Israeli and Muslim, In The Oval Office

[sandnsea]

"There are so many intriguing facets of the new Administration that make it clear we are moving into a new century. One that has not yet been fully recognized is that the children of immigrants, Israeli and Muslim, will move into the Oval Office. That is the most significant facet of the selection of Rahm Emanuel as Chief of Staff, in my mind..

"..But this is the beauty, the genius, of America. We are not captives of our past or our heritage. In some parts of the world, these two men would be peering at each other down the barrel of a gun. Here, in America, it is not even questioned that they can be the best of friends. I hope to see so many more visual examples of what it means to be an American in this Administration and hope we will join together to move our country, and the world, into a bright new future."

Natalie is a new contributor to the Obama-Mamas.com blog.

http://www.obama-mamas.com/blog/?p=101

[ellenfl]

1. huh? what muslim is in the wh? eom

[justiceischeap]

2. Obama's father was a Muslim, therefore, he is a descendent of a Muslim. Right? nt

[ellacott]

4. He was an atheist

[sandnsea]

12. His Muslim background used to be seen as a benefit

Have people been so bullied by the right that they're afraid to acknowledge the significance of Obama's background anymore?

[ellacott]

16. Wasn't he an atheist?

It has nothing to de with being bullied, especially not by me.

ETA: When was it seen as a benefit?

[Essene]

32. it's not an issue of faith, but of heritage (same goes for jewish parents, no?)

does a jewish father not being religious make them no longer jewish?

there's nothing wrong with acknowledging and even respecting obama's heritage, faith aside.

[ellacott]

35. Where did I ask about the jewish faith?

His father was an atheist. You keep missing the point, I think you are doing this on purpose. All of africa is not Muslim. Islam is not a native religion in Africa. It has nothing to do with heritage.

[Poseidan]

37. not exactly

There are ethnic Jews and religious Jews, but there are no ethnic Muslims.

[Essene]

44. says who? who gets to define what counts as "ethnicity"?

Just saying.

There is a cultural heritage there regardless of what words we find "acceptable."

[Unsane]

41. "Muslim" is not an ethnicity. It is a faith. "Judaism" can be both a faith and ethnicity.

Obama Sr.'s ethnicity was African. His faith was muslim (although I think he was really irreligious).

[Essene]

45. Barack Sr was Luo as a matter of heritage, but apparently he wasnt even born muslim

So i would even question calling the muslim aspect part of his heritage in light of that.

While many Luo are muslim, it doesn't appear to be his real family heritage outside his father's conversion.

If he had come from a heritage of muslim Luo, i'd challenge this notion that it's somehow very different from "ethnicity" since those are notions mostly tied with western racial categorizations often having little to do with reality.

It's like calling the entire continent of africa one race.... whereas tiny europe is granted many "ethnicities."

[ellenfl]

43. my father was an episcopalian and my mother was catholic.

does that automatically make me a christian? i am no religion expert but, in my experience, only jews identify themselves strictly by their religion.

ellen fl

[sandnsea]

3. Children of Immigrants

People really can't read, can they. I don't know why I am always stunned by that little detail.

[Essene]

31. hehehehehehehe... you oughta change the thread title tho (cuz it implies the wrong reading)

i know whatcha mean, but the subject of the thread is misleading.

[sandnsea]

33. Fools are exposed as being fools

who can't read. It's their problem, not mine.

[bemildred]

5. I think it's the immigrants that were Israeli and Muslim.

Not expressed in the clearest way. But it's cute and tedious in any case.

[sandnsea]

8. Really? "children of immigrants" isn't clear? n/t

[cali]

6. what a silly stretch

Rahm Emanuel is not an Israeli and Barack Obama is not a Muslim.

Ugh.

[AlCzervik]

7. He's not a muslim, has that not been made clear yet?

[camera obscura]

9. The headline should probably say CHILDREN of Israelis and Muslims in the White House. After all,

Rahm isn't an Israeli.

[sandnsea]

11. Gosh, a headline is supposed to get people to READ

the fucking post.

[sandnsea]

10. Wow. You can't read either?

I'm really shocked at that. "Children of immigrants" Just flew right over your head?

This is sad.

Children of a Muslim and an Israeli is in the oval office and people don't get that that is what makes this country so great.

Whatever I guess.

[AlCzervik]

13. the post is gone, why?

[sandnsea]

14. What post is gone? n/t

[AlCzervik]

15. click your own link in your op-it's gone.

[sandnsea]

17. No it isn't

http://www.obama-mamas.com/blog/?p=101

But that's okay. When Rachel or Keith tell you to think about how cool it is that childen of Muslims and Israelies are workig together, you'll be all of yourself praising them.

[AlCzervik]

19. i click it and this is what i get

[sandnsea]

22. Well I wouldn't know why - but I guess people couldn't have read it

and posted shit regardless. I find that more interesting than the post itself.

[izzybeans]

18. "...But this is the beauty, the genius, of America."

Thank you for sharing this.

My apologies for earlier. You didn't deserve the way I phrased myself.

BTW, the link might be broken or something.

[sandnsea]

23. Thank you

The link is fixed. Maybe people will read the whole thing now. I thought it was an interesting take on the two.

[izzybeans]

24. Definitely.

I hope they do.
:)

[frickaline]

20. Wow. I usually have to go over to FR to read about Obama's dad

It was my understanding that he barely knew the guy. Why do you remotely find this relevant?

[izzybeans]

21. "The children of immigrants..." was the operative clause in the OP

This was a positive post about his background.

[frickaline]

36. I'm not convinced you read my post.

I would usually consider knowledge a prerequisite to heritage. It is pretty hard to have something passed down to you from someone you barely knew. That is why this article seems irrelevant to me.

[izzybeans]

39. The OP didn't reference his knowledge. It referenced his father's place of birth

and his father's heritage.

And the person posting on Obama Mama's was making a rhetorical point about there being a son of Israel and a son of an muslim (even if it was a stretch) in the White House as something to celebrate.

You should try reading the OP, the title might of misled you. The point was a rhetorical one.

[frickaline]

40. I still don't think you are reading my posts

The title did NOT mislead me. If it did, I would say so.

I am saying makes no sense to say he received some heritage from someone he didn't know. Heritage is something passed down from generation to generation, not just some genetic code. Will we soon make the argument that there is a "muslim gene"?

her·i·tage (hr-tj)
n.
1. Property that is or can be inherited; an inheritance.
2. Something that is passed down from preceding generations; a tradition.
3. The status acquired by a person through birth; a birthright: a heritage of affluence and social position.

[opihimoimoi]

25. WTF is this shit.... AMERICANS just got elected and will be filling the White House /Oval Office

They will be working hard on OUR behalf...

They have tons of work to do...especially after BushCo screwed up everything so bad.....

[sandnsea]

26. "We are not captives of our past or our heritage"

I really didn't know there were so many people who react without reading or thinking.

[opihimoimoi]

27. KISS...keep it simple stupid.......

I try not to complicate things as much as possible...its so much easier that way

[sandnsea]

29. So you just read headlines and spew? n/t

[opihimoimoi]

42. WTH you grouching at..??.read my post.....LOL

[and-justice-for-all]

28. Israeli and Muslim, In The Oval Office?? Really..

and just how did you come to that conclusion?

[bushisanidiot]

30. Obama is a Christian and has been a Christian all his life.

period.

[sandnsea]

34. His mother had no religion

He wasn't raised as anything in particular. Which isn't the point anyway. Try reading the actual words and then thinking about what the words mean.

[ieoeja]

38. Let me be the second person to say this is kind of cool.

Glad to see that at least one poster, izzybeans, actually read the damn thing instead of getting all defensive.

Fellow DUers, the election is over. The fact that his father's family were Muslim can now be exploited for goodwill around the world. We don't have to worry what Stupid thinks for awhile.