Obama targeted in smear campaign

[Scurrilous]

In chain e-mail being circulated across US and Israel, Democratic presidential candidate portrayed as radical Muslim trying to help al-Qaeda take over US

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3493689,00.html

<snip>

"Illinois Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has been targeted in a recent smear campaign which claims that he is a fundamentalist Muslim working for al-Qaeda in an effort to topple the US government.

An inflammatory mass e-mail that is circulating in the United States and Israel lays out the anonymous author's version of Obama's background.

One of the target audiences in the campaign is clearly the American Jewish community because the e-mail has also been sent out in Hebrew.

The writer attempts to portray Obama as an al-Qaeda stooge rhetorically asking: "So who is Barack Obama?

He answers that, Obama's stepfather, Lolo Soetoro, introduced him to Islam by registering him at a Wahhabi Muslim school or madrassa in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The writer goes on to say that "Obama's political handlers are attempting to make it appear that that he is not a radical...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."

[LeftishBrit]

1. How utterly disgusting...

Of course, a candidate's religion should not be an issue in any case - unless, like some Republican candidates, they wish to impose it on others. Muslim does NOT equal terrorist, as this smear seems to imply.

And obviously Obama isn't a Muslim anyway; this seems to be based on racism as well as Islamophobia.

I hope no one falls for this revolting bigoted smear!!!

[Tom Joad]

3. Dan Pipes is talking up this shit. and pipes not only gets support here

but from mainstream extremist groups ("mainstream extremist" -oxymoron? not in this country!) like aipac and the adl.
They feature him at their conferences. They back him for political appointments. And he spews hate all over the carpets of any place he speaks with his anti-Muslim message of support for militarism.

The ironic thing here is i don't doubt that Obama and Hillary and Edwards position will be any less supportive of Israeli intransigence than that of George W. Bush. They all have a history of choosing political expedience over the value of supporting peace with justice. I would like to be proved wrong. Not likely to happen. Not unless there is a massive people's movement for alternative policies.

[sunonmars]

2. amd people are saying.............

this kind of smear campaign is not going to cause any damage, I have 3 words for you guys

John Kerry 2004.

Whether you like it or not.

[Fredda Weinberg]

4. Ummmm ... reality check here. If the target is the American Jewish

community, you don't translate to Hebrew. Yiddish, mebbe ...

[bemildred]

5. Gosh, who could have predicted this?

Dirty politics, in a US pResidential election, it's the rule, not the exception.

[msmcghee]

6. The internet has added a truly lethal dimension . .

. . to politics. Lies can be spread instantly to millions. A small percentage will pick up on it because they already hold beliefs that the new info supports. In other cases it will add a small amount of doubt that for some will eventually have an effect on their judgment.

But, the lies spread in this email are based on some facts that may be relevant.

From the LA Times article on this:

* "Interviews with dozens of former classmates, teachers, neighbors and friends show that Obama was not a regular practicing Muslim when he was in Indonesia"

* "Obama occasionally followed his stepfather to the mosque for Friday prayers, a few neighbors said"

* "Obama's 3rd-grade teacher at the Catholic school, who lived near the family ‘Rarely, Barry went to the mosque with Lolo'"

IMO this exposure to Islam at an early age only adds to his qualifications as a potential president of the US. I'll be voting for whoever has the "D" next to their name in November.

One issue that has been raised, is if Muslims would see this as positive. He is at least familiar with the bare basics of Muslim teaching and (I assume) observed a message of peace toward others. He therefore knows firsthand that all Muslims are not jihadis - as I think many xenophobic and religiously bigoted people believe. As I said above, I see that as a positive.

Or, would some Muslims see in him an American president who was exposed to Muslim teachings by his father, but who is not now a Muslim. Would they see him as an apostate, someone who rejected Islam as an adult - and therefore deserves enmity and mistrust. (Pipes mentions this but I think in a fairly non-inflammatory way.)

I don't know the answer to this but I think it would be useful for American voters to hear some thoughtful analysis on the topic from unbiased scholars outside the campaign - not political propaganda during an election year. I'd like to hear from some imams in the Muslim states we are likely to be involved with.

I'd be really surprised if Clinton's campaign even raised the subject. There is far more to lose from liberals who would see it as religious bigotry than could be gained from the far RW - who will not be voting for her anyway. But then, I'm not very good at politics so what do I know.

Obama has already expressed fairly unqualified support for Israel in the I/P conflict. It seems reasonable to ask - if that support for Israel plus some perceived Muslim apostasy would make him any less effective as a spokesman for America dealing with the Muslim world. I don't know but it seems a fair question.