There
has been a lot made in the recent weeks about the Muslim history of my
family. Some of the things that have been said are true, others are false,
so I am writing this letter to clear up the misunderstandings on this
issue.
Yes, it
is true that I have a name that is infomon amongst Kenyan Muslims where my
father came from and that my middle name is Hussein. Baraka is a name
which means "blessing" and Hussein is a masculine form of the word beauty.
Since there is nothing inherently wrong with the concept of blessings from
God and the beauty He creates I fail to see the problem with these names.
Some will say wouldn't it be a problem to have a president with a name
similar to the deposed and executed former dictator of Iraq? My answer to
this is simply no; rather it is the strength and beauty of America that
the son of an African man with a "funny sounding" name, born under British
Colonial Rule, can now be a serious candidate for the presidency of the
United States.
My
father was a Muslim and although I did not know him well the religion of
my father and his family was always something I had an interest in. This
interest became more intense when my mother re-married an Indonesian
Muslim man. As a small child, I lived in Indonesia and attended school
alongside Muslim pupils. I saw their parents dutifully observing the daily
prayers, the mothers covered in the Muslim hijab, the change of atmosphere
of the school during Ramadan, and the festiveness of the Eid celebrations.
The man
my mother was married to was not particularly religious; but he would
attend the mosque on occasion, and had copies of the Quran in different
languages in the home, and books of the sayings and life of the Prophet
Muhammad. From time to time he would quote Islamic phrases such as "no one
truly believes until he wants for his brother what he wants for himself",
"oppression is worse than slaughter", and "all humans are equal the only
difference infoes from our deeds".
Growing
up in Hawaii with my mother and her grandparents Islam largely escaped my
mind. My mother installed in me the values of humanism and I did not
grow-up in a home were religion was taught.
It was
later while I attended college at Columbia University and Harvard Law that
I became reacquainted with Muslims as both schools had large Muslims
student populations. Some of them were my friends and many came from
countries that our nation now has hostile relations with. The background I
had from my early childhood in Indonesia helped me get to know them and
learn from them and to me Muslims are not to be looked upon as something
strange. In my experiences up until college a Muslim was no less exotic to
me than a Mormon, a Jew, or a Jehovah's Witness.
After
college I settled in my adopted hometown of Chicago and lived on the South
Side and worked as a infomunity organizer. Chicago has one of the largest
Muslim populations in America (estimated to be around 300,000) and Muslims
make-up some of the most productive citizens in the area. I met countless
numbers of Muslims in my job as an organizer and later on in my early
political career. I ate in their homes, played with their kids, and looked
at them as friends and peers and sought their advice.
Therefore, when the tragic terrorist attacks of 9-11 occurred I was deeply
saddened with the rest of America, and I wanted justice for the victims of
this horrific attack, but I did not blame all Muslims or the religion of
Islam. From my experience I knew the good character of most Muslims and
the value that they bring to America. Many, who did not personally know
Muslims, indicted the entire religion for the bad actions
of a few; my experience taught me that this was something foolish and
unwise.
Later I
had the chance to visit the homeland of my father and meet Muslim
relatives of my family including my grandmother. I found that these were
people who wanted the same things out of life as people right here in
America and worked hard, strive to make a better way for their children,
and prayed to God to grant them success.
This is
what I will bring to the office of the Presidency of the United States. I
will deal with Muslims from a position of familiarity and respect and at
this time in the history of our nation that is something sorely needed.
(note this letter was penned not by B.O.
but by U.L.). For the readers who may be a little slow in getting this I
wrote this letter hoping he would write something along the same lines.
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