Wanted: Progressive, Presidential Qualities

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’s 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 “irtidad” or “ridda,” usually translated from the Arabic as “apostasy,” but with connotations of rebellion and treason. Indeed, it is the worst of all crimes that a Muslim can commit, worse than murder (which the victim’s family may choose to forgive).

With few exceptions, the jurists of all Sunni and Shiite schools prescribe execution for all adults who leave the faith not under duress; the recommended punishment is beheading at the hands of a cleric, although in recent years there have been both stonings and hangings. (Some may point to cases in which lesser punishments were ordered — as with some Egyptian intellectuals who have been punished for writings that were construed as apostasy — but those were really instances of supposed heresy, not explicitly declared apostasy as in Senator Obama’s case.)

It is true that the criminal codes in most Muslim countries do not mandate execution for apostasy (although a law doing exactly that is pending before Iran’s Parliament and in two Malaysian states). But as a practical matter, in very few Islamic countries do the governments have sufficient authority to resist demands for the punishment of apostates at the hands of religious authorities.

For example, in Iran in 1994 the intervention of Pope John Paul II and others won a Christian convert a last-minute reprieve, but the man was abducted and killed shortly after his release. Likewise, in 2006 in Afghanistan, a Christian convert had to be declared insane to prevent his execution, and he was still forced to flee to Italy.

Because no government is likely to allow the prosecution of a President Obama — not even those of Iran and Saudi Arabia, the only two countries where Islamic religious courts dominate over secular law — another provision of Muslim law is perhaps more relevant: it prohibits punishment for any Muslim who kills any apostate, and effectively prohibits interference with such a killing.

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’s conversion to Christianity once it became widely known — 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’s Muslims is the least realistic.

daver wrote: Since Obama's "conversion" happened while still a child, he would simply be locked up until such a time as he returned to the fold. Under Islamic law, mind you.

daver wrote: I believe that some of Obama's statements regarding his Muslim heritage are less than completely honest.

daver wrote: In the scheme of things, it isn't something that particularly worries me...

NYTs wrote: No scholars of Islam were consulted because “we do not customarily call experts to invite them to weigh in on the work of our contributors,” he said

Welcome to My World, Obama

Yesterday, a front page New York Times story detailed how American Muslim voters feel that Obama has snubbed them. His campaign even told our sole Muslim congressperson not to campaign on Obama's behalf.

Although I agree that Obama has snubbed Muslim voters, I couldn't help but feel sorry for Obama reading the article. American Muslim leadership takes a couple big whacks at him, saying he "betrayed" them. Being disapproved of by American Muslim leadership? I am a charter member of that club, and it looks like Obama just joined. He and I will chase the elusive approval of the American Muslim community. Unlike Obama, I would love to speak at a mosque or a Muslim conference and, on rare occasion, do, but I generally do not meet leadership's rigid standards.

On the other side, I have right-wingers and religious zealots who think that Muslims' secret mission is to enslave Christians and establish Muslim rule. Even otherwise polite people I am meeting for the first time and non-professionally will ask me offensive questions, like why haven't you Muslims condemned 9/11?

I appreciate that politicians have to balance their message and actions with lip service to the evangelicals and hardliners in society. But even President Bush, whose policies have hurt many Muslims, visited a mosque at the time American Muslims needed a visit the most—right after 9/11. Seeing Bush and Secret Service remove their shoes at the mosque entryway, per Islamic custom, touched a place in my heart. I will never forget watching that live broadcast.

I know Obama can remove his shoes and move me too. I, and Muslims around the world, are just waiting for it.

What are you waiting for Obama to do? And if he doesn't, do you think he is taking your vote for granted?

—Asma

P.S. In our new poll, we want to know if you would vote for Cindy McCain or Michelle Obama. Tell us here.

Boygabriel wrote: Great post. I completely agree.

filmlover44 wrote: Great article about the origins of the "Obama is Muslim" emails.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/27/AR2008062703781.html?hpid=topnews&sid=ST2008062703939&pos=

Shaw says she has done extensive online research about Obama but believes many of the initial sites that provided "proof" of his Muslim background have been removed from the Internet: "Everything about his Muslim background was readily available on the Web in 2004. But they were all cleared from the Internet before he ran for Senate."

Eighteen percent of Americans think the sun revolves around the earth, one poll has found. Thus it seems slightly less egregious that, according to another poll, 10 percent of us think that Senator Barack Obama, a Christian, is instead a Muslim.

Journalists and campaign workers may think they are acting to counter misinformation by pointing out that it is not true. But by repeating a false rumor, they may inadvertently make it stronger. In its concerted effort to “stop the smears,” the Obama campaign may want to keep this in mind. Rather than emphasize that Mr. Obama is not a Muslim, for instance, it may be more effective to stress that he embraced Christianity as a young man.

"I understand he's from Africa, and that the first thing he's going to do if he gets into office is bring his family over here, illegally. He's got that racist [pastor] who practically raised him, and then there's the Muslim thing. He's just not presidential material, if you ask me."

"Said Jeanette Collins, a 77-year-old who lives across the street: "All I know for sure about Obama is that we're not ready for him."

I live by a simple rule. If you wore the uniform, if you served your nation with honor, and especially if you fought and were wounded in battle, then you have earned the right to be treated with respect.

That's why I am so outraged that the Republican party has systematically attacked the wartime service and patriotism of veterans who are running for office as Democrats. It is despicable -- the sign of a party more concerned about hanging onto power by any means possible than with giving veterans the respect they have earned.

If there is one lesson we learned from the 2004 presidential race, it is that when the Republicans question your patriotism, you have to hit back -- hard.

Boygabriel wrote: [quote=daver]Wow, I wish I could youtube. I've found some excerpts, but not the whole transcript yet. Suffice to say, that looks pretty fucked up from the guy that said...

daver wrote: [quote=Boygabriel][quote=daver]Wow, I wish I could youtube. I've found some excerpts, but not the whole transcript yet. Suffice to say, that looks pretty fucked up from the guy that said...

Boygabriel wrote: Just b/c McCain got called out on his presidential credentials doesn't inherently make it 'disrespectful'. Someone can disagree about what makes a good president w/o being disrespectful.

P.S. Obama disagrees with you as well...

Give me a break. A politican's diplomatic rejection of a controversial non-story? Yeah, that's a real indictment of Clark's comments.