02-17-2008, 11:31 AM
The Speech Obama Never Gave
By Mladen Andrijasevic February 12, 2008
My fellow Americans,
The time has come for me to set the record straight. Failing to do this would just make things worse, and I think I owe it to the American people.
I am a Christian. In my early years I had a reasonably Muslim upbringing under the auspices of my Indonesian step-father. Denying that would just be denying the truth. At the age of six I regularly attended services in his mosque.
Does this matter? It does because I am seeking to be the president of the greatest country on Earth. It matters where I come from, because where I come from affects where I stand today.
It would be years later that I read about Islam and understood what I had been reciting as a boy. As an American I realized that my values enshrined in the US Constitution are incompatible with certain tenets of Islam: the concept of jihad, the relationship of Muslims towards non-believers; and Islam's attitude towards apostates.
Of course, many religions have violent passages against the other. But what matters is how these passages are interpreted today, not only what they meant hundreds of years ago. How for instance is verse 9:5 of the Koran interpreted? It reads: "Fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem [of war]; but if they repent, and establish regular Prayers and practice regular Charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
I became acquainted with the verses received in Mecca, with those received in Medina, the concept of abrogation. I read the Hadiths, Ibn Ishaq. Today I have a fair understanding of the faith I once as a child belonged to, if only superficially, by virtue of what I learned from my step-father and his surroundings.
But today we live in a world in which hundreds of terror attacks are committed in the name of the Koran. We do not hear Muslim scholars quoting their religious texts, condemning these attacks. What we hear is the jihadists finding justification on one side. There is only silence on the other.
As an American I cannot remain indifferent to this silence.
For all of you who have brought up this point about my past I say: rest assured. I understand your concern. We share the same values.
My values are those of the founding fathers of America, and its constitutionals freedoms of speech and religion, its tolerance of diversity of opinion, its acceptance the golden rule of most religions to not do unto your brother what is hateful to you.
My values are not those of Sharia. To not address this directly and state this clearly would betray my faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States, and the citizens whom I seek to lead.
And that is why I felt compelled to address you on this issue today.
Views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
By Mladen Andrijasevic February 12, 2008
My fellow Americans,
The time has come for me to set the record straight. Failing to do this would just make things worse, and I think I owe it to the American people.
I am a Christian. In my early years I had a reasonably Muslim upbringing under the auspices of my Indonesian step-father. Denying that would just be denying the truth. At the age of six I regularly attended services in his mosque.
Does this matter? It does because I am seeking to be the president of the greatest country on Earth. It matters where I come from, because where I come from affects where I stand today.
It would be years later that I read about Islam and understood what I had been reciting as a boy. As an American I realized that my values enshrined in the US Constitution are incompatible with certain tenets of Islam: the concept of jihad, the relationship of Muslims towards non-believers; and Islam's attitude towards apostates.
Of course, many religions have violent passages against the other. But what matters is how these passages are interpreted today, not only what they meant hundreds of years ago. How for instance is verse 9:5 of the Koran interpreted? It reads: "Fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem [of war]; but if they repent, and establish regular Prayers and practice regular Charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
I became acquainted with the verses received in Mecca, with those received in Medina, the concept of abrogation. I read the Hadiths, Ibn Ishaq. Today I have a fair understanding of the faith I once as a child belonged to, if only superficially, by virtue of what I learned from my step-father and his surroundings.
But today we live in a world in which hundreds of terror attacks are committed in the name of the Koran. We do not hear Muslim scholars quoting their religious texts, condemning these attacks. What we hear is the jihadists finding justification on one side. There is only silence on the other.
As an American I cannot remain indifferent to this silence.
For all of you who have brought up this point about my past I say: rest assured. I understand your concern. We share the same values.
My values are those of the founding fathers of America, and its constitutionals freedoms of speech and religion, its tolerance of diversity of opinion, its acceptance the golden rule of most religions to not do unto your brother what is hateful to you.
My values are not those of Sharia. To not address this directly and state this clearly would betray my faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States, and the citizens whom I seek to lead.
And that is why I felt compelled to address you on this issue today.
Views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.