WASHINGTON (AFP)
Vilified during the U.S. presidential campaign for its Arabic Muslim origins and for evoking the late Iraqi president Sadam Hussein, Barak Obama's middle name will soon be etched in history as the president-elect plans to follow tradition and be sworn in using his full name: Barack Hussein Obama.
A life long Christian, Barak Obama said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune he will be sworn in as president using his full name despite the controversy it caused during the elections.
" I am not trying to make a statement one way or another. I'll do what everybody else does " Barack Obama, U.S. president-elect "I think the tradition is that they use all three names, and I will follow the tradition," Obama told the Tribune on Tuesday.
"I am not trying to make a statement one way or another. I'll do what everybody else does," he added.
Much controversy was spawned over Obama's middle name with political opponents portraying him as a closet Muslim with alleged ties to terrorists. At one point during the campaign race, Obama's rival John McCain chastised a supporter for referring to Obama's middle name as proof that he was an Arab.
When endorsing Obama in October former Secretary of State Colin Powell criticized those spreading false rumors claiming Obama as a Muslim, saying it reflected religious prejudice but also asking why it mattered if he were. |
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First major address in Islamic capital " I think we've got a unique opportunity to reboot America's image around the world and also in the Muslim world in particular " Barack Obama, U.S. president-elect The president-elect also revealed his plans to give "a major address" in an Islamic capital soon after taking office as he seeks to mend America's image in the Muslim world.
"I think we've got a unique opportunity to reboot America's image around the world and also in the Muslim world in particular," Obama said in the Tribune interview.
Obama promised an "unrelenting" desire to "create a relationship of mutual respect and partnership in countries and with peoples of good will who want their citizens and ours to prosper together."
In the same breath Obama noted that his administration would not shrink from the struggle against terrorism, referring to the recent attacks on India's financial capital.
"The message I want to send is that we will be unyielding in stamping out the terrorist extremism we saw in Mumbai," said Obama. |
