"Dhimmitude" is a newly invented word (that may or may not find its way into dictionaries), implying an attitude of concession, surrender and appeasement towards Islamic demands.

The reason you are not hearing about it is simple: it's an internet myth, spread by opponents of the healthcare law. "Dhimmitude" is not in the healthcare bill anywhere, not on page 107 or any other page. There are religious exemptions spelled out in the law, but none of them have to do with Muslims. Any emails you receive that refer to "dhimmitude" are nothing but misinformation, and they continue previous efforts to link President Obama and Islam. I enclose a link to the actual Healthcare Law, so you can read it and see what is in it and what is not.

No, this is an old and long-ago debunked myth. We get asked this question often, and the answer remains the same: there is no such word as "dhimmitude," and there are no special exemptions for Muslims on page 107 or any other page of the healthcare law. People who originally spread this myth believed that President Obama was a secret Muslim (he is not a Muslim; he is a Christian). They also believed he slipped some special favors for Muslims into the law (he did not). You can go to the government website supervising the new healthcare law and see for yourself what is in it. We can assure you that "dhimmitude" is not, nor does it say that Muslims get special treatment. They get treated the same as everyone else, no matter what their religion. I enclose the link to the actual law, so you can read it yourself.

No, this is an internet myth, and it is totally false. The word is not mentioned anywhere, nor is there any mention about special treatment for Muslims (nor, for that matter, for Christians, Jews, or other mainstream religious traditions). The bill respects separation of church and state, and focuses on increasing access to health care. It is not a bill that violates the Constitution, which is why the Supreme Court ruled in its favor in mid-2012.

Some people converted out of the conviction that Islam was the true religion and Mohammad was the final, or "seal of the prophets". Others converted after a period of dhimmitude, a condition where they were permitted to keep their Christian, Jewish, or Zoroastrian faith but with certain religious and economic restrictions. Having found the restrictions too onerous, many relented and converted for the social and economic benefits a Muslim enjoyed under an Islamic state.