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THE QUESTION
Obama's Muslim dilemma
President Obama's 10-day Asia trip includes visits to India and Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country.
The president chose not to visit the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar during his time in India because it required a head covering that his advisers feared would fuel speculation about his faith. A Pew study showed that nearly 20% of Americans believe falsely that the president is a Muslim.
The more Obama reaches out to Muslims, the more his critics are likely to slander him, implying that he is not a Christian.
An example is his April 2009 speech in Turkey, in which he said, "We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation, we consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values." The president's critics have seized on that statement, insisting that he rejects the Christian foundations of America.
Is Obama stuck between a rock and a hard place? If you were the president, how would you handle this dilemma?
Posted by
Elizabeth Tenety on November 8, 2010 11:47 AM
FROM THE PANEL
The president's religion dilemma
In some ways because of his background, President Obama seems to be stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Posted by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, on November 15, 2010 2:12 AM
A problem of his own making
This nation surely is built upon a Judeo-Christian ethic.
Posted by Ronald Rychlak, on November 11, 2010 5:56 PM
Religious incoherence and the presidency
If it is true that Obama avoided the temple due to head covering, what does the president's reluctance to be seen as Muslim say about him and about us?
Posted by Shmully Hecht, on November 10, 2010 12:52 PM
Seeking peace is faithful to the Constitution
The United States cannot avoid - and should not attempt to avoid - interacting with the Muslim world.
Posted by Gene Davenport, on November 10, 2010 12:25 PM
Obama stuck between rock solid convictions and hard politics
President Barack Obama is stuck between the rock of his convictions on how to conduct himself as president and the hard place of how American politics are played.
Posted by Janet Edwards, on November 9, 2010 3:08 PM
President's advisors are right
No matter what one's stance is on the religion of Islam, we have to stop using it as a political football in order to engage and divide voters.
Posted by Jason Pitzl-Waters, on November 9, 2010 1:57 PM
Ignore the willfully ignorant
My advice to President Obama is not to hide his own respect for religious diversity from view, regardless of how that may be interpreted.
Posted by Mathew N. Schmalz, on November 9, 2010 12:31 PM
Obama and the culture of fear
Facts have nothing to do with their perceptions of the President. The president has squandered, again and again, the opportunity to challenge the current culture of fear and fear-mongering that has gripped these American states.
Posted by Pamela K. Taylor, on November 9, 2010 11:23 AM
Obama: be honest
Politicians who use - and abuse - religion in politics in a way that is not true and consistent with who they will be seen, correctly, as disingenuous and worse.
Posted by Nathan Diament, on November 9, 2010 9:54 AM
Two things the president could do
An active, visible practice of Obama's Christianity would help counter misunderstandings and lies about his faith.
Posted by J. Brent Walker, on November 9, 2010 9:45 AM
Be you, Mr. President
You, Mr. President, tell the truth, and be free. Because at the end of the day, just like many Republicans refused to reach out to you when you reached to them, the people who are against you will be against you. There is not a lot you can do about it.
Posted by Susan K. Smith, on November 9, 2010 9:43 AM
Obama: don't fret about appearances
Obama is not between a rock and a hard place. He's between a hard place and an opportunity.
Posted by Danielle Bean, on November 9, 2010 9:31 AM
Obama should avoid religious overtures
I did not agree with the president when he earlier agreed to visit the Sikh Golden Temple in India and was glad that he eventually cancelled it. As a leader of a secular nation he should refrain from visiting any religious institution, to visit or to speak. My grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi, realized more than a century ago that the only way we can reduce violence among human beings is by being secular.
Posted by Arun Gandhi, on November 9, 2010 7:04 AM
The fool and his folly
Barack Obama is not a Muslim and anybody who can delude themselves that he is cannot be helped. Opposition to our president has driven them mad. They cannot be reached by Barack Obama and he should not try.
Posted by John Mark Reynolds, on November 8, 2010 7:40 PM
Get honest about Islam
American leaders should stop acting as apologists for Islam.
Posted by Jordan Sekulow, on November 8, 2010 6:05 PM
Follow Jesus' example on how to break down barriers
Jesus broke down barriers between people. But he did not do so at the expense of his identity, or the identity of his followers.
Posted by Fr. Frank Pavone, on November 8, 2010 5:05 PM
Obama's even-handedness works against him
As much as I admire Obama's even-handedness, it would be understandable if he stood up to the bullies on the right.
Posted by Deepak Chopra, on November 8, 2010 4:33 PM
Do the right thing
So my advice to President Obama about where to visit and what to wear is similar to my advice on policy issues: Do what you believe is right and ignore the critics
Posted by Herb Silverman, on November 8, 2010 4:30 PM
Debate over president's faith is distracting
Whatever the president decides to do about his visit to Amristar, let's get back to work on things that matter.
Posted by Jonathan Merritt, on November 8, 2010 4:15 PM
"Blessed are the peacemakers," and that includes you, Mr. President
Time to start earning that Nobel Peace Prize, Mr. President.
Posted by Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, on November 8, 2010 3:52 PM
Little that Obama can do to dissuade detractors
As the midterm elections displayed, there is little that President Obama can do to dissuade his opponents from making everything he says and does fodder for defeating him in the 2012 presidential race.
Posted by Max Carter, on November 8, 2010 2:43 PM
