Franklin Graham Has Trump's Back???

Franklin Graham (L) and Donald Trump (R)

A recent article in the Conservative Tribune highlights Franklin Graham's very Trump-like stance on Muslim immigration to the U.S. (http://conservativetribune.com/franklin-graham-muslim-ban/?sc=iar)

In part, the article reads: "In response to 2016 GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump proposing that the United States temporarily ban all Muslim immigration into the country, Rev. Franklin Graham issued two updates to his Facebook page in which he touted the “the dangers of allowing people into this country that are not properly vetted.”

"Specifically, Graham cited a recent Pew Research Center poll that revealed that 8 percent of America’s 1.8-million adult Muslims in the United States believe suicide bombings in the name of Islam are sometimes or often justified.

“That’s 144,000 Muslims who openly say without hesitation that violence in the name of Islam is justified!” Graham wrote. “That’s not ‘peaceful’ and that’s not a small number — it’s about the size of the entire population of Syracuse, New York!”

His point was that the argument being made by liberals that “the vast majority of Muslims are peaceful people” is moot, because 144,000 is a very large number with very significant implications."

I have a somewhat different take on the Pew report. That 8% of Muslims polled who answered that answered that they "believe suicide bombings in the name of Islam are sometimes or often justified," were NOT "being honest," just dumb. Most people instinctively know (by the way a question is framed, what kind of answer the pollster is looking for.

You MIGHT say that 8% of the Muslims in America felt emboldened enough to say that they believed the jihadist cause was mostly or ALL justified, but the truth is, they were far more likely the tip of the iceberg. IF 8% felt bold enough to say that out loud, it's almost a certainty that a much larger number feel that SAME way, but wouldn't to say it. Why war your victims? That's just dumb.

YES, that 8% probably just "didn't get the memo."

For those among us who'd doubt the source (I have no idea why...except the deep schism that exists between "progressives"/"liberals" and traditionalists/"conservatives") here are Franklin Graham's own words: "Ever since the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America, we have heard from scores of political leaders and world experts that "the vast majority of Muslims are peaceful people." Some have suggested that as many as 99% fall into this category. Well, we don't have to guess or estimate; the Pew Research Center has released extensive research on how Muslims in the U.S. self-identify on questions of violence—and the conclusions are frightening.

"There are 1.8 million Muslim adults in the United States. Pew research released that 8% of adult Muslims in the U.S. said that suicide bombings and other forms of violence in the name of Islam are “sometimes” or “often” justified. Think about it—that’s 144,000 Muslims who openly say without hesitation that violence in the name of Islam is justified! That’s not “peaceful” and that’s not a small number—it’s about the size of the entire population of Syracuse, New York!

"I’m not 99% — but I’m 100% sure of this — our nation and our politicians need to realize the dangers of allowing people into this country that are not properly vetted."

(SEE: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/12/07/muslims-and-islam-key-findings-in-the-u-s-and-around-the-world/)

Man, this Franklin Graham is a LOT like me (except for my being non-religious, not at all famous and infamously NON-telegenic and all), but he seems to have a penchant for sprinkling his offerings with documentable links...something our "Left-of-Center pals don't often do.