Infinite Monkeys

Is Barack Obama an Apostate from Islam?

Edward Luttwak in Monday's New York Times argues that Barack Obama has an Islam problem, but not the problem some silly, conspiracy-obsessed people believe. Obama is not a "secret" Muslim. No, it's actually more complicated -- and potentially worse -- than that.

Luttwak writes:

As the son of the Muslim father, Senator Obama was born a Muslim under Muslim law as it is universally understood. It makes no difference that, as Senator Obama has written, his father said he renounced his religion. Likewise, under Muslim law based on the Koran his mother’s Christian background is irrelevant.

Of course, as most Americans understand it, Senator Obama is not a Muslim. He chose to become a Christian, and indeed has written convincingly to explain how he arrived at his choice and how important his Christian faith is to him.

His conversion, however, was a crime in Muslim eyes; it is “irtidad” or “ridda,” usually translated from the Arabic as “apostasy,” but with connotations of rebellion and treason. Indeed, it is the worst of all crimes that a Muslim can commit, worse than murder (which the victim’s family may choose to forgive).

Under Islamic law, the punishment for apostasy is death.

When I wrote about whether Obama is a "secret" Muslim at RedBlueAmerica, we generated enormous feedback from people who clearly didn't read beyond the question in the headline. A disturbing number of the responses -- almost all of which are too stupid to quote here -- took the view that Of course Obama's a Muslim! Once a Muslim, always a Muslim! The only ex-Muslims are dead Muslims! He was born a Muslim, he has a Muslim name (sigh), he must be a Muslim! (Extra exclamation points and gratuitous capitalization omitted.)

To which I would generally reply, "And, so... what exactly?" Evidently, some people really think that Obama's first act in the Oval Office will be to sign an executive order putting America under Sharia law or something equally insidious.

I would also note that there are plenty of ex-Muslims walking around with their heads still attached. One of them is Ibn Warraq, the brilliant (pseudonymous) writer who has made a career of arguing for the absolute right not to be a Muslim. Warraq edited an excellent volume about Muslim apostates called, fittingly, Leaving Islam.

But I also pointed out that Obama could potentially have an apostasy problem. And I'm hardly the first. Daniel Pipes of Middle East Forum has taken on the question here and here and concludes: "(i)f Obama once was a Muslim, he is now what Islamic law calls a murtadd (apostate), an ex-Muslim converted to another religion who must be executed. Were he elected president of the United States, this status, clearly, would have large potential implications for his relationship with the Muslim world."

Robert Spencer of the indispensable JihadWatch also dismisses the idea that Obama is a "secret" Muslim, but he equivocates slightly on the apostasy question. "Is Obama under a death sentence? Probably not. As far as I know Obama has never explained when he left Islam and became a Christian," Spencer wrote last year. "This is a crucial point, for according to Islamic law an apostate male is not to be put to death if he has not reached puberty (cf. 'Umdat al-Salik o8.2; Hidayah vol. II p. 246). Some, however, hold that he should be imprisoned until he is of age and then 'invited' to accept Islam, but officially the death penalty for youthful apostates is ruled out." (Spencer elaborates on the Luttwak op-ed here.)

So, what should American voters make of all this? Obama is almost certainly the Democratic Party nominee for president. He has a chance of beating John McCain in November. Luttwak modestly suggests, "That an Obama presidency would cause... complications in our dealings with the Islamic world is not likely to be a major factor with American voters, and the implication is not that it should be. But of all the well-meaning desires projected on Senator Obama, the hope that he would decisively improve relations with the world’s Muslims is the least realistic."

I would go a bit further and suggest that Obama's unique -- indeed, history-making -- circumstances could put pressure on clerics within Muslim world to moderate their position or be (further) marginalized. In any event, it's no longer enough for Muslim apologists to dismiss criticism or demands for reform as "Islamophobic." Would the governments of Islamic countries -- Saudi Arabia, say -- allow their imams to publicly call for the execution of an American president on the basis of Islamic law? Talk about international incidents! Certainly a renewed scrutiny of Islamic teachings about conversion and apostasy would be a welcome development.

As for Obama, I don't think the question of whether he's a Muslim apostate will sway voters much at all. All that that matters is Obama's politics and policy prescriptions, which are leftist and would ultimately undermine American resolve and strength around the globe, not just in the Muslim world.

Update: Ali Eteraz at Huffington Post thinks Luttwak is full of beans. "First of all, under orthodox Islamic law, the punishment for apostasy can only be carried out by the state." The state, or the Caliphate? And what happens when there isn't a Caliphate? Jihadists the world over want to know. Also, Eteraz is pretty persuasive -- and decisive -- on the Obama-as-Muslim question: "No call to prayer in the ear, not raised as a Muslim, born to an atheist father, and then abandoned to a Christian mother both by father and his family, equals not Muslim. Obama is right to say he had no religion until he became a Christian."

Posted by Ben at May 12, 2008 12:46 PM