Barack Obama is Muslim, depending on almost 1 in five Americans surveyed
Almost 1 in five Americans think that Barack Obama is truly a Muslim, depending on a new poll, despite his public statements about his Christian faith.
The survey by the Pew Analyze Centre discovered that 18% now say that the US president is truly a Muslim, up from 11% in March 2009. Only about one-third of adults (34%) say Obama is truly a Christian, down sharply from 48% in 2009. Forty three percent say they do not know Obama's religion.
The survey was completed in early August, prior to Obama's recent comments concerning the proposed construction of a mosque near the web site from the former World Trade Centre, which have landed him in political hot water. The president has pointed out he believes Muslims have the correct to build an Islamic centre there, but refrained from taking a position on regardless of regardless of whether or not it ought to truly be built two blocks from Ground Zero. The issue has turn out to become politically charged ahead of congressional races in mid-November, with Republicans accusing Obama of being out touch with mainstream America.
The Pew Analyze Centre noted that the belief that Obama is truly a Muslim has elevated most sharply among Republicans, (up 14 points) since 2009, especially conservative Republicans (up 16 points). But the quantity of independents who say Obama is truly a Muslim has also elevated substantially (up eight points). There continues to become little change within the quantity of Democrats who say Obama is truly a Muslim, but fewer Democrats nowadays say he is truly a Christian.
The White House is concerned that beliefs about Obama's religion are linked to political judgments about him. Individuals who say he is truly a Muslim overwhelmingly disapprove of his function overall overall performance, whilst a majority of individuals who think he is truly a Christian approve from the function Obama is performing. Individuals who are unsure about Obama's religion are about evenly divided in their views of his overall overall performance.
The White House blamed "misinformation campaigns" by the president's opponents.
"While the president continues to become diligent and personally committed to his own Christian faith, there's certainly folks who are intent on spreading falsehoods concerning the president and his values and beliefs," Obama's faith adviser, Joshua DuBois, told the Washington Post.
DuBois pointed to six speeches on faith that the president has given in which he talked about his beliefs, but pointed out coverage of Obama's Christianity continues to become scant compared with news concerning the economic crisis, legislative battles and other issues.
Pew analysts attribute the findings to attacks by his opponents and Obama's limited attendance at religious services, especially in contrast with presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton. Andrew Kohut, the Pew Analyze Centre's director, pointed out the confusion partly reflected "the intensification of negative views about Obama among his critics". Alan Cooperman, the Pew Forum's associate director for analyze, pointed out that with the public hearing little about Obama's religion, "maybe there's much much more possibility for other people to make suggestions that the president is this or he's really that or he's really a Muslim".
Obama is the Christian son of a Kenyan, Barack Obama Sr. Obama Sr was raised Muslim.
Between the ages of six and 10, Obama lived in predominantly Muslim Indonesia with his mother and Indonesian stepfather.
Throughout the election campaign, rightwing commentators for instance Rush Limbaugh utilized his full name, Barack Hussein Obama, in an attempt to portray him as somehow un-American. Rightwingers also spread the false allegation that Obama had attended a madrassa in Indonesia.