Why Do Conservatives Hate Muslims So Much?!?

I've got two cousins who are Muslims. They both grew up as Christians, and converted when they became adults. They are both hardworking, give more to this world than they take from it, and (tell me they) have become better people as a result of finding religion.

Every time I tune into some form of Conservative media (which is perhaps part of the problem) I find some dipsh*t smearing all Muslims with the same brush of hatred, failing to distinguish between the actions of some ingrates on September 11th, and honest Americans who love this country and deplore the actions of those very same ingrates, perhaps even more.[1]


This post isn't really anything other than a rant, so sorry if you were looking for something deeper, but it really pisses me off when people are so quick to generalize, and assume the worst about someone, purely based on a shared religion, which clearly doesn't equate to a shared worldview.

Question: Do you have relatives who are Muslims? What's your general feeling when you see certain people so quick to condemn the mere mention of the "M"-word?

[1] Before some smart alec gets the wrong idea, the photo accompanying this post is merely to show the lengths that some go to paint folks as guilty by association, and thus, is completely appropriate in this context. I'm clearly not saying anything in defense of Osama here. It's a d@mn shame I even have to write this disclaimer, but hey, such is life.