Monday, March 12, 2012

Ignorance abounds in the South

Not the whole South, and not perhaps in a majority, but my eyebrows raise at this poll showing 45% of GOP voters polled in Alabama and 52% in Mississippi think President Obama is a Muslim. Over a third in each state also weren’t sure if he was a Christian.

I’m not surprised by the fact people think that someone with the name “Obama” and dark skin is a Muslim, given the climate in the country after 9/11 and with wars in the Middle East. Just a few weeks ago I walked into the batting cage looking like this:

Photo Mar 12, 2 34 36 PM

One of my teammates jokingly called me “Osama” and said I needed to shave before I got into trouble. I know he was joking because he gave me a hug after he said it and we laughed. Or I hope he was joking.

Can you guess my religion from the picture? I hope not, but if you’re wondering, it’s “nunya”, as in “nun-ya-business”.

Religion is a deeply personal matter. The religion of our elected leaders shouldn’t come into play for the election. Ultimately one’s religion shouldn’t interfere with one’s decisions in government. It shouldn’t prevent one from carrying out one’s duties, nor should it be the basis for decisions. We are a nation of multiple religions, and yours may not be mine, so I would hope decisions came from a moral and ethical stance. Those might be based on religion, but we ought to know what those are, without knowing your religion.

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