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Did Americans Misunderstand the Question About Arabic Numerals?

We often make decisions based on several things, including our preferences and what we have learned. But do we take the time to validate what we know? Do we put in a conscious effort to truly understand the situation and decide accordingly? Unfortunately, we don’t and are often biased with our versions of truths

A 2019 survey of Americans showed that 56% out of 3,624 participants said that Arabic numerals should not be taught in school. The survey, however, did not explain what Arabic numerals were.

The 2019 Civic Science Survey

Arabic numerals are the numbers that we use daily – 0, 1, 2, and so forth, to which Indian mathematicians developed and soon became a global standard in mathematics.

An American market research company, Civic Science, conducted a poll intending to explore the bias and prejudice of survey respondents. The question should schools in America teach Arabic numerals as part of their curriculum? was posted by the company without explaining the term Arabic numerals.

3,624 Americans responded to the poll, and surprisingly, 2,020, or fifty-six percent of the total sample size, answered no. Twenty-nine percent answered yes, while the remaining, or fifteen percent, had no opinion.

To further analyze the data, seventy-two percent of the 2,020 respondents were Republican supporting individuals, and forty percent were Democratic supporters.

Ladies and gentlemen: The saddest and funniest testament to American bigotry we’ve ever seen in our data.

John Dick, CEO of Civic Science

Dick stated that the goal of the research was to tease out prejudice among those who didn’t understand the question. He also noted that the Republicans and Democrats answered the question differently, that it wasn’t a question of knowledge but more of prejudice.

Dick found that most of the respondents don’t know the origins of the numerical system yet went with a tribal answer. (Source: Independent)

What is Islamophobia?

By definition, Islamophobia is the irrational fear or discrimination against Islam or people who practice Islam. (Source: Merriam-Webster)

It is an exaggerated fear, hatred, or hostility against Muslims and usually stems from negative stereotypes the individual has been exposed to in the past. The term has been around before the 9/11 attacks, but the attacks have given it more notoriety. However, Islamophobia is prevalent in the Western hemisphere, not just localized to the American nation.

A study conducted in 2011 reports that American and Canadian Muslims do not feel respected. The United Kingdom comes in at third and followed by Germany.

A report by the Center of American Progress states that there is a network of misinformation experts proactively disseminate Islamophobia to create prejudice and discrimination against Muslims. (Source: Gallup)

According to the report, there are five think tanks to promote Islamophobia. These think tanks are responsible for disseminating anti-Islam messages to the nation. These groups are led by scholars whose goals are to encourage incorrect images of Muslims, portraying them as enemies.

These scholars believe that the Sharia, or the Islam Canonical Law, is designed to destroy Western civilization. However, the Sharia was constructed to help Muslims personally achieve justice, fairness, and mercy through faithfulness and observation of prayer and fasting.(Source: American Progress)

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