Update - 10/29/08: This show has aired. You can download the MP3 from our archive. Let us know what you think!
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Jean Feraca
While gearing up for this Wednesday’s Inside Islam program: Young Muslims and New Media, I found myself thinking a lot about the question Colin Powell posed to Tom Brokaw on last Sunday’s Meet the Press.
He said he was troubled by some members of the Republican Party who were helping to spread the rumor that Barack Obama is a Muslim. “Well, he’s not a Muslim,” Powell said. “He’s a Christian. He’s always been a Christian. But the right answer is, Well, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in America? Is there something wrong with some seven year old Muslim-American kid believing that he could be president?”
So, that’s the question I’d love to hear your responses to. We’ll read the best ones on the air this Wednesday between 3:00 and 4:00CT during our special broadcast with Reza Aslan and other media analysts.
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13 years ago
1 comment:
From what I've read the fact that Kennedy was a Catholic instilled fear in many protestants and evangelicals. However, I don't think Roman Catholicism is or was ever seen as threatening to many Americans as Islam. This is very unfortunate - but it appears that some mainstream media, politicians, church leaders and people with ulterior motives in general have purposely created the following connotation: Islam = Terrorism. Some have done so or inadvertently (by being unaware of the consequences words, pictures and sounds have).
If Obama were REALLY a muslium honestly I would have a some innate reservation. It's not because I have a trust or some sort of other issue with people of Islamic faith. I think it stems more from the fact that I've been conditioned to think that only a Christian can become president. And I'm an Agnostic Christian!
It seems that when I was younger I was more accepting. Why do we lose this gift as we grow older!!
Thanks for posting the question. It's something that I'll need to think about more.
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