Let’s get the facts straight: Barack Obama is a Christian, not a Muslim, but even if he were a Muslim, should it matter? He is not a radical leftist nor does he support genocide through abortion. But even if he were a radical leftist or just because he supports a woman’s right to choose, does that mean we should disregard his beliefs and policy proposals as a presidential candidate? I think not.

As the presidential election draws near, I worry that some voters will vote based on fear instead of facts. I frequently get racist e-mails from a conservative family member — albeit he doesn’t support President Bush and has friends of different ethnicities — that spread lies and rumors about Obama and hail McCain as the all-American-hero president-to-be. Unfortunately, we avoid politics at the dinner table.

Some of the content in these e-mails is unsettling, if not outright disturbing. One e-mail had examples of election signs: “Will we still call it the White House if Obama gets elected?” “Give al-Qaida a chance, vote Barack Obama 2008.” “Hugo Chavez, Jimmy Carter and Hamas support Obama — do you?” “If it’s okay to call Bush Hitler, then I say it’s okay to call Obama Muslim.” The worst election sign was a picture of Abraham Lincoln with a quote from 1863, “Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled or hanged.”

After months of bearing such e-mails and gritting my teeth, I finally responded to these lies.

“A vote for Obama is NOT a vote for al-Qaida,” I said. “Obama is NOT a terrorist — there is no link. These e-mails are used as a scare tactic to persuade people to decide on who to vote for based on fear not on facts.”

I had to take a deep breath to calm my nerves and loosen my tight fists, while I thought about the staunch racism that has plagued the Internet through out Obama’s campaign.

Accusations from the book Obama Nation by Jerome R. Corsi only fuel such lies and encourage finger-pointing instead of civil debate. The book has reached the number one on New York Times bestseller list. Corsi falsely discusses Obama’s “extensive connections with Islam and with radical racial politics” and paints Obama as a radical community organizer whose beliefs are similar to “extremists” such as Malcolm X.

News flash: when Obama has vaguely or remotely referred to race during his campaign, he’s accused of playing the “race card.” And if he were radical, I would applaud him considering so-called radicals — or liberals — have made historical progress in this nation, from public education to anti-slavery policies to Medicare. Although radical can mean extreme, it’s really defined as comprehensive or getting to the roots.

Americans should embrace different beliefs or religions — ethnic diversity is a characteristic of the U.S., a type of melting pot. Six to seven million Muslims live in the United States with ethnically diverse congregations composed of South Asians, blacks and Arabs, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations. It’s an insult to such communities when such racist e-mails persistently invade inboxes across the country.

Racial politics is no game, nor is fear an admirable tactic. There’s nothing wrong with being a Muslim or being a Christian. But there’s something disturbing about the fear-mongering polarizing politics that manipulate American minds to vote based on fear instead of facts.

Fear makes people think that funny names should disqualify Obama from becoming president; it’s like an infection that invades our minds quickly and puts our bodies into survival mode to use verbal attacks as a defense mechanism.

Please put your fear to rest by being informed. It’s the least we can do for future generations.

Reach columnist Marissa Beach at opinion@dailyuw.com.