I think they are giving him the benefit of the doubt. They are choosing NOT to believe he actually believed all that racist America-hating crap Rev Wright was preaching when he was a member there for 20 years.
So they figure he was just cynically networking for politics. I disagree. I think the fact that he had his children baptized there and named one of his books after a Wright sermon proves he believed all that racist crap. But, he threw Wright under the bus, so maybe he doesn't believe anymore.
You don't believe he's a Muslim Mojo? Isn't it true that someone with a Muslim father is considered a Muslim at birth? That would make Obama either a Muslim or an apostate, right?
My own opinion is, Obama is a Christian. That would make him an apostate in many Muslim's eyes. He might not want to visit the troops in Afghanistan. Afghanistan has the death penalty for people who make their own religious choices.
I believe Obama is a Christian because that's what he says he is. Bill Maher was born to a Jewish mother, but he says he's an atheist. Should I not believe him?
I'm surprised so many conservative Americans believe Obama is a Muslim or aren't sure what his religion is. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised.
Yes Obama was born to a Muslim father, and thus many Muslims today believe he is a Muslim, at least by birth. A lot of Muslims smile and joke about Muslims taking over America, ha ha ha:) Most Muslims are proud of Obama, I believe.
Some Muslims and Arabs are not happy with Obama because they believe he's just an extension of the same rigged system that's been oppressing people for centuries. He picked a Jew as his chief of staff, for Allah's sake.
But I've never heard a Muslim call Obama an "apostate". Probably because most Muslims think that would be silly. Most Muslims are proud of Obama's heritage. All Americans should be proud - it's one of the reasons America is such a great country. President Barack Hussein Obama is evidence of America's greatness. Be proud, America.
'Local man Scott Gentries told reporters Wednesday that his deliberately limited grasp of Islamic history and culture was still more than sufficient to shape his views of the entire Muslim world.
Gentries, 48, said he had absolutely no interest in exposing himself to further knowledge of Islamic civilization or putting his sweeping opinions into a broader context of any kind, and confirmed he was "perfectly happy" to make a handful of emotionally charged words the basis of his mistrust toward all members of the world's second-largest religion.
"I learned all that really matters about the Muslim faith on 9/11," Gentries said in reference to the terrorist attacks on the United States undertaken by 19 of Islam's approximately 1.6 billion practitioners. "What more do I need to know to stigmatize Muslims everywhere as inherently violent radicals?"
"And now they want to build a mosque at Ground Zero," continued Gentries, eliminating any distinction between the 9/11 hijackers and Muslims in general. "No, I won't examine the accuracy of that statement, but yes, I will allow myself to be outraged by it and use it as evidence of these people's universal callousness toward Americans who lost loved ones when the Twin Towers fell." '
"Yes Obama was born to a Muslim father, and thus many Muslims today believe he is a Muslim, at least by birth."
Well, let's remember to snicker at them as well when referring to the 27% of Republicans who think likewise. As someone who was defending Sharia law the other day, it surprises me that you don't think Obama is a Muslim, or at least an apostate. Under Sharia, he would be subject to the death penalty. Those six elusive principles notwithstanding....LOL.
I was not defending Sharia. I said I have no problem with Sharia if the six principles of Sharia are:
1. The right to the protection of life. 2. The right to the protection of family. 3. The right to the protection of education. 4. The right to the protection of religion. 5. The right to the protection of property (access to resources). 6. The right to the protection of human dignity
There is nothing in those six principles that says a Muslim who leaves Islam is an apostate. Muslims who seriously believe that Obama is an apostate (although I haven't met any) are as cookoo as those Iowa caucus voters who believe Obama is a Muslim.
There is no poll of Muslims asking them what they believe Obama's religion is. When I wrote "Yes Obama was born to a Muslim father, and thus many Muslims today believe he is a Muslim, at least by birth" I was postulating. I don't know what percentage of Muslims actually believe Obama is a Muslim. In any case, the vast majority of Muslims are not American.
Moreover, it's not shocking to hear a Muslim claiming that Obama is a Muslim - they are proud of Obama, after all, especially the Kenyans and Indonesians - they feel a connection to him, even if they realize he's a Christian. They admire him. I admire him too.
It is shocking, on the other hand, to hear Americans saying that Obama is a Muslim. They do not say it in a good way. They do not admire him. They do it to disparage him.
You really think people believe Obama's a Muslim just to disparage him? Isn't there a chance they read that someone with a Muslim father is considered a Muslim, whether or not that person agrees?
All that aside, I don't get your admiration for Obama. He's not exactly a "tear this wall down" Reagan. Or a "give your people freedom" Bush. He did coerce the Honduran people to take a dictator back. And he's supporting Mubarak while protesters are putting their lives on the line. I don't find the man admirable at all.
So the Republicans who believe Obama is a Muslim are basing this belief in the Islamic law, which according to you is "pretty clear", that says a Muslim who leaves Islam is an apostate?
A third of Republicans believe that Obama is a Muslim because they say Islamic law says he's a Muslim even though he says he's a Christian. LOL, cooky indeed!
Sumbul Ali-Karamali: "Assuming all Muslims follow medieval Islamic rules today is like assuming that all Catholics follow 9th century canon law. Islam, like Christianity, has changed many times over the centuries, and it continues to change. Focusing only on the nutcases who advocate a return to medieval times is ignoring the vast majority of modern Muslims."
'REPORT: At Least 13 States Have Introduced Bills Guarding Against Non-Existent Threat Of Sharia Law
This past November, Oklahoma voters by a 70-30 percent margin passed a ballot question that barred “state courts from considering international or Islamic law when deciding cases.” The new law — which was widely considered as unfairly targeting the Muslim community and blaming it for the non-existent threat of Sharia law in the United states — was blocked by an injunction issued just a few weeks later by federal judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange. The judge argued that the Sharia ban was unconstitutional because it violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment and unfairly singled out Muslims.'
I wonder if those Iowan Republicans would question the religion of an Egyptian who converts to Christianity as much as they’ve questioned Obama's religion. Imagine a Republican from Iowa saying about the Egyptian convert: "I think he's secretly a Muslim, or he may be a Muslim, cuz his father was a Muslim, and Islamic law says..."
It's clear that a large segment of the Republican party has a problem with a liberal African American being President. I guess we shouldn't expect conservative white folk from the middle of the country to like Obama. But this "Obama is a Muslim" thing is kinda weird. They're saying they don't believe the President when he says he's a Christian. Some people on FOX have perpetuated this perception of Obama as a Muslim. Except Glenn Beck says he thinks Obama is a Christian, but it's not the kind of Christianity he recognizes. LOL
Really though, so what if Obama's father was a Muslim? So what if Islamic law says that anybody born to a Muslim father is a Muslim? Are Republicans suddenly adherents of Islamic law? Do some American Christians really believe that anybody in America born to a Muslim father is really a Muslim, even if s/he says s/he is a Christian?
The "dingbat" Maury referred to is Sumbul Ali-Karamali, who 'grew up in Southern California, answering questions about Islam. She holds a B.A. from Stanford University, a J.D from the University of California at Davis, and a graduate degree in Islamic law from the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies. She has served as a teaching assistant in Islamic Law at SOAS and a research associate at the Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law in London. Her book, "The Muslim Next Door: the Qur'an, the Media, and that Veil Thing," is an academically reliable introduction to what Muslims believe and practice, but one written in the personal, anecdotal, everyday context of growing up Muslim in America.http://www.muslimnextdoor.com
The reason people doubt the President's religion is because of the bizarre church in which he was converted and practiced that religion. No one wants to believe their President is a genuine devotee to that sort of thing.
15 comments :
I think they are giving him the benefit of the doubt. They are choosing NOT to believe he actually believed all that racist America-hating crap Rev Wright was preaching when he was a member there for 20 years.
So they figure he was just cynically networking for politics. I disagree. I think the fact that he had his children baptized there and named one of his books after a Wright sermon proves he believed all that racist crap. But, he threw Wright under the bus, so maybe he doesn't believe anymore.
You don't believe he's a Muslim Mojo? Isn't it true that someone with a Muslim father is considered a Muslim at birth? That would make Obama either a Muslim or an apostate, right?
My own opinion is, Obama is a Christian. That would make him an apostate in many Muslim's eyes. He might not want to visit the troops in Afghanistan. Afghanistan has the death penalty for people who make their own religious choices.
I believe Obama is a Christian because that's what he says he is. Bill Maher was born to a Jewish mother, but he says he's an atheist. Should I not believe him?
I'm surprised so many conservative Americans believe Obama is a Muslim or aren't sure what his religion is. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised.
Yes Obama was born to a Muslim father, and thus many Muslims today believe he is a Muslim, at least by birth. A lot of Muslims smile and joke about Muslims taking over America, ha ha ha:) Most Muslims are proud of Obama, I believe.
Some Muslims and Arabs are not happy with Obama because they believe he's just an extension of the same rigged system that's been oppressing people for centuries. He picked a Jew as his chief of staff, for Allah's sake.
But I've never heard a Muslim call Obama an "apostate". Probably because most Muslims think that would be silly. Most Muslims are proud of Obama's heritage. All Americans should be proud - it's one of the reasons America is such a great country. President Barack Hussein Obama is evidence of America's greatness. Be proud, America.
AUGUST 30, 2010, The Onion: Man Already Knows Everything He Needs To Know About Muslims
'Local man Scott Gentries told reporters Wednesday that his deliberately limited grasp of Islamic history and culture was still more than sufficient to shape his views of the entire Muslim world.
Gentries, 48, said he had absolutely no interest in exposing himself to further knowledge of Islamic civilization or putting his sweeping opinions into a broader context of any kind, and confirmed he was "perfectly happy" to make a handful of emotionally charged words the basis of his mistrust toward all members of the world's second-largest religion.
"I learned all that really matters about the Muslim faith on 9/11," Gentries said in reference to the terrorist attacks on the United States undertaken by 19 of Islam's approximately 1.6 billion practitioners. "What more do I need to know to stigmatize Muslims everywhere as inherently violent radicals?"
"And now they want to build a mosque at Ground Zero," continued Gentries, eliminating any distinction between the 9/11 hijackers and Muslims in general. "No, I won't examine the accuracy of that statement, but yes, I will allow myself to be outraged by it and use it as evidence of these people's universal callousness toward Americans who lost loved ones when the Twin Towers fell." '
^The Onion article is satire, just to be clear:)
"Yes Obama was born to a Muslim father, and thus many Muslims today believe he is a Muslim, at least by birth."
Well, let's remember to snicker at them as well when referring to the 27% of Republicans who think likewise. As someone who was defending Sharia law the other day, it surprises me that you don't think Obama is a Muslim, or at least an apostate. Under Sharia, he would be subject to the death penalty. Those six elusive principles notwithstanding....LOL.
I was not defending Sharia. I said I have no problem with Sharia if the six principles of Sharia are:
1. The right to the protection of life.
2. The right to the protection of family.
3. The right to the protection of education.
4. The right to the protection of religion.
5. The right to the protection of property (access to resources).
6. The right to the protection of human dignity
There is nothing in those six principles that says a Muslim who leaves Islam is an apostate. Muslims who seriously believe that Obama is an apostate (although I haven't met any) are as cookoo as those Iowa caucus voters who believe Obama is a Muslim.
There is no poll of Muslims asking them what they believe Obama's religion is. When I wrote "Yes Obama was born to a Muslim father, and thus many Muslims today believe he is a Muslim, at least by birth" I was postulating. I don't know what percentage of Muslims actually believe Obama is a Muslim. In any case, the vast majority of Muslims are not American.
Moreover, it's not shocking to hear a Muslim claiming that Obama is a Muslim - they are proud of Obama, after all, especially the Kenyans and Indonesians - they feel a connection to him, even if they realize he's a Christian. They admire him. I admire him too.
It is shocking, on the other hand, to hear Americans saying that Obama is a Muslim. They do not say it in a good way. They do not admire him. They do it to disparage him.
"They do it to disparage him."
You really think people believe Obama's a Muslim just to disparage him? Isn't there a chance they read that someone with a Muslim father is considered a Muslim, whether or not that person agrees?
All that aside, I don't get your admiration for Obama. He's not exactly a "tear this wall down" Reagan. Or a "give your people freedom" Bush. He did coerce the Honduran people to take a dictator back. And he's supporting Mubarak while protesters are putting their lives on the line. I don't find the man admirable at all.
So the Republicans who believe Obama is a Muslim are basing this belief in the Islamic law, which according to you is "pretty clear", that says a Muslim who leaves Islam is an apostate?
A third of Republicans believe that Obama is a Muslim because they say Islamic law says he's a Muslim even though he says he's a Christian. LOL, cooky indeed!
Sumbul Ali-Karamali: "Assuming all Muslims follow medieval Islamic rules today is like assuming that all Catholics follow 9th century canon law. Islam, like Christianity, has changed many times over the centuries, and it continues to change. Focusing only on the nutcases who advocate a return to medieval times is ignoring the vast majority of modern Muslims."
I agree.
'REPORT: At Least 13 States Have Introduced Bills Guarding Against Non-Existent Threat Of Sharia Law
This past November, Oklahoma voters by a 70-30 percent margin passed a ballot question that barred “state courts from considering international or Islamic law when deciding cases.” The new law — which was widely considered as unfairly targeting the Muslim community and blaming it for the non-existent threat of Sharia law in the United states — was blocked by an injunction issued just a few weeks later by federal judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange. The judge argued that the Sharia ban was unconstitutional because it violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment and unfairly singled out Muslims.'
I wonder if those Iowan Republicans would question the religion of an Egyptian who converts to Christianity as much as they’ve questioned Obama's religion. Imagine a Republican from Iowa saying about the Egyptian convert: "I think he's secretly a Muslim, or he may be a Muslim, cuz his father was a Muslim, and Islamic law says..."
It's clear that a large segment of the Republican party has a problem with a liberal African American being President. I guess we shouldn't expect conservative white folk from the middle of the country to like Obama. But this "Obama is a Muslim" thing is kinda weird. They're saying they don't believe the President when he says he's a Christian. Some people on FOX have perpetuated this perception of Obama as a Muslim. Except Glenn Beck says he thinks Obama is a Christian, but it's not the kind of Christianity he recognizes. LOL
Really though, so what if Obama's father was a Muslim? So what if Islamic law says that anybody born to a Muslim father is a Muslim? Are Republicans suddenly adherents of Islamic law? Do some American Christians really believe that anybody in America born to a Muslim father is really a Muslim, even if s/he says s/he is a Christian?
The "dingbat" Maury referred to is Sumbul Ali-Karamali, who 'grew up in Southern California, answering questions about Islam. She holds a B.A. from Stanford University, a J.D from the University of California at Davis, and a graduate degree in Islamic law from the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies. She has served as a teaching assistant in Islamic Law at SOAS and a research associate at the Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law in London. Her book, "The Muslim Next Door: the Qur'an, the Media, and that Veil Thing," is an academically reliable introduction to what Muslims believe and practice, but one written in the personal, anecdotal, everyday context of growing up Muslim in America.http://www.muslimnextdoor.com
The reason people doubt the President's religion is because of the bizarre church in which he was converted and practiced that religion. No one wants to believe their President is a genuine devotee to that sort of thing.
Their doubt is a testament to their decency.
Post a Comment