain, and China. While about one-third of > this subset say that Muslims living in each of those countries are treated > as equal citizens regarding their rights and freedoms, about one-quarter of > respondents say these Muslims are not. About 40% of this subset of > majority-Muslim countries say they don't know how these four countries > treat their Muslim residents. The notion that Muslims in these countries > are treated unfairly supports the idea that Muslims in general believe that > unfair treatment of Muslims - a component of Islamophobia - does exist in > Western societies. > > [image: One in Four Believe Muslims Living in U.S., France, Britain, and > China Are Not Treated Fairly]Data reported from 2008 > > Research in a subset of majority-Muslim countries from within the MENA > region, though, finds that more than one-half do not agree that Muslims in > the West are treated as equal citizens. One-quarter of this population say > Muslims in the West receive equal treatment, while about one-fifth say they > do not know. This is another example of Muslims globally seeing the West as > mistreating Muslims in their countries. This belief adds to the perception > of Muslims being excluded from social, political, and civic life in Western > societies. > > [image: More Than Half of Muslim Societies Sampled Believe Muslims in the > West Are Not Treated as Equal Citizens]Data reported from 2008 and 2009 > > Majorities of representative populations within majority-Muslim countries > globally say each of five actions Western societies could take are very > important to showing respect to Muslim societies. About 8 in 10 say it > would be very important to them, personally, if Western societies were to > abstain from desecrating the Qur'an and other Muslim religious symbols. > About 6 in 10 say it would be very important to them if those in the West > treated Muslims fairly in the policies that affect them, protect the rights > of Muslim minorities in these societies, accurately portray Muslims in > Western media, and work with Muslim societies as equal partners on issues > of mutual interest. > > [image: Western Muslim Rights Important to Muslims Globally]Data reported > from 2011 > > *Prejudice* > > According to "Fear, Inc.," a report by the Center for American Progress, a > network of misinformation experts actively promotes Islamophobia in > America. The promotion of Islamophobia creates both prejudice and > discrimination among the general population. Prejudice plays a key role in > the existence and proliferation of Islamophobia. Prejudice alone, as a > negative judgment, opinion, or attitude, is a detriment to a population's > overall wellbeing. Prejudice combined with overt actions, rising to the > level of discrimination, creates a dangerous environment for its victims. > Gallup analyses offer an examination of prejudice against Muslims and Islam > in a number of countries and regions globally. > > In the U.S., about one-half of nationally representative samples of > Mormons, Protestants, Catholics, Muslims, and Jews agree that in general, > most Americans are prejudiced toward Muslim Americans. Specifically, 66% of > Jewish Americans and 60% of Muslim Americans say that Americans in general > are prejudiced toward Muslim Americans. > > [image: About Half of Americans From Major Religious Groups Believe Most > Americans Are Prejudiced Toward Muslim Americans]Data reported from 2010 > > Muslims (48%) are more likely than Americans of other major religious > groups to say they, personally, have experienced racial or religious > discrimination in the past year. Muslim Americans are more than twice as > likely as U.S. Jews, Catholics, and Protestants to say they experienced > such discrimination in the past year. > > [image: Muslims Most Likely to Have Experienced Racial or Religious > Discrimination]Data reported from 2010 > > The 48% of Muslim Americans who say they experienced racial or religious > discrimination is on par with Hispanic Americans (48%) and African > Americans (45%), as calculated from a combination of these same groups. > Arab Americans (52%) are most likely to say they experienced this type of > discrimination. > > Self-reported knowledge, whether accurate or not, about the religion of > Islam seems to affect Americans' feelings of prejudice toward Muslims. Of > Americans who say they have no personal prejudice toward Muslims, 29% say > they have no knowledge at all about Islam. In fact, those who say they hold > no prejudice toward Muslims are more likely than those who say they hold a > little, some, or a great deal of prejudice to say they have no knowledge > about Islam. > > [image: Those With No Prejudice Know Least About Islam]Data reported from > 2007 and 2009 > > Even among Americans who report no personal prejudice toward Muslims, > one-third say they have an unfavorable opinion about Islam (36%). > Unsurprisingly, those indicating they have a great deal of prejudice toward > Muslims are the most unfavorable about Islam (91% unfavorable). That > one-third of those with no reported prejudice have an unfavorable opinion > of Islam is alarming because it indicates that those who harbor no reported > prejudice for the people maintain negative views about the religion. > > [image: One-Third of Americans Reporting No Prejudice Toward Muslims Have > Unfavorable Views of Islam]Data reported from 2007 and 2009 > > People who display a personal prejudice toward Muslims are not negative > about religion in general or minority religions overall. For example, > Americans who say they are at least a little prejudiced against Muslims > express favorable opinions about Judaism, regardless of the degree to which > they hold prejudice against Muslims. > > Familiarity with individual Muslims makes a small difference in reported > levels of personal prejudice toward Muslims. Fifty-three percent of those > Americans who say they hold no prejudice toward Muslims say they know > someone who practices Islam. Comparatively, 44% of those who say they have > a great deal of prejudice toward Muslims say the same. > > The greater their self-reported prejudice toward Muslims, the more likely > Americans are to say most Muslims around the world do not want peace and > are not accepting of other religions and of people of races other than > their own. Regardless of personal prejudice against Muslims, at least one > in five Americans say that most Muslims around the world are not accepting > of other religions and of people of different races other than their own. > In fact, about one-third of those reporting no prejudice toward Muslims say > Muslims around the world are not accepting of other religions. > > [image: Regardless of Self-Reported Prejudice, Substantial Proportions See > Muslims as Intolerant of Other Religions]Data reported from 2007 and 2009 > > Gallup finds Muslim Americans, however, are among the most integrated > religious groups in the U.S. Gallup Religious Tolerance Index, which > measures people's attitudes toward religious faiths different from their > own and ranks survey respondents by three categories: Isolated, Tolerant, > and Integrated people (see sidebar for definitions). > > Among U.S. religious groups, 44% of Muslim Americans are integrated, on > par with Mormons (46%) and greater than Jewish Americans (36%), Protestants > (35%), and Catholics (34%). > > When examining religious tolerance globally, the U.S. and Canada and > sub-Saharan Africa rate as the most integrated regions Gallup studied. > Respondents from sub-Saharan Africa are also most likely to explain the > root causes of tensions between Muslim and Western societies as religious. > MENA and Asia are the most isolated regions, along with Europe and the > former Soviet Union. > > Muslim respondents globally are no different from Western societies in > their level of integration and openness to people of other faiths. > > [image: Integrated Populations Vary Globally and Are Not Consistent Across > Muslim or Western Countries]Data reported from 2008 through 2010[7] > > Gallup's Global Practice Leader for Faith Communities, Dr. Albert L. > Winseman, developed the Religious Tolerance Index in 2002 with Gallup > scientists Dr. Jim Harter and Julie Hawkins to measure Americans' attitudes > toward religious faiths that are different from their own. The Index is > based on respondents' level of agreement with the following five statements > on a scale of "1" (strongly disagree) to "5" (strongly agree): > > · I always treat people of other religious faiths with respect. > > · Most religious faiths make a positive contribution to society. > > · I would not object to a person of a different religious faith moving > next door. > > · People of other religions always treat me with respect. > > · In the past year, I have learned something from someone of another > religious faith. > > From the combination of their answers, Gallup classifies populations as: > > *Isolated:* Isolated individuals tend not to be members of any particular > faith group, but if they are, they tend to believe in the truth of their > perspective above all others. They do not want to know about other > religions. They also neither respect nor feel respected by those of other > faiths. > > *Tolerant:* Tolerant individuals have a "live-and-let-live" attitude > toward people of other faiths, and they generally feel that they treat > others of different faiths with respect. However, they are not likely to > learn from or about other religions. > > *Integrated:* Integrated individuals go beyond a "live-and-let-live" > attitude and actively seek to know more about and learn from others of > different religious traditions. They believe that most faiths make a > positive contribution to society. Furthermore, integrated people not only > feel they respect people from other faith traditions, but they also feel > respected by them. > > In America, prejudice toward Muslim Americans exists among both men and > women, young and old, uneducated and learned. Still, there are some > differences in prejudice levels within different demographic groups. Men > are more likely than women, for example, to say they have some or a great > deal of prejudice toward Muslims. Those who report a great deal of > prejudice toward Muslims are more likely than those who report none or > smaller levels of prejudice to have completed only a high school-level > education. And those who report a great deal of prejudice toward Muslims > are more likely than those with lesser or no such prejudice to be married. > Higher levels of prejudice toward Muslims do not correlate with age and > urbanicity, though. > > [image: Those With Great Deal of Prejudice Report Lowest Educational > Achievement]Data reported from 2007 and 2009 > > [image: Americans Reporting Most Prejudice Toward Muslims More Likely to > Be Married] > > As Americans' self-proclaimed prejudice toward Muslims increases, so too > does the likelihood of claiming the Republican party as their political > affiliation. Fifty percent of those who report a great deal of prejudice > toward Muslims say they are Republicans, compared with 17% of those who > identify as Democrats and 7% as independents. Those who report no prejudice > toward Muslims are more likely to be Democrats than Republicans, 39% to > 23%, respectively. > > [image: Americans Reporting Most Prejudice Toward Muslims More Likely to > Be Republicans]Data reported from 2007 and 2009 > > *Loyalty to the United States* > > Gallup asked Americans whether they think Muslim Americans are loyal or > not loyal to the U.S. Perceptions of disloyalty tend to fuel the flames of > Islamophobia. If one believes that Muslims are not loyal, one may also > believe that Muslims should be feared, not trusted, and not treated fairly. > A feeling that Muslim Americans are disloyal to the U.S. is examined as a > crucial component of Islamophobia. Women are more likely than men to think > that Muslims in American are not loyal to the U.S. Those who think Muslim > Americans are loyal to the country are younger than those who say Muslim > Americans aren't loyal to the U.S. And while most Americans (87%) strongly > agree that they would not object to a person of a different religion living > next door to them, those who say Muslim Americans are loyal to the U.S. are > more likely than those who don't to strongly agree that they would not > object to neighbors of a different faith. > > Americans who think their Muslim peers are loyal to the U.S. are more > likely than those who question this loyalty to have confidence in a number > of major U.S. institutions. Specifically, those who say Muslim Americans > are loyal to the country are more likely to say they themselves have > confidence in the U.S. judicial system (63% vs. 41%), in honesty of > elections (49% vs. 27%), in the media (29% vs. 14%), in the Federal Bureau > of Investigation (73% vs. 61%), and in local police (82% vs. 75%). The > exception to this is Americans' confidence in the military, which is > slightly greater among those who say Muslim Americans are not loyal to the > U.S. However, most Americans say they have confidence in the military, > regardless of their opinion about Muslim Americans' loyalty. > > [image: Americans Who Suspect Muslim Loyalty Are Least Likely to Have > Confidence in U.S. Democratic Institutions]Data reported from 2010 > > Overall, one-third of Americans say they think Muslim countries have a > very unfavorable opinion of the U.S. People who say Muslim Americans are > not loyal to the U.S. are much more likely than those who say Muslim > Americans are loyal to think people in Muslim countries harbor very > unfavorable views of the U.S. Overall, though, majorities of Americans who > say Muslim Americans are loyal or not loyal to the U.S. think people in > Muslim countries have at least somewhat unfavorable views of America. > > [image: Americans Who Suspect Muslim Loyalty Are Least Likely to Have > Confidence in U.S. Democratic Institutions]Data reported from 2010 > > Of those who say Muslim countries have unfavorable views of America, more > than one-half (57%) say it is based mostly on misinformation provided by > the media and government in those countries about what the U.S. has done, > while about one-third (32%) say it is mostly because of what the U.S. has > done. Those who say Muslim Americans are not loyal to the U.S. are much > more likely to say these unfavorable views in Muslim countries are because > of misinformation by these countries' media and government (70%), and not > based on past U.S. actions (17%). Those who say Muslim Americans are loyal > to the U.S. are still more likely to say unfavorable views in Muslim > countries are due to misinformation (54%) than to U.S. actions (35%). > > [image: Americans Viewing Muslims as Not Loyal Believe Negative Global > Muslim Sentiment Is Unfounded] > > Two-thirds of Americans surveyed in this particular study say that > religion is an important part of their daily lives. Those who say Muslim > Americans are not loyal to the U.S. are more likely than those who say > Muslims are loyal to claim religion is an important part of their daily > life (74% vs. 65%). > > *European Muslims Feeling the Pressure* > > Gallup collected data in 2008 from representative samples in Germany, > France, and the U.K., focusing on several issues related to the social and > cultural integration of Muslim communities in these three countries. And > while majorities of the adults in these countries agree that people from > minority groups enrich the cultural life of their nations, sizable > minorities of these respondents express fear about certain aspects of > Muslim culture. > > [image: Most Believe People From Minority Groups Enrich Cultural Life, Few > Believe People With Different Religious Practices Threaten Their Way of > Life]Data reported from 2008 > > Only the general population in the U.K. includes a sizable minority - more > than one-quarter - that says people with different religious practices than > theirs threaten respondents' way of life. The Muslim populations in France, > Germany, and the U.K. are less likely than the general public in these > countries to say those with differing religious practices threaten their > way of life. > > Between 16% and 21% of people in France, Germany, and the U.K. say they > would not like Muslims as their neighbors, similar to the percentages of > each country's general population that say they would not like homosexuals > as neighbors. Generally, people in these countries are more likely to say > they would not like Muslims as neighbors than they are to say the same > about Jews, Christians, atheists, blacks, and Asians. An exception exists > in the U.K., though, where 22% of people say they would not like immigrants > or foreign workers as neighbors. > > [image: Muslims Among the Least Desirable Neighbors]Data reported from > 2008 > > Significant proportions of the French, German, and British publics > consider different Muslim practices and relationships threatening. For > example, 16% of Germans, 30% of British, and 39% of French say that wearing > the hijab - the traditional head covering worn by Muslim women - is a > threat to European culture. Similar proportions associate Muslims with > terror, as 23% of Germans, 25% of the French, and 34% of the British say > that Muslims are sympathetic to al Qaeda. > > Overall, however, large majorities of French (90%), British (90%), and > German (95%) respondents say they have not experienced racial or religious > discrimination in the past year. Among Muslims in each of these three > countries, those in France and Germany are significantly more likely than > the general population to say they experienced discrimination in the past > year. > > *Addressing Islamophobia by Bringing People Closer Together* > > Proportions of the general populations in these three countries are > reluctant to have Muslims as neighbors. This reluctance manifests itself in > people's decisions of whether or not to live in diverse communities. > However, individuals living in mixed communities might be most open to > those different from themselves, and least likely to be Islamophobic. > > The general populations in France (49%), Germany (51%), and the U.K. (48%) > are most likely to say they live in a neighborhood generally comprised of > people who share their ethnic and religious backgrounds. Significant > percentages of each population, though, say their neighborhoods are made up > of a mix of people, including those who share their ethnic and religious > backgrounds and others who do not. Specifically, 40% of French, 38% of > German, and 43% of British respondents say they live among diverse > neighborhoods. Muslims in France (74%), Germany (53%), and the U.K. (54%) > are more likely to say they live in diverse neighborhoods than mostly > homogenous ones. > > Gallup studied more closely what types of neighborhoods people in each of > these three European countries say they would live in if they could. > > - In France, people are most likely to want to live in neighborhoods > with a mix of people of varying religious and ethnic backgrounds, > regardless of where they currently live. Fifty-two percent of those who > live in a more homogeneous community would prefer a diverse neighborhood, > and 80% of those who currently live in a more diverse neighborhood or local > area would want to stay in such a neighborhood. > > > - In the U.K., people are more apt to prefer a community similar to > the one in which they currently reside. Specifically, 55% of those who live > in a mostly homogenous neighborhood now would prefer to live in that same > type of situation, while 80% of those who live in a diverse neighborhood > currently would prefer that if they could live in any neighborhood in the > country. > > > - Those in Germany who live among people of mostly similar religious > and ethnic backgrounds are somewhat split between wanting to live in a > mostly homogenous neighborhood (42%) or in a more varied one (48%) if they > could chose anywhere in the country to live. Those who already live among > people of different religious and ethnic backgrounds, though, are much more > likely to say they would choose the same type of neighborhood (74%) than to > reside among mostly similar people (19%) if given the choice. > > In Germany, France, and the U.K., though, Gallup found that isolated > individuals are more likely than tolerant and integrated people to say they > live among people with mostly similar religious and ethnic backgrounds. > Integrated (70%) and tolerant (65%) people are more likely than isolated > individuals (49%) to say they live in more diverse neighborhoods. > > [image: Americans Who Suspect Muslim American Loyalty Are More Likely to > View Muslims Worldwide as Anti-American]Data reported from 2008 > > Additionally, isolated respondents in Germany, the U.K., and France are > more likely than tolerant and integrated respondents to say they would not > like Muslims as neighbors. The same holds true when considering whether > they would want immigrants or foreign workers as their neighbors. > > [image: As Integration Goes Up, Reluctance to Have Neighbors of the > Following Groups Goes Down]Data reported from 2008 > > Isolated people in France, the U.K., and Germany are more likely than > their tolerant and integrated counterparts to say women who wear the hijab > are a threat to European culture. Conversely, people are more likely to say > the wearing of the hijab is an enrichment to European culture as they move > from isolated to tolerant to integrated, as measured by the Religious > Tolerance Index. > > [image: Isolated People More Likely to See Headscarf as a Threat]Data > reported from 2008 > > People who are isolated (38%) are more likely than those who are tolerant > (22%) or integrated (15%) to say Muslims are sympathetic to al Qaeda. Those > who are isolated (29%) are also more likely than tolerant (13%) or > integrated (6%) people to agree that others with different religious > practices than their own threaten their way of life. > > Within key Western societies, there are genuine negative perceptions, > prejudices, and discriminations targeted against Muslims. Seeing Muslims as > not loyal, voicing prejudice against Muslims, and avoiding Muslims as > neighbors are all symptoms of Islamophobia that exist in the West. However, > these feelings do not characterize Western countries. They are generally > shared by a subset of the general population, though they exist in > substantial enough numbers to draw both attention and concern. The very > existence of Islamophobia is something to be addressed. The degree to which > individuals expressing Islamophobia have particular views of Muslims in > their communities, Muslims globally, and Islam as a religion is genuine and > quantifiable with measurable outcomes. > > *Survey Methods* > > [image: Survey Methods][image: Survey Methods] > > [1] Wajahat Ali, Eli Clifton, Matthew Duss, Lee Fang, Scott Keyes, and > Faiz Shakir, "Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America" > (Washington, D.C.: Center for American Progress, 2011), available at > http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/08/pdf/islamophobia.pdf > > [2] Alejandro J. Beutel, "Data on Post-9/11 Terrorism in the United > States" (Washington, D.C.: Muslim Public Affairs Council, 2011), available > at > http://www.mpac.org/assets/docs/publications/MPAC-Post-911-Terrorism-Data.pdf > > [3] Charles Kurzman, "Muslim-American Terrorism Since 9/11: An > Accounting" (Chapel Hill, NC: Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland > Security, 2011), available at > http://sanford.duke.edu/centers/tcths/about/documents/Kurzman_Muslim-American_Terrorism_Since_911_An_Accounting.pdf > > [4] Please refer to the Gallup Muslim-West Perceptions Index: Inaugural > Findings report for methodology. > > [5] Please refer to the Gallup Muslim-West Perceptions Index: Inaugural > Findings report for methodology. > > [6] Data appear in Abu Dhabi Gallup Center report Measuring the State of > Muslim-West Relations: Assessing the "New Beginning," page 35. > > [7] Results are based on face-to-face interviews with approximately 1,000 > adults in each country in the regions listed, aged 15 and older, from 2008 > through 2010. > GET ARTICLES IN RELATED TOPICS: > > On Wednesday, December 23, 2015 at 8:00:46 AM UTC-6, Travis wrote: >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> http://stupidfrogs.org/articles/why_is_obama_making_lif_easier_for_terrorists.html >> >> >> Why is Obama Making it Easier for Terrorists? >> >> By Tammy Bruce >> WashingtonTimes.com >> >> [image: Description: President Barack Obama speaks at the National >> Counterterrorism Center in McLean, Va., Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015. Joining >> him, from left are, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John >> Kerry, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, and FBI Director James >> Comey. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)] >> >> Imagine there’s a horrible mass murder of 130 people and then another one >> a short time later in another town, with 14 people killed. This innocent >> collection of moms, dads, sons, daughters, husbands, wives, boyfriends, >> girlfriends, and best friends murdered as they were eating at a café, >> enjoying a concert with friends and loved-ones or celebrating the holiday >> season. >> >> Then imagine someone explaining that he didn’t grasp the “anxiety” such >> an event would cause because he didn’t watch enough cable television. How >> is it, one might naturally ask, that someone wouldn’t have the natural >> empathy or sympathy to understand the horrific nature of such of an event, >> and its impact, without watching television? >> >> But that is exactly the position of the leader of the free world, Barack >> Obama <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/barack-obama/>, the >> President of the United States. >> >> I am, of course, referring to the Paris and San Bernardino terrorist >> massacres and PresidentObama >> <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/barack-obama/>’s shocking remarks >> to columnists, first reported by The New York Times: “In his meeting with >> the columnists, Mr. Obama >> <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/barack-obama/> indicated that he >> did not see enough cable television to fully appreciate the anxiety after >> the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino. …” >> >> It is troubling enough to live in a world where Western leaders have >> allowed such barbaric terrorism to invade the cities of the civilized, but >> quite another revelation when it’s the president of the United States >> openly confessing that his connection to humanity is so tenuous he’s unable >> to comprehend the most basic of reactions — like horror over mass murder. >> >> Some pundits and columnists have argued Obama >> <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/barack-obama/> was simply >> re-stating his oft-expressed critique that cable television (read Fox News) >> presents terrorism as something more serious than it is; that he believes >> what’s happening isn’t as bad as people think, and certain cable channels >> are just ginning people up. >> >> That, however, confirms my point: Obama >> <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/barack-obama/> truly cannot >> relate to the normal human reaction of disgust and horror over a terrorist >> attack. He genuinely doesn’t think it’s a big deal when any number of >> people are murdered by Islamist terrorists. >> >> To believe that “cable television” is controlling the reaction of how >> normal human beings feel about a planned, indiscriminate slaughter of >> innocent people is in itself pathological in its lack of empathy and >> sympathy. It also highlights what Charles Krauthammer noted on Fox News: >> that Obama <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/barack-obama/> believes >> he’s simply smarter than everyone else, ergo it’s dumb and strange for >> others to have so much “anxiety” over terrorist mass murder. >> >> Mr. Obama <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/barack-obama/>’s lack >> of reaction to the Islamic State terror group’s savagery, indicating he >> should be in a psychiatrist’s office instead of the Oval Office, wasn’t >> last week’s only revelation. We were also informed that the Department of >> Homeland Security has in place a secret rule prohibiting immigration >> officials from scanning the social media accounts of foreigners trying to >> enter the United States. >> >> Why, you may ask, would we ban a review of public writings of people >> trying to get visas or immigrate to this country? Because, as reported by >> The Hill and ABC News, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh >> Johnson decided to keep the prohibition in place in early 2014 because he >> feared a civil liberties backlash and “bad public relations.” >> >> Keep in mind, this ban on the use of public social media in the screening >> process due to supposed concerns about privacy for foreigners comes from >> the same Obama <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/barack-obama/> >> administration >> that has defended over and over again the NSA’s wholesale collection of >> genuinely private communications of American citizens. >> >> Also last week, The Hill ran a blockbuster commentary piece by Philip >> Haney, a DHS whistleblower, describing how the Obama administration shut >> down an investigative project that was connecting the dots between Islamist >> terrorists on U.S. soil and the networks which created and supported them. >> >> “There are terrorists in our midst and they arrived here using legal >> means right under the noses of the federal law enforcement agencies whose >> mission is to stop them,” Mr. Haney wrote. “That is not due to malfeasance >> or lack of effort on the part of these officers; it is due to the >> restrictions placed on them by the Obama administration.” >> >> Mr. Haney argued the information his team was assembling very well could >> have raised the red flags necessary to prevent the San Bernardino massacre. >> >> It wasn’t enough for Mr. Obama >> <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/barack-obama/>’s regime to kill >> the project, they also literally deleted Mr. Haney’s team files and >> research. He concludes, the “Obama >> <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/barack-obama/> administration is >> more concerned with the rights of non-citizens in known Islamist groups >> than with the safety and security of the American people.” >> >> Unfortunately, Mr. Haney is right. Consider all the latest revelations >> and their singular result of making it easier for Islamic terrorists to >> enter the country: Mr. Obama >> <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/barack-obama/>’s obsession with >> flooding the country with Syrian “refugees”; the administration’s refusal >> to attack the Islamic State with any seriousness; the ban on scanning >> social media of foreigners trying to enter the US; and the killing and >> deleting a successful government project tracking terrorists on U.S. soil. >> >> The fact on the ground is this: Mr. Obama >> <http://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/barack-obama/> and his >> administration are taking direct actions deliberately making it easier for >> terrorists to enter the country. That is not a mistake, or an oversight, or >> incompetence. It’s a choice, and it must not continue to stand. >> >> >> >> >> __._,_.___ >> ------------------------------ >> Posted by: "Beowulf" <[email protected]> >> ------------------------------ >> >> >> Visit Your Group >> <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/grendelreport/info;_ylc=X3oDMTJmMHZhOWVpBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzIwMTk0ODA2BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTMyMzY2NwRzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2Z2hwBHN0aW1lAzE0NTA4MTcyMTk-> >> >> >> [image: Yahoo! Groups] >> <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo;_ylc=X3oDMTJlZ21waW85BF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkAzIwMTk0ODA2BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTMyMzY2NwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNnZnAEc3RpbWUDMTQ1MDgxNzIyMg--> >> • Privacy <https://info.yahoo.com/privacy/us/yahoo/groups/details.html> >> • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use >> <https://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/utos/terms/> >> >> __,_._,___ >> >> >> -- > -- > Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. > For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum > > * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ > * It's active and moderated. 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