The Muslim Dilemma

Obama says Muslim issue is 'no-win situation'

Sen. Barack Obama said Sunday that responding to incorrect assertions that he’s a Muslim has put him in a “no-win situation."

If he allows the Internet rumors and other misleading information to go unchallenged, it’s an affront to his Christianity and could cost him support from voters who don’t want a Muslim in the White House. But if he aggressively confronts the rumors, it could suggest to some that there’s something wrong with being a Muslim.

“This is a classic example of a no-win situation,” Mr. Obama told hundreds of journalists gathered in Chicago for the UNITY convention for journalists of color.

“I have repeatedly said I’m not a Muslim, but this whole strategy of suggesting that I am is indicative of anti-Muslim strategy that we have to fight against,” he said.

Mr. Obama said he also didn’t want his religion to be falsely identified as a matter of respect for his own faith.

“If you were a Muslim and somebody consistently said you were a Christian, I suspect that you would want to have that corrected,” he said.

Later, Mr. Obama was asked whether he would be a strong contender for president if he were a Muslim.

He didn’t directly answer the question, but said the “American people are more tolerant and open minded than a lot of the pundits give them credit for.”

Constantly accusing Obama of being a Muslim is almost like using the Hitler card. By saying that Obama is a Muslim, these people are also expressing their dislike for the religion, and basically saying that they don't think a Muslim should be president.

This is why I don't agree with Obama's statement that American people are more tolerant than pundits give them credit for. You are practically un-electable if you are anything but Christian, and this hardly shows tolerance for other beliefs.

Citizenship

I was reading about this woman in France who applied for citizenship, but was denied because she wears a burqa.

In 2005 her application for French nationality was rejected for “lack of assimilation”. Now the Conseil d’Etat has rejected her appeal on the ground that she “adopted a radical practice of her religion, incompatible with the essential values of the French community, and particularly with the principle of sexual equality.” This is the first time the court has refused nationality on the grounds of religious expression. The court heard that the couple followed salafism, a radical form of Islam. The woman adopted the burqa at her husband’s request in France, where she “lives in total submission to the men in her family”.

Good for France, I say.

Certain countries have stricter rules for nationality than others. In Germany you have to learn the language and live here for eight years.

I consider this the right of the country to choose what is required for citizenship.

It is not as if they are disallowing her to wear her burqa. They just (rightly) say that wearing a burqa is counter to the values and equality of women in France, so she does not pass the requirements for citizenship.

What do you think? Is it right for France to deny this woman citizenship because of her burqa?

Islam Bullish in a Bear Market

I read this Newsweek article that talks about faith-based mutual funds.

The writer starts out by commenting on how strange it is that such a thing exists. Remember the camel and the eye of the needle?

Anyways, these faith-based mutual funds work by screening out stocks that don't reflect their values, and apparently some faiths are doing better than others.

The big winners in faith funds (if you can be so crass) are the Islamic funds. They screen out "sin stocks"—and producers of pork products. The profitable difference is riba, or interest. The Qur'an strictly prohibits the borrowing or lending of money at interest: "Whatever you give as riba so that it might bring increase through the wealth of other people will bring you no increase with Allah," it says. Because of this prohibition, Islamic mutual funds, like those in the Amana group, don't invest in financial-services companies: they escaped the subprime mortgage debacle altogether.

The managers of the Christian funds say they're in the faith-based business not to help people get rich, but to help them save—for retirement, for college—with tools they can believe in. Arthur Ally founded the Timothy Plan 15 years ago. "There's nothing wrong with having money and making money," says Ally. "What's wrong is hoarding money."

This is a nice interpretation, but I'm not sure if Jesus made that distinction.

Worth the Watch

This is a documentary on the Qu'ran (1:41:32). Very long, but worth it.

I must admit I don't know a lot about Islam. Mostly I only know about the negative aspects because that is all one ever sees on the television or reads in the news.

But I thought this video was very enlightening. I wish more people could see it because I think there is too little understanding of this religion that over 1 billion of our Earth's population subscribe to.

Thanks to Atheist Media for sharing it.