OPINION:
When President Obama made his initial, favorable comments about the Ground Zero Mosque, he did so during a dinner at the White House celebrating Ramadan. Why was the White House celebrating Ramadan?
I don’t mention this in the context of the recent poll in which one in five Americans said they think Mr. Obama is a Muslim (“White House dismisses polls on Obama’s faith,” Page 2, Friday). The president professes to be a Christian, but his fondness for Islam seems to go beyond the standard “we respect all religions” platitudes we expect from politicians.
Whatever his religious beliefs, why did the White House have a dinner honoring a holy day of any faith? Isn’t that an endorsement of religion, which we are told by many (primarily on the left) the Constitution prohibits? We still have the White House Christmas tree each year, but over the years, that has become a “holiday season” tree, lest anyone get offended. Every year we see cases in which Christmas Nativity scenes are found to violate the separation of church and state. There is no more prayer in schools or Ten Commandments in workplaces.
So, I ask again: How can Mr. Obama have a White House dinner to celebrate Ramadan without eliciting so much as a peep from those who crusade against government endorsement of religion?
STEVE BRADLEY
McLean, Va.
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