Destroy this anti-Obama email please

[Bob the Gunslinger]

Recently, I received this forwarded email from a distant relation of mine and I've been trying to come up with a good way of refuting this line of reasoning.
I would like to be able to point to articles in (at least semi-) reputable publications to destroy the "Obama is an evil muslim" meme as well as demonstrate that McCain is just Bush Lite, and not in fact the lesser of two evils. Keep in mind that the writer of this letter is a very pro-choice left wing person, so anything to point out where Obama fits with that attitude and McCain doesn't would be best. (Please do not attack the IvP material in the letter, as that is not the issue here.)

For me, the biggest thing is that Obama's daughters and many other people in the congregation have been hearing all this stuff for years. This is one of the biggest problems with peace between Israel and Palestine. The Palestinian kids are taught to hate Israel and Jews. How can there be peace when the Palestines are taught that Israel doesn't have a right to exist. There are also many adults in his congregation who were probably influenced by Wright's arguments that the US "deserved" 9/11. Our presidents are supposed to be leaders. How could Obama listen to that and not do anything?

I'm also concerned about how strongly Obama will defend us from terrorists. His father and step-father were both Muslim. He lived in Indonesia for a few years, attending a Muslim school. There must be something in his core that is pro-Muslim. I'm afraid that he will give them concessions in order to appease them.

I have always been a registered democrat. I don't think I've ever voted for a republican for president. But, if Obama wins the democratic nomination, the way I feel right now, I will vote for McCain.

[Guardsman Bass]

What about referring him/her to one of Obama's books? I can give you the link to a refutation done by Factcheck.org on the "Obama= Muslim" issue, but it sounds like the person would be more comforted by knowing what specifically his religious background is, in detail.

If said relation is a religious person, remind them that people can change their religion. Being a muslim isn't an ethnic status; you can always change to a different religion (like the muslim who was baptised by the Pope in Italy).

[Tanasinn]

The fact that he openly states his disagreement with Wright's (altogether overblown) statements and has never behaved in a manner to indicate any extremist leanings totally invalidates the Israel/Palestine analogy. Individuals on both sides of that conflict show no qualms in expressing their prejudices.

His father and step-fathers' Muslim identities hardly matter. Obama is not a Muslim. Not all Muslims are terrorists. Attending a Muslim school does not make one a Muslim any more than attending a Catholic school makes you a Catholic (though you may emerge from the latter with a terror of robed women). Tell your relative to prove that there's "something in his core" that's "pro-Muslim" though stated attitudes or legislative behavior.

Overall, Obama made one point that resonated with me on the Wright issue: yeah, he disagrees, but an old man is an old man, family is family, and friends are friends. People tend to accept the flaws of those they care about.

[Bob the Gunslinger]

What about referring him/her to one of Obama's books? I can give you the link to a refutation done by Factcheck.org on the "Obama= Muslim" issue, but it sounds like the person would be more comforted by knowing what specifically his religious background is, in detail.

Yes, please.

I've tried the "read his book" routine, but without much success. (I haven't read his books, either, so my position is a little weak in that regard.) I suppose I'll have to get a copy... Would this material be in The Audacity of Hope or Dreams from My Father?

If said relation is a religious person, remind them that people can change their religion. Being a muslim isn't an ethnic status; you can always change to a different religion (like the muslim who was baptised by the Pope in Italy).

Ironically, this person has herself changed religion at least once, if not twice, from Jewish to "Agnostic" to "New Age Woo Woo Bullshit". I have pointed out that she doesn't have a clue what her rabbi is saying 95% of the time.
However, she clearly feels that "Jewish" is her ethnic status, so it's a bit of a foreign concept to her.

But this is the kind of stuff I'm looking for; new arguments and approaches that might convince her not to vote against her own interests.

[Guardsman Bass]

I think the problem is that he's probably doing what a lot of people no doubt do; they associate Islam with not just terrorism, but ethnicity (hence the suspicion shown to Arab looking individuals). You can't really change ethnicity.

[Bob the Gunslinger]

Overall, Obama made one point that resonated with me on the Wright issue: yeah, he disagrees, but an old man is an old man, family is family, and friends are friends. People tend to accept the flaws of those they care about.

Considering some of the personal issues in this relative's life, this is pure gold. Thank you.

[Guardsman Bass]

Yes, please.

I've tried the "read his book" routine, but without much success. (I haven't read his books, either, so my position is a little weak in that regard.) I suppose I'll have to get a copy... Would this material be in The Audacity of Hope or Dreams from My Father?

I took a look at it again. I specifically targets the anti-Obama e-mails going around, but hits some of the common Obama= muslim claims (in a two-fer, it also talks about Obama's church and an e-mail that was going around about it back in January). Take a look at it yourself before you send it to her/him.

Ask, and ye shall receive

[brianeyci]

Give him the link to the CNN in-depth report that says Obama's school is not a fundamentalist Muslim school. Specifically, mention that it is not a madressa. Then mention the percentage of students in Catholic school who are Catholics.

If that doesn't convince him, nothing will. In particular, his idea that Obama will "make concessions" to the Muslims is concerning. Mention that there's a huge difference between making concessions to Muslims, and making concessions to terrorists. If he thinks that all Muslims are terrorists, he's beyond help.

[Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi]

The whole "Obama = Muslim" meme is easy to disprove, but the whole flap over Obama's pastor has a lot of people assuming that

1. The soundbites of Wright played on the news are representative of an average sermon
2. There is no other level on which Obama could admire Wright

I can't think of a snappy comeback for the first point, but the second might be a good one to bring up (nobody gets accused of Anti-Semitism when they cite Henry Ford or Charles Lindbergh as a personal hero, after all). Surely, Obama could admire Wright for contributions to his community while still vehemently disagreeing with his more extreme opinions.

[irishmick79]

Wow, that email makes my head hurt.

First off, ask him how many people he knows in the african-american community have been conducting suicide bombing campaigns in the United States. Then ask him about how many black churches have gotten firebombed in recent years and a bit about groups like the KKK. Point out that the FBI has reported that of the 9,076 or so recorded hate crimes 52.2% were motivated by race bias, and of those crimes motivated by race, 66.2% were motivated specifically by an anti-black bias.

FBI 2006 report on Hate Crime in the US

After going over those statistics, ask him if he were a black person, how would he feel about those numbers. Nevermind the overwhelming economic, educational and social indicators that show huge disparities between the treatment that whites and blacks black get in all aspects of life. Run through those statistics too, and then ask him if he were a black man if he'd be angry about it at all, maybe to the point of saying stuff like "hey, this country kind of sucks!" or "screw the US. It hasn't really done all that much to make my American dream a reality.

Really challenge the person on the religious point. Maybe start by pointing out that there are almost 10 million muslims in the US today and Islam is the fastest growing religion in the US right now. Then ask the person about the number of terrorist incidents they've unleashed in the US, or if they've caused problems for police where they live. Even if Obama was muslim, why would that impact his ability to fight the crazed whackjobs who actually are terrorists? Hell, being a muslim might actually make him moreable to fight terrorists since supposedly he would know a lot more about the faith than the current chimpus in the white house and might actually be able to see some nuance in islamic religious life.

[irishmick79]

bah. Ghetto edit = can somebody fix my poor dressing effort there?