Posted on 01/07/2008 5:01:52 AM PST by SJackson
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Confirmed: Barack Obama Practiced Islam |
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By Daniel Pipes
FrontPageMagazine.com | Monday, January 07, 2008
In a recent analysis, “Was Barack Obama a Muslim?” I surveyed available evidence and found it suggests “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 step-father.” In response, David Brock’s organization, Media Matters for America (MMfA), which calls itself a “progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media,” has criticized one of my sources of information.
MMfA contends in “Daniel Pipes relied on disputed LA Times article to revive Obama-Muslim falsehood,” that “key aspects” of a March 16, 2007, Los Angeles Times article I quoted were later challenged by another newspaper account, “History of schooling distorted,” by Kim Barker in the Chicago Tribune on March 25.
Falsehood? That's a strong word.
To assess MMfA’s claim, let’s review its preferred article and examine what Barker has to say on four topics related to Obama’s Indonesian years, 1967-71:
To start with, about the Catholic school, Fransiskus Strada Asisia, which Obama attended 1967-70 (words in square brackets are added by me):
Interviews with dozens of former classmates, teachers, neighbors and friends show that Obama was not a regular practicing Muslim when he was in Indonesia, despite being listed as a Muslim on the registration form for the Catholic school, Strada Asisia, where he attended 1st through 3rd grades. At the time, the school most likely registered children based on the religion of their fathers, said [Israella Pareira] Darmawan, Obama’s former [1st-grade] teacher. Because Soetoro was a Muslim, Obama was listed as a Muslim, she said.
The enrollment form from the Catholic school, which has been cited as evidence that Obama was a Muslim in Indonesia [including by the Los Angeles Times], also was rife with errors. It listed Obama as an Indonesian, listed his previous school incorrectly and failed to list his mother, Ann, at all.
About Obama’s time at a public elementary school, 1970-71, variously known as the Sekolah Dasar Nasional Menteng No. 1 or the Basuki school, Barker writes:
When Obama attended 4th grade in 1971, Muslim children spent two hours a week studying Islam, and Christian children spent those two hours learning about the Christian religion.
During a recent visit to this public school, Barker found that:
Weekly religious classes are required for all students, whether Muslims, Christians, or Hindus, under the government curriculum. A new shiny mosque is in the corner of the courtyard. “The Muslims learn about Islam, prayer and religious activity,” said Hardi Priyono, the vice principal for curriculum. “And for the Christians, during the religious class, they also have a special room teaching Christianity. It’s always been like that.”
About Obama’s step-father, Lolo Soetoro and his religiosity, Barker writes:
In their first neighborhood, Obama occasionally followed his stepfather to the mosque for Friday prayers, a few neighbors said. But Soetoro usually was too busy working, first for the Indonesian army and later for a Western oil company. “Sometimes Lolo went to the mosque to pray, but he rarely socialized with people,” said Fermina Katarina Sinaga, Obama’s 3rd-grade teacher at the Catholic school, who lived near the family. “Rarely, Barry [a nickname for Barack] went to the mosque with Lolo.”
Barker learned from his friends and family that Lolo Soetoro, who died in 1987, was “much more of a free spirit than a devout Muslim” and “hardly the image of a pious Muslim.”
His nephew, Sonny Trisulo, 49, said Soetoro always liked women and alcohol. One of his health problems was a failing liver. “He loved drinking, was a smart and warm person, the naughtiest one in the family,” Trisulo recalled.
As for Zulfan Adi, cited in the Los Angeles Times piece:
Zulfan Adi, a former neighborhood playmate of Obama’s who has been cited in news reports as saying Obama regularly attended Friday prayers with Soetoro, told the Tribune he was not certain about that when pressed about his recollections. He only knew Obama for a few months, during 1970, when his family moved to the neighborhood.
Does any of the above information from the Chicago Tribune article refute 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 Zulfan 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. Note in particular three excerpts from Barker’s article:
· “Interviews with dozens of former classmates, teachers, neighbors and friends show that Obama was not a regular practicing Muslim when he was in Indonesia” – implying he was an irregularly practicing Muslim.
· “Obama occasionally followed his stepfather to the mosque for Friday prayers, a few neighbors said” – confirming that he did pray in the mosque.
· “Obama’s 3rd-grade teacher at the Catholic school, who lived near the family [said that] ‘Rarely, Barry went to the mosque with Lolo’” – confirming that Obama attended mosque services.
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 United States, this status, clearly, would have large potential implications for his relationship with the Muslim world.
In sum: Obama was an irregularly practicing Muslim who rarely or occasionally prayed with his step-father in a mosque. This precisely substantiates my statement that he “for some years had a reasonably Muslim upbringing under the auspices of his Indonesian step-father."
Therefore, what MMfA calls the “Obama-Muslim falsehood” is in fact confirmed by both articles as truthful and accurate.
Calling this a falsehood is in itself a falsehood.
it’s not enough to move the traditional jewish vote to the republicans.
“I don’t see this as much of an electoral issue”
I don’t think it should be an issue at all. I think if the Republicans start attacking Obama on his Muslim background, whatever it may be, it’s going to backfire into making Republicans appear prejudicial.
We have enough problems as it is during this election.
Man if the dems somehow nuked Tel Aviv the Jews would still vote democrat.
We have “enough problems” alright, Obama mania is catching on, and it isn’t looking good for Republicans.
I say keep this news down until he gets the nomination.
At least, not until the Commodities Scam Queen succumbs.
ML/NJ
You posted: Obama mania is catching on, and it isn’t looking good for Republicans.
***
It is WAY too early to worry about the fall, IMO. Obama is good for us. His lack of experience will hurt him with any statesman-level candidate the GOP may find (and the top tier GOPers are all statesmanlike, even if some are better than others), and even if the worst were to happen and Obama were to win, he will have a hard time getting his lib plans through. (I do, however, fear his presidency should military action be needed anywhere.)
All of that said, better Obama than Hillary. I believe Obama is wrong, but I believe Hillary hates America.
sw
The mainstream media is making an issue of Romney’s religion. It willfully and deliberately is ignoring Obama’s religion.
I agree with you. I look at this like somebody overcoming an addiction. Sure it was bad at the time, but they are a better person for overcoming their shortfalls and make a better person of themselves.
Yes, and we should definitely not look prejudicial concerning the “Religion of Peace”! /sarc
i wonder if she HRC will make something of his black separatist pastor in Illinois......
He was in elementary school. I don’t like having to defend the guy, but come on...ancient history.
It’s a better idea to attack him on his vision for America...or rather lack thereof.
We’ll see.
Right. And then bury it.
It's a loser as far as campaign issue. One may as well use the fact that his middle name is Hussein as an issue.
There are so many other reasons not to elect him president (policiies, lack of experience, current associates), the question of what religion he practiced as a child seems forced.
To raise an uncomfortable analogy: why plant a dubious glove when the bloody handprints are all over the place?
As I've mentioned before I attended Catholic elementary school. There were many children of different faiths including Muslims (Persia now Iran) in my classes. Going to Mass everyday was a no prisoners adventure but the non-Catholic children did not have to take religion class. They went to art or music during religion class.
I'd much prefer that a candidates's religion was not a factor in that candidate's qualifications to be president of the United States. After all... none of the candidates will have any luck trying to convert the country. People would flip if that candidate even tried to convert them.
Who is the “We” of whom you speak. I for one, do not want anyone with any Muslim name, training or relatives near the Presidency of this country. Let the facts be known about Barack Hussein Obama.
No Magic Candidates for me or many other voters.
The word 'change' is starting to come forth from the Pubbies mouths. This, IMO is a grave mistake.
The Republican platform has always been a conservative, if not Christian, list that reflected the founders and their writings.
The moment the Republicans start to use the words of the Socialists, they are triangulated, marked and fired upon.
Words mean something.
Our only chance against Obama is to expose him for the anti-American Socialist he is, and make the case that America is under attack, more fierce than 9/11.
9/11 was horrible and tragic ... but it didn't kill America ... just divided us more clearly.
Socialism will kill America ... and there's more than a few of us that won't go down without a fight.
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