Sustained media smears convinced a large minority that Obama was secretly Muslim

Evidence

The strategy was launched in 2007, when Fox News aired a story claiming that Obama went to a “radical Muslim madrassa” when he was young. The media emphasized his middle name, Hussein, and his Kenyan father’s Muslim identity. Sarah Palin, then Republican vice presidential candidate, accused Obama of “palling around with terrorists.” The concerted messaging was sufficiently successful that without any objective proof, 13 percent of Americans in 2008 believed Obama was secretly a Muslim. These numbers were even higher among Republicans, between 31 to 46 percent. — Sahar F. Aziz, The Racial Muslim, 835 (#exemplifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Mainstream media gave Islamophobic commentators hundreds of appearances with minimal scrutiny.; Obama attracted more and broader conspiracy theories than prior presidents — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic…, 41; By late 2015 a majority of Trump supporters believed Obama was Muslim — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long: The Legacy of White…, 49 (+8 more)

Broader Connections

• Media smears convinced up to 46 percent of Republicans that Obama was secretly Muslim. #exemplifies (0.95) — Sahar F. Aziz, The Racial Muslim, 835