Negative Perception Of Islam Increasing

A handwringing article from the Bandar Beacon, otherwise known as the Washington Post, bemoans the fact that more Americans in 2006 think that Muslims are disproportionately prone to violence than they did in 2001. According to various people named Cole and others quoted in this story, it's all the fault of politicians and the media. And gee whiz, there are some swell Muslims out there, so that means that the Americans who believe that Islam is violent are wrong, doesn't it?

Sometimes I wonder if the Post writers believe they are writing for adults. Of course there are millions of wonderful people out there who are Muslims. That is actually irrelevant to the question of whether or not Islam teaches violence. And while the assembled experts in this article spend a lot of time talking about how politicians and the media can improve public perceptions of Islam, no one mentions anything about what Muslims might be able to do.
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