The fact that President Obama was born a Muslim was reported in the this New York Times editorial by Edward Luttwak over two years ago.
"As the son of the Muslim father, [then] Senator Obama was born a Muslim under Muslim law as it is universally understood. It makes no difference that, as Senator Obama has written, his father said he renounced his religion. Likewise, under Muslim law based on the Koran his mother’s Christian background is irrelevant."
We in the West view religious affiliation as strictly a matter of personal persuasion; not so in the Middle East and other parts of the world where Islam is the predominent religion.
Is President Obama a Christian? I happen to believe he is, though not exactly of the same creed as I am. Do Muslims consider him to be a Muslim? Many do, because of what the Koran teaches about how one becomes a Muslim (by birth).
As Luttwak points out in his 2008 editorial, for President Obama to denounce Islam amounts to apostasy in the eyes of many Muslims.
Problem? The only problem I see comes from fundie idiots like Franklin Graham, who deny reality and create their own version of the "truth" through repeated lies.
I think Franklin Graham's problem is he only got the deep dark forbidden parts of his father's brain with all the good things passing him by like wind.
If you're going to call Franklin Graham a liar, then you'll have to call Edward Luttwak a liar too, for pointing out that the "truth" for one billion Muslims (under Muslim law) is that Barack Hussein Obama was, and always will be, a Muslim, by virtue of his birth.
What you don't seem to be getting, Ted, is that that this is a question of perception: there's our perception in the West, which is that religious affiliation is based on a person's personal convictions and choice; and the perception of Islam, which is that being a Muslim is determined not by what you personally believe, but by who your father was. If he was a Muslim, then you're a Muslim.
I grew up in the United Church of Christ, the same denomination that President Obama is now a member of. We used to regularly recite the UCC Statement of Faith, which was pasted in the back of our hymnals after it was adopted in 1959. If President Obama attests to that statement (and I have no reason to believe that he doesn't), then I consider him to be a Christian. As a Southern Baptist, there may br differences with my demonination's teachings and his, especially the teachings of Reverend Wright regarding Black Liberation Theology, but those differences don't affect the bedrock teachings of Christianity.
But adherence to Islam isn't necessarily based on the free will of the person. People can voluntarily convert to Islam, but they can also become a Muslim against their own will, either "by the sword" (i.e. jihad) or by being born to a Muslim father. And according to Islam, once a Muslim, always a Muslim. To leave Islam is to be an apostate, which is punishable by death.
What Franklin Graham meant when he said the President Obama was "born a Muslim" merely reflects the belief of one billion people on this planet, not his own.
And if you don't think that poses a problem, if you don't think that our President has to be more cautious than all of his predecessors, referring for example to the Holy Koran (which he has one at least one occasion), lest he be seen by "fundie idiots" (your term, not mine) within Islam as an apostate, then you are underestimating the threat of extreme terrorist elements within the Islamic faith.
The "problem" is not with our President (regardlesss of what he believes or doesn't believe), nor with those of us who believe in freedom of religion for all people. The "problem" lies with those who would wage war on any country, or murder any individual, who disagrees with their religious beliefs, thinking that they are doing God's will by doing so.
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From the hilarious blog of Atheist Cartoons.
The fact that President Obama was born a Muslim was reported in the this New York Times editorial by Edward Luttwak over two years ago.
ReplyDelete"As the son of the Muslim father, [then] Senator Obama was born a Muslim under Muslim law as it is universally understood. It makes no difference that, as Senator Obama has written, his father said he renounced his religion. Likewise, under Muslim law based on the Koran his mother’s Christian background is irrelevant."
We in the West view religious affiliation as strictly a matter of personal persuasion; not so in the Middle East and other parts of the world where Islam is the predominent religion.
Is President Obama a Christian? I happen to believe he is, though not exactly of the same creed as I am. Do Muslims consider him to be a Muslim? Many do, because of what the Koran teaches about how one becomes a Muslim (by birth).
As Luttwak points out in his 2008 editorial, for President Obama to denounce Islam amounts to apostasy in the eyes of many Muslims.
And therein lies the problem.
Problem? The only problem I see comes from fundie idiots like Franklin Graham, who deny reality and create their own version of the "truth" through repeated lies.
ReplyDeleteI think Franklin Graham's problem is he only got the deep dark forbidden parts of his father's brain with all the good things passing him by like wind.
ReplyDeleteIf you're going to call Franklin Graham a liar, then you'll have to call Edward Luttwak a liar too, for pointing out that the "truth" for one billion Muslims (under Muslim law) is that Barack Hussein Obama was, and always will be, a Muslim, by virtue of his birth.
ReplyDeleteWhat you don't seem to be getting, Ted, is that that this is a question of perception: there's our perception in the West, which is that religious affiliation is based on a person's personal convictions and choice; and the perception of Islam, which is that being a Muslim is determined not by what you personally believe, but by who your father was. If he was a Muslim, then you're a Muslim.
I grew up in the United Church of Christ, the same denomination that President Obama is now a member of. We used to regularly recite the UCC Statement of Faith, which was pasted in the back of our hymnals after it was adopted in 1959. If President Obama attests to that statement (and I have no reason to believe that he doesn't), then I consider him to be a Christian. As a Southern Baptist, there may br differences with my demonination's teachings and his, especially the teachings of Reverend Wright regarding Black Liberation Theology, but those differences don't affect the bedrock teachings of Christianity.
But adherence to Islam isn't necessarily based on the free will of the person. People can voluntarily convert to Islam, but they can also become a Muslim against their own will, either "by the sword" (i.e. jihad) or by being born to a Muslim father. And according to Islam, once a Muslim, always a Muslim. To leave Islam is to be an apostate, which is punishable by death.
What Franklin Graham meant when he said the President Obama was "born a Muslim" merely reflects the belief of one billion people on this planet, not his own.
And if you don't think that poses a problem, if you don't think that our President has to be more cautious than all of his predecessors, referring for example to the Holy Koran (which he has one at least one occasion), lest he be seen by "fundie idiots" (your term, not mine) within Islam as an apostate, then you are underestimating the threat of extreme terrorist elements within the Islamic faith.
The "problem" is not with our President (regardlesss of what he believes or doesn't believe), nor with those of us who believe in freedom of religion for all people. The "problem" lies with those who would wage war on any country, or murder any individual, who disagrees with their religious beliefs, thinking that they are doing God's will by doing so.
And some of those problem people are Graham and his fundie cohorts. I consider Graham not only to be a liar, but also a racist.
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to Franklin Graham's "racist" organization, Samaritan's Purse.
ReplyDeleteWho are all those people of color that are being helped? Hmmm, I guess it must be another "question of perception." :)