Obama 'was educated in madrassa'

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Barack Obama was given a rude awakening to the cut-throat world of presidential politics yesterday after being accused of hiding four years in which he was educated at a madrassa when a teenager.

The claim, made in the conservative Insight magazine, also revealed the Machiavellian scheming of political activists in a presidential race still nearly two years away.

It was aimed at tarnishing Mr Obama’s image in the week he announced himself as a White House contender. But the article also claimed that the madrassa allegations came from aides to Hillary Clinton, Mr Obama’s main opponent for the Democratic nomination.

This may be wishful thinking on behalf of Republicans. The Clinton camp is determined not to be accused of digging dirt on Mr Obama because they fear such tactics could backfire, given his popularity.

But the Insight allegations represent an exquisite double shot at the Democrats’ two leading White House contenders: it implies that Mr Obama, whose middle name is Hussein, is a closet Islamic extremist, and that Mrs Clinton is so rattled by his candidacy she is using underhand tactics to weaken him.

Mr Obama, who is expected to announce formally his candidacy on February 10, has never been subjected to the hardball tactics of the presidential arena — until yesterday. Last night an aide said that the campaign was working on a formal statement, but added that the claims were “not accurate”.

The online article begins: “Are the American people ready for an elected president who was educated in a madrassa as a young boy and has not been forthcoming about his Muslim heritage?” It continues: “This is the question Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s camp is asking about Senator Barack Obama.”

Mr Obama’s mother was a white woman from Kansas; his father, a black Kenyan Muslim. He states in his recent biography that he attended a predominately Muslim school when he lived in Jakarta as a teenager.

But the article claims: “In Indonesia, the young Obama was enrolled in a madrassa and was raised and educated as a Muslim.” It says that Mr Obama omitted to say in his memoir, or at any other time, that he attended the school for four years.

Mr Obama, who has spent his adult life in Chicago, calls himself a Christian and says that he believes in God. He attends a local church.

A source close to the Clinton campaign told The Times, a day before the Insight article was published, that they do not want to be seen as attacking Mr Obama or digging for dirt, but that they would be happy for another Democrat contender to criticise him.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11...2557001,00.html

[Thingee 0]

I just wish Mark Warner would throw his hat in the ring.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Vilsack has actually been a good governor out in Iowa. Too bad he doesn't have the name recognition.

[Caladan 19]

I also heard that Obama's middle name is HUSSEIN and we all know what that means! Meat grinders in the White House!

And also, he's such a good speaker and because he's biracial he must be the anti-Christ.

Also, he eats babies.

An awful long-winded way to say: "man, he's black and he has a funny name. must be a terrorist."

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And he went to the International School in Jakarta, where the children of diplomats often went. It's only a madrassah if you're a friggin' idiot.

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A lot of people here on the East Coast like Vilsack. He doesn't have the name recognition yet, but if he throws in his hat, he could end up a VP candidate.

[Caladan 19]

I should point out that apostrophe is directed at the article, not Gupt.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Hillary's team has questions about Obama's Muslim background

Are the American people ready for an elected president who was educated in a Madrassa as a young boy and has not been forthcoming about his Muslim heritage?

This is the question Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s camp is asking about Sen. Barack Obama.

An investigation of Mr. Obama by political opponents within the Democratic Party has discovered that Mr. Obama was raised as a Muslim by his stepfather in Indonesia. Sources close to the background check, which has not yet been released, said Mr. Obama, 45, spent at least four years in a so-called Madrassa, or Muslim seminary, in Indonesia.

"He was a Muslim, but he concealed it," the source said. "His opponents within the Democrats hope this will become a major issue in the campaign."

When contacted by Insight, Mr. Obama’s press secretary said he would consult with “his boss” and call back. He did not.

Sources said the background check, conducted by researchers connected to Senator Clinton, disclosed details of Mr. Obama's Muslim past. The sources said the Clinton camp concluded the Illinois Democrat concealed his prior Muslim faith and education.

"The background investigation will provide major ammunition to his opponents," the source said. "The idea is to show Obama as deceptive."

In two best-selling autobiographies—"The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream" and "Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance"—Mr. Obama, born in Honolulu where his parents met, mentions but does not expand on his Muslim background, alluding only to his attendance at a "predominantly Muslim school."

The sources said the young Obama was given the name Hussein by his Muslim father, which the Illinois Democrat rarely uses in public.

His father was black and came from Kenya. Mr. Obama’s mother, the daughter of a farmer, came from Wichita, Kansas. Mr. Obama's parents divorced when he was two years old. His father returned to Kenya.

Later, Mr. Obama's mother married an Indonesian student and the family moved to Jakarta. Mr. Obama returned to Hawaii when he was 10 to live with his maternal grandparents.

The sources said the background check concerned Mr. Obama's years in Jakarta. In Indonesia, the young Obama was enrolled in a Madrassa and was raised and educated as a Muslim. Although Indonesia is regarded as a moderate Muslim state, the U.S. intelligence community has determined that today most of these schools are financed by the Saudi Arabian government and they teach a Wahhabi doctrine that denies the rights of non-Muslims.

Although the background check has not confirmed that the specific Madrassa Mr. Obama attended was espousing Wahhabism, the sources said his Democratic opponents believe this to be the case—and are seeking to prove it. The sources said the opponents are searching for evidence that Mr. Obama is still a Muslim or has ties to Islam.

Mr. Obama attends services at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago’s South Side. However, he is not known to be a regular parishioner.

"Obama's education began a life-long relationship with Islam as a faith and Muslims as a community," the source said. "This has been a relationship that contains numerous question marks."

The sources said Mr. Obama spent at least four years in a Muslim school in Indonesia. They said when Mr. Obama was 10, his mother and her second husband separated. She and her son returned to Hawaii.

"Then the official biography begins," the source said. "Obama never returned to Kenya to see relatives or family until it became politically expedient."

In both of his autobiographies, Mr. Obama characterizes himself as a Christian—although he describes his upbringing as mostly secular.

In “The Audacity of Hope,” Mr. Obama says, "I was not raised in a religious household." He describes his mother as secular, but says she had copies of the Bible, the Koran and the Bhagavad Gita in their home.

Mr. Obama says his father was "raised a Muslim, but by the time he met my mother he was a confirmed atheist...." Mr. Obama also describes his father as largely absent from his life. He says his Indonesian stepfather was "skeptical" about religion and "saw religion as not particularly useful in the practical business of making one's way in the world ...."

In the book, Mr. Obama briefly addresses his education in Indonesia. "During the five years that we would live with my stepfather in Indonesia, I was sent first to a neighborhood Catholic school and then to a predominantly Muslim school; in both cases, my mother was less concerned with me learning the catechism or puzzling out the meaning of the muezzin's call to evening prayer than she was with whether I was properly learning my multiplication tables.

Mr. Obama graduated from Columbia University and Harvard Law School; he became the first black editor of the Harvard Law Review. He later settled in Chicago, joined a law firm and began attending and helping local churches.

Mr. Obama is married to Michelle Robinson and they have two daughters, Malia and Sasha. In 1996, he was elected to the Illinois state Senate. Eight years later, he became a U.S. senator from Illinois.

The sources said Ms. Clinton regards Mr. Obama as her most formidable opponent and the biggest obstacle to the Democratic Party’s 2008 presidential nomination. They said Ms. Clinton has been angered by Mr. Obama's efforts to tap her supporters for donations.

In late 2006, when the Illinois senator demonstrated his intention to run for president, the Clinton campaign ordered a background check on Mr. Obama, the sources said. Earlier this week, Mr. Obama established an exploratory committee, the first step toward a formal race.

http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:DOqLQ...lient=firefox-a

Edited January 20, 2007 by Gupt

[William33 110]

And he went to the International School in Jakarta, where the children of diplomats often went. It's only a madrassah if you're a friggin' idiot.

Source?

[Caladan 19]

Obama's biography. His mother taught English to Indonesian businessmen at the American embassy. Would have to look it up to be certain, as it's been a while since I've read it, but it's pretty clear that his mother wanted to ensure he grew up American, not Indonesian.

Plus, not every school with Muslims in it is a wahhabist training camp. It's like saying going to Hebrew school makes you part of Mossad. Or that going to Catholic school in Ireland makes you part of the IRA.

[William33 110]

Obama's biography. His mother taught English to Indonesian businessmen at the American embassy. Would have to look it up to be certain, as it's been a while since I've read it, but it's pretty clear that his mother wanted to ensure he grew up American, not Indonesian.

Plus, not every school with Muslims in it is a wahhabist training camp. It's like saying going to Hebrew school makes you part of Mossad. Or that going to Catholic school in Ireland makes you part of the IRA.

Here is a link from Snopes, with an excerpt from his autobiography. The piece suggests the opposite of your statement, his parents could not afford the international school, thus he attended a local school. I have not read the book for myself, but I doubt this is fabricated.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp

Edited January 20, 2007 by William33

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

William,

In your opinion, if it turns out that Obama did attend an Islamic theological school (i.e., a madrassa), do you think that alone will kill his candidacy? Of course, not all madrassas are Wahabbi-funded, although many are.

[William33 110]

William,

In your opinion, if it turns out that Obama did attend an Islamic theological school (i.e., a madrassa), do you think that alone will kill his candidacy? Of course, not all madrassas are Wahabbi-funded, although many are.

Yes, I do. The anti-Muslim sentiment in the USA is very strong. Votes will become increasingly difficult to obtain, if this issue gets much more publicity.

[Caladan 19]

I stand corrected.

He went to two local schools, one Muslim, one Catholic and had them supplemented with tutoring. That means he can wage a crusade upon his own jihad.... but he's not Muslim or Catholic....

Not all schools that are Muslim are Wahhabist-funded terrorist training camps. (Especially since it sounds really like the choice was between two local schools.) I have no idea the likelihood of an Indonesian local school in the 60s being a hotbed of training.

I think being worried that Obama is secretly a Muslim extremist is pretty stupid. I think it will sink his candidacy among only those who would have found other reasons not to vote for him, like his skin color or his name or that he's the anti-Christ because he is eloquent. (This may be a higher proportion of Americans than I find comforting.)

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I think being worried that Obama is secretly a Muslim extremist is pretty stupid. I think it will sink his candidacy among only those who would have found other reasons not to vote for him, like his skin color or his name or that he's the anti-Christ because he is eloquent. (This may be a higher proportion of Americans than I find comforting.)

What if it turns out that Obama concealed his years at a madrassa or his years as a Muslim? Would that change many peoples minds, in your opinion? Not him having attended one per se, but having attempted to draw attention away from the fact that he did.

[Ban Hammer 13,345]

I think being worried that Obama is secretly a Muslim extremist is pretty stupid. I think it will sink his candidacy among only those who would have found other reasons not to vote for him, like his skin color or his name or that he's the anti-Christ because he is eloquent. (This may be a higher proportion of Americans than I find comforting.)

thus playing right into the hands of miss hillary. she'll be a shoe-in then.

[Ban Hammer 13,345]

I think being worried that Obama is secretly a Muslim extremist is pretty stupid. I think it will sink his candidacy among only those who would have found other reasons not to vote for him, like his skin color or his name or that he's the anti-Christ because he is eloquent. (This may be a higher proportion of Americans than I find comforting.)

What if it turns out that Obama concealed his years at a madrassa or his years as a Muslim? Would that change many peoples minds, in your opinion? Not him having attended one per se, but having attempted to draw attention away from the fact that he did.

i inhaled but didn't convert?