Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly is a production of THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET. Visit www.pbs.org/religionandethics for additional information. Show #2010 will be fed over PBS at 5:00 p.m. EST on November 4, 2016 (check local listings).
Morally Conflicted Voters – As voters head to the polls, many have strong negative feelings about the campaign. Some are frustrated with the tenor of the rhetoric. Others say they feel forced to vote for the “lesser of two evils” or question whether they can in good conscience vote for either candidate. Kim Lawton examines the moral dimension underlying some of the negativity and talks to religious leaders about the guidance various spiritual traditions offer to conflicted voters.
Muslim-American Voters – Dan Lothian reports from Florida on the voting challenges facing Muslim-Americans. The Muslim-American community is generally considered to be socially conservative. In 2000, George W. Bush received more than 70% of the Muslim vote in Florida. By 2008, those numbers flipped in favor of Barack Obama. According to CAIR, 85% of American Muslims who responded to its recent poll believe Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment increased in the past year. Their votes could be influential in this year’s national election and Florida’s 170,000 Muslim-Americans could be a critical factor in determining who carries that battleground state.
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