Nation's foremost thinkers: Obama's fault that people think he's a Muslim (& also he technically is)

Salon ^ | August 20, 2010 | Alex Pareene

[2ndDivisionVet]

Can you blame the president for misinformation campaigns against him? Some notable conservatives find a way.

With the news that the number of people who think Barack Obama is a Muslim is actually on the rise, lots of people are wondering who, exactly, is responsible for the persistence of this misconception. Some blame irresponsible members of the right-wing media for tacitly encouraging or even outright stating the belief that Obama is un-American, and that his true sympathies lie with the "Muslim world." Others blame Obama himself. And still others claim that Obama technically is a Muslim, so Americans who think that aren't even wrong.

In the "it's Barack Obama's fault that he is lied about, constantly," camp is intrepid Washington Examiner political correspondent Byron York. In his piece today, headlined "Obama has himself to blame for Muslim problem," York lays out a compelling case: Obama admitted that his grandfather was a Muslim, in a barbershop, in 1985. Also, other members of his extended family were and are Muslims. And so therefore it is accurate to describe Obama as having "Muslim roots," which ABC News and USA Today -- both arms of the Obama administration -- said when Obama went to Cairo. And because people just sort of half-pay attention to the news, they took that to mean that the president is a Muslim. And that, friends, is why it is Obama's fault that people think he's a Muslim.

Oh, wait, also:

Pew asked respondents how they learned about Obama’s religion. Most who believe Obama is a Muslim say they learned it through the media. But 11 percent say they learned it through Obama’s “own words and behavior.”

[2ndDivisionVet]

Were President Bush's father and stepfather Muslims? Did he attend a Maddrassa?

[taillightchaser]

I’m less worried about the puke being a muzzie than I am about him being a unrepentant communist.

[Clairity]

He talks like a Muslim, walks like a Muslim, acts like a Muslim - can’t imagine why people would think he IS a Muslim? (/Sarc)

[omega4179]

Where and when was 0 Baptised...that is the litmus test right? with his extremely opaque background we just don’t know anything about him.

[HerrBlucher]

I don’t understand why this is even an issue after the Stephanopolous interview. He admitted right there that he is a Muslim. Case closed.

And stephy sure screwed the pooch on that one. A real journalist would have stopped right there, and instead of correcting him, would have asked “Muslim faith? I thought you were a Christian.” And after Obama backtracks and explains, shephy should have said “wait a minute, you just blurted out you were a Muslim, that was your reflexive response, I am having a hard time now believing your claim to be a Christian.”

That is what a real journalist would have done, not a fellatojournalist like Stephy.

[Former Proud Canadian]

When did he renounce mohammed? Someone at a press conference should ask him that.

[aquila48]

Obama is neither a Christian nor a mulsim - his religion is... Obamism.

[editor-surveyor]

“Where and when was 0 Baptised...that is the litmus test right?”

.
No, baptism proves nothing.

Belief is what defines a Christian.

Either you believe that he is God, that he is the only way, that he suffered and died on the cross, and rose again, and that it is his shed blood deposited on the mercy seat in the presence of the Father that paid the price of your sin, or you don’t.

Obama’s answers to Rick Warren’s questions on the TV interview before the election prove that he is not a Christian.
.

[editor-surveyor]

Has anybody ever accused Step-in-awful-stuff of being a journalist?
.

[caseinpoint]

I think it’s because his sympathies clearly lie with the Muslims over the Christians or Jews.

He was the one who said he would stand with the Muslims should political winds blow against them, while saying Pennsylvanians were bitterly clinging to their Bibles.

He was the one who said there was no more beautiful sound than the Muslim call to prayer while attending a so-called Christian church where the pastor screamed “God bless America? No, no, no, God damn America.”

He is the one who wants Muslims to build at or near Ground Zero in New York while threatening Jews for building in Jerusalem.

He is the one who skipped the prayer breakfast and the Boy Scout centennial commemoration while hosting a Muslim Ramaden dinner.

He is the one who says he won’t attend church so he won’t disrupt the services while disrupting life for millions on his various outings through the country to tout his own image.

He is the one who said he recognizes Jesus Christ as A way to God, not as THE way to God.

In countless ways he shows his disregard or even contempt for Christianity and its adherents. In countless ways he goes out of his way to compliment and recognize transnational Muslim organizations and describes countries as governed by Muslims rather than whatever form of government that nation happens to be.

If he is Christian, there isn’t enough evidence to convict him of it while there is ample evidence he identifies with and favors Islam. I’m sorry I can’t hear what he’s saying because his actions are screaming too loudly.

[Leo Carpathian]

He not muslime, he born in hauaii, he no commie, he white angel hooping and changing rotten amerikaa into paradise.
Soon we all be un-employed, can enjoy gummit vacation. Reech will pay for all of it, so relax, retire and enjoy slavery. Payback bitch!

[CynicalBear]

One thing IS for sure. Every TV show they talk about it on it’s perceived as one of the most awful things a person could be. From print to on air to the blogs they fall all over themselves to clain he isn’t Muslom. Some even go so far as to say “why would these people say such awful things”.

I would think the Musloms in the world are getting the message that being a Muslom must be something Obama doesn’t want to be perceived as. Gattin kinda funny actually.

[DJ MacWoW]

They left out that as President of the United States the Muslim bowed to a Saudi Prince. That’s a muslim.

[pke]

It is painfully obvious that Obama is a chronic liar so why would Americans believe him when he says that he is a Christian?

[manc]

on FOX they had lauren Green and others say that he was a Christians because the white house says he sues the camp David chapel.

Well press and FOX for sure what is he, ?
Catholic, Prod what?
What church does he go to?
Why does he not go to church, why does he not celebrate Christmas, Easter etc?
Why did his wife not want the nativity scene and then it had on it a mass killer and other stupid bulbs?
Why did he say and I quote. “My muslim faith”

If you the far left and the press want to say he is a Christian then tell me what exactly he is and why does he not celebrate the holidays.

[manc]

does he still keep a muslim name too which Bush did not have?

[DBrow]

The article brought up a point I’ve brought up here many times. Born of a Muslim father, you are a Muslim.

As for “Airtight logic. Obama was born to an atheist who was born a Muslim, and so therefore by the “no-backsies” patrilineal rules of Islam, he was a little baby Muslim, even if he didn’t know it.” We have no evidence Barack Sr. was an atheist. Obama Jr has stated that his dad was a “nonpracticing” Muslim, but that assertion along with the atheist one is just backpedaling and lying to make certain things seem true today.

The article uses the word apostate, but in Islam, you are an apostate if you convert to Islam then leave. If you were born Muslim and convert to Christianity you are a murtad fitri, and the Koran prescribes your fate at the hands of a good, practicing Muslim. Death.

[goldi]

Why is CNN — or is it MSNBC? (Or is it both?) — making such a big deal of this? Why are they spending precious air time on this. They should just ignore it. Who cares? So what if Obama disses the Day of Prayer for the past two years? So what if he invites people to the white House to celebrate Ramadan (sp?) for the past two years? What is the big deal? Why is the liberal media so concerned with this? Obama is President of the United States. What difference does it make?/really heavy sarcasm LOL.

[TigersEye]

No misinformation here. Just the facts.

Is 0bama a Muslim?

• His biological father was a Muslim.
• His stepfather was a Muslim.
• As a child Barry was enrolled in school as a Muslim in Jakarta Indonesia.
• Barack Hussein 0bama's first and middle names are Arabic Muslim names.
• 0bama recited the opening lines of the Muslim call to prayer, which includes a vow of fidelity to Islam, in flawless Arabic on a radio program. - Nikolos Kristoff, NYTs, 3-06-07
• On that same program he said he thinks the call to prayer is "one of the prettiest sounds on earth."
• 0bama belonged to Rev. Wright's (a former Muslim) church for twenty years. Many congregants are Muslims.
• 0bama said that the U.S. is "one of the largest Muslim countries in the world."
• 0bama holds Muslim celebrations in the WH but canceled the National Day of Prayer.
• President 0bama's religious adviser, Eboo Patel, once deemed the United States “the ideal place for the renewal of Islam.”
• 0bama does not give gifts on Christmas.
• 0bama doesn't celebrate his birthday.
• 0bama falsely attributes Muslim participation in the founding of America.
• 0bama required that the cross be covered when he gave a speech at Notre Dame.
• Christian symbol covered up during Obama’s Georgetown speech
• 0bama's first major speech in office was a "Muslim outreach" speech in Cairo Egypt.
• “The American President told me in confidence that he is a Muslim,” said Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit on Nile TV.
• 0bama gave strong support to the Cordoba House community center and mosque to be built at the Ground Zero site of Sep. 11, 2001 at a dinner celebrating the day's end of the first day of Ramadan at the WH.
• 0bama tasked NASA with a mission of "Muslim outreach."
• 0bama referred to his faith as "my Muslim faith" in an interview with George Stephanopolous. (video 0:12)
• Barack Obama Mocks And Makes Fun Of The Bible (video 2:09)
• Obama: " We are no longer a Christian nation . . . " (video 1:27)
• As a newly elected Illinois State Senator Obama sponsored Bill SR0110 in the 90th General Assembly to declare November 1, 1997 to be Islamic Community Center Day. See the whole bill here.

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[bravedog]

Someone should post his Indonesian school record that shows his religion as “Islam”. That is the only item that I have seen that officially lists his religion. I trust the school record. After all, his mother was atheist and his dad was a muslim. What else are we supposed to think?