From the Fact Check Desk: President Obama and Muslims in America

Our President needs to make sure that whoever is giving him his "facts" is not skewing the numbers to tickle the ears of those who are listening to him. How do you come up with seven million when none of the sources come close to that number?

The truth of the matter is that President Obama is doing everything he can to unify people of all faiths and is doing his best to promote togetherness rather than separateness. Although this may be very idealistic, it is refreshing to me that in this day and age, there is a President who is even attempting it, and has the courage to speak his convictions, knowing that he will be condemned by special interest groups and various religions, all of whom think they are the only true religion and should reign supreme. If you really listen to him and Michelle Obama, you will realize that these are really a couple who care deeply about every citizen of this country and have a strong sense of right and wrong. Wow, when is the last time we saw that at the White House..

"...one of the largest Muslim countries in the world."

You seem to suggest this statement, construed by some that Barack Hussein was suggesting that the USA may be regarded as a "Muslim country," is a bizarre and inaccurate meme... Interesting choice of words, esp. since the issuance of the meme comes from the lips of the man himself and not from some paranoid conservatives in this country... The paranoia is yours.

I wonder if Abraham Lincoln ever had reporters telling the public what he actually did say, and that what they heard him say wasn't actually what he said?

Now Ya'll know that Obama is a Harvard Grad & A Constitutional Professor. Therefore He Is Qualified!

Whatever Obama says, count on him doing the opposite.

You can take that to the bank.

This is real scary, Last year you couldn't mention Obama with the words,Muslim, Farrahchan,Muslim Garbs, or Hussein in the Media, without getting blasted from the people on Msnbc. It was like you used cuss words and had to have them wash your mouth out
What's up with that?

Chuckie C, yo brother, Obama could have been born on Mars because his mother was an American at the time of his birth Obama, by law, is an American citizen by birth.

And to the Xtians fundies...this is a nation of many and no gods.

Please state any reference to the god of Abraham anywhere in the Dec of Ind or the Constitution. If anything, this is both a Masonic Nation, ready to accept anyone who has a higher 'power' to swear to, and a Scientific Nation, with the use of reason, logic, and the scientific method to possibly discover this single source of energy.

Obama tells whatever group he is speaking what he thinks they want to hear whether it is Muslims, Christians, Jews. After awhile no one will believe a word he says and the rest of the world will just laugh at us(as usual).

I think he is a weak and naive man who
has no inner compass or strong beliefs. Why does he think we will fall for this? I am realizing that everything he told us during the election is a lie.
He makes Bill Clinton look like a saint.

Is this a news posting? The wording here: "bizzare", "inaccurate" "not remotely true" is completely opposite of the actual facts.

Did "President Obama referred to the U.S. as a "Muslim nation."?

Then Obama says "we’d be one of the largest Muslim countries in the world."

Those lines are completely in agreement, he very much did say that, despite the intense wording by the poster of this story.

When a "journalist" has to go to such extremes to characterize what a President says, it's quite embarrassing. The proof is in the words you post here: Obama says the US is one of the world's largest Muslim countries.

Appalling.

"under this hypothetical -- about the 32nd largest Muslim nation."

How many muslim majority nations are there? I can only find an estimate that says between 30 and 40.

"It is true that the U.S., even going by the smaller estimate, has a larger Muslim population than some notably Muslim -- but small -- countries such as Jordan or Kuwait."

Jordan — Population: 6,198,677 (July 2008 est.)

Kuwait - Population: 2,691,158 (July 2009)

What smaller number are we talking about?

"if you actually took the number of Muslims Americans, we’d be one of the largest Muslim countries in the world."
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The president made his point with imprecise language and erroneous information.

If people misunderstood his point, it is understandble.

"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked: Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice ? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."

George Washington -1796

".wait.. I'm reading it now.. it's right under.. 'separation of automaker and state'.."

That's a good one, how about this: But where is the part about the separation of corporate greed and state?

And when Oliver Cromwell took over the rule of Great Britain in the early 17th century he and his puritan followers "purified" the Church of England of ritual, organs, hymns (except for those based on the Book of Psalms), etc. One might call that a "fundamentalist take over" that persecuted anyone who did not agree with them.

The Pilgrims ended up in Massachusetts more because they were blown off course in their journey to the new world. They of course came for religious reasons, but it was freedom for them and not anyone who disagreed with them. That's why Rhode Island colony came into existence. Those who were not welcome in Massachusetts set out on their own.

Maryland was settled by Catholics who were not welcome in England. Pennsylvania by another religious group. Interestingly this was one of two colonies that did maintain some amount of religious freedom to start with.

It was this history of division created by religion that led our founders to incorporate the language of the first amendment concerning the place of religion.

While many did come seeking "religious" freedom, most came for financial reasons.

Columbus was not out to spread Christianity. He was trying to find a shorter route to the wealth of Asia. When he came on land in the "new" world he thought he had reached part of India.
Europeans did not know of the land mass we call North and South America.

Another interesting observation: to the Native Americans, the Iroquois, the Apache, the Cherokee, etc. the colonists were "illegal" immigrants.

"So, no matter how you look at it, America was founded for religious purposes whether by King James or the Pilgrims."

Yes but the founding fathers who designed our system of government were crystal clear that they wanted a definite division between church and state.

..wait.. I'm reading it now.. it's right under.. 'separation of automaker and state'..

Hey, that list is missing the positive references to god and religion in the Constitution. Oh right, there are none. In the one document that actually matters, the document that instructs us how to govern, Christ is conspicuously absent except for an explicit prohibition on the establishment of religion. Why would any of that other stuff matter knowing this?

prjacqui-- Keep up the informative posts!!!

Cristobal Colombo