Is Odinga A Muslim? (UPDATED)

I've certainly read the rumors of Odinga being a Muslim and about his alleged intention to impose Sharia law on Kenya upon ascending to the presidency since I've been paying attention to the turmoil in that country. Okay, Kenyans. Is this agreement authentic?

(Thanks to Atlas Shrugs, who sees something sinister in Senator Obama having met with a prominent political leader who knew his dead father. )

UPDATE: Odinga rejects a 'national unity government' in spite of the intervention of the US and of retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Tutu’s peace mission to Kenya last week was hampered by haggling by both warring parties over the conditions for negotiations.

Kibaki said his government was open to forming a coalition government with Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement only if Odinga accepted that there was a governing authority.

Odinga assured Tutu last week that he would enter into negotiations with Kibaki to form a unity government

But Tutu’s efforts to broker a deal came to nothing yesterday when Odinga rejected Kibaki’s offer to form a government of national unity.

Odinga said his party would be willing to enter into negotiations with Kibaki’s Party of National Unity only it were regarded as an equal. [SNIP]

Odinga said he should be the one offering Kibaki a role in a unity government.

He said: “It is an insult for him [Kibaki] to call us to join the government of national unity.

UPDATED: And the evil continues...a possible and predictable backlash.

More than two dozen Kenyan civil organizations say police have taken to using extraordinary force, and in some cases carried out extrajudicial executions, in the face of riots sparked by anger over alleged election fraud. Police deny the accusations.

The allegation is that police who are Kikuyu are taking their revenge on Odinga supporters, Luo and otherwise.

Humans.

PREVIOUSLY:

No Rest for the Wicked
Ganging Up
Uhuru Park Up Close
Six Degrees
Slaughter Postponed
Dreading Tomorrow
Kenya: Up in Smoke
Winds of Kenyan War
Kenyan Tribal Violence

Comments

[Pamela]

Please read the post.
First, I never said Odinga was a Muslim. Raila is not Moslem himself, but claims to be a practicing Anglican. Only a minority of Luo are Moslem (most are Christian). Kenya on the whole is Christian, with 80% of Kenyans either Protestant or Roman Catholic, while only 10% are Moslem.

Secondly, I never saw "something sinister in Senator Obama having met with a prominent political leader who knew his dead father."

I cited TTP
" And here is the biggest non-surprise: Raila Odinga has, in his own words, a "close personal friendship" with Barrack Hussein Obama Junior.

Odinga is a dangerous man.

When Obama went to Kenya in August of 2006, he was hosted by Raila Odinga and spoke in praise of him at rallies in Nairobi:

Obama's bias for his fellow Luo was so blatant that a Kenya government spokesman denounced Obama during his visit as Raila's "stooge."

As the riots and bloodshed continues, as Raila Odinga continues to pour tribal and religious gasoline of Kenya's fire, his stooge will need to do more than send a recorded plea for calm and conciliation broadcast on Voice of America (12/31).

Odinga has sign a pact with Muslims to institute sharia.

Odinga has cut a violent swath through the country since losing the election.

Kenya: The World Falling in Raila's Traps? AllAfrica.com hat tip Anne

Raila Oginga Odinga has duped the international press as part of a scheme to carry out a second coup attempt in Kenya (his first attempt in 1982 failed), and is using the violence as a trump card towards his success by gaining public sympathy-very similar to the strategy that Hizbollah and Iran play on Israel-shoot missiles from civilian neighborhoods, and then gain public sympathy when Israel bombs the civilian buildings.

[baldilocks]

Is there something I said here that's false? You *do* think there's something sinister about the meeting. Don't be defensive; there may be. However, there are other possible explanations for Obama's behavior, some of which I am in a unique position to understand.

[Pamela]

Yes, it is false to imply Odinga is a Muslim. He is not.

And it is false to say,
"Atlas Shrugs, who sees something sinister in Senator Obama having met with a prominent political leader who knew his dead father."

Because what is sinister is Obama's tacit support of Odinga, not that he merely met him.
We are not talking tea here, "Obama's bias for his fellow Luo was so blatant that a Kenya government spokesman denounced Obama during his visit as Raila's "stooge."

[baldilocks]

There's nothing sinister, per se, in Obama associating with members of his tribe while in country.

I'm thinking that Obama was ignorant of how this would be perceived, just as I would be in the same situation without guidance (and the advantage of Internet hindsight). The difference is that I would have my father to guide me in this matter. Obama doesn't and came off as a tribalist to a man from a basically tribal society.

In short, Obama may have behaved like an ignorant American.

[baldilocks]

And I guess I must have taken this title of your January 4 post wrong:
"Kenya, Islam and Obama Hussein."

And this: "Interesting that Obama should sidle up to the agitator aligned with Islam."

Oh and if meeting with Odinga wasn't what you meant by "tacit support," then what were you referring to? I'm serious, I'd like to know.

[African safari]

You know what? Raila Odinga has come a long way from being a tribal leader of the luo to an National leader. The presidential elections show it he won in 5 of Kenya's eight provinces.

[baldilocks]

Yes, I understand. But that is what he was during the time under discussion.

[Eric Scheie]

Is the agreement authentic?

There's a lot of debate:

http://www.abunuwasi.com/?q=detail&id=%201534

http://jukwaa.proboards58.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1196248256

Muslims deny it:

http://www.islamkenya.com/html/statement5.html

http://ncrcafe.org/node/1517

Nzimbi was asked by the Anglican Church to stop circulating it:

http://www.ackenya.org/current_news.htm

More here:

http://wanjuguna.blogspot.com/2007_11_18_archive.html

http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/Local/Church:-Raila-MoU-is-'fake.html

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/kenyan.muslims.deny.presidential.candidate.will.implement.sharia/15700.htm

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/africa-oped/message/27996

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7115387.stm

http://tumikia.com/id241.html

I wish I had the answers. It's widely linked, but something just looks funny about the agreement, and while I'm not planning to write a post, I thought I should at least share what I found.

[baldilocks]

Thanks Eric. I found your comment in my spam folder. Glad to retrieve it and glad to see homework being done.

[Eric Scheie]

Thanks for putting it through.

I'd add that Wikileaks also expressed skepticism, calling the MOU "a smear - and not a good one at that"

http://www.wikileaks.org/wiki/MOU_between_Raila_Odinga_and_Muslims.pdf

[Margaret]

Raila could probably sell ice to an Eskimo. He is a populist and will say ANYTHING to get his way. His close personal relationship with Obama may be real or imagined. I have yet to hear Obama say the same. If anything his camp contradicted reports by Odinga that Obama had called him several times to talk about the election result etc.

Obama did not grow up with his Muslim father and in his book which talks about his past drug use did not mention his Islamism.
There is nothing wrong with Islam per se and I think it's pretty bigoted to insinuate that if someone were a Muslim then they are automatically bad/evil.
Leave Obama alone, he did not name himself.

Back to Kenya, there is no religious angle to it. The MOU with the Muslims was yet another Raila attempt to gain votes. I doubt he would have been able to pass that had he been elected. The conflict is purely political under the guise of ethnic tension. Raila has been fanning the anti-Kikuyu flames for a while and I guess they finally bore fruit. I hope he is proud.

[baldilocks]

[Never mind. I hate it when I'm self-serving.]

[Observer]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raila_Odinga

Personal life

Raila Odinga is married to Ida Odinga (born Ida Anyango Oyoo). They have four children - two sons and two daughters. His oldest son, Fidel, is named after Fidel Castro [20]. Their youngest child, Winnie, is named after Winnie Mandela [20]. Raila lives in Nairobi but has a second home in Bondo District. Raila Odinga is an Anglican. [21]

Odinga claims to be a cousin of American Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama through the latter's father, Barack Obama Sr., who Odinga claims was his maternal uncle.[22] This claim has not been corroborated, but Obama Sr. did come from the same Luo community as Odinga.[22]

He briefly played soccer for Luo Union [20] (later known as Re-Union) as a midfielder.

[baldilocks]

I read it too, Observer.