Trump's Republican primary campaign

Not by Obama. And that is all that matters.

That’s irrelevant to the veracity of the claim, since the claim was about his Muslimness at birth, according to the patrilineal descent rules of Islam, not his self identity.

How is it relevant to the knowledge of the author of the Salon piece?

Those rules only apply to Muslims; Muslims believe their religion is passed on from the father. I am not a Muslim; I don’t believe any religion is descended from the parents. Obama does not believe he is a Muslim, therefore his father’s religion is irrelevant. QED.

The quote was listed with a bunch of conspiratorial ignorance spouted off by Trump supporters. It is clear that the author included it because he assumed that the statement would further his aim of showcasing the ignorance of Trump supporters, when all it did was to showcase the author’s own ignorance on the subject.

[QUOTE=Fear Itself]
Those rules only apply to Muslims; Muslims believe their religion is passed on from the father. I am not a Muslim; I don’t believe any religion is descended from the parents. Obama does not believe he is a Muslim, therefore his father’s religion is irrelevant.
[/QUOTE]

It is relevant to the question of whether or not he was born a Muslim, according to the descent rules of Islam, which is the only claim made.

Exactly. Those who believe it can believe it. But since I do not believe religion is heritable, I do not believe someone can be born a Muslim. The initial assertion, therefore, is invalid for me.

And the initial assertion was not “Muslims believe Islam is patrilineal.” It was “Islam is patrilineal.” Nope. That’s not a fact that can be asserted.

Why? Did the author claim it was untrue, either explicitly or by implication? Did he use the term “ignorant”? Exactly what point is the author ignorant of?

And it is. The article was pointing and laughing at someone idiotic enough to think it is in any way relevant that Obama was “born a Muslim.”

Now you are reaching so far that I fear you might tear something.

Wrong. The assertion was that Islam “is traced” patrilineally, which is a fact.

He can’t be forced to be a Muslim.

Yes, he implied it was untrue by listing it with other things that were untrue.

Nor can Muslims be forced to not consider someone with a Muslim father to be Muslim at birth.

What other things did he list with it that are untrue?

No, the article was written by someone idiotic enough that he didn’t even know that Islam is traced patrilineally, and so he included that fact in a list of conspiracy theories as if it was the ravings of a crazy person instead of a simple fact.

Birther crap:
“serious misgivings about the President’s U.S. citizenship”, “the President is from Kenya.” "Obama is too much of a Muslim” “In our Constitution, it says that the president has to be an American citizen,” Reif said. “I’m still wondering where is he really from. What is this man’s background?”

All of which is part of one excerpt from a CNN article, not a list put together by the Salon author. The point is to show that Trump supporters are “angry, afraid and motivated by racial animus,” which are the author’s words rather than the ones you are projecting on him.

It is of course undeniable (to use a Trump supporter’s word) that anyone who thinks Muslim dogma about Obama’s religion is relevant is not just those things but really dumb. But the author never says that.

Nothing in the quote in question shows anything about anger, or fear, or anything at all racial. It is a simple fact about him being born from a Muslim father. If anything it hints at xenophobia, which is not the same as racism. And it’s not dumb to think it is relevant. If it was not relevant then Obama would not have canceled his trip to Amritsar to avoid being photographed in a head covering before the 2012 election.

Nope. Sorry. It’s not a fact. You may trace it that way. I don’t. A Muslim might. Another Muslim might not.

Religion is not genetic (even if religiosity might be). I do not assign someone to a religious faith based on an accident of birth. And yes, I find it profoundly ignorant that some Trump supporters not only do, but that they consider it valid, important, and worth talking about in public.

Well, someone here is reaching.

Here is support for my argument: PolitiFact | Graham said the "seed of Islam" passes through the father to Obama. We found widespread disagreement.

This is my last post on the topic in this thread. Apologies to all for contributing to the hijack.