President extends 'best wishes' to participants of Islamic celebration
The 87-year-old Kenyan grandmother of President Obama – once described by the Associated Press as a "Christian" – is making the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, the Hajj, according to news reports.
The annual Islamic tradition was noted by the president, who issued a special statement today as Sarah Obama was reported to be a guest of the Saudi Arabian king.
"Michelle and I would like to send our best wishes to all those performing Hajj this year, and to Muslims in America and around the world who are celebrating Eid-ul-Adha. The rituals of Hajj and Eid-ul-Adha both serve as reminders of the shared Abrahamic roots of three of the world's major religions," the statement, posted on the White House government website, said.
"During Hajj, the world's largest and most diverse gathering, three million Muslims from all walks of life – including thousands of American Muslims – will stand in prayer on Mount Arafat. The following day, Muslims around the world will celebrate Eid-ul-Adha and distribute food to the less fortunate to commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son out of obedience to God," Barack Obama said.
"On behalf of the American people, we would like to extend our greetings during this Hajj season – Eid Mubarak," he said.
The White House did not respond to a WND request for a comment on the trip by Sarah Obama.
Sarah Obama's trip to the restricted cities of Mecca and Medina – reportedly at the expense Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah – confirmed WND's report in May that she would attend the religious event.
Obama's grandmother, known locally as "Mama Sarah," lives in Kogelo, a tiny village near the Ugandan border. She was in Washington, D.C., in January for Obama's swearing-in ceremony.
WND's Jerome Corsi reported in the April issue of Whistleblower that eyewitnesses and a translator claim Sarah Obama stated her famous grandson was born in Kenya, further fueling speculation Barack Obama is ineligible to serve as president.
The Channel Africa website said today she had arrived in Mecca.
 Barack Obama and his step-grandmother Sarah Hussein Obama |
It quoted the Saudi Arabian newspaper Okaz in confirming Sarah Obama, one of her grandchildren and 10 others from their village were attending at the invitation of King Abdullah.
The AKI newswire also said Sarah Obama was taking part in the Hajj, one of five "pillars" of Islam required by all able-bodied Muslims once in their lifetimes.
The terror-monitoring website JihadWatch noted the AP's description of Sarah Obama as a "Christian" in a March 5, 2008, report on arguments going on during the 2008 presidential race over Barack Obama's religion.
His father was reported to be a Muslim, and Barack Obama talks about other family members' Islamic beliefs in his book.
The AP reported Sarah Obama saying, "In the world of today, children have different religious from their parents."
Then the AP report stated, "She, too, is a Christian."
The AP reported Sarah Obama, the second wife of Barack Obama's late grandfather, is not his biological grandmother but serves in the role because of the African culture.
WND previously reported the controversy over Barack Obama's faith.
He's repeatedly stated he wasn't and isn't Muslim.
But as WND has reported, public records in Indonesia listed Obama as a Muslim during his early years, and a number of childhood friends claimed to the media Obama was once a mosque-attending Muslim.
Since taking office he's described the United States as a Muslim nation.
