By ANTARA News,
Washington : Barack Obama said in an interview with a US newspaper he will follow tradition and be sworn in as US president using his full name, including his middle name Hussein.
During the presidential campaign, some of Obama’s political opponents referred to his middle name in an attempt to portray him as a secret Muslim with alleged ties to extremists.
But Obama, a lifelong Christian, told the Chicago Tribune that he would adhere to custom for the inauguration ceremony.
“I think the tradition is that they use all three names, and I will follow the tradition,” Obama was quoted by AFP as telling the Tribune, which posted the interview on its
website late Tuesday.
“I’m not trying to make a statement one way or another. I’ll do what everybody else does.”
His Republican rival John McCain reprimanded a supporter at one point during the campaign for referring to Obama by his full name, saying it was “inappropriate.”
When endorsing Obama in October, former secretary of state Colin Powell criticized those spreading false rumors claiming Obama as a Muslim, saying it reflected religious prejudice.