Many Americans view Islam unfavorably, and supporters of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump are more than twice as likely to view the religion negatively as those backing Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, according to a Reuters/Ipsos online poll of more than 7,000 Americans.Does anyone really believe that as many or slightly more Americans have a negative view of atheism as Islam? When was the last atheist terror attack?
It shows that 37 percent of American adults have a "somewhat unfavorable" or "very unfavorable" view of Islam. This includes 58 percent of Trump supporters and 24 percent of Clinton supporters, a contrast largely mirrored by the breakdown between Republicans and Democrats.
By comparison, respondents overall had an equally unfavorable view of atheism at 38 percent, compared with 21 percent for Hinduism, 16 percent for Judaism and 8 percent for Christianity.
My guess is that 38% of Americans genuinely have a problem with atheism, whereas only 37% of Americans feel comfortable speaking honestly about their concerns with regard to Islam. Such concerns need not be hateful nor, at this point, an expression of "prejudice" -- a word that means a pre-judgment, in advance of the facts. There are plenty of hard facts in evidence now. At this point, anyone who doesn't admit to honest concerns about Islam as practiced today is not being honest, possibly with themselves. Muslims themselves have reasons to be concerned about Islam just now, and maybe Muslims most of all. I know some several who will admit to their concerns, at least in private conversation.
Again, at some point we need to start speaking honestly about all this. If we're to avoid a future of ethnic cleansing and worse, we need to stop trying to paper this stuff over.
5 comments:
But papering-over is what humans do.
You're asking for honesty where no one is honest enough to express themselves honestly.
Again, at some point we need to start speaking honestly about all this. If we're to avoid a future of ethnic cleansing and worse, we need to stop trying to paper this stuff over.
People should have thought about that before 2008 started even. A little too late, given that this war has become a holy one as well. Under Bush II and most temporal powers, wars are wars between nations, for territory or prestige or whatever it is that sparks it.
What people should have considered is whether this war has now joined the larger one, the greater one, the war of good and evil on this planet and sphere.
Americans considered themselves once, as the USA, the vanguard of the fight for good and liberty. When that vanguard turns from the light and becomes the darkness, when a white Go square completely flips to the other side once surrounded, the situation changes.
People are getting fired, and raked over the coals via the Internet, to the point of receiving harassment and death threats, for daring to say anything remotely comparable to what BLM has been saying for months. No, nobody is going to be forthcoming to a survey. For all they know, their names and addresses, along with their answers, will get published.
Valerie
The polls may well be inaccurate. On the other hand, large numbers of people may see Islam and atheism as equally anti-Christian, and while atheists haven't made terrorism attacks except as Communists, and not much for some time, the public figures among atheists make it their business to mock and belittle all non-atheists. And they are the mainstream ethnic type for America, and they do it right here, all the time. So they may be less harmful but more irritating.
Polls..... It's all in how you word the question, compile the data, and then present the findings... Polls are spun so regularly I get dizzy trying to read them.
William sends.
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