"The claims it was a madrassa [Islamic school] were unfair," he said. "In our time we had Christians, Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists all mixed in one class. Every morning we would recite the state ideology of Pancasila [promoting unity in diversity]."
Coming from one of Indonesia's wealthiest families and with an American aunt, Dasaad spoke good English and took "chubby Barry" under his wing. They joined the Scouts together and every lunchtime would play tak gebok, an Indonesian version of dodgeball.
He remembers buying Obama a notebook and pencils for his 10th birthday, as he loved to draw. "He liked to draw superheroes; it was always Batman or Superman."
April 9, 2010
Indonesia Catholic School Promotes Ties to Obama Washington Post: Catholic Elementary School Seeks Recognition For Its Role in Obama's Life
"What Madewa and other old friends want to remind Obama about won't bring any joy to those in the United States who contend that the president is a closet Muslim. The truth, they say, is this: While Obama went to Besuki, a mostly Muslim school, for less than a year, he spent most of his four years in Indonesia studying at Santo Fransiskus Asisi, a Roman Catholic school run at the time by a stern Dutch priest. Classes began and ended each day with Christian prayers."
"Sometime in the third grade, Obama's mother moved up-market to Menteng. Obama switched schools to Besuki. He returned to the United States less than a year later. Exactly how many months he spent at Besuki is not known; the school's registration records were destroyed years ago by flooding".