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From an American perspective, you are whatever you want to be. If you want to claim to be Arabic, black, believer in human sacrifices or whatever, it will be accepted because that's what you want to be labeled as. So if BHO claims to be Christian it will be accepted.
From a Muslim/Islamic perspective, things are not so easy.
Who is a muslim?
1- Someone who recites the shahada.
Quote:
"Mr. Obama recalled the opening lines of the Arabic call to prayer, reciting them with a first-rate accent. In a remark that seemed delightfully uncalculated (it’ll give Alabama voters heart attacks), Mr. Obama described the call to prayer as “one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset.”
http://select.nytimes.com/2007/03/06/opinion/06kristof.html?_r=4&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
The Islamic call to prayer is the sahada and by reciting it, muslims would consider him a muslim. BTW, how would he know the sahada in Arabic unless he studied in koranic school in Indonesia and only muslims can take those koranic classes in Indonesian schools? How come the website says he has "never" been a muslim? But I digress.
2- Someone who's father was muslim (even if only nominally).
Check. for Obama. Both his biological and adoptive were muslim (although nominal).
BHO has caused his own problems by being either ignorant or misleading about his Islamic heritage. What he should do is admit that under an Islamic view of the world, he would be consider a muslim. Then say that although he acknowledges that such perspective exists, he rejects it and defend the rights of all human beings to determine their own beliefs irrespective of their heritage. A good show in support of apostates would go a long way in gaining admiration of human right advocates in Muslim countries. Something along the lines of JFK in Berlin but applied in defense of apostates in the Muslim world who face unbelievable odds against them: "I am also an apotate" would go a long way to eliminate the "smear".
