Monday, October 27, 2008

Barack Hussein Obama is not a Muslim

Anti-Obama Billboard
Near West Plains, Missouri
(Image from Baxter Bulletin)

As I've often stated, I don't make political recommendations on this blog, nor do I reveal whom I vote for, but I do comment on politics and political issues -- as every reader undoubtedly already knows.

Last February when I visited my hometown in the Arkansas Ozarks, I had a discussion with the father-in-law of one of my brothers. He was convinced that Obama was a Muslim. Apparently, some significant percentage of voters believe this as well.

A billboard near West Plains, Missouri -- a small town about 35 miles from my hometown of Salem, Arkansas and a place that I know very well -- presents a political caricature of Obama wearing a turban and identified as Barack "Hussein" Obama. Obviously, this billboard is an attempt to play upon the suspicion that Obama is a Muslim.

Barack Hussein Obama is not a Muslim despite his middle name "Hussein" and even his first name "Barack" -- not if freedom to choose one's religion has any significance in the United States. Obama was born in Hawaii to parents who were a nominally Muslim father from Kenya and a nominally Christian mother from Kansas. If one follows Muslim law, also known as shariah, then that would indeed qualify Obama as a 'Muslim', but the United States does not follow shariah. Obama was raised primarily by his nominally Christian grandparents and does not seem to have been religious at all until converting to evangelical Christianity during his post-university time as a community organizer working in Chicago.

Obama is therefore a Christian by choice.

I ought to add -- in partial agreement with Colin Powell -- that even if Obama were Muslim, that point should not matter. It would only matter if Obama were an Islamist aiming at instituting shariah rather than defending the US constitution.

Whether one votes for or against Obama, vote on the issues, not on the false rumor of Obama being a Muslim.

More about the controversial billboard can be read in the Baxter Bulletin.

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17 Comments:

At 7:02 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

A slight correction Jeff, Senator Obama's mom was from Eldorado Kansas. The only reason I know this is because sometime back he adddressed an assembly at Butler County Community College and the news report mentioned that it was, for Obama "a homecoming" of sorts.

Because I had actually at one time attended that same college and too, my eldest daughter was herself born in Eldorado Kansas, I did a little digging. Initially (for reasons I'd prefer not to put here) I rather doubted some "things."

Turned out my ex-spouse was familiar with the grandparents.

Very recently a comment on a "school thread" which I now attend made some assertions that reflect pretty much what your post reveals-and a bit more.

Normally I simply look at the threads in the off-chance somebody has something for sale I might want, but don't bother to offer rebuttals on political stuff. But in that case, I thought "well, I've been hearing this stuff and since it's just goofy enough that maybe I should."

The "Hussein name thing" was a big part of the proof that obviously anybody named thus could not be a good President.

While I specifically mentioned I was certainly not endorsing the guy I did say that if the mere fact that a guy might bear a certain name he should have argued with his mom just after he passed the uterine canal.

I also noted that whenever a discussion of "who's on the top ten lists of Presidents?" occurs, generally a guy named George Washington makes the cut. So following that logic, naming a kid "George" should mean that he is bound to lead the country in a manner befitting his name.

Incidentally, that was the last such comment on the thread.

JK

 
At 7:47 AM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

Thanks, JK. I'll correct that.

I was going on memory from Obama's autobiography, and I hesitated as I wrote "Hawaii" but didn't take time to check for sure. By the way, Wikipedia says that she was born in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Is that near Eldorado?

Jeffery Hodges

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At 8:25 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Not really near. I was simply going on what my former wife told me. That "his mom grew up in Eldorado" and "his grandparents lived here for decades."

That and the news story mentioned that "it was a homecoming for Senator Obama."

However, my former wife has been known to make a few mistakes. She married me.

JK

 
At 8:34 AM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

JK, next time, you'll choose better.

My advice? Like Groucho Marx, you should live by this principle: "I'll never marry anyone who would get married to me."

Jeffery Hodges

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At 9:21 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Uh, nope. The only woman I'll have a consistent relationship with now that I've "enjoyed" my ealier costlies will be my mostly faithful Nadine.

I realize it's odd to call a computer either faithful or Nadine, but other than not being adept at making dinner, I'm pretty satisfied with the way things stand.

I sent you a link. We were both wrong initially (or here I can blame my ex for something sort of "truly").

Computers are cheaper than lawyers.

JK

 
At 10:31 AM, Blogger Hathor said...

I had seen the billboard before. I guess I had run into too such crap on the net, I was hardly phased by it.

No sooner than I had berated a commenter about using the term "Obama's thugs" and its affect in the culture, the Ashley Todd story broke.

 
At 10:54 AM, Blogger John B said...

Dr. Stanley Dunham was born in the midwest, but she moved several times in her childhood. All of those places have been trying to claim her lately.

She's really an amazing woman. Her contributions to SE Asian anthropology and the new field of micro-financing are worth looking into, even if you're not in the field.

 
At 11:45 AM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

JK, I am happy for you and Nadine. Not every individual is courageous enough to acknowledge an intimate relationship with a personal computer.

How are you treated when you go out on the town together?

Jeffery Hodges

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At 11:48 AM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

Hathor, I hadn't heard about the so-called Obama's Thugs. Thanks for the link.

Jeffery Hodges

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At 11:49 AM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

John B, you're always giving me homework . . . not that I mind.

By the way, you meant to type "Ann" but typed "Stanley" instead.

Jeffery Hodges

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At 12:37 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

When we rarely do get out most people ask me questions, some are surprised more than others. Nadine stares blankly.

But her memory is much better than mine. I think that's because her one experience with beer was durned near fatal.

Thank goodness she's forgiving and tolerant.

JK

 
At 12:39 PM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

JK, you have an amazing *cough* woman.

Jeffery Hodges

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At 3:08 PM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

Anonymous, you should learn to summarize or to link. You wrote:

"I found the article on obama written by Reuven Koret."

Let me supply the link:

Is Barack Obama a Muslim wolf in Christian wool?

I've deleted your very long copy-and-paste.

Jeffery Hodges

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At 4:50 PM, Blogger John B said...

Stanley was her given name, Anne her middle name. She usually went by Anne, and she might have changed it, but her PhD and, I think, much of her academic work, listed Stanley Dunham.

At any rate, if I was going to search for her abstracts I'd try both names.

 
At 6:12 PM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

John B, it seems that you're right about the "Stanley" . . . though I think that the middle name is "Ann" rather than "Anne."

I must surely have learned this "Stanley" fact in Obama's autobiography, but I guess that disbelief overruled my memory.

Jeffery Hodges

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At 12:36 AM, Blogger Al-Ozarka said...

We don't really know what he is, do we?

We do know that he sat under pastor who acknowledged "Minister" Farrakhan...a Muslim...a radical one at that. Militant even.

We do know that he intends to negotiate with known terrorist nations and other nations that mean us harm.

We do know that he prefers capitulation above opening a can of whup-ass.

And there are large chapters of his life that have been purposely hidden...or of which noonw is allowed to question.

I don't know about you, but I don't want someone like that leading my country.

We also know that he uses every means at his disposal to crush any opposing voice. Take a look at what his campaign and his supporters have done to Palin and "Joe" the Plumber.

He speks well...but says absolutely nothing at all...especially if you compare what he says to one crowd and what he says to another.

I don't like McCain. I do like Palin...I think she is the farthest thing from an elitist who will try to control the most minute details of Americans' lives.

Obama has clearly indicated that is exactly what he intends to do.

We have Dingy Harry as the Majority Leader in the Senate. We have the representative of Fagsville as Speaker of the House.

We DON"T need a marxist trivecta ruling our nation.

And that's what we'll get with a Barrack Hussein (hey, it's his middle name...he shouldn't be ashamed of it) Obama presidency.

Do I think he's a Muslim? I don't know. I know he's a leftist...and I will not vote for him or support him as my president.

 
At 3:44 AM, Blogger Horace Jeffery Hodges said...

Daddio, I don't think Obama's a Muslim (except technically according to shariah), but he is left of center, and that -- in my opinion -- is a reasonable basis upon which to cast one's vote.

Jeffery Hodges

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