Is Obama a Muslim? Poll Shows Many Southern Republicans Think So

Here's a question why does it matter. If Obama is Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Aethiest, Buddhist etc. What difference does it make? Clearly Obama calls himself a Christian and practices it. That's his choice. If he suddenly wanted to be a Hindu that would be his choice as well.

I personally wouldn't care as long as our constitution is respected

Exactly, the whole issue is just a side show.

It's a job! When you work with other people who dont have the same beliefs as you, you still have to respect them, no? These people need to go back to school! I thought this was common sense. As long as he doesnt let his religion intefere with his job than who caresss. Hes the pres yo, of the US of A, if we cant respect each others beliefs than this just isnt American. Were called the melting pot of not just skin color but backgrounds as well.

Amanda...it is not a job...it is an adventure!!!

In 2016 I will personally be voting for the first Black Lesbian Militant Atheist that runs for office.... Couldn't hurt...

lmao, shit, Chels isnt a militant, nor is she black. Oh right, shes not lesbian either :( (how very disappointing!)

So chelsea, we need to make you black, you have to join the military and than I have to give you lessons on how to be a lesbian. =D jk jk :)

lol

I'm guessing James was listing minority attributes, not nominating Chelsea.

I would vote for a black militant atheist lesbian if she were running against Obama...Well, unless she were also a socialist muslim...

Hell, I'd vote for Che Che if she were running against Obama...

Ditto aniko...

Amen to that, Jas!

Southern Bible-believing brainwashed and well-indoctrinated human herd members are not the smartest or well-informed via pursuing ANY actual educational activities folks to be found.

Their attentions appear to be mainly upon a bloke pointing at a "holy book" referred to on Sundays and/or the most idiotic fictional TV offerings appearing on the constantly turned-on TV and its prominent places within the brainwashed buffoons hovels.

"it's possibly only because he is a black "liberal." That's such a crying shame."

The essay writer is showing her innate idiocy by crediting some form of "race baiting" upon what is attributable to basic run-of-the-mill stupidity and/or ignorance and a severe lack of education and the society-wide non-acceptance of intellectualism.

Rest assured that the likelihood the southern cohort are avid watchers/followers of the local high school football team is extremely high.

The writer is writing for an income and has deadline and her implanted political correctness (PC) may have compelled her to spew implanted knee-jerk PC allowing her to finish this essay and move on to the next writing assignment.

Or, if a non-paid writer, PC can still be a factor.

Easily-found statistics regarding the percentage of the population in the states the writer refers to may be surprising to her.

Here is a handy color-coded map showing the percentage of Blacks in the states referred to:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Percent_black_in_U.S._by_census_district_-_2000.png

Think of the above as I mention that despite the FEW bad incidents occurring in the South folks hereabouts, whatever the race, creed, whatever have tended to exist in a live-and-let-live manner.

I have lived and traveled in many parts of the USA and the deep South was typically the least "racist" (an overused term often not applicable to events receiving that label).

Some oof the most sever "racism" I observed was i the USA west and southwest and was initiated by Chicanos against USA citizens in general and against Black USA citizens in particular.

Do a Google... it IS hard to find.... but, awhile back, the Los Angeles police chief proclaimed that events were indicative that the LA area Blacks were confronted with virtual genocide due to the number of attacks against them by illegal alien and citizen Chicanos.

Unsurprisingly, the USA mass media failed to convey the top cop's words.

It is not PC to do so.

Sadly, it's a reflection of how stupid or ignorant people get the government they deserve. The president isn't our father, or wise uncle, or demi-god. If "we" were truly intelligent about it, we wouldn't even need to respect the president as long as he governs as a corporate administrator would, which is what he is - an executive administrator.

If we were on the board at General Motors would we dump the Muslim CEO who could produce double the sales figures of the Christian CEO? Of course not. Who cares what his religion is or isn't.

Pulling back and looking at the larger picture, the president (any president - or Members of Congress, for that matter) is (are) tools of money (big pharma, banking, military industrial, big-agri). Do we question the religion of the president of Pfizer, or Bank of America, General Dynamics, or General Mills?

Sorry, but this is really about a bunch of weak, ignorant people who need a father figure and a daily dose of drama in their lives.

We might, Robert, if General Motors was at war with Muslim militants...

A very inapt analogy...

Yeah... well, wars are declared on nations, not individuals, and we're not at war with every Muslim on the face of the earth, either.

And by the way, inept is spelled with an e. Your description of my inept analogy was... inept.

I said inapt...as in...not apt...

If you are going to be arrogant, at least be right...

As for "war" that is the Gov't's language, not mine...

For the rest, see below...

But when are we not at war with someone?

Nor do I...It is an insult to MY intelligence...

James...when we were at war with "godless communists" it was a political liability to be an atheist...

Then let's hope we never go to war against a nation with a Christian president...

I think the Nazis claimed t be Christians...I know the Italians did...

Has a President ever before been lied about like this about so much religious stuff?

No, Peter...I can't think of a time that any president ever lied to Ameticans about anything...

Cookie...since your comments prove you are a bigot, I feel free in ignoring them...


And...if tou are going to try to insult me, let's get out of the 8th grade...well, assuming you did...

Colin Powell answered this fake question perfectly, when he endorsed Obama in 2008.

People in the south are small, and they have "little man's complex". They get "puffed up" in order to compensate for their sensed inferiority. Willful ignorance is a virtue in the south. If you're educated, you're considered "elite" - you may have "book sense", but no "common sense", as the saying goes. At any rate, this is a sad dynamic that keeps the south down, and always claiming that "the south will rise again." What a paradoxical, self-fulfilling prophecy.

Curiously, many in the south thought that "the south had risen again" with the election of George W. Bush. Can you imagine the cognitive dissonance associated with Bush's incredibly failed presidency, followed by the election of a bi-racial individual? In that context, I don't find it surprising that so many in the south continue to believe Obama is a Muslim.

Nice, Steve. This is the most concise and comprehensive overview of this subject that I've ever heard.

Well said and so very accurate.

Steve, some of what you wrote is ridiculous. Some of the best schools in the country are here in North Carolina, which is a southern state, and ignorance is definitely not considered a virtue. Have you ever heard of Duke? And Duke is not the toughest school in this state. A group that looked at the academic workloads/demands that university and college students had to deal with determined that Davidson College is the toughest school in the country. As far as state universities go, I think University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill would be up near the top with California - Berserkly (Yes, that is actually what the people call it - Berserkly).

People sometimes are labeled "elitists," but they get that label because they openly look down upon others, not because they are educated. I never heard anybody in this part of the country call Bill Clinton an "elitist" and he is as educated a person as you can find. And now that I think about it, I cannot recall anybody in this state calling Hillary an elitist, and she also is a very educated person.

Obviously everyone in the South isn't ignorant or a redneck. And by the same token, what Steve is describing occurs in the north, east and west, as well, but Dave, be serious... You know there are more ignorant anti-elites who are proud of not having an education in the South (per capita) than there are in other regions.

No, Robert, Steve B. is a BIGOT...It is quite obvious by this comment...

Well...and so is Robert...

"Have you ever heard of Duke?"

How many students and faculty at Duke believe Obama is Muslim? Obviously, I am talking in generalities and the polls referred to this article. While I don't live in NC, I do live in a scarlet red state - and I do hear conversations "off campus", where people think I'm one of them. I know the sentiments here, and away from Duke, I would bet those sentiments are not that different in NC.

"Steve B. is a BIGOT..."

True - I am highly bigoted against BIGOTS.

"Berserkly (Yes, that is actually what the people call it - Berserkly)."

And those people are "on campus" at Duke? ...at Chapel-Hill?

Dave - I'm sure you've heard of the Southern Poverty Law Center. It's in Montgomery AL. They track bigotry. If you're aware of the increase in militia groups over the past 3 years, then I think you might reconsider that my description above is not so "ridiculous", after all.

Btw, guess what the percentage of voters was, that in 1998, rejected a referendum in Mississippi to change the state flag by eliminating the confederate battle flag. It was surprisingly 85%. Shocking - aint it?

"Berserkeley" is commonly used in and around Berkeley, and not always as scathing criticism (though that use is certainly well established). It can also mean love and appreciation with a bit of exasperation. (I've been known to use it when commenting on the parking situation.) :)

Nice try But...

No, Steve, you hold an entire sub-culture and about half the people in this country in very low regard based merely on where they live and because they have different ideas than you, as you clearly and without equivocation stated above...that is the very epitome of a bigot...Just substitute, say, Mexico for "the south" in your statement and it should be clear, even to you...

"...because they have different ideas than you...."

Like Obama is a Muslim - that's right. I hold people like that in very low regard. So, Jo Jo, if the shoe fits....

"Just substitute, say, Mexico for 'the south' in your statement and it should be clear....

No substitutions. If and I mean Mexico, I'll say, "Mexico".

"Yes, that is actually what the people call it - Berserkly"

Actually I think they call it "Berserkeley."

I'm a Bay Area native and spend a good deal of my childhood there in the '50s. My family owned a business a few blocks from the campus and my grandparents lived there. I remember the Berkeley of the '60s fondly. It's still an interesting place. I have several friends who've lived there for many years. In many ways it's the most civilized city in Northern California.

As Aniko pointed out above, "Berserkely" is not necessarily a pejorative.

Oh, parking can be a bit difficult in the commercial areas and the South Campus area. :) It's nothing like San Francisco though.

I rarely even try in San Francisco. :)

Steve, are you avoiding the issue or are you just to obtuse to understand it???

Steve mentioned the Southern Poverty Law Center, which identified 1,018 hate groups that were active in 2011. Of the 1,018, a total of 438 were active in a dozen states: Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee. The social metrics for the South help to explain the perception of the region as somewhat backward.

Obviously the South is populated with many very well-regarded colleges and universities, brilliant people, advanced centers of technology and manufacturing, unique, interesting and varied cultures, gorgeous scenery, great sport and vacation venues--it's a great place. That said, educational attainment trails other regions of the US. Nine of the twelve states mentioned above are in the bottom two rungs of the college graduation rate "ladder":

The SPLC (which Jo Jo has supported in the past) confuses anti Gov't groups with hate groups so their data are flawed...

Garbage in, garbage out...

Oh, and did you know that there is a higher percentage of "people of color" in the south than in the north...That makes your figures about "college graduation" rates highly suspect of being RACIST...What you are saying is that populations with a high percentage of Blacks and Latinos have a lower college graduation rate...FOR SHAME...BIGOTS, all of you...

No, the survey shows that college graduation rates are lower than average in much of the South. What you say about ethnicity may be true, but is not directly reported out here. If it's true, it wouldn't racist to note that in any event.

Oh, Dave..."Truth" does not exempt one from being called a racist...If you say anything except the PC version, "liberals" will brand you as racist...

But, I think it is probably true that whites have a higher percentage of college graduates than blacks and Latinos...Just a guess...and there is a higher percentage of Blacks and Latinos in the South...Therefore, what I said is a priori correct...

Gee, this is fun...

Blacks don't score as well on standardized tests...
A lot of Mexicans are in the country illegally...
Gays are more artistic...
Lesbians hate men...
Blacks have big dicks...
Mexicans have small dicks...

I could do this all day...

White men can't jump...

"Steve, are you avoiding the issue or are you just to obtuse to understand it???"

Jo Jo - is Obama a Muslim?

Not the issue...The issue is "why do some people believe he is a Muslim...As I have said many time throughout this post...it is not possible to know what he is...

There is a difference between statistical data and the declarations you're having so much fun with, Jo Jo. (With one exceptions, that is. You actually got one of them right.)

I was mocking statistics...You liberals love to deceive by quoting only the ones you like...

Interesting. And your icon also seems to be the "trajectory" of the southern male - especially in the state, in which I reside.

Steve is a bigot...

Chelsea I'me glad that POPTUS is not muslim. If that many republicans are ill informed he should make efforts to all the electorite that he is not muslim because presently our country is not ready for a muslim president on that I think we can all agree.

Not really...

Muslim, Mormon, United Church of Christ, Catholic, Baptist, Jewish, or none--we're ready for them. However, there is no Muslim presidential candidate this year, so that "test" will have to come another time.

God help us!!!

Don't be afraid, Norman.

Here's the bottom line, you mullets...NOBODY CAN SAY, DEFINITIVELY, WHETHER HE IS A MUSLIM OR NOT...

Jo Jo was born and raised as a "Cultural Christian". Does that mean he is a Christian???

He founded the Church of the Omniverse...does that make him an Omniversian???

Obama spent 20 years in the militant Rev. Wright's Church...to make himself a "political Christian".

Which of you presumes to tell us what is in his secret heart???

What does it matter?

It seems self-evident to me, Robert...but, if we are in a war with militant Muslims AND we have a president who CLAIMS to be a Christian but is secretly a Muslim...it should matter...

But, I bet you are one of those PC types who think that certain attributes SHOULD be irrelevant so that makes them irrelevant...

"...if we are in a war with militant Muslims AND we have a president who CLAIMS to be a Christian but is secretly a Muslim...it should matter..."

Jo Jo is a self-described Dog Faced Boy. Some dogs get rabies. Jo Jo probably will deny that he has rabies. But does he really? It should matter...

:)
you can't prove a negative, Steve. I expect we could wake up tomorrow with the Sun orbiting the Earth. Wait for it..........................................................

Thank you, Robert. It does not matter.

Southern Republicans think a lot of stupid things, as do Republicans across the country. Can we move on to another of those stupid topics because this one is not fun any more.

Well, then tell the people who say he's a Muslim that they can't possibly know. Burden on the affirmative side, right?

JoJo: "it should matter"

Uh, no. US Constitution, Article IV, section 3: "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."

Sandy is a bigot, too...

Dave...apples and oranges, my friend...as usual, you can't grasp the concept...If he is a Muslim claiming to be a Christian to get votes...It matters on many levels...There is NOTHING in the Constitution that says that voters can't take religion into account when voting...Look it up...

Nikita, The burden is on whomever is making the assertion...Which means that if you assert he is a christian, the burden is on you...There is a conflict in the evidence...

Oh, but a mere belief requires no burden...you can believe whatever you like...

Thanks, JoJo--that was the setup I was hoping you'd provide.

JoJo: "There is NOTHING in the Constitution that says that voters can't take religion into account..."

There is nothing that says they can't take anything into account--his ethnicity, for example. Analysis of the 2008 results say the BHO took a hit of between 6% and 12% based on racism.

It was your framing of BHO's religion to which I referred: "if we are in a war with militant Muslims AND we have a president who CLAIMS to be a Christian but is secretly a Muslim...it should matter..." It is apparently your principle that it is the president's religious status that matters--not a judgment of his allegiance to his oath of office. You can believe anything that you like, but you are opposing the constitutional principle involved. I hope you can grasp that.

You need to read a little closer...I have never made any statment about what I think his religion is...Dave...you need to stop trying to keep up with me...you're not smart enough...

And, as you so aptly pointed out, his color matters, too...how many people voted for him because he was black??? Isn't that racism as well???

If you think age, gender, race, color, religion, ethnicity, et al don't matter, you are living in la la land...

Obama himself has made pleas to the blacks, hispanics, women, young and other specific demographics...Guess he is a racist, too...

I wish you would stop bandying about words you don't really understand...

Oh, and the constitutional principle is that I can vote anyway I want for any reason I want...God...you make me tired...

Well, good. There is evidence that he practices the Christian religion and speaks of himself as a Christian. There is no evidence of the kind for the claim that he is a Muslim.

Never claimed anything about your beliefs about Obama. You didn't comprehend the statement! Enjoy yourself.

Well, except that he was born Muslim and raised as one until he was a young man...

Dave...your words...emphasis in the original...

"It was your framing of BHO's religion to which I referred:"

It is possible that I failed to comphrend the statement but, then, many of your statements are incomprehensible...

Nikita...I don't think you are familiar with the concept of "pretending" to be one thing when you are actually another...during the Spanish Inquisition, for example, Jews "pretended" to convert for "political reasons" but continued, secretly, to be Jews...

It's self-evident that voters can take whatever they want into consideration--how on earth could anyone stop them? The question is what you meant when you said that if the president were Muslim, it should matter.

Does your comment on top of this subthread still count? I treating your statement that we can't see into people's "secret heart" as a premise, and going by what can be observed.

Yes...I have no idea what he REALLY is...I am just keeping open the possibility that people who don't believe his "conversion" aren't morons as the intent of this post clearly states...

Yes, it should...just like if we were at war with Japan, it might be politically inconvenient to be Japanese and worse if you were Japanese but pretending to be English...Sometimes I think you are being intentkionally obtuse just to get a rise out of Jo Jo...(BTW, Dave is obtuse but it is just in his DNA...)

Again, plain and simple, JoJo: you are advocating religious status as a test (in the voting booth) over fitness for office or allegiance to the oath of office.

Limiting access to the ballot by that test is unconstitutional. The point isn't whether one can't be as racist, xenophobic, or religiously bigoted as one wishes in casting a ballot, but rather whether one ought to advocate for that. You do, and I hope no one listens to you.

Seriously...Dave...buddy...Go back and read what I said...

Because I didn't say any of those things...

But even if I did...so what??? I have a constitutional RIGHT to base my vote on any attribute of the candidate I chose...what is so wonderful about "fitness for office??" Nixon was "fit for office...What is so wonderful about "allegiance to the oath"...Carter had that...

What I said was a hypothetical answer to a particular question...

Go back and READ IT AGAIN...

God, you are thick...

I'm asking you what "should" means. People can take whatever they want into consideration. So what do you mean by "it should matter"?

et tu, Nikki...You and Dave quote me out of context. I expect it from him but not you...

It was a hypothetical statement...

"...if we are in a war with militant Muslims AND we have a president who CLAIMS to be a Christian but is secretly a Muslim...it should matter...

But, on a broader scale...It certainly matters to the candidate...

And, as a practical matter, it matters to the voters...

And, don't even try to tell me that Romney's LDS connections and What's his name's conservative Christian values don't matter to liberals...

Demographics, including religion are critical to a campaign.

Do you think a white Jew has a chance in South Texas or would you bet on the Catholic Mexican-American???

Do a lot of Agnostic Anglos get elected in Harlem???

Don't be naive...

Sorry, pal, I disagree with advocating religious bigotry. You do, and I denounce your rhetoric. Plain and simple.

I didn't quote you "out of context". On the contrary--I merely pointed at the word and asked you what you meant.

Yes...you did...and...I explained it to you...You are as bad as Dave...

Dave...you're a moron...I don't have the inclination to explain it to you further...

Well...Wait...Dave, are you saying that basing your vote, at least in part, on religious beliefs is religious bigotry???? (that is a yes or no question...hint...you'll look stupid either way you answer it...)

I think, as usual, in your phony liberal "zeal" to overuse the words they taught you at LiberalThought 101, you are just throwing shit out there...

Was this the explanation?

"Yes, it should...just like if we were at war with Japan, it might be politically inconvenient to be Japanese and worse if you were Japanese but pretending to be English..."

Again, the question was:

"It's self-evident that voters can take whatever they want into consideration--how on earth could anyone stop them? The question is what you meant when you said that if the president were Muslim, it should matter."

I'm asking, in other words, if by "should". you only mean "can"--voters can consider that if they want to, or they can choose not to consider it. Do you mean just that, or does your "should" carry more weight?

3/14, 4:54 PM...

and, I don't think I said it should matter to the voters...that is just a fact...it does matter...I responded to a question which I took to mean, in the totality of the universe of people that it should matter to, it shoud matter...

Just like...Santorum's religious beliefs are going to matter if he ever runs against Obama...

I agree then. An apple should be an apple. And it is going to be!

OK???

Was going to mention the Powell answer, but Steve beat me to it.
Nope, he's not a Muslim, wouldn't matter if he was though.
We just had a good ol' boy Christian president... a lot of good that did...

"We just had a good ol' boy Christian president... a lot of good that did..."

The Bush administration was one of the most failed administrations in U.S. history. Bush used his religion as political tool. I don't really think people really do believe Obama is Muslim - but it is a political tool to use against him.

I think the deep south belief that Obama is a Muslim is sincere, but I think that the belief is driven by political belief. In other words, some conservatives in the Mississippi to south Carolina crescent are not really capable of defining a liberal Dem as a true Christian. Some of them even probably did not define Jimmy Carter as a true Christian, even though he manifestly and obviously is a Christian.

Personally I think it shows an amazing degree of ignorance. Having read quite a bit about B. Obama I can assure you that him being a Muslim is not even a remote possibility. There are two actual possibilities.
1. he is a Christian as he says he is.
2. he is actually an atheist or an agnostic but he decided a number of years ago to posture as a Christian.

My money is actually on #1. But it's worth mentioning that Ronald Reagan really was not a guy who was interested in going to church. Look it up, it's reality. Eisenhower? Until he ran for president, he was not interested in spending his Sunday morning that way.

Grow up, people.

I'm with you, Chris...I think he is too smart to be a Christian or a Muslim...I am betting on agnostic...

I'm betting Agnostic/Atheist, as in he doesn't care one way or the other, and has no, "belief" concerning religous conviction, but is, perhaps philosophically/intellectually/calculatingly, politically a Christain, and would be a Muslum in the same manner if the rest of the poluace were also.

I am hoping agnostic because, as I have stated many times, they are smarter than atheists...

Considering the low I.Q. of the majority of Southerners I see how easily they are manipulated into believing the worst of anyone of color.

I'm not so sure the I.Q.s are the problem. It's the willful ignornace that is much more of concern.

Steve I have to agree with willful ignorance is what spurns the majority of racism.

" I see how easily they are manipulated into believing the worst of anyone of color"

Really? So being a Muslim is would be the worst? LOL

Good point, Don.

Juan is a bigot, too...

Steve...if you are going to call people, ignorant, you should spell it right...bad form...detracts from the PUNCH of your comment...Just a tip...

Wouldn't want to appear "inept".

Then don't use anologies that are "inapt"...

Jo Jo me a bigot? LOL that is funny.

"Considering the low I.Q. of the majority of Southerners..."

"Southerners" is "liberal code" for "White Southerners"...

Now, substitute the word "Mexicans" for "Southerners"

Now, google the word "bigot"...

All else aside, I think it's a matter of his name AND color. Earlier, the far right dig-a-lings were calling him Barack HUSSEIN Obama, emphasizing the Middle Eastern sounding middle name to make the possibility a stronger one. He's black (no, dimwits, he's not "half-white," he's black), he carries a first and last name of Kenyan origin and a middle name of middle eastern origin. People have seized on the whole mix and with no more evidence than that, pronounced him a Muslim.

He is physically mocca...Politically, it is hard to tell what he is but I think it is more "White" than "Black"...

But here is a more burning question...what's wrong with being a Muslim???

"(no, dimwits, he's not "half-white," he's black)"

Oh boy, here I go dealing with ultimate ignorance...how many of you Caucasians like to say "I'm 1/2 Italian, 1/2 Irish?" Well, we Bi-racials like to acknowledge what makes up our genetic heritage too. Y'all will never get it, not 'til the world becomes mixed, which eventually might happen...

"He is physically mocca"

At least, you could spell it correctly!

That's how us ig'orant peckerwoods in the south spell it...I hate nit-picky people...

Oh, and Chuckles was actually trying to demonstrate how "liberal" he is...down here in the benighted southland, we'd just say he was "high yella"...

JoJo (1:59pm): "I hate nit-picky people..."

JoJo (2:46pm): "you should spell it right...bad form...detracts from the PUNCH of your comment...Just a tip..."

You have abandoned your own ridiculous comments and are now resorting to others...

FYI the irony of Steve referirng somebody else's "ignorace" is to good to pass up...

Chucky Bum,
Barack is not a name of Kenyan origin, it is a name of Arabic origin. Barack = blessed, Mubarak (as in the former Egyptian dictator's name) = most blessed. The Jewish equivalent is Brauch as in Brauch Spinoza.

Obama is not a name of Kenyan origin, it is a name of Luo origin. Kenya did not exist until the 20th century when the name was invented by the British. The Luo tribe (who believe they are Arab rather than sub Saharan African) have been around for centuries.

Hussein is a name that can only be used by Muslims which some might say is evidence Bammy is a Muxxa and other might say is evidence he's a stupid, ignorant clown.

One day Chucky you will get something right and people will die of shock. Not me though, I'll know you've been reading my posts and comments.

Chucky is a little raw...he got yelled at by a black lady...

August Lady...you're right, these phony liberals think all black people are the same...Jo Jo thinks it is disgusting...buncha pseudos...

Jo Jo, on the other hand, is very familiar with "intra-racial" racism. One of the lawyers I work with is "mocha". Every time she comes back from the court house, she complains that the "black" clerks treat her like dirt (because she is whiter than they are) and she tries to go to the nice "white lady"...

I'm not sure who feels superior to whom...???

Mebbe you could enlighten these bozos...

"Hussein is a name that can only be used by Muslims which some might say is evidence Bammy is a Muxxa and other might say is evidence he's a stupid, ignorant clown."
hey Ian, there is no law in the USA forbidding people to use certain names. BHO senior wanted his son to have the same name as himself, and our current President's mother went along. It was only later that she realized that she had married a bully and divorced him.

I don't quite follow your comment. Are you under the impression that our current President selected his own name? That seems silly. The tenor of your comment seems to be supportive of the birther nonsense.

Don't want to be too picky, there, Chris but Ian's comment doesn't have any birther components unless "birther" is now an omnibus pejorative that refers to anyone who is anti-Obama...

The problem with this article is it suggests that 'southern conservatives' are dumb. The opposite is true. Look at the poll question:
"Do you think Barack Obama is a Christian or a Muslim, or are you not sure?"

The TRUTH is this: Obama was born a Muslim. Obama is now a Christian. I am sure.

Obama's father was a Muslim. According to Islamic jurisprudence, children of a Muslim father – even an apparently nonpracticing one, such as Obama's father, and irrespective of the mother's faith – are automatically Muslims. Most Muslims around the world agree: A child of a Muslim father is a Muslim. Period.

Thus, it would be fair to give pause when answering the poll question. Barack Hussein Obama... mmmmm mmmmm mmmmmmuslim! LOL

Oh lookee, Don used the "H" word. Be very afraid! HUSSEIN! Ha ha, startled you!

So you're saying people who say Obama is a Muslim are following Islamic jurisprudence when making decisions? That would make them Muslim, wouldn't it?

In any case, this is the question we're talking about (I'm just following the link in the article):

"Q22 Do you think Barack Obama is a Christian or a
Muslim, or are you not sure?
Christian 14%
..........................................................
Muslim 45%
............................................................
Not sure 41%


In other words, whoever answered "Muslim" denied "Christian".

Are we...

The religion we believe in ...
The religion our parents saddled us with...
The religion we declare ourselves to be...
The religion we are perceived to be???

We need to define terms before we go further...

You tell me. Is it customary in America to declare someone to belong to their father's religion, despite their own testimony and observed practice? Is that the American way of looking at religion? (As you said, we can't see into people's heart, so we can skip that one.)

In Europe, it's possible to use labels like "Catholic" or "Lutheran" to describe someone by family heritage even if that person doesn't (and perhaps never has) truly practice that religion. It's used sort of like ethnicity (and often does correlate with ethnicity in a particular region). I haven't heard this in America--you don't say "I'm Catholic" if you've never set foot in a church just because your grandparents were Catholic. And even in Europe, if the person adopts another religion, the "heritage" label would be dropped. They would then be the religion they actually practice.

(S/B "doesn't truly practice (and perhaps never has practiced) that religion")

Jo Jo was raised a Methodist...Never was a good one...haven't been in a church except to get married in 48 years...
INVENTED MY OWN RELIGION...STILL

Those good old Christian values still creep in now and again...Know what I'm sayin', there, Nikki???

Read the question again, Jo Jo. Is it customary in America to declare someone to belong to their father's religion, despite their own testimony and observed practice? Is that the American way of looking at religion? (Possible answers: yes, it is; no, it isn't.)

Not the issue and, no...it isn't...Well, Jews look at that way...Catholics make the non Catholic convert...Muslims...I think they might look at it that way, too...Mormans...they don't have any problem because they are all Mormans...

Methodists...you come home from school one day and ask your mother...what religion are we and she says "Methodist"...I think it works like that for all the Protestant religions...

Jewish custom is matrilineal. In spite of my Methodist mother I consider myself a Jew except for the little matter of practicing the religion. My dad was a Jew and I had ten years of Jewish religious instruction. I haven't been in a synagogue since I was sixteen, but during most of my childhood I spent quite a bit of time in synagogues. My father's mother could cook most of the requisite dishes including chopped liver, matzo ball soup, knishes... I've been to actual good delis and know the difference between real and fake bagels (hint, Noah's makes a toroidal balloon bread roll.) I found the afikomen at a seder.

But, as usual, you mis the higher question...Are we what we are or what we say we are???

Yeah, what Nippy said...

Thank you, Jo Jo. I agree that the answer is no: Americans do not customarily consider an adult to "belong" to his father's religion, especially if he currently attends the place of worship of a different religion.

Again, as you said and I agreed, we can't see into people's "secret heart", so your "higher" question cannot be answered about another person, only about ourselves.

For the most part religion is a matter of choice or free-will in the US. Many churches require new members to make a public profession of faith before being considered a member. Children may attend their parents church but aren't considered full adult members until they do the above.

Aniko...hence the speculation that Obama is "secretly Muslim"...

Scott...Politicians affect religious beliefs that will get them elected...

True some politicians might attend a church so they appear religious to get elected.

Maybe if obama lived in a country like Saudi Arabia or Iran he would legally be a Muslim since his father was. However he lives in the United States where people are free to choose their religious beliefs. The laws of those countries just don't apply in the US.

I looked the poll and there are a few other interesting results only 12% think Obama is a Christian, 25% believe in evolution and roughly the same amount believe interracial marriage should be illegal.

Jo Jo thinks that Irish and Italians shouldn't be allowed to marry...

I think the French and English shouldn't be allowed to intermarry. It was encouraged after 1066 and look how we turned out.

Well, Aniko believes in the divine Jesus...that is just as bad as not believing in evolution...

No, Ian, ...I meant that the Irish and the Italians shouldn't be allowed to marry AT ALL...I think they should be neutered...the French, too, come to think of it...

Hey Ian stop casting aspersions on my ancestors from Normandy :-)

Want to buy a French Army Rifle...

Never fired and only dropped twice...

(Tee Hee)

"The TRUTH is this: Obama was born a Muslim."

Our current President was born a baby, with no religious affiliation. EVERYBODY is born a baby, with no religious affiliation.

"It happens after you are born. You have to be taught"- from the musical "South Pacific"

Our current President was raised by his mother and his maternal grandparents. BHO senior played NO role in his son's upbringing. It is absurd to imply that our current President is, or ever was, a Muslim.

And, his Step-father...a Muslim...in Jakarta, in a Muslim country, where he went to a predominantly Muslim school...

And, everybody is certainly NOT born without a religious affiiation...no religious beliefs, maybe (although they can come very fast)...but many have their religion pre-ordained BEFORE they are born...

Just sayin'...don't spew your crap without thinking it through and doing a little research...

i'm well aware that the current president's step father was a muslim. Are you aware that the current President's mother sent him back to Hawaii because she was not comfortable with his lack of access to high quality education in Indonesia?

Between the ages of 6 and 10, Obama attended both Catholic and "Muslim" (non-religious, majority Muslim) schools in Indonesia.

"A spokesman for Indonesia's Ministry of Religious Affairs said claims that Obama studied at an Islamic school are groundless. 'SDN Menteng 1 is a public primary school that is open to people of all faiths. … Moreover, he studied earlier at Fransiskus Assisi, which is clearly a Catholic school.'" [source]

Those facts should have been included in Chris' "Truth"...see how that works...you leave out facts and Jo Jo is compelled to go find them...

Boy! Sorry I had to go to work and forgot this thread. Jo Jo... the "Black Lady" may yell at me any time she's a mind to. Be better if I hadn't misled her, though (and you as well, apparently).

My statement (no, he isn't half-white... he's black!) was meant to ward off the Colonel and a few others who have a habit of wanting to somehow negate the President's black heritage whenever possible. In no other case have I EVER heard a bunch of old, white conservatives deny the black heritage of any person with any visual evidence of it. It's been my experience that they tend to emphasize it. But not this time. This time we must emphasize his "white half." In this way, they can sorta pretend they don't really have a black president. They have a "half white" president (and we won't mention the other half).

The truth is, a very large percentage of "black" people in the USA have some white genetic history. Obama is different only in that his father was not of American history. We have a black president under any common usage of the term 'black' as applied to a person in the USA.

Sorry, August Lady (and Jo Jo), didn't mean to come off as denying the biracial nature of the president. It's just that I wasn't thinking about biracial people when I wrote the statement.

There is another difference, Chuck. The "white genetic history" that virtually all black people in the diaspora have is usually contributed by both parents, each of whom counts as "black" by the American rule, and not by one "black" and one "white" parent. When the latter occurs, the children often like to identify themselves as biracial rather than "[just] black". Obama has not chosen to do that, though, as far as I know.

I understand about the white-black contribution in the diaspora. I don't think it pertains here. Regarding calling himself (or even considering himself) biracial, I have never heard him, or any of his people, say anything about it. I believe he considers himself America's first black president. In any case, I seriously doubt that he has EVER referred to himself, or even THOUGHT of himself as America's first "half-white" president.

Time quotes an interview with Charlie Rose where Obama spoke to the subject. "Obama, for his part, settled this debate some time ago. 'If I'm outside your building trying to catch a cab,' he told Charlie Rose, 'they're not saying, "Oh, there's a mixed race guy."'"

My point is only that the "one drop rule" is inherently inaccurate and racist...

Tiger is a quarter black, a quarter white and half Thai..."why does everyone refer to him as "black"... Being a great Thai golfer would be a much greater accomplishment...

Just sayin...Racism abounds...

And...Nikita...Jo Jo didn't even hafta look up "diaspora" although when you speak of "the diaspora" it traditionally refers the dispersion of the Jews...

You should probably have qualified it...

Dave...that is ridiculous...Obama doesn't ride in cabs...he has limos and Air Force One...Get real...

Jo Jo: "Dave...that is ridiculous...Obama doesn't ride in cabs...he has limos and Air Force One...Get real..."

I have to admit you made me laugh with that one.

That was my intent...

But...it is hard to trust a guy that says he is a Christian and then lies and tells you he has to ride in cabs...

I agree with you about Obama, Chuck. He considers himself black (and he has a point about the cab, despite the fact that he no longer needs cabs--someone like him would be considered black "on first sight" by most people in America). I merely wanted to point out why "biracial" wouldn't be considered as a self-label by the majority of African-Americans, despite their having some "white" ancestry, while it would be considered (though not necessarily opted for) by those born to interracial couples.

Jo Jo, I figured the context sufficiently specified the diaspora I was talking about, and Chuck--the person I was addressing--seemed to be familiar with the concept of the black diaspora.

Jo Jo likes precise concepts...you should have specified "black diaspora" to distinguish if from The Diaspora"...Just sayin' 's all

Not to worry aniko... Chuck's not as dumb as he makes Jo Jo look.

Hey...I saw what you did there...

You're all a hoot. :)

The one drop rule.

Yeah... more or less.

See above...

"A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially one exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs. The predominant usage in modern English refers to persons hostile to those of differing sex, race, ethnicity, religious belief or spirituality, political alignment, nationality, language, sexual orientation, and age; and to those from a different region, with non-normative gender identity, those who are homeless, and those with various medical disorders, particularly behavioural and addictive disorders."

I hate to have to spoon feed you mullets but here's the definition...Many of you are DOUBLE or even TRIPLE bigots...

"'A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices....'"

"I hate to have to spoon feed you mullets...."

'Nuff said....

Apparently not, Steve...You still have not grasped the concept

That is just an example of garden variety rudeness...

This is bigotry...

Steve B. Mar 13, 2012, 9:53am EDT


People in the south are small, and they have "little man's complex". They get "puffed up" in order to compensate for their sensed inferiority. Willful ignorance is a virtue in the south. If you're educated, you're considered "elite" - you may have "book sense", but no "common sense", as the saying goes. At any rate, this is a sad dynamic that keeps the south down, and always claiming that "the south will rise again." What a paradoxical, self-fulfilling prophecy.


Apparently I need to spoon feed more...some of you mullets still don't get it...

And, for those of you benighted "liberals" who think that just because you are in a minority, your hurtful comments about white southerners isn't racist, let's look at that definition, too...

"Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature (i.e., which harms particular groups of people), and which is often justified by recourse to racial stereotyping or pseudo-science."


See, when you describe an entire ethnic sub-culture with a pejorative statement, it is RACIST...