Almost all Republican presidential candidates link themselves in one way or another to religion (Christianity); When asked about his connections to Islam Obama responded, "I’ve always been a Christian. The only connection I’ve had to Islam is that my grandfather on my father’s side came from that country. But I’ve never practiced Islam" (MSNBC).
"'I am driven with a mission from God'. God would tell me, 'George go and fight these terrorists in Afghanistan'. And I did. And then God would tell me 'George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq'. And I did," Bush reported as saying (Guardian).
The US is seen as the model of secular democracy in the world, yet is it really secular?
Ask the expert, Dr. David Domke, live on IslamOnline.net
Brought to you by the Muslim Affairs Zone.
Prof. David Domke is an associate professor in the School of Communications at the University of Washington. He got his Ph.D in Mass Communication from University of Minnesota in year 1996. Prof. Domke studies political elites and news media, individual values and cognition, and social change, with particular interest in the dynamics of post-9/11 America.
Prof. Domke was awarded numerous awards the most recent are the Washington state Professor of the Year (2006) and the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research, Teaching, and Public Service (2006).
Muslim Affairs zone hosted a live dialogue with Prof. Domke on Thursday Dec. 27, 2007.
Read Dialogue here
Selected Publications:
• Domke, David and Kevin Coe. The God Strategy: How Religion Became a Political Weapon in America. Oxford University Press, Nov. 2007.
• Domke, David. God Willing?: Political Fundamentalism in the White House, the War on Terror and the Echoing Press. Pluto Press, Jul. 2004.
• "Going public, crisis after crisis: The Bush administration and the press from September 11 to Saddam," in Rhetoric & Public Affairs, publication July 2007, with Sue Lockett John, Kevin Coe, and Erica Graham.
• "Masculinity as political strategy: George W. Bush, the 'war on terrorism,' and an echoing press," in Journal of Women, Politics, and Policy, publication September 2007, with Kevin Coe, Meredith Bagley, Sheryl Cunningham, and Nancy Van Leuven.
• "Going public as political strategy: The Bush administration, an echoing press, and passage of the U.S.A. Patriot Act," Political Communication (July-September 2006), 23: 291-312, with Erica Graham, Kevin Coe, Sue Lockett John, and Ted Coopman.
• "Petitioners or prophets? Presidential discourse, God, and the ascendancy of religious conservatives," Journal of Communication, June 2006, 56: 309-330, with Kevin Coe.
Related Links:
• America: Religious and Secular?(Point/CounterPoint)
• On Romney, Mormonism, and Islam
• Evangelicals Bring Religion in US Politics
• Religion Central for US Capitol Staffers
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