As noted earlier, I was a panelist in a forum at Duke on Muslim Americans and the 2008 election. Here are excerpts from some coverage in the local press:
Duke Today — Muslims and the 2008 Election:
who studies the political consequences of correcting misperceptions,
said it’s difficult for Sen. Barack Obama to counter erroneous comments
that he is Muslim.
“Obama runs the risk of reinforcing the belief that he is Muslim just
by talking about the issue in general,” Nyhan said.
Durham Herald Sun — Religion’s role in vote debated:
said that the rumors and misconceptions are under the radar, but their
sway with voters shows up in the polls. The way human cognition fails,
he said, is that if someone hears something several times, he or she
thinks it comes from different sources and forgets where they heard it.
Also, negating something sometimes reinforces an inaccuracy. So if
Obama repeats again that he is not Muslim, those who believe he is will
still believe it regardless of being corrected.
The Chronicle — Forum talks politics, the Muslim vote:
Another hot topic of discussion was the persistent rumor circling that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is a Muslim, and the effects of the adamant denial of the rumors.
Although Obama is a Christian, there is still a significant portion of people who either believe the opposite or are unsure of his religious affiliation, the panelists said.
The denouncements produce a negative affect on Muslims and Obama alike, as they feed the perception that something is wrong with being Muslim, Read said. Nyhan noted that when Obama brings up the subject, it reminds people of the controversy surrounding his identity.