Opinion: Don't overstate anti-Muslim bias

Editor's note: William J. Bennett and Seth Leibsohn are authors of the recently published book, "The Fight of Our Lives: Knowing the Enemy, Speaking the Truth, and Choosing to Win the War Against Radical Islam." Bennett is a CNN contributor and a fellow of the Claremont Institute; Leibsohn is a managing partner with the consulting firm, Leibsohn & Associates. CNN's Soledad O'Brien chronicles the fight over a mosque's construction in the heart of the Bible Belt on "Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door" Video which airs Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on CNN.

(CNN) -- Almost two weeks after the House Homeland Security Committee hearing on radicalization in the Muslim community in America, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin has announced he will hold a hearing in the Senate. But, rather than focus on the problem of radicalization in the Muslim community, Durbin's panel will be directed to another subject: anti-Muslim bigotry in the United States.

Senator Durbin has said anti-Islamic sentiment in America is on the rise and that, "It is important for our generation to renew our founding charter's commitment to religious diversity and to protect the liberties guaranteed by our Bill of Rights." The hearing, scheduled for next week, follows a CNN special to air this Sunday, "Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door."

While we have not been in contact with Senator Durbin or his staff, we have just published a book on America and its relationship to Islam. And while we have not seen the CNN special just yet, we have seen the trailer Video, which focuses on opposition to a mosque being built in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Despite what may have gone on in Murfreesboro with the mosque its adherents have wanted to build, the larger story of anti-Islamic bias in America does not hold water.

Let's start with the national numbers: 8.4 percent of religious hate crimes in America were anti-Muslim in 2009 (the most recent date for which statistics are available). By contrast, that same year, nearly 72 percent of religious hate crimes in America were anti-Jewish (Muslims in America faced 107 incidents of bias in 2009; Jews faced 931).

Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_allpolitics/~3/thLJB7BVIM0/index.html

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First Female Vice Presidential Candidate Ferraro Dies

A family spokeswoman said Ferraro, who was diagnosed with blood cancer in 1998, died Saturday at Massachusetts General Hospital. She was 75. Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale tapped the former congresswoman to be his running mate in 1984.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/26/134882052/first-female-vice-presidential-candidate-ferraro-dies?ft=1&f=1014

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In Japan, Life In Limbo

Even those who live and work a good distance away from the badly damaged Fukishima Dai-ichi plant are still concerned about the threat of exposure to radiation. Members of the Holland family have a home and business in Aizuwakamatsu, a small country town in northern Japan.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/26/134878566/In-Japan-A-Life-In-Limbo?ft=1&f=1004

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How Do You Really Feel? Your Computer May Know

Researchers are developing devices that measure and track emotions, while subjects are online, driving or even shopping. By measuring emotional responses, scientists say they can improve safety, communication, performance or even help marketers come up with better products.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/25/134855899/How-Do-You-Really-Feel-Your-Computer-May-Know?ft=1&f=1007

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Wisconsin Court Race Turns Into A Political Dogfight

An election campaign for the state's Supreme Court is normally a quiet affair. But the fight over collective bargaining has turned the officially nonpartisan race into a referendum on the governor. With the contentious bargaining bill most likely headed to the court, union advocates are trying to flip its ideological balance.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/24/134828234/wisconsin-court-race-turns-into-a-political-dogfight?ft=1&f=1014

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Gettysburg battlefield acquires 95 historic acres (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

HARRISBURG - For the first time, Civil War buffs can now walk the land on Chambersburg Pike west of Gettysburg where Confederate and Union troops locked in a ferocious struggle at the start of the epic battle. Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/69436677?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Foreign Policy: The Gadhafi I Know

In light of the current conflict in Libya between Col. Moammar Gadhafi and opposition forces, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni argues in Foreign Policy that though Gadhafi was no saint, the West was wrong to intervene in African affairs. Museveni also offers things he likes about the Libyan leader ? and things he doesn't.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/25/134857870/foreign-policy-the-gadhafi-i-know?ft=1&f=1057

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Father Moves Past A Once-Unforgiving Diagnosis

In 1965, when Jon Brock's behavior began to change, his family took him to a psychiatric hospital, where he was treated for schizophrenia. The doctors said it was likely he would never leave. Today, he has a family ? and a career of helping mental health patients with their recovery.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/25/134828647/father-moves-past-a-once-unforgiving-diagnosis?ft=1&f=1057

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