On Monday Edward Luttwak wrote an Op-Ed piece for the New York Times stating that Senator Obama, in summary, would have a problem relating to Muslims in America and abroad because he had committed a sin against Islam by denouncing the Muslim faith and adopting Christianity.

Today the Times published many letters to the editor critical of Luttwak's opinion.  Here are the highlights:

• The prospect that Barack Obama could be elected president inspires awe, not charges of apostasy, as Mr. Luttwak claims. I have spent about half of the last two years in the Middle East (Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon) conducting book research. I have been struck by the profound disappointment that United States policy typically evokes among old and young, including ultra-pious and lax Muslims. These people do not see Mr. Obama as a lapsed Muslim but as a potentially empathetic American leader who grew to maturity as a Christian.

• Edward N. Luttwak speaks of an essentialized Islamic law that does not exist. Nevertheless, there is no dispute among Muslims that Islam is not an ethnic affiliation, nor is it passed through the gene pool. A Muslim parent is morally responsible for raising his or her child within Islam; children, for their part, have no legal culpability. There is no legal obligation by a child to affiliate with the Muslim community. Islam does not consider Barack Obama ever to have been part of the Muslim community. Apostasy has no relevance here.

 

•  As an American Muslim, I found Edward N. Luttwak’s assertion that Senator Barack Obama would be viewed as an “apostate” by the Muslim world because he doesn’t follow the religion of Islam of his nonpracticing Kenyan father as simply absurd.

• Yes, the election of Senator Barack Obama would be “welcomed by the Muslim world” — indeed in nearly all of the world — as signaling America’s rejection of President Bush’s misguided and incompetent foreign policy. Moreover, Muslims and non-Muslims around the world are captivated by the story of a man of color running, so far successfully, for the presidency. In their eyes, an Obama victory in November would demonstrate that America is truly a land of opportunity for all.

And so it goes.  This debate will be continued, with gusto, by McCain and his surrogates once Senator Obama is finally the Democratic nominee.  A fact that Hillary may go to her grave not believing.  If only the Gore camp had been this militant when the Supremes ordered the election over in 2000.  But then again, who knew how much damage 8 years of the Bush Crime Family would be?

How destroyed our once great economy, how weakened our dollar, how crumbled our infrastructure, how ravaged our international reputation, how many murdered innocent Iraqis and Afghanis, how many maimed and killed US troops for illegal wars. 

Oh well, at least Georgie is finally contrite - he did stop golfing, after all.

--KBM