What If Obama Was Muslim? -- Ellis Cose

We haven't fully accepted the notion that all religions should have equal access to the Oval Office.

Once Barack Obama emerged as the Democratic candidate, it was clear the presidential contest would become a referendum on race. It was not, however, supposed to be a journey into the terrain of religious fears and prejudice.

Of course, even if he were a Muslim, that should be no big deal. In a country that officially separates church and state, a man's religious beliefs are his own affair. Still, nearly half a century after John F. Kennedy became America's first (and, thus far, only) Roman Catholic president, we haven't fully accepted the notion that all religions should have equal access to the Oval Office.
What If Obama Was Muslim?
A Region Long Defined by Its History