No. It couldn't. It really couldn't.

This is a real newspaper, not the Fair 'n' Balanced Network, so couldn't some editor have stepped in and stopped this?

The global Muslim population will grow at about twice the rate for non-Muslims in the next 20 years, but the Muslim population in the United States will remain very small, according to a report released yesterday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

The research could ease fears of some anti-Islam activists who think Muslims are taking over the West. In 2030, Muslims are projected to make up just 1.7 percent of the U.S. population and 8 percent of the European population.

There's a slight problem. To bring it into focus, perhaps we could replace "anti-Islam activists" with "anti-Negro activists." Still happy with the amount of frontpage attention you're giving their interests?

Good, because that should suggest a rather massive hole in your premise. The "anti-Islam activists" who "think Muslims are taking over the West" aren't going to be relieved to hear that the 2030 projection is "just 1.7 percent," because their goal is zero. It's zero today, and it's zero for 20 years out. Have you not listened to these people? They're loonies. They're racists. They're eradicateurs. On the off chance you want to coddle them, you should at least be clear about their goals.