One of the most common questions concerning many would-be voters for the upcoming 2008 presidential elections asks, "Is Obama a Muslim?." In fact many people actually believe that he is a Muslim. Of course, if Obama is a Muslim it would most certainly ruin his chances of winning the majority vote in 2008.
The urban legend that Barack Obama is a Muslim has been perpetrated by staunch Right Wing adherents and other individuals that are ignorant of the facts. Yes, it is true that Barack Obama's Father was a Muslim. But, Barack Obama himself is not a Muslim. The assumption that Obama is a Muslim is based on faulty and prejudice reasoning. If we were to apply the same logic to our own lives our identities would be so contorted that we would not recognize ourselves. Here is how it works...
My Grandfather was from Germany, so I must be a Lutheran. I'm not.
My other Grandfather was a Catholic from Italy, therefore I must be Catholic. I'm not.
My Grandmother was from Norway, therefore I must be a Viking. I'm not.
My other Grandmother was an orphan, so I must be an orphan. I'm not.
We are not guilty by association for the ethnicity or behaviors of our parents.
Some have asserted that Barack Obama attended a Muslim school as a child. Therefore, he must be Muslim. Although I do not know whether or not Barack Obama attended a Muslim school as a child, it is a well established fact that he did attend a Catholic school as a child. But, Barack is not a Catholic, and he is not a Muslim.
Barack Obama had been a member of the United Church of Christ for well over 20 years. That is a Christian faith, folks. He only recently left his denomination when individuals were asserting that he was guilty of some of the so called radical viewpoints of his pastor. That does not mean that Obama was radical. I don't always agree with everything my pastor says. Do you?
Barack Obama's mother was white and his father was black. Is Obama white? Is he black? I don't think it matters. I think Obama is an American.
Rest assured, Barack Obama is not a Muslim.
