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President Barack Hussein Obama on His Muslim Heritage
(An excerpt from a letter
of President Obama written during his election campaign)
There has been a lot made in the recent weeks about the
Muslim history of my family. Some of the things that
have been said are true, others are false, so I am
writing this letter to clear up the
misunderstandings on this issue.
Yes, it is true that I have a name that is common
amongst Kenyan Muslims where my father came from and
that my middle name is Hussein. Barack is a name which
means "blessing" and Hussein is a masculine form of the
word beauty. Since there is nothing inherently wrong
with the concept of blessings from God and the beauty He
creates I fail to see the problem with these names. Some
will say wouldn't it be a problem to have a president
with a name similar to the deposed and executed former
dictator of Iraq ? My answer to this is simply no;
rather it is the strength and beauty of America that the
son of an African man with a "funny sounding" name, born
under British Colonial Rule, can now be a serious
candidate for the presidency of the United States .
My father was a Muslim and although I did not know him
well the religion of my father and his family was always
something I had an interest in. This interest became
more intense when my mother married
an Indonesian Muslim man and as a small child I lived in
Indonesia and attended school alongside Muslim pupils. I
saw their parents dutifully observing the daily prayers,
the mothers covered in the Muslim hijab, the atmosphere
of the school change during Ramadan, and the festiveness
of the Eid celebrations.
The man my mother was married to was not particularly
religious; but he would attend the mosque on occasion,
and had copies of the Quran in different languages in
the home, and books of the sayings and life of the
Prophet Muhammad. From time to time he would quote
Islamic phrases such as "no one truly believes until he
wants for his brother what he wants for himself",
"oppression is worse than slaughter", and "all humans
are equal the only difference comes from our deeds".
Growing up in Hawaii with my mother and her grandparents
Islam largely escaped my mind. My mother installed in me
the values of humanism and I did not grow-up in a home
were religion was taught.
It was later while I attended college at Columbia
University and Harvard Law that I became reacquainted
with Muslims as both schools had large Muslims student
populations. Some of them were my friends and many came
from countries that our nation now has hostile relations
with. The background I had from my early childhood in
Indonesia helped me get to know them and learn from them
and to me Muslims are not to be looked upon as something
strange. In my experiences up until
college a Muslim was no less exotic to me than a Mormon,
a Jew, or a Jehovah's Witness.
After college I settled in my adopted hometown of
Chicago and lived on the South Side and worked as a
community organizer. Chicago has one of the largest
Muslim populations in America (estimated to be around
300,000) and Muslims make-up some of the most productive
citizens in the area. I met countless numbers of Muslims
in my job as an organizer and later on in my early
political career. I ate in their homes, played with
their kids, and looked at them as friends and peers and
sought their advice.
Therefore, when the tragic terrorist attacks of 9-11
occurred I was deeply saddened with the rest of America
, and I wanted justice for the victims of this horrific
attack, but I did not blame all Muslims
or the religion of Islam. From my experience I knew the
good character of most Muslims and the value that they
bring to America . Many, who did not personally know
Muslims, indicted the entire religion for the bad
actions of a few; my experience taught me that this was
something foolish and unwise.
Later I had the chance to visit the homeland of my
father and meet Muslim relatives of my including my
grandmother. I found that these were people who wanted
the same things out of life as people right
here in America and worked hard, strive to make a better
way for their children, and prayed to God to grant them
success.
This is what I will bring to the office of the
Presidency of the United States . I will deal with
Muslims from a position of familiarity and respect and
at this time in the history of our nation that is
something sorely needed.
Courtesy:
From: Naila Ali <nailasimi@googlemail.com>
Date: Sun, Jan 25, 2009 at 2:13 AM
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