Progress Illinois

Earlier today, I theorized that a "silver lining" around the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy is that it corrected the misimpression among many voters -- fueled by right-wing email smears -- that Barack Obama is a Muslim. My thought process was fairly simple: if these folks hear the word "reverend" enough, not to mention the "Christ" in Trinity United Church of Christ, they have to put two and two together at some point.

I guess I overestimated the attention being paid to such details: a Pew poll released today and conducted March 19-22 found that plenty of voters, including one in 10 Democrats, still think Obama is Muslim.

From the AP:

Fourteen percent of Republicans, 10 percent of Democrats and 8 percent of independents mistakenly think he is Muslim, according to a survey by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center. Just over half of each group correctly identified him as Christian, while about a third said they don't know his religion.

The false rumor that the Democratic presidential candidate and Illinois senator is Muslim has been fanned on the Internet and conservative talk radio.

It has persisted despite the recent controversy over divisive remarks by his longtime pastor at the Trinity United Church of Christ, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Those saying they have heard a lot about Wright's comments are about as likely as others to say they think Obama is Muslim, the poll showed.