Raila Odinga - Obama's "Kenya Connection" should raise alarms

Submitted by Raymond Davis (United States), Jan 11, 2008 at 22:13

Thanks again, Dr. Pipes, for doing such extensive volunteer research and giving your readers more background information.

There was another article about Obama in yesterday's New York Post which I also found shocking. It covers another equally important topic that has strangely not been covered much by the media: Obama's "Kenya Connection," http://www.nysun.com/article/69273.

Apparently, the leader of the Kenyan opposition party, Raila Odinga, claims to be a cousin and close friend of Barack Obama, and from all indications he is right. his first ever trip to Kenya, in August of 2006, he rallied in support of Odinga at public forums. Obama even called him a few times in the middle of his critical New Hampshire campaigning. In Some more details:

• Raila Odinga is from the current opposion's Luo tribe, the same that Obama's father was from;

• Odinga has the support of Kenya's Muslims who make up about 10% of the total population;

• Odinga recently signed a published "Declaration of Understanding" with Kenya's National Muslim Leadership Forum with 13 chapters which should shock anyone. Here's just the opening paragraph: "WHEREAS The Candidate [a reference to Raila Odinga] - who recognizes Islam as the only true religion - is seeking to become the next President of the Republic of Kenya ... " (You can save this potentially historical document as a file on your computer since Odinga could easily have his supporters take down the server or even hide the document once it becomes widely exposed.)

• From the first paragraph alone, Raila Odinga, Senator Barack Obama's close friend and cousin, has formally agreed, in writing, to force his entire country of Kenya, which is now 80% Christian, to "recognize Islam as the only true religion," if its Muslims help him get elected.

  This country of 35 million people (80% Christian,) that became independent in 1963 and has more land area than New York and California combined and was one of the only stable democracies in Africa, is being sold out to its Muslim minority for this one man to win power (which could still happen).

• When Obama visited Kenya in 2006, the country's President publicly called Obama a "stooge" of Odinga and reprimanded him for interfering with his country's internal politics.

• As of today (1/11/08) there are 600 confirmed dead, with 50 trapped and burned alive after being forced to hide in a church. Many more churches have been torched. At least 225,000 people have been driven from their homes by supporters of Odinga, with the much of the violence supposedly caused by the Muslims. (When Odinga was asked if his supporters started the fires, he said that sometimes loud music and singing from the church caused emotions to take over.)

Personally, I don't care if Obama is black, white, hispanic, Chinese, male or female, young or old. But he is involving himself with dangerous allies very early in his career. It's unimaginable to think that America's leading presidential contender is a "close friend and cousin" of, and is actively consulting with, someone like this during his presidential campaigning.

It is also unimaginable that he has said almost nothing about this seemingly perfidious relationship. And what's worse, his mesmerized Democratic Party and the press corps have decided not to ask.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".