obama osama

The latest on the "Is Barack Obama a Muslim?" front is a church sign in Jonesville, South Carolina, which reads, "Obama, Osama, Humm, Are they Brothers?" It's unreal, the level of ignorance.



The Associated Press states that, "Pastor Roger Byrd said he just wanted to make people think when he put up a sign reading 'Obama, Osama — humm, are they brothers' in front of the Jonesville Church of God on Thursday." The pastor went on to say that, "His name is so close to Osama I feel he might be Islamic therefore he doesn't recognize Christ." On the news coverage I saw on MSNBC, the pastor was basically saying that since we don't know for sure if Obama is a Muslim or not, he wanted to encourage people in his town to really look into this question.

Luckily for Pastor Byrd, it's an easy question to find the answer to. Numerous news organizations have addressed this issue in depth. By simply typing "is barack obama a muslim" into the Google search, we find responses from CNN, the Washington Post, Forbes and the Times (U.K.), all debunking this idea. These articles were found on the first page of search results listed. On the same first page of results, a response to this issue posted by BarackObama.com can also be found, with a headline that states, "Obama Has Never Been A Muslim, And Is a Committed Christian." The first and second responses listed are from urban legend verification sites, UrbanLegends.com and Snopes.com – both clearly state that this is a myth. Of the 11 responses found on the first page of search results, eight of them make it clear that this is just a myth. The remaining three don't question his current faith, which they believe to be Christian, but the concern is whether Muslims consider him to be an apostate, which is a Muslim who converted to another religion. These last three posts are from news organizations much less known and trusted than the ones that discount this idea.

If Pastor Byrd, his congregation (who unanimously voted in Sunday service to keep the sign up) and the people of Jonestown, SC and the U.S. at large, really want to find an answer to this question, it couldn't be easier to find. Most people propagating this myth already know the truth and don't care, or have no real interest in finding the truth on this issue. It's much easier for them to call him a Muslim and be done with it. And worse, the sign does not only link him to Islam, but to the U.S.'s number one enemy within Islam, Osama bin Laden, thus linking Obama to worst of what Islam is in the eyes of the American public. This speaks to the larger problem here, which is that anyone who is Muslim in this country is consciously or sub-consciously linked to worst of what Islam represents – like linking all Catholics to pedophiles, Mormons to brainwashing and sexual abuse of children (in the form of polygamy), and fundamentalist Christians to domestic terrorism through the bombing of abortion clinics. All these things represent the worst of people, and can be found in all religions.

islamization

Geert Wilders, a member of the Dutch parliament who also dabbles in filmmaking, has recently made a short documentary film, titled, "Fitna." This film has caused controversy both in the Netherlands and throughout the Muslim world. I watched the film, after reading about it in an article. The point of the film is to outline the dangers of the "Islamization" of the Netherlands. The film definitely represents an extreme bias against the Muslim world. It's shocking to see a viewpoint this extreme aired in public, and even worse that the filmmaker himself is a member of parliament.

The title of the film, "Fitna," is an important word to Muslims, holding as much power and emotional charge as the word "jihad." Unlike "jihad," most non-muslims are not familiar with the word "fitna," or with it's meaning. Nahed Selim, a journalist from Trouw, a Netherlands publication, writes the following on the strength of this word in Islam: "Every Muslim knows the Arabic word fitna, says the leader of the Party for Freedom (PVV). 'It refers to situations in which the faith of the Muslims is put to the test. Everything that tests their faith is fitna: uncovered women, alcohol, non-Muslims, resistance against the authority of Islam. I use the term as a mirror image: to me the pernicious Islam is fitna.' Wilders was very pleased with his find, 'I was set on using a word from the Koran.'"

Some of the film is extremely graphic – we are given a warning of this at the beginning of the film and YouTube requires that we confirm our date of birth before giving access to the film on their site. It begins with scenes from 9/11 and moves into scenes of other terrorist attacks and anti-Jew rallies held by Muslims. It shows Muslims to be extremely anti-Semitic, carrying signs that say, "Be prepared for the real holocaust!" and "God Bless Hitler!" All the while, ominous music plays in the background. Among the graphic images is video from the Atocha bombing in Spain, which, again, has not been attributed to any Muslim organization, but to ETA, a Spanish separatist group from the Basque region. Recitation of the Qur'an in Arabic overlays some of the most gruesome scenes. Arabic is subtitled throughout the film, saying things like, "Throats must be slit and skulls must be shattered. This is the path to victory." As we've learned from experience, can these subtitles even be trusted?

The response to this film in U.S. media has been mixed, some recognizing the racism and hate being preached, while others seem to embrace Wilders' view. Roman Verzub, from the Cauldren, a University publication in Ohio, states that, "the film takes a straight look at the ideology of groups like Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah, among others." A "straight look" implies an unbiased viewpoint, but that's one thing that's definitely missing in Wilders' film. NPR, on the other hand, describes Fitna as "a short film… that portrays Islam as a violent, fascist-like ideology."

In defending the fear of Islamization, Selim states that, "The islamization of thought will mean the end of all creativity, originality and creative power, for creation is a divine quality patented by Allah. He will not tolerate competition from man. Islamization is the process by which Islamic values eventually gain the upper hand over all other value systems, in all aspects of life."

From what I have learned of Islam, Muslims have been one of the most creative and forward-thinking groups of people in the history of the world. Wilders' film does nothing to show this side of Islam and only promotes ignorance and intolerance of Islam, states of being that have been promoted by the general tone of the media throughout the western world. Until we can find appreciation for Islam, for all that it has to offer, films like "Fitna" will continue to find an audience that is more than willing to embrace these divisive ideas with open arms.