- CLAIM: President Obama canceled the 21st annual National Day of Prayer ceremony at the White House under the ruse of "not wanting to offend anyone."
STATUS: MIXED. Obama didn't cancel the National Day of Prayer. While it's true that he broke with a precedent established during the Bush administration by not holding a White House ceremony on the occasion, Obama issued the traditional National Day of Prayer proclamation in 2009 (and again in 2010, 2011, and 2012), and the annual event was observed all across the country just as it has been for many years.
Neither the President, his press secretary, nor any other member of the Obama administration characterized the decision to forgo a White House ceremony as an attempt "not to offend anyone."
Sources:
• Text of Obama's National Day of Prayer Proclamation, Beliefnet.com, 7 May 2009
• Obama Ends Bush-Era National Prayer Day Service at White House, LA Times blog, 7 May 2009
• Obama Tones Down National Day of Prayer Observance. CNN.com, 6 May 2009 - CLAIM: On September 25, 2009 from 4 am until 7 pm, a National Day of Prayer for the Muslim religion was held on Capitol Hill.
STATUS: MOSTLY TRUE. It wasn't sponsored, promoted, or attended by President Obama or the U.S. government, however, nor was it billed as a "National Day of Prayer." Conceived and sponsored by the leaders of a Washington, DC mosque who decribed it as a "day of Islamic unity," the all-day event did feature Muslim prayers and readings from the Qur'an, and was officially entitled "Islam on Capital Hill."
Sources:
• Islam on Capitol Hill. Official Website (2009)
• Elizabeth Mosque Organizes National Prayer Gathering for Muslims in Washington, D.C. Newark Star-Ledger, 31 August 2009
• Muslims to Pray for 'Soul of America' at U.S. Capitol Event Washington Post, 5 September 2009 - CLAIM: The direction this country is headed should strike fear in the heart of every Christian. Especially knowing that the Muslim religion believes that if Christians cannot be converted they should be annihilated.
STATUS: FALSE. It is not a tenet of the Islamic faith that Christians must either be converted or annihilated.
Sources:
• Christians in the Qur'an. About.com: Islam
• Do Verses of the Qur'an Condone 'Killing the Infidel'? About.com: Islam
• What Is Jihad? About.com: Islam
Last updated 05/04/12
