Obama is not a Muslim

Thank you for your quick response. I actually went into this debate thinking both of us would be trying to prove our respective points beyond a reasonable doubt, not just having the BoP on me. In that case, this debate would be impossible for me to win, because all you have to do is keep saying that Obama secretly believes in Islam and is just a bad Muslim, and nobody can disprove that because nobody can read his mind. Also, isn"t the BoP on the accuser? You are accusing him of being Muslim when he says he is not. But, in any case I"m sorry that I did not make that clear in the rules. 1. The Video In the Video, Obama is saying he has a Muslim background, not that he is a Muslim. Also, how is having a good accent in Arabic and praising Islam and Islamic countries make you a Muslim, when you do not even practice the basic tenets of that faith? 2. Obama has also repeatedly said he is a Christian (http://www.huffingtonpost.com...) and he also said that he is a "Christian by choice": "It was because the precepts of Jesus Christ spoke to me in terms of the kind of life that I would want to lead," Obama said. "Being my brother's and sister's keeper. Treating others as they would treat me." Also, "Understanding that Jesus Christ dying for my sins spoke to the humility we all have to have as human beings, that we're sinful and we're flawed, we make mistakes," Obama said. "And that we achieve salvation through the grace of God." (http://articles.latimes.com...) So to recap, Obama does not practice any part of the Muslim faith and also says he is a Christian and inspired by Christ. It just does not make sense that he would not practice any of the tenets of Islam, actually violate Muslim laws (i.e. drink alcohol) and still secretly believe in Islam, but it is likely that he is a Christian. Do you have any evidence that he is lying (not just speculation)? On your rebuttal to Zakat: Here I think you are missing the point. Obama, even if he does give money in secret, is already violating the command by giving any money to charity publicly. 3. Use of Quran at inauguration and the golden ring: I have serious concerns about your source on this. The author provides no evidence that a Quran was used at the inauguration (not even a picture) and it is impossible that the person administering the Oath of Office would not have noticed. On the golden ring, he also provides no evidence, not even a picture that this ring exists. So, it seems to me neither of these things are evidence but just more unsubstantiated rumors. Also, Muslim men are forbidden from wearing gold or silk, as it is considered too feminine, so he is violating yet another command if this ring exists. He also says that, "Many politicians and media spokespeople revealed that Barack Obama is a Muslim, but to completely conceal this statement, Obama joined the united church of Christ. This attempt was to downplay his Islamic background." Yet again, more unsubstantiated rumors with no evidence whatsoever. This statement also contradicts your video evidence where Obama is actually talking up his Muslim background. 4. Your first source: You use your first source to say, "Obama has a very diverse past of religion. As a child he learned about the Islam faith, Christianity, and even African and Norse mythology" and this disproves my point about him being Christian because of his ties to the Trinity United Church of Christ. Well, if you read farther down, it says in the same source that, "Eventually, Barack Obama abandoned this non-conformism and skepticism to be baptized as an adult in the Trinity United Church of Christ." He was even baptized at that Church according to your source, pointing to further evidence of his Christianity. Another point is that Obama, even according to you, was raised in a diverse religious background ("Obama has a very diverse past of religion. As a child he learned about the Islam faith, Christianity, and even African and Norse mythology"). So he wasn"t raised in a Muslim environment, and for most of his life did not even have contact with his Muslim father. According to your own source he was a skeptic and non-conformist, not a Muslim, and abandoned his skepticism after he was baptized. Also, I forgot to ask in the previous round but, do you actually believe Obama is a Muslim or are you just debating for the sake of debating?