So the big news is that Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee for President. People from all over the political spectrum rush (even those who opposed Obama) are breaking their arms patting themselves on the back for how great this shows America to be. Even me, unrepentant fenian Islamist that I am, have caught myself from time to time rooting for Senator Obama. I have spent most of the last 15 years of my life on the South Side of Chicago, working in community organizations, as an attorney for children who have been abused or neglected by their parents, serving as imam (prayer leader) of a small storefront mosque. I’ve never met Senator Obama, and although we might work in the same broad environment, we run in different circles.
The same is basically true of Reverend Jeremiah Wright and Father Michael Pfleger. Both have been long time presences and major community leaders on the south side, both have built large church communities which provide a wide range of community services, and both have been ‘prophetic voices,’ trying to bring a point of view based on faith in God and service to humanity to political issues that affect people in their daily lives. Though I have much admiration for both men and no doubt they have done much more good in their lives than I have, they have long been involved in the realm of electoral politics and government. In the realm of government contracts and campaign contributions and bringing pressure to bear through the media. While God alone knows the heart of any individual, I do not doubt that all they have done they have done seeking nothing but the service of God and his people. They were experienced in the realm of politics, but I think it’s fair to say neither was prepared for the effect the campaign of their good friend Barack Obama would have on their lives. (more…)