The reliably Islamopologist Huffington Post announces a seminar to teach Americans the "truth" about Islam, "In an effort to shed some light and promote facts, not fear..." . [source]
What struck me in the piece was the news that 14% of Americans say they know "a lot" about Islam. And only 57% say they know "only a little". That is, 43% of Americans know "a lot" or "something" about Islam. Given that Muslims are only about 1-2% of Americans, those are rather high figures, and I'd guess higher than the number who know something or a lot about, say, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, or the like. And if that's the case, it would be because of concern about Islam.
Now, are the folks promoting the above seminar going to be able to overcome the knowledge that nearly half of Americans have about Islam? Because there is this fact, or at least this assertion by me: that if you study the core documents of Islam: the Koran, the Hadith and the Sirah (the life of Muhammad), it's impossible not to be concerned about Islam, even unto the point of being scared. That is, unless you like supremacism, homophobia, mysoginy and the suppression of free speech and minority rights.
What struck me in the piece was the news that 14% of Americans say they know "a lot" about Islam. And only 57% say they know "only a little". That is, 43% of Americans know "a lot" or "something" about Islam. Given that Muslims are only about 1-2% of Americans, those are rather high figures, and I'd guess higher than the number who know something or a lot about, say, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, or the like. And if that's the case, it would be because of concern about Islam.
Now, are the folks promoting the above seminar going to be able to overcome the knowledge that nearly half of Americans have about Islam? Because there is this fact, or at least this assertion by me: that if you study the core documents of Islam: the Koran, the Hadith and the Sirah (the life of Muhammad), it's impossible not to be concerned about Islam, even unto the point of being scared. That is, unless you like supremacism, homophobia, mysoginy and the suppression of free speech and minority rights.
