American People are Increasingly Viewing Muslims in a Negative Light
According to a USA/Gallup poll American people are increasingly viewing Muslims in a negative light. From Moderate Muslims: Speak Up or Get Lumped In with Islamo-Fascists:
Among Americans, there is a growing and hardening suspicion that moderate Muslims are really nothing but “moderate” Muslims who talk about peace while they tacitly support terrorism. There’s a simple way for Muslims to change that perception. All they need to do is regularly condemn terrorism, condemn Sharia, condemn Hamas, condemn Hezbollah, and condemn Al-Qaeda. Maybe it’s unfair that Muslims should be asked to do that and unfair that what extremists are doing should reflect badly upon Muslims who don’t share their beliefs. However, fair or unfair, more moderate Muslims need to speak out, loudly, about their disagreements with the Islamo-Fascists or regrettably, the number of people in the United States and across the world that are hostile to Islam is only going to continue to increase.
I share Robert Spencer’s position on the matter; mainly that reform from moderate Muslims is unlikely to succeed for at least two reasons:
- Because the texts which advocate violent jihad do exist and jihadists can and do use them to paint any Muslim reformer as a heretic or apostate; thus putting his life in danger.
- Because of the widespread denial from moderates that there is a severe problem within Islam due to the sheer number of abominable acts justified in its name. If moderate Muslims won’t even admit there is a problem they will never, ever, be able to fix it.
