Strengthening Constitutional Self-Government

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Muslims in the U.S.: Pew Survey

I’ve only begun to read this Pew survey of U.S. Muslims, but the bits that I have read suggest relatively successful economic assimilation and somewhat less successful (though better, on the whole, than Europe) cultural adjustment. I’d be interested in the comments of others who can plow through it more quickly than I can.

Update: There is a potential problem with Muslim youth:

In addition, the survey finds that younger Muslim
Americans – those under age 30 – are both much more religiously observant and more accepting of Islamic extremism than are older Muslim Americans. Younger Muslim Americans report attending services at a mosque more frequently than do older Muslims. And a greater percentage of younger Muslims in the U.S. think of themselves first as Muslims, rather than
primarily as Americans (60% vs. 41% among Muslim Americans ages 30 and older). Moreover, more than twice as many Muslim Americans under age 30 as older Muslims believe that suicide bombings can be often or sometimes justified in the defense of Islam (15% vs. 6%).

A pattern of greater acceptance of suicide bombing among young Muslim Americans corresponds with the Pew
Global Attitude Project’s findings among Muslims in Great Britain, France, Germany and Spain. In contrast, surveys among
Muslims in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world do not show greater tolerance of suicide bombing among young people.

Are these theoretical jihadis, sort of like those who still romanticize Che Guevara, or are we talking about potential al Qaeda recruits or imitators?

Discussions - 13 Comments

There are two key findings. One was that younger muslims are far more radicalized than others, {which correlates with what we've observed across all of islam}. The second is that FORTY PERCENT of AMERICAN muslims don't believe that 9/11 was pulled off by Arab men. They deny muslim involvement in the mass-murder of 9/11.

The house of al saud is pouring BILLIONS of dollars all across the world in the effort to radicalize muslim youth. Just about every single mosque and muslim school in this country is completely controlled by the Wahhabis. It makes sense that all of that funding, all of that effort, all of the years worth of effort behind it, is ultimately seeing results.

All of islam is being intensely radicalized. Or rather, to be far more precise, islam is undergoing its own Reformation. The Protestants tried to get back to the original Jesus, to the original Church. So is islam today, for there is an ardent search for muslim authenticity. Islam is becoming more and more consistent with the tenets, teachings and example of Mohammad himself.

And that means war. Absolute, total war on all unbelievers.

This thing has hardly begun. And we will live to see horrors.

And all the happy talk in the world isn't going to forestall it for so much as a single second.

Yea, I don't want to hear the "happy" side of this. The stakes are simply too high. We can no longer afford to be ostriches on this issue.

Our goverment is now letting 17 thousand irakis int the USA We are sewing the seeds of destruction in iur midst

"Theoretical" jihadists can be equally dangerous.

"And a greater percentage of younger Muslims in the U.S. think of themselves first as Muslims, rather than primarily as Americans..." This makes me wonder what bloggers here feel the order should be. Mr. Knippenberg, are you a Christian or an American first?

I have no objection to the primacy of religious identity, so long as one doesn't understand that religious identity to require the establishment of a global caliphate.

The attitudinal difference between young and older US Muslims is linked to the Saudi-funded Wahhabism here over the past 30 years. They fund the mosques, the Muslim "chaplains" in our prisons and in the military are all Wahhabi. It is a social cancer that we have innocently allowed to grow, and to metastasize.

I do not see what we were going to DO about this, although I do not deny that what any of you say is true. We are a nation based on religious toleration. Hence we are constitutionally inclined to be innocent in this type of thing. Until these young people go beyond being "theoretical jihadis " there is not much we can do in legal terms, is there? I grant the danger, but look what a mess we had when trying to control Communists in our midst.

Mr Kennedy, do you worry about young Christians contemplating the overthrow of the U.S. government?

The Left always ignores the threats posed by "other cultures" and would much rather convert the West in its entirety to their post-modern point of view. See, we could have Paradise on Earth if it weren't for those meddlesome Christians and their God.

As far as what to do about making sure the Muslims in America remain pro-American (and don't sympathize with al-Qaeda, et al), I think the only option would be to follow the money and the groups and if a certain group (CAIR for instance) appears to be receiving money and/or donating money to radical, militant Islamic organizations we simply freeze those funds. I think it's all we really can do, unless we catch them actually conspiring to carry out a plot.

I don't like the prospect of Sharia law or of right-wing Christian law. I would say "No, thanks" to both. But I guess that matters not. It would be interesting to see a poll comparing the numbers of those who want Sharia law and those who want the Bible to be the direct source for (essentially) all laws.

The fear - constantly stoked and primed here - is of, I guess, those problematic, radical Muslim youth, who might employ guns and bombs in their struggle for cultural, societal, legal and/or political dominance. I think any who are plotting to attempt such things should be stopped, obviously. What gets little ink here, though, are the terror threats posed by the "Soldier of Christ" extremists who might have picked up an idea or two at the Christian educational facilities run by the religious right, that have become more mainstream in the U.S. (at least in certain sectors), and promoted and embraced by the current administration. For instance, the fellow I linked to above, Mark D. Uhl, a Liberty University student, was just apprehended with several explosives in his vehicle at Jerry Falwell's funeral, apparently to send a message to the small group of Falwell opponents who foolishly (even more so as we now see!) chose the event to protest Falwell's endeavors.

The photos on Uhl's MySpace page include one where he and a friend have an American flag draped over their shoulders (sounds similar to a picture I've seen somewhere else...), and of course, the requisite pic where he is pointing a rifle at the camera - that one's entitled "He's always watching." Hey, it's college fun! Will dain be offering any incisive generalizations from this event? My guess is not...

So, you're a Christian first, American second, Mr. Knippenberg?

Kate, no I don't worry about them "overthrowing" the government. When you have a president who declares Jesus Christ as his favorite philosopher, implements numerous programs that erode the church-state division, and hires many of his staff from places like Regent University, I really don't think "overthrowing" would look to be necessary.

Oh look! Trollboy decided to answer his own post. Gee, how novel....

I think Christianity is different, Mr. Kennedy. You may or may not recall Jesus saying "My kingdom is not of this Earth" and "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's". It seems the Bible makes it explicit that Christians are to be good citizens by nature of the fact that they're Christians.

And Craig, you perfectly illustrated by point. I understand there are some Christian wackos out there (and I'm kind of surprised by Mr. Uhl's choice of music), but we're talking about 15% of Muslims under the age of 30. You'd much rather harp on the tiny minority of Christians out there up to mischief than deal with the 15% of Muslim youths we need to be concerned with.

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