It's very easy to turn a child into a Muslim--all they have to do is say the magic words. If Obama's stepfather took him to Mosque in Indonesia, it is highly likely that Obama was pressured into saying the magic words.
That doesn't make him a Muslim in my opinion--but it does make him a Muslim by Islam's opinion.
It's very easy to turn a child into a Muslim--all they have to do is say the magic words. If Obama's stepfather took him to Mosque in Indonesia, it is highly likely that Obama was pressured into saying the magic words. Senator Obama recited the shahada to the New York Times in 2007:
Mr. Obama recalled the opening lines of the Arabic call to prayer, reciting them with a first-rate accent. In a remark that seemed delightfully uncalculated (it’ll give Alabama voters heart attacks), Mr. Obama described the call to prayer as “one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset.”
(From Nicholas Kristof's column Obama: Man of the World in the New York Times of March 6th, 2007.)
The call to prayer, the adhan, begins with the shahada, the Islamic creed. As you mention, a single sincere recitation of the shahada is all that is required to be a professing Muslim.
He said the Shahada recently - - and voluntarily.
On February 27th, 2007, Barack Hussein Obama
said the Muslim call to prayer is "one of the prettiest sounds on Earth."
In an interview with Nicholas Kristof, published in The New York Times, Obama recited the Muslim call to prayer, the Adhan, "with a first-class [Arabic] accent."
The opening lines of the Adhan (Azaan) is the Shahada:
"Allah is Supreme! Allah is Supreme!
Allah is Supreme! Allah is Supreme!
I witness that there is no god but Allah
I witness that there is no god but Allah
I witness that Muhammad is his prophet... "
According to Islamic scholars, reciting the Shahada, the Muslim declaration of faith,
makes one a Muslim. This simple yet profound statement expresses a Muslim's complete acceptance of, and total commitment to, the message of Islam.
Obama knows this from his Quranic studies -- and he knows the New York Times will publish this fact and it will be seen throughout the Islamic world.
Regardless of Obama's religion, what message is he sending the world's 1.2 billion Muslims?
I suppose it's easy for Obama to remember the Shahada for the 35 years since he left Indonesia -- and in 'first-class' Arabic -- especially since he believes the Muslim call to prayer is "one of the prettiest sounds on Earth."
The fact that Obama can recall the Shahada after 35 years and the fact that he believes that the daily call to prayer is "one of the prettiest sounds on Earth" say that those Muslim prayers run through his head often -- what does that make him?
Original New York Times source -- requires Log In.
The Obama File
"That doesn't make him a Muslim in my opinion--but it does make him a Muslim by Islam's opinion."