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America and Islam, Four Years Later

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Four years into the war in Iraq, American attitudes toward Islam have taken a negative turn. How well does a mostly Christian nation understand its 6 million Muslim neighbors?  Will Islam be an issue in the presidential campaign?  Meantime, demonstrators continue to protest the war and, on Reporter's Notebook, when soldiers are killed, their families lose more than a loved one. We hear how they’re learning to cope.  

Making News

White House Marks the Fourth Anniversary of the Iraq War ()

Over the weekend, thousands of demonstrators turned out in American cities to protest the war in Iraq. Today President Bush acknowledged this fourth anniversary with a five-minute statement at the White House. Affirming that the war can be won, he called on Congress for the "the funds and the flexibility that our troops need to accomplish their mission" without using that funding "as leverage to get special interest spending for their districts."  Ron Hutcheson covers the White House for McClatchy News Service.

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Main Topic

America and Islam ()

After September 11, President Bush told Americans not to blame all Muslims for the atrocity. But since the war in Iraq, bias against Muslims has increased. Since the US launched a "preventive attack" on Iraq four years ago, the news has been full of the ancient rivalry between Shiites and Sunnis, which produces deadly violence and sets nations against one another. Last year, the Gallup Poll found that 34% of Americans think US Muslims support al Qaeda. Just 49%--less than half--believe that American Muslims are loyal to the United States. Here, in a mostly-Christian country, how much do Americans really know about their six million Muslim neighbors, what they practice and what they believe? Will Barak Obama's childhood exposure to Islam make it an issue in the presidential campaign?

Guests:
  • Paul Barrett: Assistant Managing Editor of BusinessWeek
  • Usman Madha: Community Liaison for the King Fahd Mosque
  • David Frum: Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute
  • Richard Cizik: VP for Governmental Affairs at the National Association of Evangelicals
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Reporter's Notebook

Dealing with Death in the Military ()

When a soldier is killed, his or her family loses more than a loved one. It's necessary to move off the base, losing ties with friends, school-mates and other connections based on life in the military. Bonnie Carroll, who served in the Reagan White House, lost her husband in 1992.  He was a commanding general who died in action during the first Gulf War. Her own difficulties in dealing with that experience led her to form TAPS, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, to provide support for the families of fallen troops.

Guests:
  • Bonnie Carroll: Director of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors
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