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Several people have pointed out to me that what "qualifies" someone as being Muslim or not is a little different than I had initially thought.
I had thought that it was similar to Christianity. That if you weren't "practicing," if you didn't follow some minimal set of Muslim principals, the Muslim community considered you an infidel, no longer part of their community. I do know that there are different sects within Islam, and they may disagree significantly on what is "okay" or "not okay," but that there was some basic minimum. Like in Christianity, I think even the most liberal Christians would say, if you don't believe in Jesus, you're really not a Christian. You may be a nice person, and you may be "walking the walk," but if you don't believe in Jesus at all, you just can't claim that title. (And why would you want to, anyway?)
Apparently, Islam is more akin to Judaism than Christianity in this respect. It is possible -- and in fact common -- to be a "Jew" and not to follow the commandments, not to keep kosher, not even to believe in God. Judaism is seen as much an ethnicity as a religion. A Jew would say, if your mother was Jewish, you're Jewish, no matter what. You may be an apostate Jew if you decide to believe in Jesus, but you're still a Jew. If your mother was not Jewish, you're not Jewish, unless you convert (and some of the sects don't even really trust those who convert).
In Islam, it follows the father's line. If your father is a Muslim, then you're a Muslim. I have heard this from several credible authorities. So, most of the Muslim community would say that Obama is an apostate Muslim. He does not follow the Koran, and even the most liberal Muslims would say he's not really "one of them," but he is Muslim.
So, let this go down in history: I am admitting I was wrong.
Of course, it doesn't change the fact that, when most people accuse Barack of being "Muslim" they don't mean just that his father was one. They mean they think he's still a friend to Muslims, and wants to enact Sharia law, which is totally ridiculous. He has far too much Muslim blood on his hands for that.
I had thought that it was similar to Christianity. That if you weren't "practicing," if you didn't follow some minimal set of Muslim principals, the Muslim community considered you an infidel, no longer part of their community. I do know that there are different sects within Islam, and they may disagree significantly on what is "okay" or "not okay," but that there was some basic minimum. Like in Christianity, I think even the most liberal Christians would say, if you don't believe in Jesus, you're really not a Christian. You may be a nice person, and you may be "walking the walk," but if you don't believe in Jesus at all, you just can't claim that title. (And why would you want to, anyway?)
Apparently, Islam is more akin to Judaism than Christianity in this respect. It is possible -- and in fact common -- to be a "Jew" and not to follow the commandments, not to keep kosher, not even to believe in God. Judaism is seen as much an ethnicity as a religion. A Jew would say, if your mother was Jewish, you're Jewish, no matter what. You may be an apostate Jew if you decide to believe in Jesus, but you're still a Jew. If your mother was not Jewish, you're not Jewish, unless you convert (and some of the sects don't even really trust those who convert).
In Islam, it follows the father's line. If your father is a Muslim, then you're a Muslim. I have heard this from several credible authorities. So, most of the Muslim community would say that Obama is an apostate Muslim. He does not follow the Koran, and even the most liberal Muslims would say he's not really "one of them," but he is Muslim.
So, let this go down in history: I am admitting I was wrong.
Of course, it doesn't change the fact that, when most people accuse Barack of being "Muslim" they don't mean just that his father was one. They mean they think he's still a friend to Muslims, and wants to enact Sharia law, which is totally ridiculous. He has far too much Muslim blood on his hands for that.