Updated: Check out what else applies to 1 in 5 Americans, over at my Huffington Post column.
First, the not-so-fun news: The Rev. Franklin Graham went on CNN and perpetuated the misconception that President Obama was born Muslim because his absentee father’s family was Muslim. Memo to Graham: Like Christianity, and as opposed to Judaism, Islam is a faith — not also an ethnicity. In other words, you can’t be “born” to it — you have to believe it. Christians believe in Jesus; Muslims believe in the Shahada: “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is his prophet.”
Good thing there are so many full-time religion reporters out there these days to clarify such erroneous statements… oh wait…
Well, at least we’ve got The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, which continues to expose the tragic humor behind America’s burgeoning Islamophobia and the “Ground Zero Mosque” (not at Ground Zero, not a mosque) controversy. For a good giggle, check out last night’s battle between Team Jesus and Team Mohammed:
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Extremist Makeover – Team Mohammed vs. Team Jesus | ||||
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My favorite line comes early, from Wyatt Cenac representing Team J: “You ever heard of a thing called the Bible Belt? That’s US! We’re the religion holding America’s pants up! Team Jesus!” (I think Team J takes this one, but hey, it’s been around longer.)
For some more fun, check out my Huffington Post column about the “1 in 5 Americans believes Obama is Muslim” story, and share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
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