The Madrassa Slur Against Obama

The front page of The Washington Post has now re-circulated the allegations that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama attended an Islamic school aka "madrassa," when he was living in Indonesia from ages 6 to 10. This supposed fact is then linked to rumors Obama is not a Christian but a "secret Muslim plant." The truth is that Senator Obama is a member of the United Church of Christ on Chicago's South Side and, as The Chicago Tribune has earlier reported, the school Obama attended while living in Indonesia was not a "madrassa".

Even if the school was a Muslim school, it is not unusual for children of Americans living abroad to attend religiously based public or private schools. Not all countries have an American style secular, public school system. Like Senator Obama, when I was six years old, our family went to live in another country.

In March of 1960, my parents left suburban Chicago for Baie D'Urfe´, Quebec, Canada. My dad had been hired by a Montreal company. I was the oldest of three siblings and had almost completed first grade at a Chicago area public school when we moved. When my mother took me to enroll at the local elementary school in Baie D'Urfe´, the school principal asked her what religion our family was. My mom, raised in Chicago with its secular, public school system, told the principal that our family's religion was none of his business. The principal smiled and said, "Alas Madame, it is my business, since you and your daughter are sitting with me in the Protestant public school. We teach in English. The other public school serving children who live in Baie D'Urfe´ is the Catholic public school. They teach in French, and the Catholic public school is in Beaconsfield, the neighboring town."

My mom, being a good Methodist and an English speaker, promptly enrolled me in the Protestant public elementary school. I went on to graduate from the Protestant public high school as well. Although my classes were in English, French instruction was an annual requirement. I never did well in French, since the teachers were upset by my nasal, Chicago accent.

Obviously, my education at Protestant public schools in Quebec, Canada is not controversial, unlike Senator Obama's education in a Muslim-majority country like Indonesia. Of course, I am not running for president and even if I were, the fact that I graduated from two Protestant public schools in Canada would not fuel any scurrilous rumors or front page news stories. I would not be called the "secret Canadian Protestant plant".

But here is the point. Whether it was my parents taking me as a six year old to Canada, Obama's mother taking him as a six year old to Indonesia or, an illegal immigrant bringing his six year old child across the border from Mexico, as Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said in this week's CNN/You Tube debate, we should not blame, attack or punish children whose parents take them across an international border.

In my case, I loved growing up in Canada. It's a wonderful country, as are Indonesia and Mexico. Our American political and civic life would be far better if more Americans would take the time to learn about other countries and appreciate other cultures.

Comments

[fpie]

You make a great point. Like most people my age my public school started each mornig with a prayer and a reading from the Bible. I think it was the King James translation so I guess that makes it a Presbyterian education. This of course ended when Madaline whatshername sued on behalf of her son for violation of the establisment clause.
I must also point out that I remember when word came down that schools would be racially intgrated my third grade teacher told the class that she didn't see why the colored people weren't satisfied to stay with their own. I bet that is the sentament that the "madrassa" roumor spreaders really want to express but of course that would just be a no-no.

[Pdubya]

your absolutely correct in your assessment on subjectivity.

now, onto objectivity:

Democrats for Ron Paul
Find the true candidate for peace, freedom, and ethics in government
Hillary Obama Ron
Paul
Introduced bill to end Iraq War in 2007 No No YES
Iraq exit strategy: "We should just come home." No No YES
Denounces doctrine of pre-emptive warfare No No YES
Took off the table future pre-emptive strike on Iran No No YES
Took off table future escalation of Afghanistan war No No YES
Calls to bring US military home from all foreign nations No No YES
Calls for foreign policy of military non-interventionism No No YES
Will reduce foreign military expense by $500 billion No No YES
Voted against the Iraq war 2002 No Not in Congress
in 2002 YES
Calls to repeal "Patriot" Act No No YES
Voted against the "Patriot" Act in 2002 No Not in Congress
in 2002 YES
Supports ending all gov"t subsidies to corporations No No YES
Doesn"t receive millions from big corporations No No YES
Wants to end the "inflation" tax which hurts the poor No No YES
Wrote bill to protect Social Security fund No No YES
Would end federal war against medicinal marijuana No No YES
End income tax on tips and gratuities No No YES
Opposes delegation of Congressional authority to President No No YES
Supports ending failed federal war on marijuana users No No YES

[CapitalCat]

So you've finally admitted your deep dark past, you poutine-munching surrender monkey!:-)

[akhinaten]

You guy worrie too much,

the people who can overcome the fact that he is black are going to be intelligent enough to know that living in a foreign land when you were 6-10 years old does not count as an experience as Hillary reminded us.
Hillary minimized his foreign experience actually arguing for his defence without knowing it. I call that a master moves.

Remember for three days she was talking about how inconsequential his boyhood experience was-------­----------­- so you cannot turn around now to say that it mattered that much

[Jazz42]

Great post.
Thank you,
I wish more people would study other cultures, as you and I have.