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Dear Editor: Obama is a Muslim

If President Obama is not a Muslim," writes Richard Prince, "why do some newspapers publish letters to the editor claiming that he is?"

The e-mail list of the National Conference of Editorial Writers debated that issue this week.

Our stance: We do not publish letters that state as a "fact" that the president is a Muslim.

He says he is a Christian and he has worshipped in a Christian church.

No one has shown or proved otherwise.

Publishing an opinion as fact only feeds misinformation. And there already is enough of that swirling around and contaminating public discourse.

If someone wants to say as an opinion that he or she doesn't believe the president, fine.

Even then we'll use some discretion; there'll need to be other substance in the letter.

Ideally, it shouldn't matter what the president's faith is.

Ideally.

Permalink

Posted by Allen Johnson on Thursday, August 26, 2010 at 7:33 pm

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brian444

August 27, 2010 - 3:45 am EDT

Why limit your concern with factuality to the President's religious beliefs? You guys publish a lot of opinions-as-facts that feed misinformation. Just today, there's a letter contesting the factuality of Clinton's budget surplus as described in an earlier letter. One writer is correct; the other isn't. And yet you published both. One of them was feeding misinformation, right?

Sawdust

August 27, 2010 - 7:19 am EDT

I believe that you turn to the opinion pages, or click on the opinion heading to get here. People express their opinions. Allen Johnson is of the opinion that Trinity United Church of Christ is a Christian church, in my opinion it is not. Some readers are of the opinion that Obama worships the same God as all Christians, some believe he worships Allah. My opinion is that he would never lower his standards and worship any god other than his own wonderful self.

Mialamasoul

August 27, 2010 - 8:46 am EDT

I see. A BLACK person in power with a high opinion of himself is anathema. A WHITE person in power with a high opinion of himself is the leader of the free world. Right?

Sawdust

August 27, 2010 - 9:58 am EDT

You obamaroids can't accept the fact that nearly all the criticism directed at B-plus is a result of his policies and his incomparable arrogance. "A good, solid, B-plus". Right. The man definitely does not suffer from an inferiority complex. If he was purple with green stripes his policies would still be wrong, and he would still be arrogant. And the economy would still suck. And his approval ratings would still be in the low forties, going down. Do you excuse poor job performance just because he is black?

Panacea

August 28, 2010 - 9:53 am EDT

Most of the criticism I hear is along the lines of "he's a muslim" "he's not native born" rather than criticism of his actual policies. Oh, I hear criticism of his policies, but personal attacks are usually uttered in the same breath.

And I don't find him arrogant. Please give me examples of what he has done that is arrogant.

Sawdust

August 28, 2010 - 12:05 pm EDT

We are the ones we've been waiting for", insinuating that of all the people who have dwelled on earth, from Socrates to MLK jr, Obama and his crowd are the most clued-in ever. Sorry, but the job performance to date doesn't support that insinuation at all.

"...cling to their guns and religion..."

"A good, solid B-plus"

Allen Johnson

August 27, 2010 - 10:29 am EDT

I don't think the comparison is quite apples to apples.
We checked out the arguments about balanced budgets and surpluses.
It depends on the metrics. Economists disagree about this -- and lots of other such issues.
The Muslim business is not based on measures. It's an unsubstantiated allegation based on dubious rumors.

overtaxed

August 31, 2010 - 9:32 pm EDT

The irony of this debate is the fact that it was the libs who put Obama's faith into play. Why, to provide another distraction from the REAL ISSUES that concern us.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/08/now_why_would_20_of_americans.htm...

Sawdust

August 27, 2010 - 7:41 pm EDT

Gagdad Bob nails Obama's religion: http://onecosmos.blogspot.com/search?q=barry+stoner

"One wonders how Barry Obama, the young stoner with the seemingly laid-back, live-and-let-live island temperament, could be a member of an angry and paranoid church that preaches racial supremacy, America hatred, anti-Semitism, and other vile doctrines that can only find fertile soil in a soul that is already enraged and looking for a place to organize, focus, and project that rage? In other words, this kind of church doesn't make you nuts. You have to be a nut in order for it to appeal to you in the first place. What normal person would even enter such a debased place, let alone stay there for two decades?"

I think he'd be better off claiming to be a muslim.

Panacea

August 28, 2010 - 9:54 am EDT

Clearly Gagdad Bod does not understand Islam. So, his opinion is worthless.

Sawdust

August 28, 2010 - 11:57 am EDT

On what evidence do you base that statement? There is no mention of islam in my post. Have you read One Cosmos much? I doubt it. Seems to me he understands islam very well.