Question: Do you think President Barack Obama is a Muslim? I respect your answers to questions....

Question: Do you think President Barack Obama is a Muslim? I respect your answers to questions.... I just read an article in which the author thinks Obama is a "closet" Muslim.

Response: It would seem that rather than being a closet Muslim, Obama is more of a universalist with some new age beliefs thrown in. Consequently, he may be sympathetic to Muslims but always identifies himself as a "Christian." His "Christianity," however, is not biblical Christianity, and those with whom he has associated are known for their Liberation Theology—an attempt to marry Christianity with Socialist/Communist principles.

It has been shown through "interviews with dozens of former classmates, teachers, neighbors and friends...[that] Obama was not a regular practicing Muslim when he was in Indonesia, despite being listed as a Muslim on the registration form for the Catholic school, Strada Asisia, where he attended 1st through 3rd grades. At the time, the school most likely registered children based on the religion of their fathers, said [Israella Pareira] Darmawan, Obama's former [1st-grade] teacher. Because [his stepfather] Soetoro was a Muslim, Obama was listed as a Muslim, she said. '...Obama was an irregularly practicing Muslim who rarely or occasionally prayed with his stepfather in a mosque'" (http://www.hudson-ny.org/1485/a-muslim-view-of-obama).

When he took his oath of office, he was sworn in with his hand on the Bible. Regarding his "faith" in Christ, he has said, "I believe that there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief that there is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people....

"Jesus is an historical figure for me, and he's also a bridge between God and man, in the Christian faith, and one that I think is powerful precisely because he serves as that means of us reaching something higher" (Cathleen Falsani, "Barack Obama: The 2004 'God Factor' Interview Transcript," June 24, 2008, posted at Falsani's blog).

In conclusion, the evidence indicates that Obama is a universalist who believes that all paths lead to God. His overtures to Muslims would seem to be more pragmatic than heartfelt. Indeed, although some Muslims hopefully consider him a closet Muslim, others have considered him anything but a follower of Islam, as has been well attested in articles and statements in Islamic media.