[excon]

Hello:

The internet smear campaign against Barak Obama is going strong. Some of you here have been participants. He may not win. But, if he doesn't, it's not going to be because I didn't set the record straight.

Yup, that's me. Your old record straightener outer.

We are asked to believe that Sen. Obama, who professes to be a practicing Christian and has spoken publicly of his "personal relationship with Jesus Christ," is in fact secretly a Muslim and has lied all along about his true religious affiliation.

No proof is offered by those who make these claims -- no sightings of Barack Obama attending a mosque, no pictures of him reading the Qur'an, praying to Mecca, or observing Islamic holidays with his family. The entire case, such as it is, rests on a confused and error-ridden recitation of Obama's upbringing and purported childhood influences. It also rests on -- or exploits -- a deep fear and mistrust of the Muslim faith.

That anyone, let alone a sitting U.S. senator with designs on the highest office in the land, would conceal being a Muslim for twenty-odd years while going through the outward motions of practicing Christianity (or vice-versa, for that matter) is a truly bizarre accusation. I would be tempted to dismiss it as paranoid lunacy if it weren't so obviously a crass, politically-motivated smear.

Was Obama's father, Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. a "radical Muslim who migrated from Kenya to Jakarta, Indonesia?"

No. Though Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. was raised a Muslim, he had lost his faith and become a "confirmed atheist" by the time he attended college, according to his son. Obama's parents separated when Barack was two, his father moving not to Jakarta, but to the United States, where he attended Harvard. Eventually he returned to Kenya.

Did Obama's mother go on to marry another Muslim named Lolo Soetoro who "educated his stepson as a good Muslim by enrolling him in one of Jakarta's Wahabbi schools?"

Yes and no. When Obama's mother remarried, it was indeed to an Indonesian man named Lolo Soetoro, whom his stepson describes as a "non-practicing" Muslim. But it was his "secular" mother who supervised his education, Obama has written, sending him to both Catholic and Muslim primary schools after the family moved to Jakarta. There is nothing on record to indicate Obama attended a madrassa (Muslim religious school) run by Wahabbists, and in any case it's unlikely his mother would have chosen to expose him to such an extreme form of Islam given her stated abhorrence of religious closed-mindedness and her stated goal of giving him a well-rounded education, including in matters of faith.

The school in question is the Basuki School in Jakarta, which a deputy headmaster described as a "public school" with no particular religious agenda. Obama entered the school at the age of 8 and attended for two years.

Is it true that when Obama was sworn into office he used the Koran (Qur'an) instead of the Bible?

No. Barack Obama placed his right hand on the Bible during his swearing-in ceremony. Whoever made this allegation has confused Obama with Congressman Keith Ellison, who really is a Muslim and was sworn in on January 4, 2007 using a copy of the Qur'an.

Is it true that Obama doesn't recite the Pledge of Allegiance or sing the national anthem and place his hand over his heart while doing so?

No.

excon

PS> If you find any other BS out there, you let me know. I'll fix it.

[ordinaryguy]

Good work, ex.

[NeedKarma]

Well done.

[RubyPitbull]

Sorry I haven't been paying attention to the political threads here lately. I would have jumped in on this sooner. Someone sent me one of those e-mails a while back in which Obama was accused of being a Moslem whose intention was to destroy our government from the inside out. It sounds like some people on this site believed all that crapola. I gave my friend who forwarded it to me hell for being so ignorant and continuing to forward that email on to more people. As long as people in this country insist on remaining ignorant about issues by taking junk mailings and treating them as gospel, and casting their votes based upon campaign advertisements they see on television, we will continue to have problems. Those people who refuse to do their due diligence are usually the first ones in line complaining about everything.

[NeedKarma]

Sadly Ruby it's not just simple mass emails:

[George_1950]

excon writes: "PS> If you find any other BS out there, you let me know. I'll fix it."
Aren't you spreading yourself kind of thin following all these politicians?

[excon]

Aren't you spreading yourself kind of thin following all these politicians?

Hello George:

Saving the world isn't easy, George. But, I'm up for the task.

excon

[speechlesstx]

Ex,

Good job, and though I might be tempted not even Hillary deserves to lose thanks to silly rumors. :D

Steve

[Dark_crow]

Frankly I haven't seen this “internet smear campaign against Barak Obama” and I certainly get around the net. But then I don't get to the “Radical” sites anyway…I leave those to the “Radicals.” What you write about him is readily available on Wikipedia to anyone who cares, and where I went when I wanted to know something about him.

He would be a very bad President because he is very inexperienced, naïve, and to far left from center.

[tomder55]

There is nothing to the rumor . By the way the smear is bipartisan . It was Bob Kerry speaking on behalf of the Clintonoids who brought the subject up when he asserted that Obama had spent time in a “ secular madrassa” (whatever that is?? ) . But conservative talk radio has been culpable also ;and of course the ugly rumor popped up on one of these discussion threads in the last week . I can just imagine the hate on the net

[shygrneyzs]

The Snopes site is good for ferreting these things out. Note the true item about Obama NOT placing his hand over his heart while the National Anthem is being played.

Urban Legends Reference Pages: Politics (Barack Obama)

[peggyhill]

Good for you ex. Thanks for setting the record straight.

[purplewings]

Here's a real easy way to find out if there is anything to those stories or not.

Urban Legends Reference Pages: Politics (Barack Obama)

[Fr_Chuck]

And it is amazing that even the right wing talk show hosts are not attacking Obama on any of those issues, in fact listing to one today, he even defends Obama on these points, he does not like some of the votes he has done, or does not like some of the bills he has co authored.
But those are proper arguments.

They were even saying he was a nice guy just too liberal. It is a wonder if the "right" is not really attacking him, where is all of this attack coming from. Sort of scares you when the right wing talk show hosts are defending Obama.

[letmetellu]

Quote: Was Obama's father, Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. a "radical Muslim who migrated from Kenya to Jakarta, Indonesia?"

No. Though Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. was raised a Muslim, he had lost his faith and become a "confirmed atheist" by the time he attended college, according to his son.
************************************************** *********************
Quote: Did Obama's mother go on to marry another Muslim named Lolo Soetoro who "educated his stepson as a good Muslim by enrolling him in one of Jakarta's Wahabbi schools?"

Yes and no. When Obama's mother remarried, it was indeed to an Indonesian man named Lolo Soetoro, whom his stepson describes as a "non-practicing" Muslim.
************************************************** *****************

In your post you say that it s a fact the Obama is a Christian. And only have his actions of attending a Christian Church as proof.
Yet in the Quotes the only proof that he is not a Muslim is the he said these things himself.

I am not saying he is or is not a Christian of for that matter a Muslim but I do wish there was some proof of some kind.

As far a being president he might make a very good one.

[Fr_Chuck]

His church attendance, his being baptised in the church to be a member but since we can't see the book in heaven to see if his name is on it, one has to look at things like his church attendance, swearing in on a bible and so on.

[sonnic2719]

I am a young republican Voter and I must say I did like Obama. I ABSOLUTELY HATE HILLIARY CLINTON! And I think McCain is old and to obsessed with the war in Iraq...

I heard about the muslim thing and found it not to hold water, HOWEVER!! I did see a video of obama and all the other democratic nominees on a stage and I must say what I saw was WAY WORSE then the muslim thing. As a Proud American I was sick when I saw the front runner of the Presidential election act in such a way...


YouTube - Barack Hussein Obama is a douche

Judge for yourself, But for me at least it is rediculas and unamerican!! It alone is a deal breaker for me... and hopefully you as well...


HOW CAN YOU EXPLAIN THIS EX?? :eek:

[speechlesstx]

HOW CAN YOU EXPLAIN THIS EX???????????????????????????????????????????????? :eek:

I'm not ex but I explain it as a non-issue... and I definitely NOT an Obama supporter.

[tomder55]

Yes pictures can be deceiving . I have been a big President Bush supporter and my opinion about Obama is summed up well in my signature space . Now a snapshot of President Bush would show that he doesn't know where his heart is .Does this show disrespect ?

[purplewings]

LOL. Maybe he doesn't know, but I'd rather think he was just distracted with other thoughts, or had a tummy ache.

It's probably also true that Obama was distracted rather than intentionally not saluting our flag.