It's All About Muhammad

A NUMBER OF CRITICS, MOSTLY NOTABLY Snopes.com, have questioned the interpretation of President Obama’s forefinger gesture that he made during the U.S.-African Leaders’ Summit of last August in Washington, D.C. An article that interpreted it as a sign of Obama’s allegiance to Islam, entitled “Obama and the Muslim Gang Sign,” was published by American Thinker on February 18.

Critics reasonably pointed out the gesture could mean anything, and various websites came out with photographs of world leaders, past and present, making a similar use of their finger. They asked, “Are they Muslim too?”

Certainly, the extended forefinger – generally with the thumb hanging loose – can be used for pointing or making a point. It’s an all-purpose gesture. Journalists stick their forefingers in the air all the time at press conferences to draw attention to the fact they have a question. But who is making the gesture? What is the context? Read more »