// you’re reading...

Politics

Barack Hussein Obama Getting Back to His Kenyan Roots

Barack Hussein Obama wearing Muslim gearI’ve been to several Muslim countries. Not once did it ever occur to me to dress up like a Muslim. (photo and caption courtesy of Han-Geeska Afrika Online, h/t to Sweetness and Light)

Not so for Senator Barack Hussein Obama. Who got all dressed up as a Somali Elder while visiting Kenya.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the most disturbing Muslim-related — errrr — relationship that Obama has in Kenya. Like Raila Odinga, the communist, who has the support of the Muslims who are killing people in Kenya- who also happens to be Obama’s cousin.

I’m sure it’s nothing, and the Obamaniacs will spin it into it’s proper context for us soon enough.

_____

I asked my brother, who spent some tough time in Somali (which is not one of the countries I’ve visited) if he ever had occasion arise to wear Muslim garb. He responded with a scoffing, “Fuck no.”

Which is pretty much my answer, too.

_____

UPDATE — It’s probably not helpful that Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan compared Obama to the religion’s founder, Fard Muhammad, who also had a white mother and black father.

From ‘The Audacity of Hope’, “I will stand with them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.

The “them” is Arab and Pakistani Americans, which is the referent in the previous sentence in the book. Presumably Arab and Pakistani Muslim Americans.

That’s what worries me.

*NOTE* — Edited on 26 Nov, 2008 to correct the quote above from the Audacity of Hope. Even though the meaning was correct, the actual quote was not exact. It is now.

Discussion

37 comments for “Barack Hussein Obama Getting Back to His Kenyan Roots”

  1. Been to Iraq, Kuwait and the UAE.

    I have the same response as your brother as to if I ever had the desire to dress in Muslim garb….

    Posted by Maggie | February 24, 2008, 8:42 pm
  2. Wouldn’t dressing as an elder be disrespectful to the elders?
    /unless he was an elder

    Posted by no2liberals | February 24, 2008, 8:49 pm
  3. He looks mighty comfortable too. Almost at home one might say.

    Posted by BJ and The Bear | February 25, 2008, 8:25 am
  4. i once went to a colleague’s house and they asked me to remove my shoes and i was like ahh hell no! wouldn’t want to be respectful of someone else’s practices. i mean. really. because, you know, all pomp and ceremony is always just succumbing to the will of the weaker.

    i am assuming, perhaps incorrectly, that when you went abroad to these places you were all no doubt dignitaries meeting with diplomats and ambassadors and leaders of the countries you were in, and most certainly NOT a tourist or a member of the military on leave. and further, as dignitaries or representatives of governments you thought: to hell with your history–that’s not how we GET ‘ER DONE where i’m from.

    i “have never had the desire to dress in muslim garb” is not an argument against wearing muslim clothing or respecting the practices of people with whom you are meant to engage in a political discussion with. it is xenophobia.

    [Editor --- Reggie, I'll wait while you link me to some photos of an American President wearing Islamic headwear. President Bush, President Clinton, President Reagan? Even the terrorist-pandering anti-Semite Jimmy Carter). One of my best friends is a Sikh. A very traditional Sikh family. Not once has he or his family ever asked me to put on a turban (or not shave or cut my hair) when I've entered their home. Not once. Do you know why? Because it's their custom. Not mine. And they know I'm not a Sikh. In fact, I'm certain that if I did show up in a turban, they'd be horribly offended.]

    Posted by reggie | February 25, 2008, 9:00 am
  5. Hmmm. Thought provoking.

    Posted by Mike P. | February 25, 2008, 9:40 am
  6. FanFuckin’Tastic Photo!!

    Posted by Jacques | February 25, 2008, 9:54 am
  7. You guys need to get your facts right.
    1. Raila is not a communist. He is a social democrat…in Kenyan political definition…which actually is a republican in an american polical arena in terms of what he stands for.
    2. Obama was never in Somalia so what he is wearing cannot be defined as ’somali garb’. It is a traditional costume worn by some tribes in Kenya…I agree though, that some somalis do wear a similar costume.
    3. Bush wore Chinese costumes on his visit to China. Does that make him a communist? Just wondering.

    Posted by Justwondering | February 25, 2008, 10:29 am
  8. I would never hold hands with or kiss a male friend of mine who was visiting my ranch from Saudi Arabia.

    Posted by Pat | February 25, 2008, 10:30 am
  9. I think it’s high time we get the full picture of Obama; not only this one but also the one who believes that children born alive after a failed abortion should be left to die without medical treatment. Or maybe the Obama who has attended a “church” for years that is about as racist as the Klan is. Or maybe the Obama who talks about his poor upbringing but went to one of the most elite private schools in Hawaii. Or maybe the Obama who is simply so inexperienced for the job he’s seeking that he’d kiss up to the world’s most inhumane leaders and actually believes that he’s some kind of messiah who can overcome their evil all by himself.

    Posted by Dianne | February 25, 2008, 10:47 am
  10. You and the unhinged-right have repeatedly shown us the picture of Obama you want us all to see, it’s just that no one believes anything you say anymore. Your rhetoric is fading faster than Fox News’ audience share. If this tired fearmongering is all you’ve got, you’d better brace for a good-ol Texas ass-whuppin come November.

    Posted by Pat | February 25, 2008, 11:09 am
  11. i believe a number of photos hussein have surfaced (and been linked to here in the comments, or check out drudge) of our president, and former presidents, wearing customary dress from various geographies. is muslim or kenyan dress worn by barack hussein obama (did you mention hussein…? doesn’t that have such pressing relevance??? let me mention it again: hussein. did i mention that i have a friend who has the middle name adolf? boy–wouldn’t that guy be unfit for public office? i also know a boy named sue….)

    despite the lovely example of visiting a sikh home as a friend or colleague, there might be the tiniest possibility that NOT ALL CULTURES ARE EXACTLY THE SAME, and that hussein even within sikh culture there might be instances that people are asked to wear different dress. maybe not. is it because he is seen wearing something that makes him look different that how a ‘merican looks, and different is scary scary scary?

    so what is the issue here again?
    oh yeah, hussein.

    here’s a shocker: there is a world outside and it is not nearly as small as you would hope it to be.

    hussein

    Posted by reggie | February 25, 2008, 12:56 pm
  12. what? do you stand AGAINST muslims?

    Posted by reggie | February 25, 2008, 12:59 pm
  13. This is the way to dispatch the Limbaugh wing:

    About not wearing an American flag lapel pin, Obama said Republicans have no lock on patriotism.

    “A party that presided over a war in which our troops did not get the body armor they needed, or were sending troops over who were untrained because of poor planning, or are not fulfilling the veterans’ benefits that these troops need when they come home, or are undermining our Constitution with warrantless wiretaps that are unnecessary?

    “That is a debate I am very happy to have. We’ll see what the American people think is the true definition of patriotism.”

    Posted by Pat | February 25, 2008, 1:20 pm
  14. Obama’s approach illustrates the fundamental difference between these two types responses:

    * Even though I am kind of against the war and a little bit against the new FISA bill for now, I love my country and want to protect Americans, too, just like the Republicans do — honest (the standard Democratic response); and,

    * If anyone’s patriotism should be considered suspect, it’s those who want to send Americans off to die in a worthless and destructive war and those who want to eviscerate our basic political values by torturing, detaining people with no rights, and spying on American citizens with no warrants (the gist of Obama’s response here).

    Posted by Pat | February 25, 2008, 1:21 pm
  15. What is going on with America? Who is this Obama? What do we really know about this man? Look at him he is a time bomb?? I am not a Clinton fan but she has a history ; we know what she is all aout. WOW take a good look at Obama in that photos he is the unknown; that scares me! I hope we as Americans know what we are doing by voting for the “unknown man” to run our country .
    Haven’t we already allowed too many other immigrants fron China, Vietnaum, Germany and Mexico take over our enterprises in teh US now we have a man dressed in the enemy’s clothing running for presidnet; ouch!!!!!!!

    Posted by desiree | February 25, 2008, 2:46 pm
  16. This is the most infantile politics imaginable.

    Politicians dress up in traditional clothing of foreign countries all the time!

    Do you really want to argue dress-up instead of the issues? I’m inclined to think yes.

    Posted by Preston | February 25, 2008, 5:21 pm
  17. justwondering-i suppose odinga named his son fidel because he’s so anti-communist, right? you do also understand that the predominant ethnic group of kenyas northeast province is somali people, correct? as for bush, i’m through defending him to all you bds victims; his sporadic lapses in judgement don’t equate to an adequate defense of obama.

    preston- why can’t we talk “dress-up” in addition to the other issues? nice photos by the way. how do they defend the seemingly treasonous tendancies of obama toward siding with radical idiots? perhaps you would care to try and spin all of his admitted friendships with seedy characters for us infants.

    Posted by adam | February 25, 2008, 6:21 pm
  18. Just because you don’t know jack (and jill) about the world doesn’t make you an expert. First, I come from Kenya, and that “Muslim garb” is the traditional dress of my community, which is worn in so many other communities from Northern and coastal Kenya. I would never go as far as calling myself Muslim, nor is anyone I know in my community a Muslim. So how does our “traditional garb” become Muslim? For that point, I am not Christian either.
    Bush regularly wears local clothing when he goes to ASEAN conferences, I have never heard of him being called a Vietnamese communist, Thai sympathiser or a Malaysian muslim.
    Just because you can’t see past your Republican blinkers doesn’t mean the rest of the world doesnt exist. Please get educated.

    Posted by Anonymous | February 25, 2008, 8:45 pm
  19. If the quote is a direct quote from Obama in his book, “the Audacity of Hope”, then we need to be telling every U.S. citizen what this man really believes in. Did he really say….” I will stand with the muslims” ?

    Posted by Anonymous | February 25, 2008, 9:28 pm
  20. Actually, B-HO’s cuz, Odinga, claims to be an Anglican, much like B-HO claims to be a Christian. For Odinga, he pledged to bring Sharia Law to Kenya. He hoped to bring change. Sounds familiar, some how.

    Raila Odinga, it said, who was then the current presidential frontrunner, had promised to implement strict Islamic Sharia law if he received the Muslim vote and was elected president. Odinga had signed a secret memorandum of understanding with Sheikh Abdullahi Abdi, chairman of the National Leaders Forum, in which Odinga had allegedly stated his intention, if elected, to

    ‘within six months, rewrite the Constitution of Kenya to recognize Sharia as the only true law sanctioned by the Holy Quran for Muslim declared regions’.

    The Evangelical Alliance of Kenya released a statement in which church leaders said Odinga

    ‘comes across as a presumptive Muslim president bent on forcing Islamic law, religion and culture down the throats of the Kenyan people in total disregard of the Constitutionally guaranteed rights of freedom of worship and equal protection of the law for all Kenyans.’

    The Africa regional manager for International Christian Concern, Darara Gubo, said the agreement

    ‘undermines the secular nature of Kenya and opens a Pandora’s box of chaos and conflict similar to what happened in Nigeria and Sudan. This is not a stand-alone incident; rather, it is part of strategy to Islamize Eastern Africa and the Horn of Africa, through the introduction of Sharia law’.

    The Kenyan Jihad.

    Memorandum of Understanding Between Raila Odinga and National Muslim Leaders Forum.

    Posted by no2liberals | February 25, 2008, 10:08 pm
  21. I wish you knew how hysterical you sound.

    Posted by Preston | February 25, 2008, 11:03 pm
  22. You mean you wish I was a LLL like you, so you wouldn’t have to read any disagreeable words from your carefully constructed distorted leftard views.
    There’s more, much more, so get your hysteria on.
    Barack Obama backs a Taliban Supporter in Kenya.

    Jihad in Kenya. Obama, your move.

    Barack Obama and His Support for Islamic Sharia Law and al Qaeda.(lots of links here)

    And one more time for good LLL hysterical reactions, Our National Anthem.

    Posted by no2liberals | February 25, 2008, 11:51 pm
  23. Dear folks,

    Ya gotta do your homework and question everything you see on the WWW. Context is everything, eh? The actual quote, in context, from “The Audacity of Hope”:

    “In the wake of 9/11, my meetings with Arab and Pakistani Americans have a more urgent quality, for the stories of detentions and FBI questioning and hard stares from neighbors have shaken their sense of security and belonging. I will stand with them should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.”

    He’s talking about standing against a tiny but vocal minority of bigots who threaten AMERICANS.

    Likewise, Obama does not have disdain for his “mother’s race;” what kind of cretin do you think he is?? The major theme of “Dreams From My Father” is Obama’s search for identity and place and he includes many profound passages discussing periods of questioning in his life.

    Please, folks, don’t parrot the right wing noise machine: ask yourself, “does that make sense?” And when you, as a sensible American, realize that it does not, please go to the source, learn the truth, and refute the lie to everyone you meet.

    I’m an Obama supporter, but not an automaton and certainly not on his staff. Just a regular American doing his primary job of informing himself.

    Thanks for listening,

    Mark

    Posted by Mark | February 26, 2008, 3:46 pm
  24. It’s really sad to see Republicans engaged in such obvious xenophobia, although completely predictable by now. I’m disappointed in Hillary, too. I lived in a Muslim village in West Africa, and while I normally wore my usual western clothing, on special occasions I’d get dressed up and wear traditional local clothing. It’s part of showing solidarity with your hosts and it’s fun. It looks to me as if Obama is wearing normal western clothing underneath the African dress. What’s the big deal here?

    Posted by Jenny | February 26, 2008, 4:46 pm
  25. Thanks Mark- seriously- any honest reader of the passage might ask: what is the context of this statement? ( I looked for the passage but Amazon doesn’t allow searches through Obama’s book)

    Unfortunately, there is no shortage of individuals that don’t mind destroying a man’s reputation for political gain.

    Posted by Preston | February 26, 2008, 4:49 pm
  26. If you’d get the uncropped version of this picture, you’d see that there are a bunch of white men (other senators, like Obama) putting on the same garb.

    Of course you have the whole picture, you just choose to spread fear – because you yourself are afraid. You don’t think you can rise up without pushing others down.

    Hopefully, those of us who are educated can elect a candidate to help us stop this kind of Idiocracy.

    [Editor --- "those of us who are educated"? Did you really just trot that out? Play the elitism card much, there Susan? Since I only have a BS and an MA, I'll just leave it up all you PhD kids to pick our next President for us.]

    Posted by Susan | February 26, 2008, 11:18 pm
  27. Omar Bradley and Benjamin Franklin were semitically-named stalking haorses for Islamofascism, too.

    Posted by Pat | February 27, 2008, 10:50 am
  28. hey mark- since you seem to be the person that read a books worth of obamas pandering and disclosure/spin, perhaps you could elaborate on the context of this statement a bit more. did mr. obama name the “arab and pakistani americans” or specify the claims that they made? or did he vaguely suggest that he cares about people who he views as potential victims? did he name those improperly detained or questioned by specific fbi agents or did he imply that anti-islamic elements were prevelant among highly educated, credible, screened and accomplished federal law enforcement agents? did he take the very brave step of defending the oppressed against the “hard stares” of a “tiny but vocal minority of bigots who threaten AMERICANS” or did he take action to help ensure that the radical idiots who create such conditions were outed and held accountable?
    since you’re “a regular American doing his primary job of informing himself”, i’m sure you’ve already asked yourself these questions…
    noone called the senator a cretin but since you so staunchly suggest he harbors no “disdain for his mother’s race”(i assume you mean caucasions), let’s examine the record. mr. obama is a 20 year member of a church, currently under irs investigation, that awards hate as valor in the name of black people, claiming louis farrakhan “truly epitomized greatness” in it’s annual awards last year. as most know, the minister has made seemingly limitless statements denouncing jews and “white people.” some of my favorites:

    It is an act of mercy to white people that we end your world.

    or how about when he reffered to white people as

    “vicious beasts”

    and

    the skunks of the planet

    i can sure see why a self respecting and partially caucasion man would want to attend this type of church for 2 decades. i’ll bet his white mother would be awfully proud that his “search for identity and place” ended with such a desirable outcome.
    his shady religious affiliations are just the tip of the iceberg with this unproven “patriot”. what you call the republican noise machine, i call an established pattern of behaviors and associations that at very least should precede a very healthy skepticism about this man, his claims, and his intentions.

    Posted by adam | February 27, 2008, 10:55 am
  29. patty- perhaps you would like to set aside obamas strange (but explainable) links to islam while you spin this.

    Posted by adam | February 27, 2008, 11:12 am
  30. mAdame –

    Did you miss the class on basic punctuation in your christofascist home-schooling?

    Posted by Pat | February 27, 2008, 4:56 pm
  31. ??? (your question)
    not your orientation

    did you want to just change the subject and felt internet informal blog comments needed grammar improvements?

    Posted by adam | February 27, 2008, 6:05 pm
  32. get a life or real issue. 10’s of thousands of tourist go to hawaii and put on a grass skirt, very few end up addicted to poy. thousands of college students wear togas, not many end up citizens of greece or rome. stop being a tool of the radical right and join the world. did we forget so soon that archie bunker was to be laughed at, not worshiped as a profit?

    Posted by me | June 8, 2008, 12:12 am
  33. Ha!

    What did we do before the internets??

    Boy howdy, what will you do when President Obama brings the necessary change that hurls the bigots and haters out of their cushy elitist jobs in DC and beyond? Do your type wring dey lilly white hands?

    Yep. Plus, lessee now, figger 2 Supremes, some REAL committee hearings on, say Cheney’s “energy” fiasco, torture, Abu Ghraib, shoot, we’ll have 8 years of gittin’ er done, if ya catch muh drift!

    Me? I’m gonna suggest to mah Democratically elected offishul, that we start a “No Rednecks Left Behind” program. Might be a tad underfunded, at least at first, iffin ya know what I mean! Say, wut if we was to tax rednecks, eh? Think we’d get $1.98 for yer pro-gram??

    Ha! Loves me some internets, boy howdy! Y’all come back now, heah?

    Now, no real American would see themselves in that, would they, and so would take no offense, right?

    Y’all take care now…

    Posted by sandiegodan | July 15, 2008, 11:47 pm
  34. Obahma is a muslim terrorist. He does not like white people . As for the rest of you stupid liberals. Most of you would rather go communist.

    Posted by Obama you're a liar | July 16, 2008, 12:56 am
  35. [...] is dressed in his traditional Muslim garb (much like he actually is in this real photograph), while Michelle is dressed as an Ak-47 toting Pam [...]

    Posted by UrbanGrounds » Blog Archive » Barry Insulted on Behalf of American Muslims | July 16, 2008, 8:32 am
  36. Go here to learn what the MSM hides:
    The Obama File
    http://theobamafile.com/
    This massive file, written by a retired, widely respected college professor is the ultimate Obama sourse of accurate information.
    The information is backed up by links to Obama’s own books, speeches, news articles and matters of record.
    It covers his history from his African ancestors to the present with daily updates under ‘Latest News’ button at the bottom of the page.
    It is easy to read and research. (’search’ box)
    If the MSM would get out of the tank for Obama and report just half of this information he would be not only taken out of the presidential race but impeached from the Senate.

    Obama went overseas to promise the “people of the world” that he would end the divide between rich and poor nations, and said, “people of the world, this is our moment, this is our time.”
    Obama is running for a hostile takeover of the US on behalf of the anti-American international community. His plan is quite plainly to rape and pillage America’s wealth, and redistribute it to the rest of the world. His speech was brazenly candid about this.
    He has already put forth this very plan in the S.2433 Global Poverty Act of 2007, which he authored in the Senate.This bill, in fact will stick the U.S for 845 BILLION dollars.
    Thats $2500 dollars for every man, woman and child in America.
    That’s in addition to the BILLIONS we already funnel into third world countries who hate us. It’s coming up for vote, and I urge all to contact their representatives to stop this Obama atrocity.

    Posted by Edward Wilson | August 22, 2008, 12:49 pm
  37. this is a bunch of bull!!! y would freaking americans try and elect a stinking muslim diaper head. we just got done fighting these homos, y would we try and elect one?!?!? hes gonna bring his rekigion with him if he gets elected. we worked so hard to earn our freedom and rights, y loose them now??? just think bout it, if the government takes over, i beleive the UK had been trying to get out of what were gonna get into if obama gets elected…america is falling down further and further…… God Bless All

    Posted by jd | October 15, 2008, 10:54 pm

Post a comment

Quicktags:

Recent Comments