Comments on: How Muslim are we? http://www.getreligion.org/2009/06/how-muslim-are-we/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-muslim-are-we "The press . . . just doesn't get religion." -- William Schneider Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:07:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Don http://www.getreligion.org/2009/06/how-muslim-are-we/comment-page-1/#comment-147614 Don Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:31:08 +0000 http://www.getreligion.org/?p=13159#comment-147614 <blockquote cite="">"Don’t take NIGYSOB away from GetReligion. It would have to fall silent on topics that bring in huge numbers of comments."</blockquote> Way to go, Dave. Now you've got them!

“Don’t take NIGYSOB away from GetReligion. It would have to fall silent on topics that bring in huge numbers of comments.”

Way to go, Dave. Now you’ve got them!

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]]> By: MichaelV http://www.getreligion.org/2009/06/how-muslim-are-we/comment-page-1/#comment-147606 MichaelV Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:28:04 +0000 http://www.getreligion.org/?p=13159#comment-147606 Jerry, even if the seven million figure is correct, that's still far enough down the list for Obama's comment to seem like an exaggeration. To be fair, "one of the biggest" is pretty ambiguous, but when I heard it I was thinking maybe top 5 or top 10 (and was really kind of surprised - I didn't doubt he was right but planned on looking it up to find out an exact figure). Jerry, even if the seven million figure is correct, that’s still far enough down the list for Obama’s comment to seem like an exaggeration. To be fair, “one of the biggest” is pretty ambiguous, but when I heard it I was thinking maybe top 5 or top 10 (and was really kind of surprised - I didn’t doubt he was right but planned on looking it up to find out an exact figure).

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]]> By: Dave http://www.getreligion.org/2009/06/how-muslim-are-we/comment-page-1/#comment-147605 Dave Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:17:45 +0000 http://www.getreligion.org/?p=13159#comment-147605 Don't take NIGYSOB away from GetReligion. It would have to fall silent on topics that bring in huge numbers of comments. Don’t take NIGYSOB away from GetReligion. It would have to fall silent on topics that bring in huge numbers of comments.

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]]> By: How Muslim Are We? « Doc Cochran’s Weblog http://www.getreligion.org/2009/06/how-muslim-are-we/comment-page-1/#comment-147604 How Muslim Are We? « Doc Cochran’s Weblog Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:42:00 +0000 http://www.getreligion.org/?p=13159#comment-147604 [...] How Muslim Are We? As my last blog post pointed out, President Obama appears to be reaching out to Muslims on a false pretense.  Muslims need not necessarily be our enemies (except the ones who have taken that title to themselves); yet, Muslim is clearly not our identity either.  I cannot see how to make advances in relationships by acting as though we are something we are not.  President Obama’s claim that we are a Muslim nation is patently false.  The folks over at Get Religion have a great article about the falsity of the President’s claim and failure of the media to get the main point in the Muslim story.  Check it out here. [...] […] How Muslim Are We? As my last blog post pointed out, President Obama appears to be reaching out to Muslims on a false pretense.  Muslims need not necessarily be our enemies (except the ones who have taken that title to themselves); yet, Muslim is clearly not our identity either.  I cannot see how to make advances in relationships by acting as though we are something we are not.  President Obama’s claim that we are a Muslim nation is patently false.  The folks over at Get Religion have a great article about the falsity of the President’s claim and failure of the media to get the main point in the Muslim story.  Check it out here. […]

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]]> By: John http://www.getreligion.org/2009/06/how-muslim-are-we/comment-page-1/#comment-147603 John Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:11:03 +0000 http://www.getreligion.org/?p=13159#comment-147603 If we want to do a better job understanding Islam, as Obama suggests, then people in New York should head to the Natural History Museum on June 10 at 7 p.m. to see the sneak preview of "Journey to Mecca", the world's first IMAX film on the hajj. Go to www.amnh.org/programs for tix, go to www.journeytomeccagiantscreen.com to see the trailer. One night only. Well worth seeing! If we want to do a better job understanding Islam, as Obama suggests, then people in New York should head to the Natural History Museum on June 10 at 7 p.m. to see the sneak preview of “Journey to Mecca”, the world’s first IMAX film on the hajj. Go to http://www.amnh.org/programs for tix, go to http://www.journeytomeccagiantscreen.com to see the trailer. One night only. Well worth seeing!

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]]> By: Items of Interest: To Entertain Such Imaginations — Civitate http://www.getreligion.org/2009/06/how-muslim-are-we/comment-page-1/#comment-147598 Items of Interest: To Entertain Such Imaginations — Civitate Fri, 05 Jun 2009 05:57:35 +0000 http://www.getreligion.org/?p=13159#comment-147598 [...] GetReligion, Mollie Ziegler Hemingway asks “How Muslim Are We?” in response to President Obama’s statement that the United States also could be considered as [...] […] GetReligion, Mollie Ziegler Hemingway asks “How Muslim Are We?” in response to President Obama’s statement that the United States also could be considered as […]

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]]> By: Darel http://www.getreligion.org/2009/06/how-muslim-are-we/comment-page-1/#comment-147596 Darel Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:59:28 +0000 http://www.getreligion.org/?p=13159#comment-147596 It is truly frightening that <a href="http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/2003/04/how-many-muslims-in-the-united-states.html" title="" rel="nofollow">Daniel Pipes</a> seems to have one of the best blog posts on the web concerning the number of Muslims in the United States. In short, political organizations and witless reporters use numbers in Obama's range. Demographers and pollsters are all in the 1-3 million range. The point of all this? That when the President says, as he did in Cairo, that "Islam is a part of America", it is important to acknowledge that it is a very very <i>very </i>small part. From a political and cultural perspective, the Nation of Islam is a far more significant "part of America" than the religion which "was first revealed" in the Middle East. But saying that would probably have ruined the speech. It is truly frightening that Daniel Pipes seems to have one of the best blog posts on the web concerning the number of Muslims in the United States.

In short, political organizations and witless reporters use numbers in Obama’s range. Demographers and pollsters are all in the 1-3 million range.

The point of all this? That when the President says, as he did in Cairo, that “Islam is a part of America”, it is important to acknowledge that it is a very very very small part. From a political and cultural perspective, the Nation of Islam is a far more significant “part of America” than the religion which “was first revealed” in the Middle East. But saying that would probably have ruined the speech.

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]]> By: Will http://www.getreligion.org/2009/06/how-muslim-are-we/comment-page-1/#comment-147595 Will Fri, 05 Jun 2009 02:22:14 +0000 http://www.getreligion.org/?p=13159#comment-147595 <blockquote cite="">including some gays on the left insulting Cheney for coming out in favor of gay marriage which is weird to my mind. </blockquote> No weirder than insulting Nixon for coming out for environmental protection. The response from the left, as far as I could make out, was "How dare he trespass on an issue which is OUR property,", or something which made an equal amount of sense.

including some gays on the left insulting Cheney for coming out in favor of gay marriage which is weird to my mind.

No weirder than insulting Nixon for coming out for environmental protection. The response from the left, as far as I could make out, was “How dare he trespass on an issue which is OUR property,”, or something which made an equal amount of sense.

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]]> By: Will http://www.getreligion.org/2009/06/how-muslim-are-we/comment-page-1/#comment-147594 Will Fri, 05 Jun 2009 02:20:32 +0000 http://www.getreligion.org/?p=13159#comment-147594 <blockquote cite="">when’s POTUS going to address the Buddhists Hindus Jains Jehovah Witnesses Shintos of the World? They must be feeling left out.</blockquote> And the pagans! We have been told that they are the country's "fastest growing religion", whatever that means.

when’s POTUS going to address the Buddhists Hindus Jains Jehovah Witnesses Shintos of the World? They must be feeling left out.

And the pagans! We have been told that they are the country’s “fastest growing religion”, whatever that means.

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]]> By: michael http://www.getreligion.org/2009/06/how-muslim-are-we/comment-page-1/#comment-147591 michael Fri, 05 Jun 2009 01:00:09 +0000 http://www.getreligion.org/?p=13159#comment-147591 Methinks Obama needs to get out more to those parts of the country where people still cling to guns and religion, Oklahoma perhaps, and pay a visit to his local neighborhod Mosque. What is curious about this little rufflement and scufflement is the idea that America's status as a 'Muslim nation' is contingent upon the number of Muslims who live here, whether the number is two million, seven million or fifteen million. First of all, to be a well-adjusted American Muslim means that you're already on your way to being a Liberal (in the sense that comprehends both right and left), which means that like most other religious Americans you've learned to compartmentalize and privatize your faith in the interest of being American. So while it may be out of place to talk about anything so monolithic as 'orthodox Islam', American Islam is likely to be suspect to in the eyes of much of the rest of the Muslim world. Second of all, to the extent that there is such a thing as a common 'American culture' it is beyond incredible to try to claim that it is, in any significant historical of formative sense, Muslim. Obama himself can't really believe that, so I don't know why he expects anyone else to. Methinks Obama needs to get out more to those parts of the country where people still cling to guns and religion, Oklahoma perhaps, and pay a visit to his local neighborhod Mosque.

What is curious about this little rufflement and scufflement is the idea that America’s status as a ‘Muslim nation’ is contingent upon the number of Muslims who live here, whether the number is two million, seven million or fifteen million. First of all, to be a well-adjusted American Muslim means that you’re already on your way to being a Liberal (in the sense that comprehends both right and left), which means that like most other religious Americans you’ve learned to compartmentalize and privatize your faith in the interest of being American. So while it may be out of place to talk about anything so monolithic as ‘orthodox Islam’, American Islam is likely to be suspect to in the eyes of much of the rest of the Muslim world. Second of all, to the extent that there is such a thing as a common ‘American culture’ it is beyond incredible to try to claim that it is, in any significant historical of formative sense, Muslim. Obama himself can’t really believe that, so I don’t know why he expects anyone else to.

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]]> By: sonar http://www.getreligion.org/2009/06/how-muslim-are-we/comment-page-1/#comment-147589 sonar Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:39:16 +0000 http://www.getreligion.org/?p=13159#comment-147589 Albania is not in the range of 60-80% muslim as the map indicates. We are some 70% irreligious after years of atheism and have now twice more churches than mosques. I don't get it why foreign journalists keep using 2 centuries old data... Albania is not in the range of 60-80% muslim as the map indicates. We are some 70% irreligious after years of atheism and have now twice more churches than mosques.

I don’t get it why foreign journalists keep using 2 centuries old data…

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]]> By: Deacon John M. Bresnahan http://www.getreligion.org/2009/06/how-muslim-are-we/comment-page-1/#comment-147587 Deacon John M. Bresnahan Thu, 04 Jun 2009 22:41:06 +0000 http://www.getreligion.org/?p=13159#comment-147587 What bothers me is that if President Bush had totally gotten his facts wrong (as in this case) the NY Times (and all their myriad media entourage) there would have been immediate comments about his stupidity or ignorance. Yet this mistake is typical of many President Obama repeatedly makes, but he is almost never called out on them by the MSM. What bothers me is that if President Bush had totally gotten his facts wrong (as in this case) the NY Times (and all their myriad media entourage) there would have been immediate comments about his stupidity or ignorance. Yet this mistake is typical of many President Obama repeatedly makes, but he is almost never called out on them by the MSM.

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]]> By: Ira Rifkin http://www.getreligion.org/2009/06/how-muslim-are-we/comment-page-1/#comment-147584 Ira Rifkin Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:28:29 +0000 http://www.getreligion.org/?p=13159#comment-147584 CAIR's US Muslim population figure is a political calculation more than anything, as is everything emanating from CAIR. But CAIR is not alone in playing the numbers=power game. A cardinal rule of religion reporting is to not accept any self-reported membership number as truth without solid evidence to back it up. That's one reason organizations such as Pew are so valuable. As for the media challenging Obama on this, forget it. It's a side issue of interest mainly to religion journalists - and religion journalists (that is, those still with jobs) are not the ones, by and large, getting first crack at this story - as well as to those made nervous by the political/social consequences of a Muslim population growing ever larger. Obama's on a political - dare I say it - crusade, and that's how it will be covered and played. Political expediency is probably also the reason he choose to go with the top end estimate, as his speechwriting staff must have also known about the lower estimates. He's looking for positive reactions (or as positive as one might hope for) to his speech from all quarters. CAIR’s US Muslim population figure is a political calculation more than anything, as is everything emanating from CAIR.

But CAIR is not alone in playing the numbers=power game. A cardinal rule of religion reporting is to not accept any self-reported membership number as truth without solid evidence to back it up.

That’s one reason organizations such as Pew are so valuable.

As for the media challenging Obama on this, forget it. It’s a side issue of interest mainly to religion journalists - and religion journalists (that is, those still with jobs) are not the ones, by and large, getting first crack at this story - as well as to those made nervous by the political/social consequences of a Muslim population growing ever larger.

Obama’s on a political - dare I say it - crusade, and that’s how it will be covered and played. Political expediency is probably also the reason he choose to go with the top end estimate, as his speechwriting staff must have also known about the lower estimates. He’s looking for positive reactions (or as positive as one might hope for) to his speech from all quarters.

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]]> By: Herb B http://www.getreligion.org/2009/06/how-muslim-are-we/comment-page-1/#comment-147573 Herb B Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:18:40 +0000 http://www.getreligion.org/?p=13159#comment-147573 I just checked the CAIR website and find <a href="http://sun.cair.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?ArticleID=25181&&name=n&&currPage=1&&Active=1" title="" rel="nofollow">one estimate</a> of 6 to 8 million Muslims in the US. That is more like 2.7% of the US population, rather than the .6% of the Pew survey. I guess that is a few million more, but Obama's statement, even by CAIR's estimate is way overstated. I just checked the CAIR website and find one estimate of 6 to 8 million Muslims in the US. That is more like 2.7% of the US population, rather than the .6% of the Pew survey. I guess that is a few million more, but Obama’s statement, even by CAIR’s estimate is way overstated.

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]]> By: Herb B http://www.getreligion.org/2009/06/how-muslim-are-we/comment-page-1/#comment-147570 Herb B Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:12:04 +0000 http://www.getreligion.org/?p=13159#comment-147570 Has anyone checked CAIR's numbers for the U.S.? In general Muslims tend to inflate, or at leaat use the highest possible number for reckoning the number of Muslims in any given population group. Jerry is right, the numbers are literally all over the map. Has anyone checked CAIR’s numbers for the U.S.? In general Muslims tend to inflate, or at leaat use the highest possible number for reckoning the number of Muslims in any given population group. Jerry is right, the numbers are literally all over the map.

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