Obama - Our First Muslim President?

Our First Muslim President?
by Robert Spencer

The Los Angeles Times reported recently that
Barack Obama’s campaign seems to be modifying
its earlier affirmation that “Senator Obama has
never been a Muslim, was not raised a Muslim, and
is a committed Christian who attends the United
Church of Christ in Chicago.”

In a statement to the Times, the campaign offered
slightly different wording, saying: “Obama has
never been a practicing Muslim.” The statement
added that as a child, Obama had spent time in the
neighborhood’s Islamic center.

His former Roman Catholic and Muslim teachers,
along with two people who were identified by
Obama’s grade-school teacher as childhood friends,
say Obama was registered by his family as a Muslim
at both of the schools he attended.

The Cartoon Rage and Pope Rage riots were orchestrated
from above. The people who orchestrated them
know enough not to shoot themselves in the foot.
They (as well as Obama’s campaign) have a chance
here to portray Obama as someone who was raised as
a Muslim and thus has a keen understanding of the
Islamic world and the Islamic mind — rather like the
positioning of Bill Clinton as our “first black
President.” Muslim leaders worldwide will not be
saying, “He was raised a Muslim. Isn’t that terrible?”
They’re more likely to say, “He was raised a Muslim.
Isn’t that wonderful? At last, someone who can see
our point of view.” Given Obama’s politics, it will not
be hard to present him internationally as someone
who understands Islam and Muslims, and thus will be
able to smooth over the hostility between the Islamic
world and the West — our first Muslim President.

Barack Obama’s Muslim upbringing could
become the linchpin of an attempt to present him as
the only candidate who can end the war on terror.
We can only hope that, if he does become President,
he won’t propose to do this only by means of various
varieties of appeasement.

Mr. Spencer is director of Jihad Watch and author of The
Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades)
and The Truth About Muhammad (both from Regnery
— a HUMAN EVENTS sister company).