Posted on 01/14/2008 9:11:02 AM PST by processing please hold
1. Was Barack Obama a Muslim?
The issue of Barack Obama's possible Muslim past has re-emerged with conflicting reports about the presidential candidate's childhood in Islamic Indonesia.
The controversy was initially touched off in early 2007 when several media outlets reported that Obama had attended a radical madrasa, or Islamic school, when he lived in Indonesia.
Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs quickly countered with a statement: "Senator Obama has never been a Muslim, was not raised a Muslim, and is a committed Christian."
The reports about the radical madrasa turned out to be false. But in March 2007, Gibbs amended his previous statement, telling the Los Angeles Times: "Obama has never been a practicing Muslim," the key word being "practicing."
Obama, his Kansas-born mother and Muslim stepfather moved to Jakarta, Indonesia's capital, in 1967, and Obama lived there from ages 6 to 10.
The Times sent a reporter to Jakarta to investigate Obama's childhood years there, and published an article on March 16 that included these details:
* A close boyhood friend of Obama, Zulfin Adi, said Barack "was a Muslim. He went to the mosque." * Obama's first-grade teacher at a Catholic school, Israella Dharmawan, said: "Barry (Barack's nickname) was Muslim. He was registered as a Muslim because his father was Muslim."
* In the third grade, Obama transferred to a public school, where he was also registered as a Muslim. At the school, Muslim students attended weekly religion lessons about Islam.
* In his autobiography, "Dreams From My Father," Obama mentions studying the Koran and describes the public school as "a Muslim school."
More recently, Middle East Forum director Daniel Pipes wrote on FrontPageMag.com that his research led him to conclude that "Obama was born a Muslim to a non-practicing Muslim father and for some years had a reasonably Muslim upbringing under the auspices of his Indonesian stepfather."
But on Jan. 2, the liberal organization Media Matters for America (MMfA) took issue with Pipes' report, criticized him for relying too heavily on the Times article, which it claimed was "disputed," in an effort to "revive Obama-Muslim falsehood."
Media Matters cited a March 25 article by Kim Baker in the Chicago Tribune that challenged several assertions in the Times story. Barker wrote that boyhood friend Adi "was not certain" about his statements regarding Obama's childhood and that he "only knew Obama for a few months."
The Media Matters Web posting stated: "Additionally, the Tribune reported that 'interviews with dozens of former classmates, teachers, neighbors and friends show that Obama was not a regular practicing Muslim when he was in Indonesia.'"
Media Matters also said that "Pipes did not note that Obama's Indonesian stepfather, Lolo Soetoro, has been described in the Tribune as 'much more of a free spirit than a devout Muslim.'"
Pipes fired back with a FrontPageMag.com article on Jan. 7, titled "Confirmed: Barack Obama Practiced Islam."
Pipes asked if any of the information from the Chicago Tribune article refutes "my analysis, as MMfA contends. It raises questions about two details in the Los Angeles Times account — the accuracy of the Catholic school's registration form and the reliability of Zulfin Adi as a source on Obama. But on the larger issue of Obama's religious practices during his Jakarta years, it confirms the Times account."
Pipes concludes: "Therefore, what MMfA calls the 'Obama-Muslim' falsehood' is in fact confirmed by both articles as truthful and accurate."
And he adds: "All this matters, for if Obama once was a Muslim, he is now what Islamic law calls a murtadd (apostate), an ex-Muslim converted to another religion who must be executed. Were he elected president of the Untied States, this status, clearly, would have large potential implications for his relationship with the Muslim world."
One would hope that those who are not going to vote for Barak Obama aren’t going to vote for him merely because he may or may not have been a Muslim. And I expect that those who are going to vote for Obama are going to vote for him even if he had been a Muslim. Since the Constitution says there is no religious test for office holders then that’s the way it should be.
bttt
all that’s missing is the bow tie
Laura Ingraham let is slip today that she got an email from BHO campaign, she has been giggling like a school girl about him for weeks.
And Rush of all people, is constantly talking about him nicely, constantly talking about Hillary, as if the Republicans have no decisions to make?
Maybe Republican’s obsession with the Clintons has gone on too long?
Ya think?
Thank you for the bumps to it.
BTTT
Who cares what he did in third grade? Could you imagine the mockery they’d get if they attacked Thompson because he once ate his boogies and made choo-choos in his pants?
You would think so.
Let’s not vote stupid.
Giggle
If people who vote for him without putting his childhood islamic teachings into the mix when considering him, then as Jeff Head said,.... “then we deserve what we get as a people as a whoile.”
What an idiotic comment.
What I would like to see investigated is that church he belongs to. What are those folks all about?????
I agree with you there. Irrespective of what Mr. Hussein Barack calls himself, that 'church' (tucc.org) is an abomination if they claim to be preaching Christ. They write that they are 'unashamedly Christian', yet their website just includes a focus on Africa, and white=bad/black=good, diatribes.
Christ Jesus came into the World to save sinners (of whom I am chief).
Preach that, not race politics.
Even a couple on this thread.
Only until they have sufficient numbers and enough politicians elected to do their bidding.
Also.......
Not all of us.
We are at war with radical Islam. IMHO, radical islam is much more an ideology and political system than it is a religion. Even if it is both, the fact that it is also an ideology and political system means it MUST be considered when voting. Obama has ties to Islam...it should be a concern for us particularly at this point in history.
During World War II, having ever been, or born into a family that was a devoted, religiously dedicated Imperial Japanese, who considered their Emperor their God, or into a Nazi one would have certainly diqualified one for consideration...if not legally, than clearly practically and with common sense.
At this point in or history, I believe the same holds. But, with all of the other reasons to discount Obama, ie. he is an unbelievably left-leaning, socio-marxist, it is just anther in the mix...but one that is worth consideration and thought IMHO.
Thanks for posting that picture. Every time I see it I’m reminded of exactly who he is. It’s very disturbing.
I tell ya, I would never vote for him, purely for his politics. Unfortunately, there isn’t anyone on the other side that I can get too excited about. McCain—good on national security but that’s about it. Romney—pretty good on economic issues but that’s about it. Giuliani—good on security, but a little too authoritarian, would overstep his bounds—still always the DA in my book. Thompson—good, but kinda lazy. Paul-—like a lot of his stuff (except security where he’s kinda crazy. Huckaboo— puhleeze go back to Arkansas (but I do give him points for his glibness. MYSELF-—oh, I ain’t running for sh*t. forgot
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