Apparently the myth that Obama is an Islamic Manchurian Candidate (as Bob Kerrey put it) is still widespread enough that nine leaders of Jewish organizations have signed an open letter denouncing it (story here, letter text here). This is obvious nonsense, though it’s going to persist in the fever swamps. But the two stories related to Obama and religion that are actually interesting are getting very little play. The first at least has gotten some attention — Obama’s spiritual advisor is a wacky left-wing racialist. (Sailer’s also written about this.)

But the other, perhaps more important, issue hasn’t broken through to the MSM much at all — what are the implications of Obama’s status as an apostate from Islam? Daniel Pipes has looked into the issue (here and here) and concludes that “Obama was born a Muslim to a non-practicing Muslim father and for some years had a reasonably Muslim upbringing under the auspices of his Indonesian step-father.”

Personally, I rejoice at the return of a lost sheep, but why hasn’t an enterprising reporter asked some prominent Islamic scholar at, say, al-Azhar University in Cairo or even a senior Shi’ite divine in Iran whether they would consider Obama an apostate and what the implications would be? Robert Spencer points out that “according to Islamic law an apostate male is not to be put to death if he has not reached puberty,” but since Obama doesn’t seem to have actually converted to Christianity until adulthood, would that rule apply to him?

Several implications: first, Obama’s has a unique opportunity — even a responsibility — to speak out on behalf of former Muslims under threat of death for converting to other faiths. Second, there are likely to be even more lunatics trying to kill him than there would be otherwise. And third, how would a President Obama be greeted by, say, the king of “Saudi” Arabia? Probably the same way a President Lieberman would be, and that could actually be a big selling point in his favor, but it’s something we can’t just pretend doesn’t exist.

Oh, and as contrast, here’s a story on the Hindu nonchalance about Bobby Jindal’s conversion.