When Barack Obama was born in 1961, King Hussein of Jordan was an American ally

[zulchzulu]

Yes, Barack's middle name is Hussein. He doesn't hide it. He had nothing to do with being named that name.

And if you look at who was a prominent Hussein at the time of his birth in Hawaii in 1961, it was King Hussein of Jordan. He attained the throne on May 2, 1953 and held it until his death in 1999.



In case you don't know who he is, here's a little background on this amazing leader:

King Hussein also struggled throughout his 45 year reign to promote peace in the Middle East.

After the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, he was instrumental in drafting UN Security Council Resolution 242 which calls on Israel to withdraw from Arab lands it occupied in the 1967 war in exchange for peace. This resolution has served as the benchmark for all subsequent peace negotiations.

In 1991, King Hussein played a pivotal role in convening the Madrid Peace Conference, and providing an "umbrella" for Palestinians to negotiate their future as part of a joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation.

The 1994 Peace Treaty between Jordan and Israel is a major step toward achieving a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Hussein.html

What else did this King of Jordan whose name was Hussein do?

King Hussein’s commitment to democracy, civil liberties and human rights has helped pave the way in making Jordan a model state for the region. The kingdom is internationally recognized as having the most exemplary human rights record in the Middle East, while recent reforms have allowed Jordan to resume its irreversible drive to democratization.

In 1990, King Hussein appointed a royal commission representing the entire spectrum of Jordanian political thought to draft a national charter.

Today the National Charter, along with the Jordanian Constitution, serves as a guideline for democratic institutionalization and political pluralism in the country. In 1989. 1993 and 1997, Jordan held parliamentary elections which were accredited internationally as among the freest and fairest ever held in the Middle East.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Hussein.html

More here:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/jan-june99/hussein_index.html

More on the name Hussein, which is a fairly common name in the Arab World:

Husayn, Hussein, Hussain, Husain{/b] (Arabic:????), is an Arabic name which is the diminutive of Hasan, meaning "beautiful" or "handsome". It is commonly given as a male given name among Muslims, after Husayn ibn Ali. In some Persian sources the form Háosayn is used <1>. In Turkish it is Hüseyin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Husayn

So if someone has a problem with the fact that Barack Obama's middle name is Hussein, certainly they would realize that in 1961 when Barack was born, a strong leader of peace also went by that name.

[Vickers]

1. That's a very good point. And look, just because Idiot George shares a

name with George Washington doesn't mean he possesses any of Washington's numerous good traits.

Hell, he doesn't even have as many good traits as George Costanza.

[Traveling_Home]

2. Muhammed's Successor Ali's son Hussein - Shia

Shia Muslims believe that the descendants from Muhammad through his daughter Fatima Zahra and his son-in-law Ali (the Imams) were the best source of knowledge about the Qur'an and Islam, the most trusted carriers and protectors of Muhammad's Sunnah (traditions), and the most worthy of emulation.

In particular, Shia Muslims recognize the succession of Ali (Muhammad's cousin, son-in-law, the first man to accept Islam — second only to Muhammad's wife Khadija — the male head of the Ahl al-Bayt or "people of the house") and the father of Muhammad's only bloodline as opposed to that of the caliphate recognized by Sunni Muslims. Shia Muslims believe that Ali was appointed successor by Muhammad's direct order on many occasions, and that he is therefore the rightful leader of the Muslim faith.

This difference between following either the Ahl al-Bayt (Muhammad's family and descendants) or the Caliph Abu Bakr has shaped Shia and non-Shia views on some of the Qur'an, the Hadith (narrations from Muhammad) and other areas of Islam. For instance, the collection of Hadith venerated by Shia Muslims is centered on narrations by members of the Ahl al-Bayt and their supporters, while some Hadith by narrators not belonging to or supporting the Ahl al-Bayt are not included (those of Abu Huraira, for example). Ali was the third successor to Abu Bakr and, for the Shia, the first divinely sanctioned "imam," or male descendant of Muhammad. The seminal event in Shia history is the martyrdom in 680 CE of Ali's son Hussein, who led an uprising against the "illegitimate" caliph (72 of Hussein's followers were killed as well). For the Shia, Hussein came to symbolize resistance to tyranny.

[Fed_Up_Grammy]

3. I remember when he married Lisa Halaby,the daughter of the PanAm

president. We gals love romantic stories.

[Clark2008]

19. Some "gals" do - other women, not so much.

[maddiejoan]

4. It's also an incredibly common name

It's such a non-issue.

[msongs]

5. yes but did the king embrace christ? nt

[madeline_con]

6. He just smiled and gave me a Heshimite sandwich. n/t

[bonito]

7. You come from a land down under

:)

[killbotfactory]

9. lol

:rofl:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

15. Post of the week.

:thumbsup: :rofl:

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

20. Thanks for the earworm!

:thumbsup:

[Maven]

8. You're preaching to the wrong crowd. No one here is saying it's a "bad" name to have

Obama supporters are getting upset whenever someone even mentions his full name, which only reinforces the idea that there's something wrong with it.

[kurth]

12. Exactly

They sure wish it was something else.

[zulchzulu]

14. If knuckledraggers think Obama made his middle name Hussein a couple years ago...

...chances are they either don't vote, don't read and/or are too stupid to make the connection.

[forsberg]

10. true, Hussein wasn't a dirty word BACK THEN

...it is now

[fujiyama]

11. But you just wrote down a bunch of historical stuff

about some dead guy.

Nobody know anything about him. Remember this is the the America where Dana Perino is the press secretary!

Hussain=bad guy. Remember the rape rooms? We went and liberated those people!!!

[monmouth]

13. You know you're getting old when.......Your oldest kid is the same age

as a presidential candidate. I didn't realize Obama and my son were the same age. Well, I will now go find a rock, crawl under and feel depressed for the day....How friggin depressing.

[Stop Cornyn]

16. I think the name issue is bs but are you saying that Obama's was named after King Hussein of Jordan?

[zulchzulu]

17. Ferchrissakes...

Did you read what I wrote?

The gist of the OP is that at the time Obama was born and given his full name (most newborn don't protest their names), King Hussein was around at the time.

It is of historical significance because Hussein was a good name to have your kid to have as a middle name as well as is pretty common in the Arab World.

There isn't any proof or acknowledgement that Obama's middle name is attributable to King Hussein. It's mainly that there isn't just "one Hussein"...

[Stop Cornyn]

18. All I'm saying is that it is a simpler to say Obama's middle name was in honor of a family friend or

whatever. I think your argument about the name gives the inaccurate impression that Obama was named after King Hussein. A simpler explanation would suit better.