'Muslim' Obama Story Draws Heat

1. Washington Post Draws Heat for ‘Muslim’ Obama Story


The Washington Post has been criticized for a story examining reports of Barack Obama’s “Muslim ties” — but the article’s editor says he is “a little puzzled” that readers didn’t recognize that the intent was to discredit those reports.

“I’m sorry it was misunderstood,” said Assistant Managing Editor Bill Hamilton. “It obviously makes me think about how I edited it.”

The Nov. 29 Post story — headlined “Foes Use Obama’s Muslim Ties to Fuel Rumors About Him” — said the Democratic presidential candidate “has had to address assertions that he is a Muslim and that he had received training in Islam in Indonesia, where he lived from ages 6 to 10…

“Despite his denials, rumors and e-mails circulating on the Internet continue to allege that Obama is a Muslim, a ‘Muslim plant’ in a conspiracy against America, and that, if elected, he would take the oath of office using a Koran, rather than a Bible.”

Obama is a member of a congregation of the United Church of Christ in Chicago.

The Post story does note that Obama aides “sharply disputed” stories that he was a Muslim, and cites an “early rumor” springing from an article in the online magazine Insight that Obama had spent at least four years in a madrassa, or Muslim seminary, in Indonesia. The magazine attributed this assertion to background information collected by Hillary Clinton’s campaign, according to the Post.

In the wake of the Post story, “there have been angry e-mails… and allegations that the Post is swift-boating the Illinois senator by discussing rumors at length, without mentioning whether they’ve been thoroughly discredited by other media,” The Politico reports.

Columbia Journalism Review’s Paul McLeary complained in an online piece that the Post mentioned the Insight article without adding that a CNN reporter flew to Indonesia almost 11 months ago and debunked it.

McLeary said the Post story “may be the single worst campaign ’08 piece to appear in any American newspaper so far this election cycle.”

Hamilton countered that “saying something is a rumor is not saying it’s true. We didn’t say it was a false rumor. To me, a rumor is not true.”

But he conceded to The Politico: “Obviously we did something that we should have been careful about.”

A volunteer coordinator for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign recently resigned after forwarding a chain e-mail that suggested Obama is a Muslim who wants to destroy the U.S. by being elected to its highest office.

A poll in August by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that 45 percent of respondents would be less likely to vote for a Muslim candidate for any office.

HT: Email from Newsmax.com

Previous blogposts on this issue:

LGF: AP Changes Obama/Muslim Connection Story

Excerpt:

As we noted yesterday, the Associated Press released a story stating that Barack Obama had been a Muslim in his childhood. This is the original version of their lead paragraph:

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Sunday he does not think voters have a litmus test on religion, whether evangelical Christianity or his childhood years in the Muslim faith.

Later, the AP article was changed to read:

IOWA FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Sunday he does not think voters have a litmus test on religion, whether evangelical Christianity or his childhood years in a largely Muslim country.

News Roundup 2/12/07

So, is it really just a rumor or could there be some truth to these allegations?

Lots of articles and blogposts to read and see for yourself!

Here's a very interesting one from the list:

Barack Obama Apostate From Islam?

Excerpt:

Today, [Note: written @ 8 months ago] the LA Times reports that a childhood friend of Obama’s claims that he did attend Friday prayers at the mosque–

The childhood friends say Obama sometimes went to Friday prayers at the local mosque. “We prayed but not really seriously, just following actions done by older people in the mosque. But as kids, we loved to meet our friends and went to the mosque together and played, said Zulfin Adi, who describes himself as among Obama’s closest childhood friends.

“His mother often went to the church, but Barry was Muslim. He went to the mosque,” Adi said. “I remember him wearing a sarong.


Additionally, the LA Times recounts statements made by Barack Obama’s third- and fourth-grade teacher
“At that time, Barry was also praying in a Catholic way, but Barry was Muslim,” Dharmawan said in Obama’s old classroom, where she still teaches 39 years later. “He was registered as a Muslim because his father, Lolo Soetoro, was Muslim.”

The Times additionally reports that Obama was a registered Muslim and attended weekly religious instruction on the Koran, the Muslim holy book–

Bugs have eaten Obama’s file in the [middle] school’s archive, said Vice Principal Hardi Priyono. But two of his teachers, former Vice Principal Tine Hahiyari and third-grade teacher Effendi, said they remember clearly that at this school too, he was registered as a Muslim, which determined what class he attended during weekly religion lessons.

BUGS have EATEN OBAMA'S FILE IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL'S ARCHIVES?

Is that just code word for getting rid of files that they don't want to get out for public viewing? Sounds like the Muslim version of the Sandy Berger theft escapades!

This is just all too suspicious, people. He and his "people" obviously are actively hiding something...

Oprah and all the rest of Obama's minnions must have blinders on.

The more that I read about this guy, the less I trust him. Lies, omissions, and cover-ups galore!

And... it all could spell danger for our nation if he's ever elected to the presidency.

HT: Foe Hammer's Anvil