According to source Tine Hahiyary, who was a teacher and principal at the Besuki Primary School, young Barry Soetoro (Barack Obama) was quite religious, and actively took part in mengaji lessons there. This is in rather stark contrast to Obama’s representations; he claims to have been playing, instead of praying. The precise definition of mengaji is interesting. In Indonesian and Malay society, the word mengaji means learning to recite the Quran rigorously in its native language, Arabic.
Obama in Hawaii
Photo: Stanley Ann, Obama, Stanley Durham, and half-sister Maya in Hawaii on trip from Indonesia in early 1970s
Lao in “Obama and the Inconvenient Truth”
To put it quite simply, “mengaji classes” are not something that a non practicing or so-called moderate Muslim family would ever send their child to. To put this is perhaps a Christian context, this is something above and beyond simply enrolling your child in Sunday school classes.
The fact that Obama had attended mengaji classes is well known in Indonesia and has left many there wondering just when Obama is going to come out of the closet. As I’ve stated before, the evidence seems to quite clearly show that both Ann Dunham and her husband Lolo Soetoro Mangunharjo were in act devout Muslims themselves and they raised their son as such.
In a recent article entitled “Confirmed: Barack Obama practised Islam”, Daniel Pipes comes to the conclusion that Obama was an irregularly practicing Muslim who rarely or occasionally prayed with his step-father in a mosque.” and “that for some years had a reasonably Muslim upbringing under the auspices of his Indonesian step-father.” Needless to say, I will respectfully differ with Daniel Pipes conclusion. So will most Indonesians.