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You can pretty much guess the content of the content of the article from the title: "Barack Obama joined Muslim prayers at school, teacher says"
Obama was a Muslim as a boy.
This should not be a shock to anyone at this point.
Obama's father was Muslim, his stepfather/step-siblings were Muslim, and he was living in Muslim Indonesia as a boy.
His mother was a nominal Catholic but said to be not very religious.
Why would it be a shock that Obama, someone that idolized his Muslim father, would want to fit in more by turning to Islam? Everyone around him was a Muslim.
Obama has never worn his faith on his sleeve, and at this point in his life I'd say he has very weak religious beliefs; he might be an atheist/agnostic. Point is that religion for Obama today is not that important.
But as a boy, certainly Obama would consider himself a Muslim. All of the rituals and beliefs one learns as a child about a religion, Obama learned about Islam.
What does this have to do with Obama today, and why is it relevant?
For one thing, Americans have a right to know who their President is, because we're selecting a leader for 4 years. Everything about them.
Would Obama's past foray into Islam have hurt him in 2008? Possibly, but I don't think as much as some would assume.
I mean, he was elected and we knew his middle name was Hussein, that his dad was Muslim and from Kenyan...if Obama just admitted he was Muslim as a boy, I don't think he would have lost any more votes that he already lost.
But what being a Muslim early on does show is that Obama has at least a strong affinity towards Islam and Muslims in general, a connection formed in childhood when we are innocent. And that bond, mostly on culture but on religion as well, can grow powerful roots that last for our entire adult lives.
Do you still remember being taught your religion when you were 7-9 years old? Most people do, religion was strange and wonderful, and most children crave to learn more about it from their elders.
It is for this reason that Obama should come clean about his past, and Americans should be able to see it with open eyes. And we should make our judgment about him from there, for or against.
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