Barack Obama's Muslim Childhood: New Information

Building on my prior three articles on the subject of Obama having been born and raised a Muslim, this weblog entry collects new information as it becomes available.

Not at mosque in Indonesia: The Daily Telegraph (London) quotes Zulfan Adi, described as 47 years old and running an internet café: "I've asked all the neighbours whether they saw him pray at the mosque and the answer is no, but he played around the mosque." The newspaper makes much of this quote (titling its long piece on Obama's Indonesian years "Barack Obama's childhood friends deny he was a Muslim") but the quote too directly contradicts the earlier one of Adi's quoted above, that Obama "was Muslim. He went to the mosque. I remember him wearing a sarong," to be taken at face value. (August 28, 2008)

Horsed around in Koran class: Andrew Higgins writes in the Washington Post about Santo Fransiskus Asisi at "Catholic school in Indonesia seeks recognition for its role in Obama's life." It includes these details:

An old school registry at Asisi records how, under the name "Barry Soetoro," he entered first grade at the start of the school year on Jan. 1, 1968. He was registered as a Muslim, based on his stepfather's faith. ... While at Besuki, Obama received instruction in Islam. But, recalled Rully Dasaad, a former classmate, Obama horsed around in class and, during readings of the Koran, got "laughed at because of his funny pronunciation."

(April 9, 2010)

Attended Muslim classes and prayers: Obama's former grade three teacher at Menteng One in Jakarta says he studied the Koran and prayed with Muslims despite the objections of his mother, Ann Dunham, a Catholic, reports Anne Barrowclough for the The Times (London):

The teacher, Effendi, who taught at Menteng One for 29 years, remembers Mr Obama as a "fat, curly-haired, curious boy". The school had an international mix of pupils, including Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims. Mr Obama attended classes on Islam while the Christians attended classes on Christianity, said Effendi. Barry, he said, was alone among the pupils in that he insisted on attending both.

"His mother did not like him learning Islam, although his father was a Muslim. Sometimes she came to the school; she was angry with the religious teacher and said 'Why did you teach him the Koran?'" said Effendi. "But he kept going to the classes because he was interested in Islam. He would also join the other pupils for Muslim prayers."

(November 8, 2010)

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