Flashback

I’m am sure that you have seen the news about the Cordoba House (Now renamed Park 51) in Manhattan and have probably formed an opinion about it, or not.  One side news story is President Obama’s comments and the recent poll that indicates that over 20% of Americans think that he is a Muslim (Time).  However, the real story is that he is a Muslim.  Just not in America, where we can choose our religion.  However, in Islam, it is treason to convert.  Especially in Muslim countries where there is no freedom of religion.  In a NYT op-ed by Edward Luttwak from 2008:

As the son of the Muslim father, Senator Obama was born a Muslim under Muslim law as it is universally understood. It makes no difference that, as Senator Obama has written, his father said he renounced his religion. Likewise, under Muslim law based on the Koran his mother’s Christian background is irrelevant.

Of course, as most Americans understand it, Senator Obama is not a Muslim. He chose to become a Christian, and indeed has written convincingly to explain how he arrived at his choice and how important his Christian faith is to him.

His conversion, however, was a crime in Muslim eyes; it is “irtidad” or “ridda,” usually translated from the Arabic as “apostasy,” but with connotations of rebellion and treason. Indeed, it is the worst of all crimes that a Muslim can commit, worse than murder.

With few exceptions, the jurists of all Sunni and Shiite schools prescribe execution for all adults who leave the faith not under duress; the recommended punishment is beheading at the hands of a cleric, although in recent years there have been both stonings and hangings.

Read the article: http://www.nytimes.com/

Interesting…

p.s. Doesn’t Park 51 remind you of Area 51?