Powell on Islam

This morning, one of the threads I read on Ovusoft was about Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama's bid for U.S. President. Apparently, during his interview, Powell brought up the mistaken belief that Obama is Muslim, and refuted it, then went on to say:

But the really right answer is: What if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some 7-year-old Muslim American kid believing that he or she could be president?

He also told the story of this mother, whose son died while serving in the U.S. army:


Yesterday, a Muslim poster on Ovusoft expressed fear of being attacked for voting in two weeks: she wears a hijab and is readily identifiable as Muslim. Extremists in the U.S. have, for whatever reason, decided their message spreads well during this election season, and it is disheartening. I was really impressed that Powell took this opportunity to make a statement against hatred. I pray the American people take his message to heart.