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Monday, May 12, 2008
RezkoWatch FactChecker: NYT reports Obama is a Muslim by birth
Edward N. Luttwak, a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies, wrote in the May 12, 2008, New York Times
article, "President Apostate":
"But it is a mistake to conflate his African identity with his Muslim
heritage. Senator Obama is half African by birth and Africans can
understandably identify with him. In Islam, however, there is no such
thing as a half-Muslim. Like all monotheistic religions, Islam is an
exclusive faith.
As the son of the Muslim father, 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=92s
Christian background is irrelevant.
Of course, as most Americans understand it, Senator Obama is not a
Muslim. He chose to become a Christian, and indeed has written
convincingly to explain how he arrived at his choice and how important
his Christian faith is to him.
His conversion, however, was a crime in Muslim eyes; it is =93irtidad=94
or =93ridda,=94 usually translated from the Arabic as =93apostasy,=94 but
wi=
th
connotations of rebellion and treason. Indeed, it is the worst of all
crimes that a Muslim can commit, worse than murder (which the victim=92s
family may choose to forgive)."
The controversial blog Little Green Footballs, which had "raised the
issue" on February 11, 2007, commented:
"After relentlessly labeling anyone who brings up the issue of Barack
Obama=92s Muslim origins as a bigot, a racist, or a lunatic, suddenly
this morning the New York Times publishes an op-ed that actually
admits Obama was born a Muslim=97and that it might cause serious
problems in an Obama presidency."
Luttwak foresees possible problems with Muslim countries:
"At the very least, that would complicate the security planning of
state visits by President Obama to Muslim countries, because the very
act of protecting him would be sinful for Islamic security guards.
More broadly, most citizens of the Islamic world would be horrified by
the fact of Senator Obama=92s conversion to Christianity once it became
widely known =97 as it would, no doubt, should he win the White House.
This would compromise the ability of governments in Muslim nations to
cooperate with the United States in the fight against terrorism, as
well as American efforts to export democracy and human rights abroad.
That an Obama presidency would cause such complications in our
dealings with the Islamic world is not likely to be a major factor
with American voters, and the implication is not that it should be.
But of all the well-meaning desires projected on Senator Obama, the
hope that he would decisively improve relations with the world=92s
Muslims is the least realistic."
There will surely be more about this to come.
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