Well, what eyes did not foresee the ears did not hear is moving mountains and deep seas, and here Senator Obama is the mover and shaker, the commander – in- Chief of that movement. Senator Obama will go down in American history as the presidential candidate who has been most perturbed by the single-handedness of his political rivals and their advocates through the heinous conflation of racism and religious bigotry in American society at the same time. No one since the founding of the republic has faced racism as he does.

The buzz word in this 2008 presidential election is the comparison of the late President John Kennedy and Obama in the sense that their political destiny caught them in the dangerous webs of religious bigotry and racism in American life. For Kennedy it was his being a baptized Catholic that made his candidacy troublesome in a nation dominated by White Protestants. Being White himself, it was more his religion than his lower level of ethnic/religious calculation under the White Anglo-Saxon Protestant measuring calculus that counted. For Obama, on the other hand, it was due to his blackness that mattered. In his case, clearly Race Matters. What differentiates John F. Kennedy from Obama despite the concatenation of factors and circumstances that come to define their political struggles within the American society are the peculiar combination of racial prejudice and Islamophobian tendencies among his detractors, Unwilling to acknowledge the fact that he was left behind by his Kenyan father who was born Muslim from the Kenyan ethnic group called Luo when he was just two years old, the die-hard often do not want to take Obama’s Christian identity seriously. Sometimes it seems easier for them to hide their racism with their psychologically thick envelope of religious bigotry.

Living in a supposedly desegregated America, and massaging their egos on the ground that their country is no longer vilified abroad as racist,  these people now find safety and salvation by rekindling the old flames of the Crusaders and unfortunately for the Muslim World, they find sparing partners among terrorist elements in Muslim societies. This is one of the greatest tragedies of the Twenty first century when America has become the most racial and religious diversified societies in the world. Rather than accept Obama for who he is, a notion deeply rooted in the First Amendment rights of all Americans, his Christianity is undervalued not because of his failure to practice or to behave responsibility as a Christian but because the stigma of being Muslim is more biting than being Black. Because the black image has profited immeasurably through the galaxy of superstars in the persons of Muhammad Ali , Oprah Winfrey , Sammy Davis Junior , Tiger Woods and countless persons in entertainment, sports and in many areas of life, it has become dangerous and unwise for any aspiring White American to dabble in race bating. Witness the moral and political collapse of Jimmy the Greek who made a fool of himself by making fun of Black dominance of football because of their physique. That misguided articulation of racial fantasy through the unacceptable verbal gymnastics.

I find it imperative to respond to Edward Luttwak ’s recent piece in the May 12, 2008 issue of the New York Times. Discussing Obama’s alleged Muslim heritage, the old Cold Warrior whose claim to fame as a strong opponent of the Communists falls into a dangerous trap. In his narrative he hits some good points about Islam and apostasy. However, he failed to appreciate the history of the phenomenon and the inapplicability of his association of Obama with the notions about apostasy in the world today. To the best of my knowledge, as a reporter who lived in the Gulf states for several years, there is no reason to believe that Obama could be the target of any foolish Muslim attack on him because of his being born into a family with a Muslim father. What makes Luttwak’s speculation foolish and unwise is the conflation of his Africanity and Islam. Why not, many Africans appreciate Obama’s candidacy. Of course this is not surprising. After all, a review of the 1960’s showed that most Irish and Catholics welcomed the political hopes of Senator John F. Kennedy . Certainly, his election created a radical mood change among Catholics at home and abroad. Surely, Obama’s blackness is inviting to peoples of African descent here and elsewhere in the world. His struggles are seen as the convergence of American’s moral climb on the mountain of civilizational assertiveness and Senator Obama ’s quest to be a Joshua for the African Americans after several decades struggling with Moses in the wilderness in search of the ‘Promised Land’. In his personal circumstances, the Promised Land Dr. Martin Luther King Jr talked about is drawing near and the collective will of White youth and elders have come together to make that Dream a reality.

Therefore, for Luttwak and others like Hillary Clinton to be unwilling to give credit and meaning to Obama’s Christian identity and life, one cannot say anything but dismiss their words as anger and jealousy mating against hope and goodwill many Americans. Senator Hillary Clinton could have done otherwise, but personal ambition apparently clouded her sense of goodwill and fair-mindedness. Luttwak too has his own agenda and   many of us would remain perplexed as to their motivations. It is kind of’ wait and see! The conflating race and religion in the person of Obama is a mischievous game and coming out of the mouth of Luttwak brings back old judgment and miscalculations. It is another case of misperceptions by Luttwak against an African. Many years ago, when Ali A. Mazrui , a noted African political scientist, was labeled a CIA agent by some Leftist elements in the West and in the Third World , it was Luttwak who added insult to injury by calling him a KGB agent. This was never verified by the U.S. government and at a critical moment in the life of this venerated African writer who had fled from Uganda in the wild days of Dictator Idi Amin . I doubt whether Luttwak ever apologized to Mazrui .

Again the issue of race and religion makes Obama a delicate American product at this time in world history. The Chinese and Indians are coming up in the global contest and they certainly would like to win the beauty contest against America . Racism in any form, when mated with religious bias would not help us here in the U.S.   Obama in many ways symbolizes a better America whose people have made radical progress in their battle against inherited prejudices. The fact that a large body of White Americans has come to select him in a race against his political contender the former First Lady, Hillary Clinton is some thing that the eyes never saw and the ears never heard.

Looking at these realities, Luttwak should see things differently. Obama cannot deny either his blackness or his father’s origins. What he can say loud and clearly is that he is a Christian and his wife and family know this and their lives have been molded and shaped by this reality. Not liking him is one thing, but tarnishing his image and reputation through innuendoes is unacceptable. The man should be judged not by the color if his skin or the religion he practices but by the contents of his character. Those who hate him because of his color have seen Reverend Wright as a black mark on his Christianity which they reluctantly accepted; at the same time, they have found in the Islam in his background an effective Bobbie trap to waylay him as he travels on the path to success.

My candid opinion here is that Luttwak misspoke and his assumptions about Obama are incorrect. This should be denounced and be rejected by all who believe in the great achievements of America . The gentleman from Illinois is not a Muslim and insulations like those from the pen of Luttwak are demeaning and dangerous. Please do not tamper with the hopes and dreams of fellow Americans at this stage in our history. Do not feed dangerous terrorists and anti-American nuts to serve as your unwitting zombies. America needs good leaders and not men and women who are created out of the politics of fear. Such way of doing politics is unacceptable. Let us move forward and bury the dangerous words that divide and weaken us here in the United States of America .

Robot  Villager

# 1 ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 16.05.2008 23:25

FoxCatcher  Villager

# 2 Beautiful piece. Just shows the 'reality' behind some yanks' conception of equality. The question is even if Obama was a practicing moslem, does it disqualify him as an American citizen from aspiring for a seat declared available to ALL Americans? The truth is that politics is war; and all is fair in war. Whether Obama eventually enters the White House (why is is 'white' house????:D) or not, he has already created a watershed in American politics. He's also helped to display the inherent fairness of the American system. However, there will always be pigs in the parlour; Americans politicians are no exception in that regard. Posted by FoxCatcher| 17.05.2008 04:29

Abujaboy  Villager

# 3 Geez, FoxCatcher, I just have to disagree that this piece is "beautiful." I found it barely readable and at times nearly incoherent. I suppose in the end the point came through, but this author has shown herself to be a terrible writer with a tenuous grasp on the 1) English language, 2) history, and 3) American politics. And this is a consistent problem with what she writes. 1) Lack of proficiency as a writer in the English language: The "single-handedness of his rivals"? Does she mean "single-mindedness"? I hope she doesn't similarly confuse other parts of her anatomy. Also, "Islamophobian"? Does she mean "Islamophobic"? 2) History: People worried about/drawing attention to his former/real/imagined ties to Islam are "kindling the flames of the Crusaders"? She shows she has no idea what the Crusades were, in general, really about -- an attempt to liberate the Holy Sepulchre from Islamic control, stop the harassment/slaughter of Christian pilgrims, and aid the Byzantine Empire from the relentless onslaughts of local Islamic rulers. They had nothing to do with some sort of overall Islamophobia (sorry, "Islamophobianness"). 3) "No one since the founding of the republic has faced racism as he does." This statement doesn't even need to be deconstructed, it's so ridiculous. And, one last little gem: the election shows how "Race Matters". Well, sort of. It really shows how LITTLE race matters. Posted by Abujaboy| 19.05.2008 09:54