In agreement with much that was said in the beginning of Hooman Majd's article, I would like to share this article I wrote about two weeks ago. It is nice to hear that someone else feels the same way.

Although I agree that Obama may do well with the Muslim population in the United States and around the world, I don't think he has made any particular effort in this direction. Even though everyone denies it, this race has become about black and white, male and female. Obama's supposed religious affiliations are clearly secondary at this moment.

So What If He’s a Muslim?

Obama, Smears, and the Muslim World (as featured in The Beaver, the student publication of the London School of Economics and Political Science)

Sapna Prasad

Recent and persistent smear campaigns have suggested that Senator Barack Obama is secretly a Muslim. This new wave of ugly election politics has even gone so far as to imply that the Senator doesn’t partake in reciting the pledge of allegiance, turns his back on the American flag and was sworn into office on the Quran.

From the pages of his book, Dreams From My Father, and the urgent fact-checking that ensued in light of the accusation, we know these things to be false on all counts.

In an effort to protect his supporters from falling for this flagrant fabrication, Senator Obama has been making it a point to assert his Christian faith while on the campaign trail, telling a crowd of supporters that he has been a member of the same church for nearly 20 years, “praying to Jesus.”

My ears lingered at the end of that phrase, waiting to hear something hopeful from the man who has been inspiring hope in so many Americans. But Senator Obama proceeded to talk about the economy, healthcare, the Clintons, and other seemingly more important issues.

Indeed, every opportunity Senator Obama devotes to assuring us that he has no association with Islam, sends a less hopeful message to voters, and to the rest of world.

The democratic hopeful has been praised for his ability to bring Americans together, but not once did he say that all Muslims are not terrorists. Not once did Senator Obama say that there is nothing wrong with being a Muslim. Not once did he say that associating Islam with terrorism is representative of the American people falling prey to the terrorists who instill fear in our lives.

It doesn’t matter so much what religion we follow, it matters that we are good human beings, and that together we make this world a better place.

If you’re going to change this country Senator Obama, you need the support of the Whites, the Blacks, the Hispanics, the Muslims, the Hindus, the Christians, the Jews, and the list goes on. The world is getting smaller everyday. It’s a world that doesn’t have room for divisions based on race or faith. The more votes Senator Obama looses to these fraudulent e-mails, the more divided we become.

The fact that there are people in our country who still associate Islam with terrorism and jihad, but nothing more, is a clear sign that there is a tremendous amount of work to be done.

If the United States is going to win the war on terror, we have a responsibility to the millions of innocent Muslims who live in our country, and around the world. We have a responsibility to embrace the true meaning of Islam and to educate those who may remain doubtful.

Senator Obama has the power to make an unprecedented impact on this front. It is highly likely that his campaign would also benefit from this effort. The votes of many Muslims in America may not be hotly contested, but they do represent a voice that will be heard at the polls in November.

I did not suggest that Muslims never smile. I have never seen the Iranian nabobs (maybe that's Indian) giving their faces a holiday. From what you say, I'm in for a treat when I do but there may be blue blackbirds before that, or even a blue moon. There are quite a number of Muslim doctors working in hospitals here and I'm well aware that they're as varied in personality as people of all beliefs and cultures. There are morose, miserable people in my native land but I'm not one of them, for which I thank my lucky stars. To put it bluntly, I have an aversion to Ahmadinejad and his mates but you have completely misunderstood me, whether by accident or design, if you've inferred from what I wrote that all Muslims are humourless and poker-faced. I pointed out that Mr. Majd's use of the word "Muslims" did not allow for differentiation so what are you going on about?

As for names, you call yourself Hans and maybe that has something to do with Hans Christian Andersen and his fairytales. I've no way of knowing but it won't cost me another thought. I've never been too happy with my parents' choice of a traditional Irish name for me but I'm stuck with it now. I was a tiny baby when I was baptised but, if I had any say in it, I'd probably have gone for Tallulah or something like that. If you feel you must chide me further, I'll have to disappoint you because I'm going to bed. We're either eight hours ahead of or eight hours behind the West Coast of America but you can decide which it is. Here in the Home for the Bewildered, Nurse Rached (to rhyme with hatchet) is calling so I must get quickly tucked in.

Cool down. Yes, Muslims do smile, you know, even if you haven't seen them do so on TV. Meet some, sometime. You'll see that they smile more than we morose Westerners. The anecdote about the Iranians smiling incredulously sounded very authentic to me (I spent a month or so in Iran).

And why should Mr Majd have to defend why his opinion means so much? Do other journalists or columnists start every article with a list of their accomplishments or importance, concluding: "this is why you must pay attention to what I say"? An opinion article is just that, and anyone can write one (though having it published may be a different story).

As for Pakistanis being alarmed by Obama's statements, I really don't think so. In the US he was lambasted for "saying" he'd invade an ally, but of course he never said such a thing, he was talking about the kind of strike that happened just this week (without anyone calling the Bush administration all the names that Obama was called). Quite frankly, I don't think the Pakistanis or anyone else outside striking distance of the smear machine are even aware of the flap.

And yes, people do get sentimental over things like middle names. If it's believable that many Americans wouldn't vote for a person with a Muslim middle name, why is it less believable that Muslims would be touched by it - and by the fact that Americans accept it? Don't forget that the Muslim world today (rightly) feels rejected in its entirety by the US.

A few commenters wondered whether a black man - or a woman - would be accepted abroad. I think they obviously would. Even the most misogynic societies can and do elect female prime ministers. Power has a way of overruling bias.