What’s in a Name, Hussein?
Remember the day the media pointed the finger at Barack Hussein Obama and claimed he was a Muslim? What I found most offensive about the allegations was that they dared to suggest it would be a bad thing if he did or ever had followed Islam. With Afro-American icons and idols such as Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X and even Michael Jackson having converted to Islam of their own free will, why wasn’t Obama’s choice of faith…well…Obama’s choice?
Muslims and Christians the world over may disagree on many things but they are united as they puzzle over Obama’s religious status. Both are sceptical of his self-identification as a Christian and assume that a baby born to a Muslim father and named “Hussein” must have begun life as a Muslim.
Muslim: A Literal Translation
In an article by Daniel Pipes, published during Obama’s presidential campaign, Lee Smith of the Hudson Institute explains the conundrum and grey areas pretty well:
“Barack Obama’s father was Muslim and therefore, according to Islamic law, so is the candidate. In spite of the Quranic verses explaining that there is no compulsion in religion, a Muslim child takes the religion of his or her father. … for Muslims around the world, non-American Muslims at any rate, they can only ever see Barack Hussein Obama as a Muslim.” He says.
Another affirmative detail in the eyes of many is the fact that Barack’s school record from Indonesia lists him as a Muslim.
The Word on The Streets in the Diaspora.
Here’s a selection of quotes from non-American Muslim sources on Obama and Islam:
“Obama is a Muslim and a person with an African and Islamic identity.”
- Libyan ruler Mu‘ammar al-Qaddafi.
“Obama may not want to be counted as a Muslim but Muslims are eager to count him as one of their own.”
- Naseem Jamali, Al-Jazeera
“He has to be good for Arabs because he is a Muslim. He can’t be a Christian. His middle name is Hussein.”
- Grocer in Beirut speaking to The Christian Science Monitor.
The Welcome Embrace Back Home
And here’s what US Muslims have to say:
During Obama’s campaign, Sayyid M. Syeed, President of the Islamic Society of North America told Muslims at a conference in Houston that regardless of whether he were to be elected, Obama’s candidacy would reinforce the potential that Muslim children could “become the presidents of this country.”
The Nation of Islam’s Louis Farrakhan called Obama “the hope of the entire world” and compared him to his religion’s founder, Fard Muhammad.
Obama: Muslim-lite?
Not all Muslims rejoice at the possibility of the President’s Islamic heritage. Some view him as a traitor to his birth religion; an apostate (murtadd) from Islam.
Daniel Pipe’s article features a controversial commentary by Shireen K. Burki of the University of Mary Washington, speaking before Obama’s election. Ms Burki claimed that his victory in becoming U.S. commander in chief could lead Al-Qaeda to “exploit his background to argue that an apostate is leading the global war on terror … to galvanize sympathizers into action.”
Kuwait’s Al-Watan referred to Obama as “a born Muslim, an apostate, and a convert to Christianity.” Syrian liberal Nidal Na‘isa repeatedly tagged Obama an “apostate Muslim”, in the Arab Times.
Not all opinions are quite so extreme. Yasser Khalil, an Egyptian researcher and journalist, reassures that many Muslims react “with bewilderment and curiosity” when Obama is labelled a Muslim apostate.
If Obama were to feel the call to follow/rediscover Islam, it would certainly throw a real spanner in the works, given differences in Muslim and (some) American views.
I know I’m an idealist but aren’t we all (fully entitled to be) right and wrong sometimes, and shouldn’t we all find a way to embrace our different beliefs, celebrate our diversity and live together in peace?
P.S. I never suggested John Lennon was a Muslim…
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Barack may have had a Muslim father, but his father left him to be raised by his mother.I cannot believe anyone with any common sense or sense of fairness at all would call him an Apostate Muslim. Most people are the religion they are raised to be by their family. Barack’s father did not raise him – I’m sure as far as Barack is concerned, he did not leave Islam, and therefore will probably not be “rediscovering Islam”
I think it is shameful the way the media played people calling him a Muslim as an insult or something to be feared. The reaction should have simply been that he is not.
I am an idealist – Barack Obama was elected because of his message of Hope, and because he was the smartest person running (though i think Hilary was a close second for smartest). I feel, as an American that he is the best suited person to represent America because of his diversity. What other person in politics could understand what it is like to be an African American, White, Bi-racial, Christian, Muslim, immigrant, poor, person raised by a single mom, lived in an Asian and Muslim country? who can understand better so many different people and points of view? To me he is America, diverse, compassionate, accepting – a melting pot of people all living together peacefully (or at least more peacefully than any other place on earth that is even close to this diverse)
Thank you very much for this. I also think it’s terrible to call anyone names because of their faith, least of all one who is trying to make such a difference. Yes, the portrayal of Barack Obama has been quite shocking. The aim of our article was to highlight this and to point out that Muslims, like people of any other religion should not be tarred with insults or labeled something to fear. It’s good to know that others feel the same way. Here’s to celebrating cultural and religious diversity.