Smashing our self-congratulatory American exceptionalism to pieces:
Steve Weissman of Slate explores the orgiastic myth creation that Obama, the son of a foreigner, a man with an exotic-sounding name, could only be elected in America. All those other countries in the world are dark, evil, and backward; they are unable to elect someone who does not look or sound like themselves. Our electing Obama proves, once and for all, that Americans are the most enlightened people on earth.
Right?
Weissman mentions among his many examples that of Alberto Fujimori, the ethnically Japanese president of Peru, but neglects to mention the recent rash of South American countries – OK, at least two: Ecuador and Argentina – to elect Arabs as heads of state.
In fact, Argentina’s recent president, Carlos Menem, was well-known to be a Muslim. Argentina’s constitution (until very recently) forbade anyone from becoming president unless s/he was a Catholic, so Menem made a very public conversion, then won election and later re-election to his nation’s highest post.
Let’s face it: if Obama were a Mozzlim who recently converted to Christianity, there is no way he would have been elected.
Even after Menem’s conversion, his wife and children remained Muslims, and this was well-known to the public. Once again: if Michelle Obama were a Muslim and raised her children as Muslims, Obama would never even have come near winning the Democratic nomination, much less the presidency.
Only in America? I think not.
http://www.slate.com/id/2204822
Tags: arabs, argentina, ecuador, Obama, south america
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