The Trouble With Ignorance, Racism & E-Mail
We have all received the various e-mails with the myths, legends and hoaxes attached. People, even some of the more intelligent ones, seem to forget that all that comes into the inbox isn't necessarily gold... or even the truth.
I make it a habit, when one of these e-mails enters my inbox, to reply to all (including those embedded in the MIME headers) with an explanation of the myth, legend, hoax or erroneous messages that are being circulated. This takes a bit of time, but it seems to pay off in that many people have taken to checking the various virus alert web pages, the various hoax alert pages, as well as doing a little bit of googling to find out if the info passed along is even accurate, truthful or less than racist bigotry.
Most recently I received an e-mail purportedly detailing Sen. Barack Obama's heritage as linking him to Islamic jihadists and extremists. The problem is that the entire e-mail is nothing but conjecture, assumption and disinformation based on a few facts and a lot of falsehoods.
The original e-mail is reproduced here so that we can examine its contents for truth, accuracy and less than honorable intent. Below each highlighted section I am including my response(s).
I googled Obama for a bio. On the web there really aren't a whole lot of sites dedicated to Obama's past and/or family history. But I was able to verify the part about being born in Hawaii to Ann Dunham and Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. However, the first place where the author of this e-mail, reportedly one Roz Fischer, seems to be offering conjecture is in the statement that Ann Dunham was/is an atheist. I searched using three different search engines and found no information as to the religious affiliation--or non-affiliation--for Obama's mother. So one has to question the validity of that statement, as well as the political ideology of the author of this e-mail. Such a statement certainly smacks of the prejudice, bigotry and outright misrepresentations we have seen from a number of the Religious Right (i.e. the many we see coming from Pat Robertson, Ann Coulter, James Dobson, et. al).
But we really have to ask whether or not Ann Dunham's religious beliefs are of any importance in this situation. Barack Obama is a member of a Christian Church and has been for some time. Should we be judging him by his behaviors, views and commitments?
Obama's parents did separate when he was two years old, but none of the web sites I checked gave the exact date (or Barack's age) when the divorce was applied for or finalized. So this information is suspect at best.
His father did return to Kenya, but not before attending Harvard University long enough to finish off a doctorate. I have helped students attending Harvard present thesis work, so I know how much work is involved in obtaining a PhD from that institution. At a minimum, Obama's father had to spend two years at Harvard, but it is more likely that he spent three or four years there. Then he returned to Kenya.
It is true that Obama's mother and step-father moved to Indonesia. It appears to be true that Obama lived in Indonesia for about 4-5 years. But it does not appear that he attended a "Muslim school." Instead, according to one American ex-patriot that investigated these matters, it appears that Obama attended "class 4 of Besuki primary school, Menteng, Jakarta near the city center around 1971." Having taught overseas, I know that a Muslim school would bear a different name than "Besuki primary school." Muslims are not likely to use a local term (Besuki) to name a school. Muslims would seek out an appropriate Arabic name to distinguish the school from secular or local schools. Once again we see some of this information is at best suspect and at worst an outright falsehood or fabrication.
As for attending a Catholic school, I found no evidence of the same. In fact, whenl he returned to Hawaii he attended a renowned prep school: the Punahou School, which is known as a non-sectarian college preparatory school.
As for the politics of Obama's step-father, no record of that exists. Now, anyone that has ever been to Jakarta, Indonesia, would tell you that anyone that even raises a hint of opposition to the government is listed as a terrorist. This was especially true during the 1960s and 1970s when the country was essentially under the rule of a dictator or a military regime that took over during one of many coups. So the claim that Obama's step-father is (or was) a radical Muslim is unsupportable.
First, Obama is not a Muslim. His mere attendance at a Christian church nullifies any claim that he is a Muslim. In fact, in Islamic tradition, a young male has to reach an age of declaration and make a statement that he is Muslim. But in most Muslim nations, Obama's decision to attend a Christian congregation on a regular basis would bring him a death sentence. Given the manner in which Obama's life is reported by him and others, it is doubtful that Obama ever made a conscientious commitment to follow the five pillars of Islam.
Again, the claim that Obama attending a "Muslim school" is as of yet unfounded. The idea that he attended a Wahabi school further points to the likely falsehood of this information. A Wahabi school would bear an Arabic name because Wahabism (Wahabiism) is a sectarian version of Islam coming out of Saudi Arabia and adheres to a strict rule of using the Arabic language in its teaching and ministries. So it is doubtful that the school we know Obama attended was even remotely associated with the Wahabi sect.
Also--and again--there is no evidence that Soetoro was ever listed as a radical Islamist or even a radical according to Jakarta authorities. If such were the case, the FBI, CIA and NSA would have had something to say about Obama's role in the Senate. Hopefully everyone knows that every member of congress receives a background check by one or more of those federal agencies.
What is politically expedient about being a Christian? In many ways, being a Christian could be counted against you when running for office, especially if one keeps to the faith in a consistent manner. But in my view, this is nothing more than a red herring designed to circumvent our basic American values and principles regarding the freedom to worship in the manner of our own choosing. How un-American and un-Christian of the author of the original e-mail.
Instead, let us remain alert for such un-American bigotry as what this original e-mail represent. My wife read this original e-mail and immediately thought that someone from the various white supremacy groups was writing this to hide the hidden agenda of racism. As for that, I am not certain. But this original e-mail does lack credibility and does represent at least some religious bigotry, if not outright racism. Do we really want that in our nation? I don't.
I make it a habit, when one of these e-mails enters my inbox, to reply to all (including those embedded in the MIME headers) with an explanation of the myth, legend, hoax or erroneous messages that are being circulated. This takes a bit of time, but it seems to pay off in that many people have taken to checking the various virus alert web pages, the various hoax alert pages, as well as doing a little bit of googling to find out if the info passed along is even accurate, truthful or less than racist bigotry.
Most recently I received an e-mail purportedly detailing Sen. Barack Obama's heritage as linking him to Islamic jihadists and extremists. The problem is that the entire e-mail is nothing but conjecture, assumption and disinformation based on a few facts and a lot of falsehoods.
The original e-mail is reproduced here so that we can examine its contents for truth, accuracy and less than honorable intent. Below each highlighted section I am including my response(s).
Probable U. S. presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., a black Muslim from Nyangoma-Kogel, Kenya and Ann Dunham, a white atheist from Wichita, Kansas. Obama's parents met at the University of Hawaii.
I googled Obama for a bio. On the web there really aren't a whole lot of sites dedicated to Obama's past and/or family history. But I was able to verify the part about being born in Hawaii to Ann Dunham and Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. However, the first place where the author of this e-mail, reportedly one Roz Fischer, seems to be offering conjecture is in the statement that Ann Dunham was/is an atheist. I searched using three different search engines and found no information as to the religious affiliation--or non-affiliation--for Obama's mother. So one has to question the validity of that statement, as well as the political ideology of the author of this e-mail. Such a statement certainly smacks of the prejudice, bigotry and outright misrepresentations we have seen from a number of the Religious Right (i.e. the many we see coming from Pat Robertson, Ann Coulter, James Dobson, et. al).
But we really have to ask whether or not Ann Dunham's religious beliefs are of any importance in this situation. Barack Obama is a member of a Christian Church and has been for some time. Should we be judging him by his behaviors, views and commitments?
When Obama was two years old, his parents divorced. His father returned to Kenya. His mother then married Lolo Soetoro, a radical Muslim from Indonesia. When Obama was 6 years old, the family relocated to Indonesia. Obama attended a Muslim school in Jakarta. He also spent two years in a Catholic school.
Obama's parents did separate when he was two years old, but none of the web sites I checked gave the exact date (or Barack's age) when the divorce was applied for or finalized. So this information is suspect at best.
His father did return to Kenya, but not before attending Harvard University long enough to finish off a doctorate. I have helped students attending Harvard present thesis work, so I know how much work is involved in obtaining a PhD from that institution. At a minimum, Obama's father had to spend two years at Harvard, but it is more likely that he spent three or four years there. Then he returned to Kenya.
It is true that Obama's mother and step-father moved to Indonesia. It appears to be true that Obama lived in Indonesia for about 4-5 years. But it does not appear that he attended a "Muslim school." Instead, according to one American ex-patriot that investigated these matters, it appears that Obama attended "class 4 of Besuki primary school, Menteng, Jakarta near the city center around 1971." Having taught overseas, I know that a Muslim school would bear a different name than "Besuki primary school." Muslims are not likely to use a local term (Besuki) to name a school. Muslims would seek out an appropriate Arabic name to distinguish the school from secular or local schools. Once again we see some of this information is at best suspect and at worst an outright falsehood or fabrication.
As for attending a Catholic school, I found no evidence of the same. In fact, whenl he returned to Hawaii he attended a renowned prep school: the Punahou School, which is known as a non-sectarian college preparatory school.
As for the politics of Obama's step-father, no record of that exists. Now, anyone that has ever been to Jakarta, Indonesia, would tell you that anyone that even raises a hint of opposition to the government is listed as a terrorist. This was especially true during the 1960s and 1970s when the country was essentially under the rule of a dictator or a military regime that took over during one of many coups. So the claim that Obama's step-father is (or was) a radical Muslim is unsupportable.
Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that he is a Muslim. He is quick to point out that, he was once a Muslim, but that he also o attended Catholic school.
First, Obama is not a Muslim. His mere attendance at a Christian church nullifies any claim that he is a Muslim. In fact, in Islamic tradition, a young male has to reach an age of declaration and make a statement that he is Muslim. But in most Muslim nations, Obama's decision to attend a Christian congregation on a regular basis would bring him a death sentence. Given the manner in which Obama's life is reported by him and others, it is doubtful that Obama ever made a conscientious commitment to follow the five pillars of Islam.
Obama's political handlers are attempting to make it appear that Obama's introduction to Islam came via his father, and that this influence was temporary at best. In reality, the senior Obama returned to Kenya soon after the divorce, and never again had any direct influence over his son's education. Lolo Soetoro, the second husband of Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, introduced his stepson to Islam. Obama was enrolled in a Wahabi school in Jakarta. Wahabism is the radical teaching that is followed by the Muslim terrorists who are now waging Jihad against the western world.
Again, the claim that Obama attending a "Muslim school" is as of yet unfounded. The idea that he attended a Wahabi school further points to the likely falsehood of this information. A Wahabi school would bear an Arabic name because Wahabism (Wahabiism) is a sectarian version of Islam coming out of Saudi Arabia and adheres to a strict rule of using the Arabic language in its teaching and ministries. So it is doubtful that the school we know Obama attended was even remotely associated with the Wahabi sect.
Also--and again--there is no evidence that Soetoro was ever listed as a radical Islamist or even a radical according to Jakarta authorities. If such were the case, the FBI, CIA and NSA would have had something to say about Obama's role in the Senate. Hopefully everyone knows that every member of congress receives a background check by one or more of those federal agencies.
Since it is politically expedient to be a Christian when seeking major public office in the United States, Barack Hussein Obama has joined the United Church of Christ in an attempt to downplay his Muslim background.
What is politically expedient about being a Christian? In many ways, being a Christian could be counted against you when running for office, especially if one keeps to the faith in a consistent manner. But in my view, this is nothing more than a red herring designed to circumvent our basic American values and principles regarding the freedom to worship in the manner of our own choosing. How un-American and un-Christian of the author of the original e-mail.
Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidential candidacy.
Instead, let us remain alert for such un-American bigotry as what this original e-mail represent. My wife read this original e-mail and immediately thought that someone from the various white supremacy groups was writing this to hide the hidden agenda of racism. As for that, I am not certain. But this original e-mail does lack credibility and does represent at least some religious bigotry, if not outright racism. Do we really want that in our nation? I don't.
posted by Jim Downey at 5:31 PM
1 Comments:
Hi!
Good article! I was impressed with your logic and research. However, I just wanted to point out that if anyone attends a church that does not make him a Christian. Also, you must know that it is acceptable to lie in the Muslim faith in order to gain a military advantage Mohammed did this. Yassar Arrafat quoted him when he signed a peace accord with Israel. The whole world thought he was beginning the peace process. However, the words he chose to make his statement to the public were carefully picked to tell the Muslim world he had only agreed to peace so that his group, the PLO, may grow and become stronger than Israel.
Understanding Islamic statements sometimes requires one to think like an evil person. Take your time and pour over Memro. org someday. Form your opinion then.
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