Why do so many people believe that Barack Obama is a Muslim?

Answer 1

Barack Obama was named after his father. It is not related to religion. His father was born in Kenya, where this is a common first and last name. His father was born into an Islamic family, and later became atheist. President Obama grew up away from his father, and has stated that he is a Christian.

Basic answer, his name is based on region. It would be much like Micky O'Malley being a very Irish name, but not necessarily indicating Catholic.

Answer 2

Barack Obama is not a Muslim. He was never raised as a Muslim, and internet myths about his secretly being a Muslim are totally false. He has said that his mother was a non-practicing Christian and his father was an atheist who was born a Muslim but had long since left that religion. His maternal grandparents, who raised him, were Christians, and he later committed to Christianity in the late 1980s, when he was dating Michelle (Robinson) who later became his wife. but...There are many reasons why there are still misconceptions concerning Barack Obama's religious affiliation.

First, he has a Muslim-sounding name because he was named after his father who was born a Muslim in Kenya. His stepfather, from Indonesia, was also a Muslim, and the family moved to Indonesia, which has a large Muslim majority, for four years. Mr. Obama has noted that his step-dad was very moderate in his beliefs and never expected the future president to be a Muslim.

It's been falsely reported that Barack Obama attended a Muslim Madrassa (religious school) when he lived in Indonesia. He did not. He first attended a Catholic school and then a public school. He later returned to Hawaii to finish school there.

Throughout the 2008 presidential campaign, e-mails and YouTube videos were sent out en masse by Mr. Obama's political enemies, claiming that he is a Muslim, or claiming he wrote in some book or admitted in some speech that he was a Muslim. As Snopes.com and other fact-checking sites have pointed out, these e-mails were false and contained fake quotes.

So, what isObama's religious affiliation?Barack Obama is not a Muslim, never has been a Muslim, and while he has respect for Islam (since he has some distant relatives in Kenya who are Muslims), he is a Protestant Christian, which is how he is raising his children.

Answer 3

One Answer:

No, most do not. Of course, it is difficult to know what every Muslim in every country believes about President Obama, but based on newspaper reports, most Muslims who are educated believe he is an American Christian who has Muslim relatives (on his father's side) in Africa. His biography and his story are fairly well known, plus the president gave a well-received speech in Cairo, Egypt where he discussed both his Christian faith and his fond memories of living in Indonesia (a moderate Muslim country) for four years.

It should also be noted that a number of conservative Republicans, who are politically opposed to Mr. Obama, have spread the myth that he was raised Muslim, or tried to claim that if his dad was ever a Muslim, then somehow he inherited it, even though by all accounts, his dad had left Islam, became an atheist, and barely saw his son at all throughout his entire life.

Another answer:

In Islam, there is no compulsion in religion. Anyone, who reached puberty, has the right to choose the religion that he believes in. For Muslims, it doesn't matter whether president Obama is Muslim or not. It matters to Muslims and all other religions and cultures whether he is fair or not and whether he is successful in fulfilling and maintaining world peace or not, as president of a world superpower country.

Answer 4

Only the people who ignore the fact that he isn't: recent (2012) surveys from the Pew Research Center note that about 13% of Americans, most of whom are members of the Republican party, believe the president is a Muslim; of these, many are also "birthers," who wrongly believe the president was not born in the United States.

Answer 5

As a professional fact-checker, I wish I knew, since we get asked about it a lot. Among the reasons why some people insist he is a Muslim: he has a Muslim- sounding name; his biological father was born a Muslim; and his political enemies have spread rumors and myths about his allegedly "secret" beliefs. The facts tell a different story: the president had no say in the name his father gave him; his father was a non-practicing Muslim (and in fact an atheist) by the time the future president was born; Mr. Obama was raised in a non-religious home; and when he was finally exposed to a religion, it was the Protestant Christianity of his grandparents. But as long as certain anti-Obama websites and internet conspiracy sites keep repeating that he is a Muslim or keep implying that he is somehow "foreign" (when in fact he was born in Hawaii), I expect we will keep getting asked about it.