Obama: Americans Have A ‘Very Distorted Impression’ Of Muslims
President Obama spoke about religious freedom at a dinner to mark Ramadan.
In his remarks, the President spoke about the “distorted impression” many Americans have of Muslims.
“Here in America, many people personally don’t know someone who is Muslim,” he said. “They mostly hear about Muslims in the news – and that can obviously lead to a very distorted impression.”
He also said that the dinner “is also a reminder of the freedoms that bind us together as Americans, including the freedom of religion – that inviolable right to practice our faiths freely,” USA Today reported.
He assured the crowd of every American’s right to practice their religion or live the way they want, and referenced the Charleston, South Carolina, church shooting, where nine African-Americans were murdered by an alleged white supremacist.
“As Americans, we insist that nobody should be targeted because of who they are, or what they look like, who they love, how they worship,” Obama stated, adding that “our prayers remain in Charleston.”
The President also told the crowd a story about a mosque in Arizona that welcomed protesters into their services.
“One demonstrator, who accepted the invitation later, described how the experience changed him; how he finally saw the Muslim American community for what it is – peaceful and welcoming. That’s what can happen when we stop yelling and start listening,” he added.
Copyright 2015 Liberaland
40 responses to Obama: Americans Have A ‘Very Distorted Impression’ Of Muslims
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Larry Schmitt June 24th, 2015 at 08:56
That’s it, he must be one, or he wouldn’t be defending them.
William June 24th, 2015 at 10:05
Oh c’mon.
labman57 June 24th, 2015 at 10:46
Naw, he’s obviously a Muslim (which by definition means a terrorist-sympathizer) because he was once observed enjoying a falafel for lunch.
Larry Schmitt June 24th, 2015 at 11:19
And he’s a foreigner (born in Hawaii) which makes him suspect.
Bunya June 24th, 2015 at 17:02
It’s no secret that he’s a Kenyan-born, commie, socialist, member of the Muslim Brotherhood, hell bent on destroying America. I heard it on Fox, so it must be true.
labman57 June 24th, 2015 at 10:38
Applying negative stereotypes to entire religious, ethnic, and cultural demographic groups is a fundamental part of the social conservative vision of “American exceptionalism”.
labman57 June 24th, 2015 at 10:40
Naw, he’s obviously a Muslim (which by definition means a terrorist-sympathizer) because he was once observed enjoying a falafel for lunch.
Larry Schmitt June 24th, 2015 at 11:21
There must have been something they had that we wanted. What was it again?
cecilia June 24th, 2015 at 12:21
not “we”
cheney – the only scumbag who benefited from that disaster
Elliot J. Stamler June 24th, 2015 at 10:54
It is one thing to respect and honor complete American freedom of religion and not to harass, insult, discriminate against or otherwise behave badly toward any American muslim..or anyone of any religion.
It is quite another to be wrongly and untruthfully defamed as a bigot when averring that Islam, AS A RELIGION, is not and never has been a religion of peace — that it is fundamentally at war with all other faiths and denigrates them — and that while obviously most Muslims are not terrorists, virtually all terrorists are Muslims and acting out of what they perceive as their religious mandate. I will and do treat every Muslim with courtesy and personal respect – I do not and will not treat the religion of Islam as deserving of honor and respect. It does not deserve any. It is de facto AND de jure the enemy of Christianity and Judaism. Bill Maher (no conservative!!!!) put it pithily: when you see what’s been going on for 20 or more years it is no longer a matter of a few bad apples–it’s a matter of the whole orchard being contaminated.
Larry Schmitt June 24th, 2015 at 11:24
How many has Christianity killed over the ages? And finding one liberal who agrees with you does not make you right.
Elliot J. Stamler June 24th, 2015 at 11:29
Wake up Rip van Winkle. Re:” Christianity” – that was then this is now. Christianity has reformed itself a long time ago…except for the now-resolved religious fratricide in Ulster. You don’t see Protestants and Catholics shooting, hanging and beheading each other now and haven’t for centuries.
I am right and what I wrote is absolutely true. (P.S. I am not a Christian.)
Larry Schmitt June 24th, 2015 at 11:40
So the inquisition never happened. Good to know. And thanks for telling me you’re right. That clears everything up.
Elliot J. Stamler June 24th, 2015 at 13:43
It is interesting that left-wing extremists like you echo the right-wing extremists in their complete imperviousness to facts…their ideology outweighs all contrary facts. You are an example of this..a combination of extremism and ignorance. Anyone who has read our dialogue has read that I did not come within a light-year of writing that the inquisition did not happen. The inquisition formally ended about 200 years ago and in the 18th century had markedly declined in activity from its heyday when it rampaged. If you knew any history you would know that. The right-wingers get their ignorance from their websites, Fox News and their make-believe colleges like Liberty and Regent; where Mr. Schmitt do you get your left-wing ignorance?
bpollen June 24th, 2015 at 16:16
I personally have lived and worked with MANY Muslims. With few exceptions, they were decent hard-working people. Not a terrorist amongst them. So, obviously, Islam is not THE cause of terrorism. Or violence. A lot of people from multiple religions use religion to justify their hate, but they DISTORT the religion to justify it.
Saying that somehow Xtianity is CURED of hatred and violence shows you have your ass in the air and your head in the sand.
OldLefty June 24th, 2015 at 18:12
It is interesting that left-wing extremists…..
______
What constitutes a left-wing extremist?
jasperjava June 24th, 2015 at 21:23
A “left-wing extremist” is anyone who isn’t a hateful bigot, evidently.
OldLefty June 24th, 2015 at 21:28
I think an Eisenhower Republican would be called a “left-wing extremist”, now a days.
“There is no doubt that Dwight D Eisenhower is a dedicated, conscious agent of the international Communist conspiracy.”
– Bob Welsh, founder of the John Birch Society
The John Birch Society of yesterday is the Tea Party of today.
BigDumbWhiteGuy June 24th, 2015 at 19:40
You know what you can do with your “left-wing extremist” garbage? Stick it sideways. Apparently in your twisted world, everyone that proposes even the slightest disagreement is an extremist, so you’re no better than those you’re lashing out at.
jasperjava June 24th, 2015 at 14:47
The terrorist bombings of abortion clinics, the terrorist murders of doctors and staff, are also terrorism.
Bunya June 24th, 2015 at 16:51
“,,, that was then this is now.”
.
It’s a little hard to overlook that hundreds of thousands of Muslims were killed by the Christians during the crusades, or the brutal torture/slaughter of Muslims during the inquisition. George Bush referred to the invasion of Iraq as a “crusade”. This scared the shit out of Muslims, as they remember their history. They remember they were slaughtered because the Christians didn’t like their God.
.
Just because Christians say they’ve “reformed itself a long time ago” doesn’t make it so. Talk is cheap. One has only to look at how Muslims are treated around the world today to discover the hatred is still there.
Elliot J. Stamler June 24th, 2015 at 17:22
You are a champion mental midget- the Inquisition was not directed against Muslims especially – it was overwhelmingly directed during its years against “heretics”, Jews, Protestants and other non-Catholic Christians and the Inquisition HAS BEEN OVER FOR CENTURIES. Gen. Eisenhower titled his magnum opus on WWII, “Crusade In Europe” – the word crusade is a perfect legitimate word and the only Muslims who are up in arms about that word TODAY are the Jihadists whom you, Bunya, apologize for and virtually defend. I think it is a pity that ISIS doesn’t have a hold of you and give you their special kind of “shave” – or perhaps you would like to join them.
Red Mann June 24th, 2015 at 20:34
You obviously don’t know anything about the Reconstructionists that would implement all 600 plus Mosaic laws, including the ones calling for death. This is not a fringe movement, they are politically influential with the right and have very significant funding. Christianity is a Triumphalist religion and the desire to use force, including murder, is riding just under the surface, temporarily restrained, waiting for chance to return to the old ways of torture and slaughter.
Bunya June 24th, 2015 at 22:28
Before judging the whole religion, try reading the Qur’an, instead of resorting to childish insults as your defense.
tracey marie June 24th, 2015 at 17:26
like all those christians killing anyone who disagrees with them. stormfront, go there
Red Mann June 24th, 2015 at 20:29
Uhm, not to Godwin the thread, but only 70 something years ago, German Christians were slaughtering Jews, Gypsies, homosexual, the infirm and many others. Of course there was the Lord’s Army in Africa, the witch killings by Christians in Africa that is on going, the persecution of homosexuals by Christians in various countries that our religious extremists have corrupted with their hatred.
jasperjava June 24th, 2015 at 14:45
Just a week after a terrorist attack carried out by a white supremacist, you have the gall to say that virtually all terrorists are Muslim?
I think it’s more accurate to say that virtually all terrorists are conservative. Either white extremists or religious conservative fanatics of whatever faith.
Conservatism is inherently violent. Even in their non-lethal forms, they commit economic violence against the poor and middle class, medical violence against women and the uninsured, social violence towards immigrants and minorities, etc.
arc99 June 24th, 2015 at 16:49
“”Islam, AS A RELIGION, is not and never has been a religion of peace””
You can say that about any of the factions which worship the God of Abraham. You are certainly entitled to hold the opinion that Islam is not deserving of honor or respect. By the same token, I am entitled to hold the same view about your opinions and those who share them.
Spit in the face of my values, I am happy to return the gesture.
As far as virtually all terrorists being Muslims, clearly it is you who is impervious to facts
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/25/us/tally-of-attacks-in-us-challenges-perceptions-of-top-terror-threat.html
But the breakdown of extremist ideologies behind those attacks may come as a surprise. Since Sept. 11, 2001, nearly twice as many people have been killed by white supremacists, antigovernment fanatics and other non-Muslim extremists than by radical Muslims: 48 have been killed by extremists who are not Muslim, compared with 26 by self-proclaimed jihadists, according to a count by New America, a Washington research center.
Elliot J. Stamler June 24th, 2015 at 17:16
The opinion I have expressed is held by well over 70% the American people. You ultra-liberal leftists are precisely the kind of people who permit the ultra-conservative rightists to gain political power. I clearly wrote that most Muslims are not terrorists and that I support full constitutional rights and correct behavior toward Muslims. I also know from reading FACTS that Islam is exactly what I wrote it is…it is not a religion which has been hijacked by a tiny minority…every poll shows that a huge minority of Muslims believe Jihad against other religions and their perceived enemies is religiously justified. People like java and schmitt think that the vast majority of Americans who read every day what Muslims do to other Muslims let alone non-Muslims are all bigots – oh no we are not – we are people who can face disagreeable facts. You deplorable leftists, as I have written before, will pave the way for a president Cruz or Huckabee or Santorum.
tracey marie June 24th, 2015 at 17:25
sounds like the christians, they denigrate, lie and use bagger math “virtually all terrorists are muslim” is the perfect example.
Elliot J. Stamler June 24th, 2015 at 17:45
Why don’t you move to Yemen or Syria or Iraq or Libya or Lebanon or Iran etc. etc. where you could live in harmony with the Muslims you so highly esteem?
OldLefty June 24th, 2015 at 18:10
You mean the radical Muslims that we nurtured and supported lo these 70 years?
tracey marie June 24th, 2015 at 18:20
why, I like my country, why don’t you?
Red Mann June 24th, 2015 at 20:24
Typical binary mind response, if you don’t hate them you must love them.
jasperjava June 24th, 2015 at 21:20
Wow, you’re quite the bigot, aren’t you.
I have met many Muslims in my time. Pakistanis, Lebanese, Syrians, Moroccans, Somalis, Palestinians. I’ve had co-workers, neighbors, business folks, even a sweet Arab girlfriend who were Muslim.
I can pretty much guarantee that the vast majority of these people are better friends, neighbors, and citizens than you are.
Suzanne McFly June 24th, 2015 at 18:26
Since 9/11, [Charles Kurzman, Professor of Sociology at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, writing for the Triangle Center on Terrorism and National Security] and his team tallies, 33 Americans have died as a result of terrorism launched by their Muslim neighbors. During that period, 180,000 Americans were murdered for reasons unrelated to terrorism. In just the past year, the mass shootings that have captivated America’s attention killed 66 Americans, “twice as many fatalities as from Muslim-American terrorism in all 11 years since 9/11,” notes Kurzman’s team.http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/05/muslims-only-carried-out-2-5-percent-of-terrorist-attacks-on-u-s-soil-between-1970-and-2012.html
Red Mann June 24th, 2015 at 20:23
Except for the IRA, the Basques, the Tamil Tigers, various American right wing terrorists, yeah ALL terrorist are Muslims. I worked with the Saudi navy in the 80s, and the average sailor were more like MINOs. Of course they were fed a lot of lies from their imams, rather like what we hear from religious extremists right here in the good old US of A.
Yes, Islam is promoting a lot of violence these days, rather like Christianity did in centuries past. We can hope that they will find their Enlightenment one day, but attacking every Muslim at every turn will not hasten that day.
BigDumbWhiteGuy June 24th, 2015 at 19:31
“president Cruz or Huckabee or Santorum.”
Ha, good one.
Wilda June 25th, 2015 at 03:51
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bpollen June 25th, 2015 at 04:44
“The opinion I have expressed is held by well over 70% the American people.
Proof? Or do you just flap gums and claim things that have no connection to reality? I bet you can guess which way I lean on your credibility…